The Apodosis of Pascha / Ss. Cyril and Methodius

Great Vespers: The priest, vested in a phelonion and holding the Cross, Three-branched candle, and the censer, stands before the Holy Table and exclaims: Blessed is our God, and sings Christ is risen, thrice, and the Choir likewise sings it thrice. Then the Priest: Let God arise and the rest of the verses; the Choir sings Christ is risen after each verse. Then the Priest sings Christ is risen from the dead trampling death by death and the choir responds and upon those in the tombs bestowing life. Psalm 103 is read. Great litany.

Blessed is the man.

Lord, I have cried, Tone 2, on 10: Blind Man 6 (He that was born blind); Saints 4 (With what wreaths of praise); G: Saints (Come, ye who love the feasts of the Church); N: Pentecostarion (Who can tell of Thy mighty acts).

Entry; O Gladsome Light; Prokimenon, Tone 1: Thy mercy, O Lord, shall pursue me.

3 Readings of the Saints.

Aposticha: Resurrection, Tone 5 (Thee, O Christ our Savior); followed by Let God arise, and the Paschal Stichera; G: Saints (Rejoice, O sacred pair); N: Pascha (It is the day of resurrection) and Christ is risen x1.

Now lettest Thou Thy servant. Trisagion to Our Father.

Troparia: Resurrection, Tone 5 (Let us, O faithful, praise and worship the Word); G: Saints (As ones equal in character to the Apostles); N: Resurrectional Theotokion, Tone 4 (The mystery hidden).

And then the usual order of the dismissal (when Vespers is served alone, not as part of a full Vigil), and the priest says the dismissal without the Three-branched candle: May Christ our True God Who arose from the dead, and the saints of the day are commemorated.

Small Compline: The Canon of the Forefeast found in the text for Matins in the Pentecostarion.

Matins: Matins begins with the exclamation Glory to the holy. Choir; Amen. And the rest of the Paschal beginning, as at Vespers above; then, immediately: Reader: Glory to God in the highest; and the Six Psalms as usual. Great litany.

God is the Lord, Tone 5; Troparia: Resurrection, Tone 5 (Let us, O faithful, praise and worship the Word) x2; G: Saints (As ones equal in character to the Apostles); N: Resurrectional Theotokion, Tone 4 (The mystery hidden).

Kathisma 10 and 11.

After each Kathisma, Small Litany, and the Sessional hymns from the Pentecostarion.

Polyeleos and Magnification of the Saints: We magnify you, O Equals-of-the-Apostles Methodius and Cyril, who have enlightened all the Slavic lands by your teaching and brought them to Christ. Psalm verse: The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament proclaimeth the work of His hands.

All the Sessional hymns of the Saints (the one after the first Kathisma; the one after the second Kathisma; G: the one after the Polyeleos; N: Pentecostarion (He who with the Father and the Spirit is equally without beginning).

Hymns of Ascents, First Antiphon, Tone 4: From my youth.

Prokimenon of the Saints, Tone 4: Thy priests shall be clothed with righteousness.

Matins Gospel: John 10:1-9 (§35 mid).

Having beheld the resurrection x1; Psalm 50; G: Through the prayers of the Equals of the Apostles Methodius and Cyril; N: Through the prayers of the Theotokos; Have mercy on me, O God; Sticheron of the Saints in the Menaion (Come ye who love the feasts of the Church). Save, O God, Thy people.

Canon: Pascha (Theotokia are not read.) 6 Christ is risen from the dead.

Saints 4 Holy Equals-of-the-Apostles, Methodius and Cyril, pray to God for us.

Blind Man* 4 Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.

Irmos: It is the day of resurrection.

Katavasia: Let us sing unto the only Savior and God.

After Ode 3: Kontakion (Let us honor our sacred pair of enlighteners), and Ikos of the Saints; Hypakoe of Pascha (Forestalling the dawn); G: Sessional hymn of the Saints (Thou didst liken the holy consubstantial Trinity to the Sun); N: Sessional hymn of the Blind Man (Passing by, the Master and Creator of all – Sessional Hymn for Matins of the Sunday of the Blind Man, Pentecostarion, p. 200).

