Presanctified Liturgy:
Tuesday in the 4th Week
The 1st and
Second Finding of the Head of
At the Hours:
Troparion of the Forerunner:
Tone 4:
The head of the
Forerunner, which hath shone forth from the earth, /
doth shed rays of
incorruption and healing upon the faithful.
/
On high it
assembleth a multitude of angels, /
and below it
calleth upon the human race //
with one voice to
send up glory to Christ God.
Kontakion of the Forerunner:
Tone 2: O
prophet of God and Forerunner of grace, /
having obtained thy head from the earth like a
most sacred rose, /
we ever receive healings, for again, as of old,
//
thou dost preach repentance
in all the world.
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
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
The
prophets, the apostles of Christ and the Martyrs /
have
taught mankind to sing the praises of the consubstantial Trinity; /
they
have given light to the nations that were gone astray, //
and
they have made the sons of men companions of the angels.
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
2 [Special melody: When from the Tree]:
Come,
ye faithful, and let us honor today /
the
precious head of the Baptist which was severed, /
greeting
it with hymns on the day of its uncovering, /
and
honoring it with love, for it poureth forth the grace of healings upon us. /
Of
old Herod the adulterer cut it off, //
and
it was wreathed about by the savagery of Herodias. Twice.
Like
gold from the mine, so from the earth /
hath
the head of the Forerunner shone forth, /
which
hath appeared in an earthen vessel /
and
doth plainly emit radiance to illumine our thoughts. /
And
venerating it, O ye faithful, /
let
us honor it today with hymns, //
for
it doth entreat God in our behalf.
The
head of the Forerunner, /
which
of old was hidden in a vessel in the ground like a divine treasure, /
is
today disclosed to the ends of the earth, /
pouring
forth an abundance of streams of healing, /
curing
sicknesses and enlightening souls. /
Wherefore,
receiving the grace of all consolation, //
let
us hymn it reverently with songs.
Glory…
Tone 2:
Like
a most precious shrine of divine thoughts /
thy
head, O all-praised John, /
hath
shone forth today from the secret places of the earth, /
as
from thy mother’s womb, /
clearly
foreseeing the mystery of the ineffable Being; /
and
it hath rendered the whole earth fragrant, /
emitting
the myrrh of sanctification, /
noetically
preaching the way of repentance /
and
entreating the Savior of all //
in
behalf of our souls.
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.
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.
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 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: In Judea is God known, His name is great
in
Choir: The righteous man shall be glad in the Lord,
and shall hope in Him.
Reader: The
righteous man shall be glad in the Lord.
Choir: And shall hope in Him.
Reader: The
Reader: Alleluia in the 4th Tone.
Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia,
Alleluia!
Reader: The righteous man shall flourish like a palm tree
and like a
cedar in
Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia,
Alleluia!
Reader: Truth is sprung up out of the earth, and
righteous hath looked
down from Heaven.
Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia,
Alleluia!
Gospel [Matthew
11:2-15(§40)]
Communion
Verse: O taste and see that the Lord is good. In everlasting
remembrance shall the righteous be; he shall not be
afraid of evil tidings.
Alleluia!
Alleluia! Alleluia!