14th Sunday After Pentecost / Afterfeast of the
Nativity of the Theotokos / Ss. Joachim and Anna
Beatitudes on 12: Octoechos: 4; Feast: 4, from Ode 1;
Saints: 4, from Ode 6.
1. Believing Thee to be God, O Christ, the thief
on the cross confessed Thee in a pure
manner, crying out from
the depths of his heart: Remember me in
Thy kingdom, O Lord!
2. Together let us hymn as Savior and Creator,
Him Who on the Cross budded forth life
for our race and caused
the curse which originated from the tree to wither up.
3. By Thy death hast Thou destroyed the power of
death, O Christ, and Thou didst raise
up with Thyself the dead
of ages past, who now hymn Thee as our true God and Savior.
4. Arriving at Thy tomb, O Christ, the honorable
women sought to anoint Thee with
myrrh, O Bestower of life;
but an angel appeared to them, crying out: The Lord is risen!
5. Come, ye faithful, and,
rejoicing with divine spirit, let us honor with hymns the Ever-
virgin Maiden who today
hath issued forth from a barren woman for the salvation of men.
6. Rejoice, O pure one,
Mother and handmaid of Christ God, mediatress of our primal
blessedness! All of us, the human race, glorify thee with
hymns, as is meet.
7. Let all creation join
chorus, and let David be glad, for from his tribe and seed hath
come forth as a flower the
rod which beareth the Lord, the Creator of all.
8. The Holy of holies is
placed in the holy sanctuary as a babe, to be fed by the hands of
angels. Let us all, therefore, faithfully keep
festival together on her nativity.
9. Anna, the barren woman
of old, having received fertile seed, was vouchsafed to give
birth to a Maiden of divine
radiance who hath dominion over all creatures.
10. The barren woman, hath
now given birth by God’s will to the Virgin Who would with
submission give birth
untainted by carnal will, as God Himself manifestly desired.
11. Illumined by the
Spirit, Isaiah beheld the offspring of Joachim and Anna as a new
scroll, whereon the
incarnate Word was written.
12. Mystery followeth
mystery! For she who before was barren hath given birth to grace:
the mediatress of
salvation who hath been revealed to us by the birth of virginity.
Troparia & Kontakia
Tone 5: Let
us, O faithful, praise and worship the Word /
Who is co-unoriginate with the Father and the
Spirit, /
and Who was born of the Virgin for our salvation; /
for He was pleased to ascend the Cross in the flesh
/
and to endure death, //
and to raise the dead by His glorious Resurrection.
Tone 4: Thy
nativity, O Theotokos Virgin, /
hath proclaimed joy to all
the world; /
for from thee hath dawned
the Sun of Righteousness, Christ our God, /
annulling the curse, and
bestowing the blessing, //
abolishing death and
granting us life eternal.
[Troparion of the Temple]
Tone 1:
Joachim and Anna, who were righteous in the law of grace, /
have for us given birth
unto a God-given babe. /
Wherefore, the divine
Church keepeth splendid festival today, /
celebrating their honored
memory with gladness, /
glorifying God Who hath
lifted up the horn of salvation for us //
in the house of David.
Tone 5: Unto
hades, O my Savior, didst Thou descend, /
and having broken its gates as one omnipotent, /
Thou, as Creator, didst raise up the dead together
with Thyself. /
And Thou didst break the sting of death, /
and didst deliver Adam from the curse, O Lover of
mankind. /
Wherefore, we all cry unto Thee: //
Save us, O Lord.
[Kontakion of the Temple]
Glory… Tone 2: Anna now rejoiceth, /
having broken the bond of
barrenness; /
and she nurtureth the
all-pure one, /
calling upon all to hymn
the One /
Who through her womb hath
given unto men //
the only Mother who knew
not man.
Both now... Tone 4: Joachim and Anna were freed from the reproach of childlessness /
and Adam and Eve from the
corruption of death, by thy holy nativity, O immaculate one,/
which thy people, redeemed
from the guilt of offenses, /
celebrate, by crying to
thee: //
The barren woman giveth
birth to the Theotokos, the nourisher of our life.
The Epistle
Reader: The Prokimenon in the 6th Tone: Save, O Lord, Thy people and bless Thine
inheritance.
Choir: Save,
O Lord, Thy people and bless Thine inheritance.
Reader: Unto Thee, O Lord, Will I cry; O my God, be
not silent unto me.
Choir: Save,
O Lord, Thy people and bless Thine inheritance.
Reader: In the 4th
Tone: Wondrous is God in His saints, the God of Israel.
Choir: Wondrous is God in His saints, the God of
Israel.
Reader: The Reading is
from the Epistle of the Holy Apostle Paul to the Galatians:
[Gal. 6:11-18 (§215); II Cor. 1:21-2:4 (§170); Gal.
4:22-31 (§210 (mid.))]
Reader: Alleluia in the 1st Tone:
I have raised up one chosen out of my people; with my
holy oil have I anointed him.
Choir:
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Reader: For My hand shall be unto Him an ally, and
Mine arm shall strengthen him.
Choir:
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Reader: The
salvation of the righteous is from the Lord, and he is their defender in time
of affliction.
Choir:
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Gospel [John 3:13-17
(§9); Matt. 22:2-14 (§89); Luke 8:16-21 (§36)]
Instead of “It is truly meet…” we chant the Irmos
of the 9th Ode of the Second Canon
of the feast, Eighth Tone:
Refrain: Magnify, O my soul, / the most glorious
nativity of the Mother of God.
Irmos: Foreign to mothers is virginity, /
and strange is
childbirth for virgins, /
yet both were
accomplished in thee, O Theotokos. /
Wherefore, we and
all generations of the earth //
without ceasing
do magnify thee.
Communion Verse: Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise Him in the
highest!
Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous; praise is meet for the
upright. Alleluia,
Alleluia,
Alleluia!