Great Martyr
George / Saturday of the 3rd Week after Pascha
At the beginning
of the Liturgy, the Priest sings “Christ is risen” 2 ˝ times, and the Choir
finishes
the last half.
Beatitudes on 8, Myrrh-bearers: 4, from Ode 9; Great Martyr: 4, from Ode 3, first canon.
1. Let Joseph, the noble counselor, be praised, together with the myrrh-bearers and the divine disciples, since he also is a herald of the arising of Christ.
2. Let us acclaim the wondrous Joseph, as well as Nicodemus and the faithful myrrh-bearers, O ye faithful, as we cry out: The Lord is truly risen.
3. Thou art beginningless, O Father; uncreated art Thou, O Son; of equal rank is the Spirit; the Three being One by nature and Three in Persons, even one true God.
4. Let Jesse rejoice and let David dance, for behold, the Virgin, the rod planted by God, hath blossomed forth the Flower, even the everlasting Christ.
5. Resplendent in the crown of suffering, O glorious and blessed one, entreat God our Deliverer, that He deliver from all necessity those who piously call upon thee.
6. Illumined with rich effulgence, O all-wise one, from us who praise thee with faith drive far away dark grief and the gloom of the passions.
7. Made steadfast by hope and love, and fortified by faith, O George, strengthened by the power of Christ thou didst cast down the falsehood of the idols.
8. O all-pure one, thou gavest birth in the flesh to the Incorporeal One Who hath enlightened the ends of the earth, and Who before all things is with the Father equally without beginning. Wherefore, we, the faithful, honor thee, the Theotokos.
Troparia and Kontakia:
Tone 2:
The noble Joseph, taking Thine
immaculate Body down from the Tree, /
and having wrapped It in
pure linen and spices, laid It in a new tomb. /
But on the third day Thou
didst arise, O Lord, //
granting to the world
great mercy.
Tone 2: When Thou didst descend unto
death, O Life Immortal, /
then
didst Thou slay Hades with the lightning of Thy Divinity. /
And
when Thou didst also raise the dead out of the nethermost depths,
all
the Hosts of the heavens cried out: //
O
Life-giver, Christ our God, glory be to Thee.
Tone 2: Unto the myrrh-bearing
women /
did
the angel cry out as he stood by the tomb: /
Myrrh
is meet for the dead, /
but
Christ hath proved to be a stranger to corruption. /
But
cry out: The Lord is risen, //
granting
to the world great mercy.
Tone 4: As a liberator of captives, /
a helper of the poor, and
a physician of the infirm, /
O champion of kings, /
victorious great martyr
George, entreat Christ God, //
that our souls be saved.
Glory…Tone 4: Having been cultivated by God, /
thou didst show thyself to be a most honorable
husbandman of piety, /
gathering to thyself the sheaves of the virtues; /
for, having sown in tears, thou reapest in gladness, /
and having suffered in the shedding of thy blood, /
thou hast received Christ. And by thy supplications, O
holy one, //
thou grantest forgiveness of transgressions unto all.
Both now… Tone 2:
When Thou didst cry,
Rejoice, unto the myrrh-bearers, /
Thou didst make the
lamentation of Eve the first mother to cease /
by Thy Resurrection, O
Christ God. /
And Thou didst bid Thine
apostles to preach: //
The Savior is risen from
the grave.
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 7th tone: The righteous man shall be glad in the Lord,
and shall hope in Him.
Choir: The righteous man shall be glad in the Lord,
and shall hope in Him.
Reader: The
[Acts 9:20-31 (§22); Acts
12:1-11 (§29)]
Reader: Alleluia in the 8th Tone: Thou hast been gracious, O Lord, unto
Thy land; Thou hast turned back the captivity of Jacob.
Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia,
Alleluia!
Reader: Mercy
and truth are met together, righteousness and peace have kissed each other.
Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Reader: In the 4th Tone: The righteous man
shall flourish like a palm-tree, and like a cedar in Lebanon shall he be
multiplied.
Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia,
Alleluia!
Gospel [John
15:17-16:2 (§52)]
Instead of
“It is truly meet…” we chant the Irmos of the 9th Ode of the Canon of the feast,
first Tone:
Refrain: The angel
cried unto her that is full of grace: Rejoice, O pure Virgin! And again I say,
rejoice! For thy Son is risen from the
grave on the third day, and hath raised the dead, O ye people, be joyful!
Irmos: Shine, shine,
O new Jerusalem, for the glory of the Lord is risen upon thee; dance now and be
glad, O Zion, and do thou exult, O pure Theotokos, in the arising of Him Whom
thou didst bear.
Communion Verse:
Praise the
Lord, O Jerusalem; praise thy God, O Zion. In everlasting remembrance shall the righteous be;
he shall not be afraid of evil tidings. Alleluia,
alleluia, alleluia.
We sing “Christ is risen…” instead of “We have seen the true
light…“
At the dismissal, when the priest says: “Glory to Thee,
O Christ God…” The Choir sings “Christ
is risen…” x3 instead of “Glory… Both now… Father bless!” Then the priest gives the dismissal.