Great Martyr George
Wednesday 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: Myrrh-bearers: 3 (The
women disciples of Christ); Great Martyr 5 (As one valiant among the martyrs); G: Great Martyr (Thou didst live thy life in accordance with
thy name); N: Myrrh-bearers (Arriving
at Thy tomb).
Entry; O Gladsome Light; Prokimenon of the day, Tone 1: Thy mercy, O Lord, shall pursue me.
3 Readings for the Great
Martyr.
Litia: Temple; Great Martyr (In his glorious suffering); G: Great
Martyr (Springtime hath arrived); N:
Myrrh-bearers (With fear the women came
to the tomb – from the Matins Praises, Doxasticon).
Aposticha: Great Martyr (With psalms and hymns); G: Great Martyr
(O brethren, let us spiritually praise);
N: Myrrh-bearers (Joseph begged the body
of Jesus).
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; When Thou didst
descend; G: Great Martyr (As a
liberator of captives); N: Unto the
myrrh-bearing women.
After the first Kathisma:
Sessional hymns of the Pentecostarion (The
honored myrrh-bearers – written as Sessional Hymn after second reading in
Pentecostarion).
After the second Kathisma:
Sessional hymns of the Great Martyr (Behold!
the springtime of grace) G: Great Martyr (Disdaining the army); N: Pentecostarion (The honored myrrh-bearers).
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.
Sessional hymns of the Great
Martyr (Afire with the burning love of
the Master); G: Great Martyr (Zealously
cultivating the seed); N: Pentecostarion (The honored myrrh-bearers).
Hymns of Ascents, First
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).
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 (Like the brilliant sun);
N: Myrrh-bearers (Hearken, ye women).
Praises, Tone 2, on 6: Myrrh-bearers
3 (Can the Deliverer be among the dead? –
written at the Matins Aposticha); Great Martyr 3 (Come, all ye who have celebrated); G: Great Martyr (Let the eye-lids of men assent); N:
Feast (With Nicodemus, Joseph took Thee
down).
After the Great Doxology: The noble Joseph; G: Troparion of the
Great Martyr; N: Unto the myrrh-bearing
women; the two remaining Litanies and Resurrectional Dismissal; First Hour.
Hours:
Troparion: When Thou didst descend
& The Noble Joseph, 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
5; Great Martyr: 4, from Ode 3, first canon.
After the entrance, the
Troparia: The noble Joseph; When Thou didst descend unto death; 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 8:18-25 (§19);
Acts 12:1-11 (§29).
Alleluia,
Tone 8 & Tone 4.
Gospel: John 6:35-39 (§21);
John 15:17-16:2 (§52).
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 shall the
righteous be.
And the rest as on St. Thomas
Sunday.