After Ode 6: Kontakion (Thou didst descend into the tomb) and Ikos of Pascha.

At Ode 9 we do not sing More honorable. Instead, Ode 9 is sung as follows: Deacon: refrain: Magnify, O my soul, Christ the Giver of life, Who arose from the grave on the third day. And the rest of the Paschal troparia with their paschal refrains. The remaining two canons are said with their refrains as in the previous odes.

Exapostilaria: Pascha (Having fallen asleep in the flesh); G: Saints (Celebrating your memory); N: Blind Man (Enlighten my noetic eyes – Pentecostarion, p. 206f).

Praises, Tone 4: Saints: 4 (O divinely wise Cyril and Methodius); then, Let God arise, and the Paschal Stichera; G: Saints (O ye people, piously celebrating); N: The final Paschal sticheron (It is the day of Resurrection), which concludes with Christ is risen from the dead, x1. After the Great Doxology, Troparia: Resurrection, Tone 5 (Let us, O faithful, praise and worship the Word); G: Saints (As ones equal in character to the Apostles); N: Resurrectional Theotokion, Tone 4 (The mystery hidden); the two remaining Litanies and Sunday dismissal, without the Three-branch candle; First Hour.

*According to the Typikon, the troparion pertaining to the Blind Man is read twice, then G: followed by the Triadicon; N: and the Theotokion. The troparia in the canon of the Blind Man that pertain to the resurrection are omitted.

Hours: Troparia: Resurrection (Let us, O faithful praise and worship the Word); G: Saints; Kontakion: Pascha (Thou didst descend into the tomb) & Saints, alternating.

Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom.

Priest: Blessed is the Kingdom.

Choir: Amen. Then the priest sings Christ is risen thrice. The choir and people sing the same, also thrice. The Priest proclaims the verses Let God arise and the rest. Choir sings Christ is risen after each verse. Then the priest sings Christ is risen from the dead trampling death by death and the choir responds and upon those in the tombs bestowing life. We sing the usual Typical Psalms.

Beatitudes on 8, from the Paschal Canon: 4, from Ode 3 (including the Irmos); Saints: 4, from Ode 6.

At the entrance: O come let us worship and fall down before Christ, Who rose from the dead. And immediately: Troparion of the Resurrection (Let us, O faithful, praise and worship the Word); Saints; G: Kontakion of the Saints; N: Pascha (Thou didst descend into the tomb).

The Trisagion is sung.

Prokimenon of Pascha, Tone 8: This is the day which the Lord hath made. & Tone 7: Precious in the sight of the Lord.

Epistle: Acts 18:22-28 (§41); Heb. 7:26-8:2 (§318).

Alleluia, Tone 4 & Tone 2 (Pascha & Saints).

Gospel: John 12:36-47 (§43); Matt. 5:14-19 (§11).

Instead of It is truly meet, we sing the refrain The angel cried, with the Irmos of the ninth Ode of Pascha (Shine, shine).

Communion Hymn: Receive ye the body of Christ. & In everlasting remembrance.

The Dismissal, as on Pascha:

Priest: The blessing of the Lord be upon you. Choir: Amen. Clergy: Christ is risen, from the dead, trampling down death by death. Choir: And upon those in the tombs bestowing life! Priest: May Christ our true God, Who rose from the dead, and trampled down death by death and upon those in the tombs bestowed life…

Choir: Amen. Then the priest, with the Cross and Three-branched candlestick, says: Christ is risen! x3;

and each time the people respond: Indeed He is risen! Choir: Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death, and upon those in the tombs bestowing life! x3; And unto us hath He granted life eternal; we worship His Resurrection on the third day. The Many years is then sung, as usual.

And the Epitaphios is taken from the Holy Table, and put in its usual place.

Ninth Hour begins with the Trisagion (without either the Paschal Troparion, or O Heavenly King), and thus until Pentecost when we resume reading O Heavenly King as usual.