The Meeting of the Lord / The Sunday of the Last Judgment (Meatfare)

Tone 3

Great Vespers: Blessed is the man.

Lord I have Cried, Tone 3, on 10: Octoechos 3; Triodion 4 (When Thou shalt come, O righteous Judge); Feast 3 G: Triodion (When the thrones are set); N: Feast (Let the gates of heaven).

Entrance, Prokimenon of the day, Tone 6: The Lord is King.

3 Readings for the Feast.

Litia: Feast 3 (The Ancient of Days; Today, He Who gave the law; & Him to Whom the ministers on high pray); Triodion 2 (from the first two stichera of the Praises (I think upon that day and hour. & How shall it be in that hour and fearful day); G: Triodion (Knowing the commandments); N: Feast (The Ancient of Days).

Aposticha: Octoechos; G: Triodion (Alas, black soul!); N: Feast (He Who is borne upon the cherubim).

Troparia: Feast (Rejoice, thou who art full of grace) x3.

Matins: God is the Lord, Tone 3; Troparia: Sun x2, G/N: Feast.

After each Kathisma: Sessional hymns from the Octoechos.

Polyeleos and By the waters of Babylon; Magnification of the Feast: We magnify Thee, O Christ the Giver of life, and we honor Thy most-pure Mother, by whom Thou now art brought in accordance with the Law into the Temple of the Lord; Evlogitaria (The assembly of angels was amazed).

Hypakoe, Tone 3; and all the Sessional Hymns of the Feast.

Hymns of Ascents, Tone 3.

Prokimenon of the Feast, Tone 4: I shall commemorate thy name.

Matins Gospel : Luke 2:25-32 (§8).

Having beheld the Resurrection; Psalm 50; G: Through the prayers of the Theotokos; N: Repeat; Have mercy on me; and the sticheron of the Feast (O God; Let the gates of heaven be opened today). Save, O God, Thy people. *

Canon: Resurrection 4 Glory to Thy Holy Resurrection, O Lord.

Triodion 6 Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.

Feast 4 Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.

Irmos of the resurrectional canon, Tone 3

Katavasia of the Presentation: The Sun once shone with its rays

At Ode 3, Kontakion (When Thou, O God, shalt come to earth with glory) and Ikos of the Triodion, Sessional hymn of the Triodion (I think upon the fearful day); G/N: Feast (Of old, on Mount Sinai).

At Ode 6, Kontakion and Ikos of the Feast.

At Ode 9, More Honorable. The festal verses for the feast are not sung.

Holy is the Lord, our God.  

Exapostilaria: Resurrection; Triodion (As I ponder); G: Triodion (Behold there comes the day); N: Feast (Set by the Spirit).

Praises, Tone 3, on 9: Octoechos 4; Feast 4 (He Who loveth mankind – with the doxasticon (O Christ our God, Whose good pleasure it was), with the following verses for the last two stichera of the feast: 1) Now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, O Master, according to Thy word. 2) A light to enlighten the gentiles, and the glory of the People Israel”; then the verse Arise, O Lord my God, and the sticheron of the Triodion (Daniel the prophet); G: Triodion (Let us cleanse ourselves); N: Most blessed art thou. After the Great Doxology, the troparion: Today is salvation; the two remaining Litanies and Resurrectional Dismissal; After the Dismissal: G/N: Gospel Sticheron; followed by First Hour.

*The Gospel book is taken out and placed on analogion next to the icon of the feast, for veneration.

Hours: Troparion: Resurrection, G: Feast; Kontakion of the Feast and Triodion, alternating

Liturgy: Beatitudes on 12: Octoechos 4; Triodion 4, from Ode 3; Feast 4, from Ode 6.

At the entrance, the deacon (or priest if there is no deacon) says the Festal Introit in place of the usual O come let us worship: The Lord hath made known His salvation, in the sight of the nations hath He revealed His righteousness.

And immediately the Troparion of the Resurrection; Feast; G: Kontakion of the Triodion; N: Feast.

Prokimenon, Tone 3: Great is our Lord, and great is His strength. & Tone 3: My soul doth magnify the Lord.

Epistle: I Cor. 8:8-9:2 (§140); Heb. 7:7-17 (§316).

Alleluia, Tone 8 (Triodion & Feast).

Gospel: Matt. 25:31-46 (§106); Luke 2:22-40 (§7).

Instead of It is truly meet, we sing the refrain O Virgin Theotokos, thou hope of Christians, with the Irmos of the Ninth Ode of the canon of the Feast (In the shadow and the letter of the Law).

Communion Hymn: Praise the Lord in the heavens; & I will take the cup of salvation, and I will call upon the name of the Lord. Resurrectional Dismissal .