Great Martyr George

Saturday of the 3rd Week after Pascha

Vespers: Priest: Glory to the Holy… Choir: Amen.

Priest: Christ is risen from the dead. 2 ½ times. The Choir sings: And upon those in the tombs bestowing life.

Blessed is the man.

Lord I have Cried, Tone 2, on 8: Pentecostarion: 4 (Very early in the morning); Great Martyr 4 (As one valiant among the martyrs); G: Great Martyr (Thou didst live thy life in accordance with thy name); N: Dogmatic Theotokion, Tone 2 (The shadow of the law).

Entry; O Gladsome Light; Prokimenon of the day, Tone 7: O God, my helper art Thou.

3 Readings for the Great Martyr.

Litia: Temple; Great Martyr (In his glorious suffering); G: Great Martyr (Springtime hath arrived); N: Pentecostarion (Joseph begged the body of Jesus – from the Matins Aposticha).

Aposticha: Pentecostarion (Come ye, let us worship God the Word); G: Great Martyr (O brethren, let us spiritually praise); N: Pentecostarion (With Nicodemus, Joseph took Thee down from the Tree).

Troparia: Great Martyr (As a liberator of captives) x2; O Theotokos and Virgin x1.

Matins: Choir: Christ is risen from the dead x3.

Reader: Glory to God in the highest; and the 6 psalms as usual.

God is the Lord, Tone 2; Troparia: The noble Joseph x1; When Thou didst descend unto death; G: Great Martyr (As a liberator of captives); N: Unto the myrrh-bearing women.

After the first Kathisma: Sessional hymns of the Pentecostarion (Without hindering the Jews from sealing the stone).

After the second Kathisma: Sessional hymns of the Pentecostarion (The choir of Thy disciples).

Polyeleos and Magnification of the Great Martyr: We magnify thee, O holy and victorious great martyr George, and we honor thy venerable sufferings, which thou didst endure for Christ. Psalm verse: Our God is refuge and strength, a helper in afflictions which mightily befall us.

All the Sessional hymns of the Great Martyr; G: Great Martyr (Zealously cultivating the seed); N: Pentecostarion (The choir of Thy disciples rejoiceth with the myrrh-bearing women – Pentecostarion, p.116).

Hymns of Ascents, 1st Antiphon, Tone 4: From my youth…

Prokimenon of the Great Martyr, Tone 4: The righteous man shall flourish like a palm tree.

Matins Gospel: Luke 12:2-12 (§63).

Having beheld the resurrection x1; Psalm 50; G: Through the prayers of the passion-bearer George; N: Through the prayers of the Theotokos; Have mercy on me, O God; Sticheron of the Great Martyr in the Menaion (Today the whole world is enlightened). Save, O God, Thy people.

Canon: Myrrh-bearers* 6 Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.

Great Martyr 8 Holy Great Martyr and Trophy-bearer George, pray to God for us.

Irmos of Myrrh-bearers (twice): Taking up the hymn of Moses.

Katavasia: It is the day of resurrection.

After Ode 3, Kontakion (When Thou didst cry, Rejoice, unto the myrrh-bearers) and Ikos of Myrrh-bearers; Sessional hymn of the Great Martyr (Manfully contending in every manner of piety); G: Great Martyr (Having distributed thine earthly riches); N: Myrrh-bearers (Fervently did the women bear myrrh to the tomb – Pentecostarion, p. 91).

After Ode 6, Kontakion (Cultivated by God) and Ikos of the Great Martyr.

At Ode 9, More Honorable.

Exapostilarion: Great Martyr (Springtime hath shone forth); G: Great Martyr (Springtime hath shone forth); N: Myrrh-bearers (Hearken, ye women).

Praises, Tone 2, on 6: Pentecostarion 3 (Every breath, all creation, glorifieth Thee); Great Martyr 3 (Come, all ye who have celebrated); G: Great Martyr (Let the eye-lids of men assent); N: Pentecostarion (The Magdalene and another Mary).

After the Great Doxology: Troparion of the Resurrection (When Thou didst descend unto death); G: Great Martyr; N: Unto the myrrh-bearing women; the two remaining Litanies and Resurrectional Dismissal; First Hour.

*From the canon of the previous Sunday, Pentecostarion , p. 90ff.

Hours: Troparion: The noble Joseph; When Thou didst descend unto death; & Unto the myrrh-bearing women, alternating; G: Great Martyr; Kontakion: Myrrh-bearers & Great Martyr, alternating.

Liturgy: The beginning, as on St. Thomas Sunday. Beatitudes on 8: Myrrh-bearers: 4, from Ode 9; and Great Martyr: 4, from Ode 6.

After the entrance, the Troparia: The noble Joseph; When Thou didst descend unto death; Unto the myrrh-bearing women; Great Martyr; G: Kontakion of the Great Martyr; N: Myrrh-bearers.

Prokimenon, Tone 6: Save, O Lord, Thy people. & Tone 7: The righteous man shall be glad in the Lord.

Epistle: Acts 9:20-31 (§22); Acts 12:1-11 (§29).

Alleluia, Tone 8 & Tone 4.

Gospel: John 15:17-16:2 (§52 – the Gospel for the day and for the Great Martyr is the same)

Instead of It is truly meet, we sing the refrain The angel cried…, with the Irmos of the 9th Ode of Pascha (Shine, shine).

Communion Hymn: Receive ye the Body of Christ. & In everlasting remembrance shall the righteous be.

And the rest as on St. Thomas Sunday.