The Meeting of the Lord / Sunday of the Last Judgment / Tone 3
Beatitudes on 12: Octoechos 4; Triodion 4, from Ode 3; Feast 4, from Ode
6.
1. From paradise
didst Thou drive our forefather Adam, who had broken Thy
commandment, O Christ; but, O Compassionate One, Thou
didst cause to dwell therein
the thief who confessed Thee on the cross,
crying out: “Remember me, O Savior, in Thy
kingdom!”
2. With the curse
of death didst Thou condemn us who had sinned, O Lord, Bestower of
life; yet having suffered in Thy flesh, O sinless
Master, Thou hast granted life unto
mortals who cry out: “Remember us also in Thy
kingdom!”
3. In rising from
the dead, Thou hast raised us up from the passions with Thyself
through
Thy resurrection,
O Lord; and all the power of death hast Thou destroyed, O Savior.
Wherefore, with
faith we cry out to Thee: “Remember us also in Thy kingdom!”
4. O Thou who as
God grantest life, by Thy three days in the tomb Thou didst raise up
with Thyself the dead in hell, and as One Who is
good Thou hast poured forth
incorruption upon all of us who with faith ever cry out:
“Remember us also in Thy
kingdom!”
5. The Lord comes, and who shall endure the fear of His coming? Who shall dare to
appear before His face? But prepare thyself to meet Him, O my soul.
6. Let us make haste before it is too late; let
us lament, let us be reconciled to God before
the end
comes. For fearful is the judgment at
which all of us shall stand naked.
7. Have mercy, O Lord, have mercy on me, I cry
to Thee, when Thou comest with Thine
angels
to give to every man due return for his deeds.
8. How shall I endure the naked wrath of Thy
judgment, for I have disobeyed Thy
commandment? But spare, O spare
me in the hour of judgment.
9. The Elder, having seen with his eyes the salvation that was to come to the peoples,
cried aloud unto Thee: “O Christ that comest from God, Thou art my God.”
10. Thou hast been
set up in Zion as a stumbling stone and rock of offense for the
disobedient, but unto the
faithful Thou art salvation which cannot be broken.
11. Bearing
faithfully the image of Him who begat Thee before all ages, Thou hast now
from pity put on the weakness of
mortal man.
12. Now lettest
Thou depart in peace him who worships Thee as Son of the Most High
and Son of the Virgin, God
become a child.
The Entry verse:
The Lord hath made known His salvation, in the sight of
the nations hath He revealed His
righteousness.
Troparia & Kontakia
Tone 3: Let the heavens be glad; let earthly things rejoice; /
for the Lord hath wrought might with His arm. /
He hath trampled down death by death; /
the first-born of the dead hath He become. /
From the belly of Hades hath He delivered us //
and Hath granted to the world great mercy.
Tone 1:
Rejoice, thou who art full of grace, O Virgin Theotokos, /
for from thee hath risen the Sun of
Righteousness, Christ our God, /
enlightening those in darkness. /
Rejoice, thou
also, O righteous Elder, /
as thou receivest in thine arms the Redeemer of
our souls, //
Who also granteth
unto us the Resurrection.
Glory... Tone 1: When Thou, O God, shalt come to earth with
glory, /
and all things tremble, /
and the river of fire floweth before the Judgment Seat /
and the books are opened, and the hidden things made public, /
then deliver me from the unquenchable fire //
and deem me worthy to stand at Thy right hand, O most
righteous Judge.
Both now... Tone 1:
Thou Who didst sanctify the Virgin’s womb by Thy birth, /
and
didst bless Symeon’s hands as was meet, /
by
anticipation didst even now save us, O Christ God. /
But
grant peace in the midst of wars unto Thy commonwealth, /
and
strengthen Orthodox Christians //
whom
Thou hast loved, O only Lover of mankind.
The Epistle
Reader: The Prokimenon in the 3rd Tone: Great is our Lord, and great is His strength,
and of His understanding there is no measure.
Choir: Great
is our Lord, and great is His strength, and of His understanding there is no
measure.
Reader: Praise
ye the Lord, for a psalm is a good thing; let praise be sweet unto our
God.
Choir: Great
is our Lord, and great is His strength, and of His understanding there is no
measure.
Reader: In
the Same Tone: My soul doth
magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced
in God my Savior.
Choir: My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit
hath rejoiced in God my Savior.
Reader: The Reading is from the Epistle of the Holy Apostle Paul to the Corinthians:
[I Cor. 8:8-9:2 (§140); Heb. 7:7-17 (§316)]
Reader: Alleluia in the 8th Tone: Come let us rejoice in the Lord, let us
shout with
jubilation unto God
our Savior.
Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Reader: Let us come before His countenance with
thanksgiving, and with psalms let us
shout in jubilation
unto Him.
Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Reader: Now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in
peace, O Master, according to Thy
word.
Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Gospel [Matt.
25:31-46 (§106); Luke 2:22-40 (§7)]
Instead of
“It is truly meet…” we chant the Irmos of the 9th Ode of the Canon
of the
feast,
Third Tone:
Refrain: O Virgin Theotokos, thou hope of Christians: //
Do thou protect, preserve, and save those that hope in thee.
Irmos: In the shadow and the letter of the Law, /
let us, the faithful, discern a figure: /
every male child that opens the womb /
shall be sanctified to God. /
Therefore do we magnify the firstborn Word and Son of the Father without beginning, /
the firstborn Child of a Mother //
who hath not known a man.
Communion Verse: Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise Him in the highest! I will
take the cup of salvation, and I will call upon the name of the Lord. Alleluia, Alleluia,
Alleluia!