32nd Sunday After Pentecost / Eve of the Nativity &
Sunday of the Holy Fathers
Beatitudes Verses: 4 from Ode 3 of the Fathers; 4 from Ode 6 of the Forefeast
1. Faithfully preserving the glory of the image and likeness of God, with the fire of the
Spirit the children, as champions, extinguished the fire of the golden image, chanting: We
know but one Lord!
2. The captive children, clothed with the wisdom and power of the Spirit, put to shame
the wise men of
lovest mankind!
3. The law doth rejoice and joineth chorus with the children and the prophets and doth
exult today before the divine advent of the Lord. And Abraham doth rejoice, for from his
seed hath the incarnate Lord appeared.
4. A conception without pain, an acceptance of thy birthgiving hath transpired in
manner beyond recounting, O Theotokos, for the Word of God, Who is God and was
proclaimed by the prophets, hath shown Himself to be a mystery beyond nature.
5 & 6. O Mistress, as a new heaven thou dost come, that Christ, the Sun of glory, might
shine forth in the flesh from thy womb, as through a cloud, in the cave; for, in His
boundless loving-kindness, He desireth splendidly to illumine all who are of this earth
with rays of His own light.
7. Thou didst perceive our infirmity and misery, O compassionate Christ, and didst not
disdain us; but, without leaving the Father, Thou didst abase Thyself and make Thine
abode in the womb of her who knew not wedlock, who now cometh forth to give birth
unto Thee, without pain, in the cave.
8. Ye mountains and hills, fields and vales, people and generations, nations and every
creature: exult, filled with divine gladness, for the deliverance of all, the Word of God,
the Timeless One, Who in His loving-kindness hath come under time, doth come with
haste.
Troparia
Tone 7:
Thou didst destroy death by Thy Cross, /
Thou
didst open paradise to the thief. /
Thou
didst change the lamentation of the Myrrh-bearers, /
and Thou
didst command Thine Apostles to proclaim /
that Thou
didst arise, O Christ God, //
and
grantest to the world great mercy.
Glory… Tone 2: Great are the achievements of faith! /
In the fountain of flame, as in refreshing water, /
the Three Holy Children rejoiced. /
And the prophet Daniel proved a shepherd of lions as of sheep. //
By their prayers, O Christ God, save our souls.
Both now… Tone 4: Once Mary, being with child by a seedless
conception, /
was registered in
as being of the seed of David. /
The time came for the birth, and there was no room in the
inn; /
but the cave proved a delightful palace for the queen. //
Christ is born to raise the image that fell of old.
The Epistle
Reader: The Prokimenon in the 4th Tone: Blessed
art Thou, O Lord, the God of our
fathers, and praised and glorified is Thy name unto the
ages.
Choir:
Blessed
art Thou, O Lord, the God of our fathers, and praised and glorified is
Thy name unto the ages.
Reader: For righteous art Thou in all which Thou hast
done for us.
Choir: Blessed art Thou, O Lord, the God of our
fathers, and praised and glorified is Thy
name unto the ages.
Reader: Blessed art Thou, O
Lord, the God of our fathers.
Choir: And praised and
glorified is Thy name unto the ages.
Reader:
The
[Hebrews 11:9-10,17-23,32-40 (§328)]
Reader: Alleluia
in the 4th Tone:
Choir:
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Reader: O
God, with our ears have we heard, for our fathers have told us.
Choir:
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Reader:
Thou hast saved us from them that afflict us, and them that hate us hast Thou
put
to shame.
Choir: Alleluia,
Alleluia, Alleluia!
Gospel [Matthew 1:1-25
(§1)]
Kontakia
Glory…Tone
1:
Rejoice, O
Ephratha,
make ready! /
for
behold, the Ewe hasteneth to give birth unto the Great Shepherd Whom she
carrieth in her womb. /
And
seeing Him, the God-bearing Fathers rejoice, //
and with
the shepherds praise the Virgin who giveth milk.
Both now… Tone 3: Today
the Virgin cometh to the cave to give birth ineffably /
to the Word Who was
before the ages. /
Dance, O earth, at
the message! /
Give glory with the
angels and shepherds /
unto Him Who was
willing to be gazed upon as a young child //
and is pre-eternal
God.