Third Sunday of Great Lent / Holy Cross / Tone 7
Beatitudes on 10: Octoechos 6; Triodion 4, from Ode 6.
1. The fruit which slew me was
beautiful and good to eat; but Christ is the Tree of life, and eating of Him I
do not die, but cry out with the thief: Remember me, O Lord, in Thy kingdom!
2. O Compassionate One, Who wast lifted up upon the Cross, Thou hast erased the record
of Adam’s ancient sin, and hast saved the whole human race from deception. Wherefore, we hymn Thee, O Lord and
Benefactor.
3. Thou didst nail our sins to the
Cross, O compassionate Christ, and by Thy death Thou didst slay death, O Thou
who didst raise up the dead from among the dead. Wherefore, we worship Thy holy resurrection.
4. The serpent once poured its venom into the ears of Eve; but on the
tree of the Cross, Christ poured forth the sweetness of life upon the
world. Wherefore, we cry out: Remember
us, O Lord, in Thy kingdom!
5. Thou wast laid in the tomb as
one dead, O Christ, Thou Life of all; and Thou didst break down the gates of
hades; and having risen again in glory on the third day as One mighty, Thou hast illumined all.
Glory to Thine arising!
6. Having risen from the dead on
the third day, the Lord bestowed His peace upon His disciples; and having
blessed them, He sent them forth saying: Lead all into My kingdom!
7. Thou hast crushed
death, O Christ, and risen as a mighty King; Thou hast recalled us from the
depths of hell and brought us to the land of immortality, granting us the joy
of the Kingdom of Heaven.
8. O ye faithful, let us cry aloud with joy and
sing triumphantly to God, as we greet the Cross of the Lord; for it is a
fountain of holiness to all those in the world.
9. The words of the Psalmist are fulfilled: for
see, we bow before the footstool of Thy most pure feet, O Lord all-powerful, at
Thy Precious Cross, the thrice-blessed Wood.
10. O Ewe free from blemish, the greatest wonder
of all wonders was revealed in thee: for thou hast borne the Lamb that takes
away the sin of the world. Entreat Him
fervently for those who sing thy praises.
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 1: O Lord, save Thy people/
and
bless Thine inheritance. /
Grant
Thou victory unto Orthodox Christians /
over
their enemies, /
and
by the power of Thy Cross //
do
Thou preserve Thy commonwealth.
Both
now… Tone 1: When Gabriel announced to thee, “Rejoice!”, O
Virgin, /
the Master of all became incarnate within thee, the holy
tabernacle, at his cry, /
as the righteous David said. /
Thou wast shown to be more spacious than the heavens, /
having borne thy Creator. /
Glory to Him Who made His abode within thee! /
Glory to Him Who came forth from thee! //
Glory to Him Who hath set us free by thy birthgiving.
Instead of the Trisagion:
Before Thy Cross we bow down, O Master, and Thy holy Resurrection we glorify. Thrice
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. And Thy holy Resurrection we glorify.
Before Thy Cross we bow down, O Master, and Thy holy Resurrection we glorify.
The Epistle
Reader: The Prokimenon in the 6th Tone: Save, O Lord, Thy people
and bless Thine inheritance.
Choir: Save, O Lord, Thy
people and bless Thine inheritance.
Reader: Unto Thee, O Lord, Will I cry; O my
God, be not silent unto me.
Choir: Save, O Lord, Thy
people and bless Thine inheritance.
Reader: Save,
O Lord, Thy people.
Choir:
And bless Thine inheritance.
Reader: The
[Hebrews
4:14-5:6 (§311)]
Reader: Alleluia
in the 8th Tone.
Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Reader: Remember
Thy congregation which Thou hast purchased from the beginning..
Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Reader: But God is our king before the ages, He hath
wrought salvation in the midst of the earth.
Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Gospel [Mark 8:34-9:1 (§37)]
Kontakion
Tone 7: No longer doth the flaming
sword guard the gate of
for
a strange extinction hath come upon it, even the Tree of the Cross. /
The
sting hath been taken from death, /
and
the victory from hades. /
And
Thou, my Savior, didst appear unto those in hades, saying: //
Enter
ye again into
Instead of “It is truly
meet…”[Tone 8 in the Octoechos, but usually sung to
one of many special melodies]:
All creation
– the assembly of angels and the race of man – rejoiceth in thee, O thou who art
full of grace, O sacred temple and noetical paradise, boast of virgins, from
whom God, Who existeth from before time, was incarnate
and became a child; for He made thy body a throne, and thy womb He made more
spacious than the heavens. All creation rejoiceth
in thee, O thou who art full of grace.
Glory to thee!