Presanctified Liturgy: Tuesday in the 4th Week

The 40 Martyrs of Sebaste

 

At the Hours:

 

Troparion of the Martyrs:

 

Tone 1: 

 

By the pangs of Thy saints, /

be Thou entreated, O Lord, /

and heal all our diseases, //

we beseech Thee, O Thou Who lovest mankind.

 

Kontakion of the Martyrs:

 

Tone 6:  Having left all the army of the world, /

ye cleaved unto the Master in the heavens, /

O forty passion-bearers of the Lord; /

for, having passed through fire and water, O blessed ones, /

as is meet ye received glory from the heavens //

and a multitude of crowns.

 

Troparia of the Prophecy at the 6th Hour:

 

Reader: The Troparion of the Prophecy, in the 6th Tone:

 

Tone 6 [sticheron melody]:  Before Thy Cross we bow down, O Master, //

and Thy Holy resurrection we glorify.

 

Glory…. Both Now…

Before Thy Cross we bow down, O Master, //

and Thy Holy resurrection we glorify.

 

Reader: The Prokimenon in the 6th Tone:

Blessed is God Who hath not turned away my prayer, * nor His mercy away from me.

 

Stichos: O bless our God, ye nations, and make the voice of His praise to be heard.

 

Deacon: Wisdom!

 

Reader: The reading is from the Prophecy of Isaiah (25:1-9).

 

Deacon:  Let us attend!

 

Reader: O Lord God, I will glorify thee, I will sing to thy name; for Thou hast done wonderful things, even an ancient and faithful counsel. So be it.  For Thou hast made cities a heap, even cities made strong that their foundations should not fall: the city of ungodly men shall not be built for ever.  Therefore shall the poor people bless thee, and cities of injured men shall bless Thee.  For Thou hast been a helper to every lowly city, and a shelter to them that were disheartened by reason of poverty: Thou shalt deliver them from wicked men: Thou hast been a shelter of them that thirst, and a refreshing air to injured men.  We were as faint-hearted men thirsting in Zion, by reason of ungodly men to whom thou didst deliver us.  And the Lord of hosts shall make a feast for all the nations: on this mount they shall drink gladness, they shall drink wine: they shall anoint themselves with ointment in this mountain. Impart Thou all these things to the nations; for this is God's counsel upon all the nations.  Death has prevailed and swallowed men up; but again the Lord God has taken away every tear from every face. He has taken away the reproach of his people from all the earth: for the mouth off the Lord has spoken it.  And in that day they shall say, behold our God in whom we have trusted, and H e shall save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, and we have exulted, and will rejoice in our salvation.

 

Reader: The Prokimenon in the 6th Tone: Let God, our God, bless us; * let God bless us.

 

Stichos: God be gracious unto us and bless us, and cause His face to shine upon us and have mercy on us.

 

At Lord, I have cried, on 10:

 

Tone 3:

I have surpassed the Publican in my transgressions, /

yet I do not vie with him in his repentance; /

I have not gained the virtue of the Pharisee, /

yet I imitate him in his self-conceit.  /

O Christ my God, in Thy supreme humility /

Thou hast upon the Cross destroyed the devil’s arrogance: /

make me a stranger to the past sins of the Publican /

and to the great foolishness of the Pharisee; /

establish in my soul the good that each of them possessed, //

and save me.                                     Twice

 

Tone 6:

O merciful Lord, /

Thou hast endured the Cross and Passion in the midst of the earth, /

granting unto all men redemption and freedom from the passions. /

Therefore, on this middle day of the fast, /

we set thus Thy Cross before us and we venerate it with great joy.  /

Glorious with the light of the divine virtues, /

may we all be counted worthy to see Thy Passion /

and life-giving Resurrection, O Word of God, //

who alone art rich in mercy.

 

Nailed upon the Cross, Thy side pierced by the spear, /

Thou wast counted as a lifeless corpse; /

and Thou wast given gall to drink, O longsuffering Master, /

who by the hand of Moses hast made sweet the waters of Marah.  /

Therefore I entreat Thee and I pray: /

Uproot the bitter passions from my understanding, /

sweeten my mind with the honey of repentance, //

and grant that I may worship at Thy holy Passion.

 

Tone 1:

We see placed before our eyes today the mighty Cross /

that Moses once prefigured with his outstretched hands, /

when he put Amalek to flight.  /

Trembling, O ye peoples, let us touch it with pure minds and lips, /

for upon it Christ was raised when He slew death.  /

May we all be counted worthy of His grace, /

and, praising the Savior of all with hymns inspired by God, //

let us pray that we may come to His saving Resurrection.

 

Tone 4: Come, let us worship the Cross of Christ our God that brings life: /

for it is set this day before us. /

Through the Cross death is wounded /

and the power of Thy Resurrection is newly revealed to us the fallen. /

Let us cry to our Deliverer: /

Of Thine own will Thou hast suffered for our sake, /

to save the whole creation; //

our God, glory to Thee.

 

Tone 1:

The choir of forty-fold splendor, /

the whole army assembled by God, /

hath shone forth upon the Fast /

in their honorable sufferings, //

illumining and enlightening our souls.  (Twice)

 

Tone 2:

The martyrs considered the lake to be a paradise, /

and winter to be as the heat of day, O Christ God; /

and thoughts of the tyrants’ threats did not frighten them. /

Valiant, they feared not the increase of tortures, /

having acquired the weapon of the Cross; /

and therewith, as mighty, they vanquished the foe, //

for which thy have received crowns of grace.

