St. John the Theologian / St. Arsenius the Great

Friday of the 3rd Week after Pascha

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

Priest: Christ is risen 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 10: Myrrh-bearers: 3 (Following the steps of Christ); Apostle 4 (The beholder of ineffable revelations); Saint 3 (O divinely wise father Arsenius); G: Apostle (O ye of the race of man); N: Myrrh-bearers (Early in the morning).

Entry, O Gladsome Light; Prokimenon of the day, Tone 6: My help cometh from the Lord.

3 Readings for the Apostle.

Litia: Temple; Apostle (Rivers of theology); Saint (O venerable father); G: Apostle (Reclining against the breast of Christ); N: Myrrh-bearers (With fear the women came to the tomb – from the Matins Aposticha).

Aposticha: Apostle (Theologizing concerning the Son of the Most High); G: Apostle (O apostle of Christ); N: Myrrh-bearers (Joseph begged the body of Jesus).

Troparia: Apostle (O beloved apostle of Christ God) x2; O Theotokos and Virgin x1.

Matins: Choir: Christ is risen 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; Apostle (O beloved apostle of Christ God); G: Saint (With the streams of thy tears); N: Unto the myrrh-bearing women.

After the first Kathisma: Sessional hymns of the Apostle (As the disciple of Christ, the Master of all); G/N: Pentecostarion (Fervently did the women bear myrrh – written as Sessional Hymn after second reading in Pentecostarion).

After the second Kathisma: Sessional hymns of the Apostle (With hymns and sacred praises); G/N: Pentecostarion (Fervently did the women bear myrrh).

Polyeleos and Magnification of the Apostle: We magnify thee, O holy apostle and evangelist John the Theologian, and we honor thy pains and labors whereby thou hast labored in the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ. Psalm verse: The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament proclaimeth the work of His hands.

Sessional hymns of the Apostle (Reclining against the breast of Jesus); G/N: Pentecostarion (Fervently did the women bear myrrh).

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

Prokimenon of the Apostle, Tone 4: Their sound hath gone forth into all the earth.

Matins Gospel: John 21:15-25 (§67).

Having beheld the resurrection x1; Psalm 50; G: Through the prayers of the holy apostle and evangelist John the Theologian; N: Through the prayers of the Theotokos; Have mercy on me, O God; Sticheron of the Apostle in the Menaion (O virgin theologian). Save, O God, Thy people.

Canon: Myrrh-bearers 4 Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.

Apostle 6 Holy apostle and evangelist John the Theologian, pray to God for us.

Saint 4 Venerable father Arsenius, 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 (From Rome thou didst shine forth) and Ikos of the Saint; Sessional hymn of the Apostle (Having reclined against the breast of Wisdom); G: Saint (Fleeing the tumults of the world); N: Pentecostarion (Fervently did the women bear myrrh to the tomb – see the sessional hymn for Matins of the Sunday of the Myrrh-bearers). The Kontakion of the Myrrh-bearers is not sung.

After Ode 6, Kontakion (Who can recount thy mighty works) and Ikos of the Apostle.

At Ode 9, More Honorable.

Exapostilarion: Apostle (As a Son of thunder); G: Saint (Thou didst turn); N: Myrrh-bearers (Hearken, ye women).

Praises, Tone 2, on 6: Pentecostarion 3 (The women disciples of Christ – from the Matins Aposticha); Apostle 3 (O all-wise and blessed John); G: Apostle (O evangelist John); N: Pentecostarion (O ye myrrh-bearing women – from the praises). After the Great Doxology: Apostle; G: Saint; N: Unto the myrrh-bearing women; the two remaining Litanies and Resurrectional dismissal; First Hour.

Hours: Troparion: Resurrection, Tone 2 & The Noble Joseph, alternating; G: Apostle; Kontakion: Myrrh-bearers & Apostle, alternating.

Liturgy: The beginning, as on St. Thomas Sunday. Beatitudes on 8, from the Canon of Myrrh-bearers: 4, from Ode 8; and Apostle: 4, from Ode 6.

After the entrance, the Troparia: The noble Joseph; When Thou didst descend unto death; Unto the myrrh-bearing women; [Troparion of the Temple, if dedicated to the Theotokos]; Apostle; Saint; Kontakion of the Apostle; G: Saint; N: Myrrh-bearers.

Prokimenon, Tone 6: Save, O Lord, Thy people. & Tone 8: Their sound hath gone forth.

Epistle: Acts 8:40-9:19 (§21); I John 1:1-7 (§68).

Alleluia, Tone 8 & Tone 1.

Gospel: John 6:48-54 (§23); John 19:25-27,21:24-25 (§61).

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. & Their sound hath gone forth.

And the rest as on St. Thomas Sunday.