The Sunday of the Holy Cross
Tone 6 / Third Sunday of Lent
Before Vespers, the priest (wearing his phelonion)
approaches the Table of Oblation, where the precious Cross, decorated with
various flowers and lying on a tray that is covered with an Aer, has been
prepared. The Royal Doors and the
curtain are closed. Priest: Blessed is our God. Deacon or Reader:
Trisagion Prayers. Priest: For Thine is the Kingdom. Then are sung the troparion
of the Cross, G/N and the Kontakion.
During the Singing, the priest censes the precious Cross and then gives
up the censer. The priest then makes a
prostration, then places the tray with the Cross (covered by the Aer) on his
head and carries it to the Holy Table.
The priest puts the Cross on the Holy Table on the place of the Gospel
Book, which has previously been set upright at the back of the Holy Table. The priest censes three times around the Holy
Table. Then the curtain and the Royal
Doors are opened and the vigil begins.
Great Vespers:
Blessed is the man
Lord I have Cried, Tone 6, on 10: Octoechos 6;
Triodion 4; G: Triodion (O Christ our
God, of Thine own will); N: Sunday Dogmatic in the tone of the week.
Entrance, Prokimenon
of the day, Tone 6: The Lord is King.
Aposticha: Octoechos; G/N:
Cross (O Lord Who
hast helped gentle David).
Troparia: O Theotokos and Virgin x2; Cross x1
Matins: God is the
Lord, Tone 6; Troparia: Resurrection x2; G: Cross; N: Resurrectional
Theotokion, Tone 1 (When Gabriel announced to thee).
After each Kathisma: Sessional hymns from the Octoechos
Blessed are the blameless
Evlogitaria
(The assembly of angels was amazed).
Hypakoe;
Hymns of Ascent; and Prokimenon, Tone 6.
Matins Gospel 6
Having beheld the Resurrection; Psalm 50; G: The
doors of repentance; N: Guide me in
the paths of salvation; Have mercy on me, O God; When I think of the multitude of evil things I have done; Save,
O God, Thy people.
Canon: Resurrection 4 Glory to Thy Holy
Resurrection, O Lord.
Theotokos 2
Most Holy
Theotokos, save us.
Cross (in the Triodion) 8 Glory, O Lord, to thy
precious Cross.
Irmos
of the resurrectional canon, Tone 6
Katavasia: Moses the servant of God.
At Ode 3, Sessional hymns of the Triodion
At Ode 6, Kontakion (No
longer doth the flaming sword) and Ikos of the Cross
At Ode 9, More Honorable.
Holy is the Lord, our God.
Exapostilaria: Resurrection; G: Cross (Seeing the Precious Cross of Christ); N: Theotokion in the Triodion (All-hallowed Lady).
Praises, Tone 6, on 9:
Octoechos 4; Triodion 5 (sticheron: With
our voices let us shout; verse: Praise
Him with tuneful cymbals; sticheron: Approach
and draw waters; verse: Exalt ye the
Lord our God; Sticheron: O honored
Cross; verse: God is our King before
the ages; sticheron: With our voices;
verse: Arise, O Lord my God;
sticheron: The Lord of all has taught us
in a parable); G: Triodion (The Lord of all has taught us in a parable);
N: Most blessed art thou.
For the rubrics
concerning the bringing out of the Cross, see the Lenten Triodion, page
348. During the Great Doxology the
priest, wearing all his vestments, censes three times around the Holy
Table. While the choir sings the
concluding Holy God to a slow and solemn melody, the priest takes the Cross
with the tray and, carries it upon his head out of the Altar through the north
door, preceded by two candles, stopping in front of the Royal Doors. When the
final Holy God has ended, he says Wisdom! Aright! Then we sing the
troparion of the Cross, thrice. The priest places the decorated Cross on an
analogion it in the middle of the church, and censes around it three
times. Then he sings three times: Before
Thy Cross,
and this is also repeated three times by the people. Then, the priest, clergy,
and the people (one by one) venerate the precious Cross. And as the clergy and people venerate the Cross,
the choir sings the Stichera in the Lenten Triodion, pp 348-350.
After
the conclusion of the stichera, the two remaining Litanies and
Sunday dismissal; After the dismissal: G/N: Gospel Sticheron; followed by
First Hour.
The Hours: Troparion: Resurrection; G: Cross; Kontakion:
Cross.
Liturgy of St. Basil the Great: Beatitudes on 10: Octoechos 6; Triodion 4, from Ode
6.
After the entrance: Troparion of the Resurrection; Cross; G/N: Kontakion
of the Cross.
Instead of the Trisagion: Before Thy Cross.
Prokimenon, Tone 6: Save, O Lord, Thy people and bless Thine
inheritance.
Epistle: Hebrews 4:14-5:6
(§311)
Alleluia,
Tone 1
Gospel: Mark 8:34-9:1 (§37)
Instead of It is truly meet: All creation Rejoiceth
Communion Hymn: The light of Thy countenance, O Lord, hath
been signed upon us.
Resurrectional Dismissal
Sunday Evening Vespers: As
on Cheesefare Sunday.
Lord I have Cried, Tone 6, on 10: Penitential
Stichera from the Octoechos 4; Triodion 3 (O
Lord, Thou hast stretched out Thine hands); Hieromartyr (Polycarp, February
23rd) 3; G/N: Theotokion, Tone 1 (Tempest-tossed
on the deep of transgressions).
Entrance, O gladsome light.
Great Prokimenon, Tone 8: Thou hast given an inheritance to them that
fear Thy Name.
During the final repetition
of the prokimenon, the priest closes the royal doors, removes his phelonion and
puts on a dark epitrachilion, and goes out to the
Vouchsafe, O Lord.
Then the Litany,
Let us complete our evening prayer unto
the Lord, with the choir singing the responses according to the penitential
Lenten melody.
Aposticha: Triodion (Stichera
and verses, beginning with In my
wretchedness), G/N: Theotokion in the Triodion (The heavenly powers praise thee).
Now lettest Thou Thy servant
Troparia: O Theotokos and Virgin (with a great
prostration); G: O Baptizer of Christ (with a great prostration): N: Plead in our behalf (great prostration);
Beneath thy compassion (without a prostration).
Lord, have mercy. 40 times
G/N More Honorable.
In the name of the Lord, father
bless.
Priest: He that is is blessed.
Reader: O Heavenly King, strengthen Orthodox Christians.
Then the priest says the
prayer of St. Ephrem with 3 prostrations, then the dismissal.