 

Who will not hymn the choir of the martyrs forty in number?  /

For they entered the waters of the lake boldly, /

and, huddling together in the cold, /

they chanted a hymn unto the Lord: /

Nay, in the rivers art Thou wroth against us, O Lover of mankind? /

Lighten Thou the oppression and bitterness of the wind, /

for our feet are empurpled with our own blood, /

and Thou has led us into thine everlasting habitations, O God!  //

May the bosom of Abraham warm us!

 

Glory... in the same tone:

Prophetically David cried aloud in the Psalms: /

We went through fire and water, /

and Thou didst bring us out into refreshment!  /

And ye, O martyrs of Christ, /

Fulfilling the word in very deed, /

passed through fire and water /

and entered into the Kingdom of Heaven.  /

Wherefore, pray, O ye forty athletes, //

that we be given great mercy.

 

Both now… Tone 8:

Today the Master of the creation and the Lord of Glory /

is nailed to the Cross and His side is pierced; /

and He who is the sweetness of the Church tastes gall and vinegar.  /

A crown of thorns is put upon Him who covers the heavens with clouds.  /

He is clothed in a cloak of mockery, /

and He who formed man with His hands is struck by a hand of clay.  /

He who wraps the heavens in clouds is smitten upon His back.  /

He accepts spitting and scourging, reproach and buffeting; /

and all these things my Deliver and God /

endures for me that am condemned, /

that in His compassion //

He may save the world from error.

 

Prokimena and Old Testament Readings

 

1st Prokimenon: Tone 6: Sing unto God, * chant unto His name.

 

Stichos: Prepare ye the way for Him that rideth upon the setting of the sun.

 

Deacon: Wisdom!

 

Reader: The reading is from Genesis (9:8-17).    

 

Deacon:  Let us attend!

 

Reader:  God spoke to Noah and to his sons with him, saying,  And behold I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you, and with every living creature with you of birds and of beasts, and with all the wild beasts of the earth, as many as are with you, of all that come out of the ark.  And I will establish my covenant with you and all flesh shall not any more die by the water of the flood, and there shall no more be a flood of water to destroy all the earth. And the Lord God said to Noah, This is the sign of the covenant which I set between me and you, and between every living creature which is with you for perpetual generations. I set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a sign of covenant between me and the earth. And it shall be when I gather clouds upon the earth, that my bow shall be seen in the cloud. And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you, and between every living soul in all flesh, and there shall no longer be water for a deluge, so as to blot out all flesh. And my bow shall be in the cloud, and I will look to remember the everlasting covenant between me and the earth, and between every living soul in all flesh which is upon the earth.  And God said to Noah, This is the sign of the covenant, which I have made between me and all flesh, which is upon the earth.

 

2nd Prokimenon: Tone 6: May Thy salvation, * O God, be quick to help me.

 

Stichos:  Let beggars behold it and be glad.

 

Deacon: Wisdom!

 

Reader: The reading is from Proverbs (12:8-22).

 

Deacon:  Let us attend!

 

Reader:  The mouth of an understanding man is praised by a man; but he that is dull of heart is had in derision.  Better is a man in dishonor serving himself, than one honoring himself and wanting bread. A righteous man has pity for the lives of his cattle; but the bowels of the ungodly are unmerciful. He that tills his own land shall be satisfied with bread; but they that pursue vanities are void of understanding. He that enjoys himself in banquets of wine, shall leave dishonor in his own strong holds.  The desires of the ungodly are evil; but the roots of the godly are firmly set. For the sin of his lips a sinner falls into snares; but a righteous man escapes from them. He whose looks are gentle shall be pitied, but he that contends in the gates will afflict souls.  The soul of a man shall be filled with good from the fruits of his mouth; and the recompense of his lips shall be given to him.  The ways of fools are right in their own eyes; but a wise man hearkens to counsels.  A fool declares his wrath the same day; but a prudent man hides his own disgrace.  A righteous man declares the open truth; but an unjust witness is deceitful.  Some wound as they speak, like swords; but the tongues of the wise heal. True lips establish testimony; but a hasty witness has an unjust tongue.  There is deceit in the heart of him that imagines evil; but they that love peace shall rejoice. No injustice will please a just man; but the ungodly will be filled with mischief.  Lying lips are an abomination to the Lord; but he that deals faithfully is accepted with him.

 

Then, Let my prayer arise, followed by the prayer of St. Ephrem with 3 prostrations.

 

The Epistle

 

Reader: The Prokimenon in the 5th Tone:  Thou, O Lord, shalt keep us and

shalt preserve us from this generation, and forevermore.

Choir:  Thou, O Lord, shalt keep us and shalt preserve us from this

generation, and forevermore.

Reader:  Save me, O Lord, for a righteous man there is no more; for truths

have diminished from the sons of men.

Choir:  Thou, O Lord, shalt keep us and shalt preserve us from this

generation, and forevermore.

Reader: Thou, O Lord, shalt keep us.

Choir:  And shalt preserve us from this generation, and forevermore.

 

Reader: The Reading is from the Epistle of the Holy Apostle Paul to the

Hebrews: [Hebrews 12:1-10]

 

Reader: Alleluia in the 4th Tone.

Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!

Reader: Shout with jubilation unto the Lord all the earth; chant ye unto His

name, give glory in praise of Him.

Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!

Reader:  For Thou hast proved us, O God, and by fire hast Thou tried us

even as silver is tried by fire.

Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!

 

Gospel [Matthew 20:1-16]

 

Copyright notice

 

Communion Verse:  O taste and see that the Lord is good.  Rejoice in the

Lord, O ye righteous; praise is meet for the upright.  Alleluia, Alleluia,

Alleluia!