40 Martyrs of Sebaste

Tone 8 / Fourth Sunday of Lent

Note: The service to St. John Climacus is transferred to Compline.

Great Vespers: Blessed is the man.

Lord I have Cried, Tone 8, on 10: Octoechos 4; Martyrs 6 (Valiantly enduring present torments); G: Martyrs (Valiantly enduring real torments); N: Sunday Dogmatic in the tone of the week.

Entry; O Gladsome Light; Prokimenon of the day, Tone 6: The Lord is King. 3 Readings of the Martyrs.

Litia: Sticheron of the Temple and Stichera of the Martyrs (The forty martyrs, chanting a hymn unto the Savior – from the Matins Aposticha); (The choir of forty-fold splendor; The martyrs considered the lake a paradise; and Who will not hymn the choir of the martyrs – from the stichera at Lord, I have cried, from the Vespers on the same day); G: Martyrs (Prophetically David cried aloud in the Psalms – sticheron after Psalm 50 in Matins); N: Theotokion, Tone 2 (O new wonder).

Aposticha: Octoechos; G: Martyrs (In hymnody let us praise the forty passion-bearing martyrs); N: Resurrectional Theotokion, Tone 6 (Christ the Lord).

Troparia: O Theotokos and Virgin x3.

Matins: God is the Lord, Tone 8; Troparia: Resurrection x2; G: Martyrs (By the pangs of Thy saints); N: Resurrectional Theotokion, Tone 1 (When Gabriel announced).

After each Kathisma: Sessional hymns from the Octoechos.

Polyeleos and Magnification of the Martyrs: We magnify you, O holy passion-bearing martyrs of Sebaste, and we honor your venerable sufferings, which ye did endure for Christ; Evlogitaria (The assembly of angels was amazed).

Hypakoe, Tone 8; all the Sessional Hymns of the Martyrs.

Hymns of Ascent; and Prokimenon, Tone 8.

Matins Gospel 8, John 20:11-18 (§64).

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.

Triodion 4 Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.

Martyrs (2 canons) 6 Holy Forty Martyrs, pray to God for us.

Irmos of the Resurrectional canon, Tone 8.

Katavasia: I shall open my mouth. 

After Ode 3, Kontakion (Having left the army of the world) and Ikos of the 40 Martyrs; Sessional hymn of the Martyrs (Having served Christ); G/N: Triodion (With Thy Holy Cross as our weapon).

After Ode 6, Kontakion and Ikos of the Resurrection.

At Ode 9, More Honorable.

Holy is the Lord, our God.

Exapostilaria: Resurrection; G: Martyrs (Let the forty member choir); N: Resurrectional Theotokion. Praises, Tone 8, on 9: Octoechos 4; Martyrs 4 (Come ye, O brethren – with the doxasticon (O athletes of Christ) and the final two psalm verses: 1. Thou, O Lord, shall keep us and shall preserve us from this generation, and for evermore. 2. Save me, O Lord, for a righteous man there is no more; for truths have diminished from the sons of men. And then the verse Arise, O Lord my God, followed by the sticheron in the Triodion: Come, let us work; G: Triodion (Come, let us work); N: Most blessed art thou. After the Great Doxology, the troparion: Having risen; the two remaining Litanies and Resurrectional Dismissal; after the dismissal: G/N: Gospel Sticheron; followed by First Hour.

The Hours: Troparia: Resurrection; G: Martyrs; Kontakion: Martyrs and Resurrection, alternating.

Liturgy of St. Basil the Great: Beatitudes on 10: Octoechos 6; Martyrs 4, from Ode 3.

After the entrance: Troparia & Kontakia as in Appendix I, B.

Prokimenon, Tone 8: Make your vows. & Tone 5: Thou, O Lord, shalt keep us and shalt preserve us.

Epistle: Heb. 6:13-20 (§314); Heb. 12:1-10 (§331).

Alleluia, Tone 8 & Tone 4.

Gospel: Mark 9:17-31 (§40); Matt. 20:1-16 (§80).

Instead of It is truly meet: All creation Rejoiceth.

Communion Hymn: Praise the Lord in the heavens. & Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous.

Resurrectional Dismissal.

Sunday Evening Vespers: As on Cheesefare Sunday.

Lord I have Cried, Tone 8, on 10: Penitential Stichera from the Octoechos 4 (The angels praise Thee without ceasing – Triodion, p. 187f); Triodion 3 (O ye faithful, let us taken upon ourselves); Martyr 3 (With the all-praised Codratus – Martyr Codratus, March 10); G/N: Theotokion in the Menaion (Held fast by hopeless transgressions).

Entry; O Gladsome Light; Great Prokimenon, Tone 8: Turn not Thy countenance away from Thy servant, for I am afflicted; quickly hearken unto me. Attend unto my soul and deliver it.

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 Ambon. All the other liturgical covers are likewise changed. 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 Having planted His vineyard), G/N: Theotokion in the Triodion (With the Archangel, O ye faithful).

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 x40; 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.