Palm
Sunday
It
should go without saying that if one has any possible means of traveling to a
Church to attend the liturgy for Palm Sunday, they should do so. However, if it is not possible for one to do
so, the following is provided so that at least they can participate in the feast
to the extent possible, under such circumstances.
In
place of the usual antiphons, use the festal antiphons:
The
First Antiphon
(Second
Tone)
Stichos 1: I am filled
with love, for the Lord will hear the voice of my supplication.
Refrain: Through
the prayers of the Theotokos, O Savior, save us.
Stichos 2: For He hath inclined His ear unto me, and
in my days will I call upon Him.
Refrain: Through
the prayers of the Theotokos, O Savior, save us.
Stichos 3: The pangs of death have encompassed me, the perils of hades have found me.
Refrain: Through
the prayers of the Theotokos, O Savior, save us.
Stichos 4: Tribulation and sorrow have I
found, and I called upon the name of the Lord.
Refrain: Through
the prayers of the Theotokos, O Savior, save us.
Glory to
the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto
the ages of ages. Amen.
Refrain: Through
the prayers of the Theotokos, O Savior, save us.
The
Second Antiphon
(Second
Tone)
Stichos 1: I believed, wherefore I spake; I was
humbled exceedingly.
Refrain: O Son of
God Who didst sit upon a colt, save us who sing to Thee: Alleluia.
Stichos 2: What shall I render unto the Lord
for all that He hath rendered unto me?
Refrain.
O Son of God Who didst sit upon a colt, save us who sing to Thee: Alleluia.
Stichos 3: I will
take the cup of salvation, and I will call upon the name of the Lord.
Refrain: O Son of God Who didst sit upon a
colt, save us who sing to Thee: Alleluia.
Stichos 4: My vows unto the Lord will I pay in the
presence of all His people.
Refrain: O Son of God Who didst sit upon a
colt, save us who sing to Thee: Alleluia.
Glory to
the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto
the ages of ages. Amen.
O only-begotten Son and Word of God, Who art immortal, yet didst deign for our salvation to be
incarnate of the Holy Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, and without change didst
become man, and was crucified, O Christ God, trampling down death by death. Thou Who art one of the Holy Trinity,
glorified with the Father and the Holy Spirit, save us.
The
Third Antiphon
Reader:
Stichos 1: O give thanks unto the Lord, for
He is good, for His mercy endureth forever.
Choir: (Troparion, Tone 1):
In
confirming the common Resurrection, O Christ God, Thou
didst raise up Lazarus from the dead before Thy passion. Wherefore, we also, like the children bearing
the symbols of victory, cry to Thee, the Vanquisher of death: Hosanna in the
highest; blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord.
Stichos 2: Let the house of Israel now say
that He is good, for His mercy endureth forever.
Choir: Repeat Troparion
Stichos 3: Let the
house of Aaron now say that He is good, for His mercy endureth forever.
Choir: Repeat Troparion
Stichos 4: Let all
that fear the Lord now say that He is good, for His mercy endureth forever.
Choir: Repeat Troparion
Instead
of “O come let us worship…” the Choir signs the entry verse:
Blessed
is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
We have blessed you out of the house of the Lord. God is the Lord, and hath appeared unto us.
And
immediately after that, the choir sings the Troparion of the feast:
Tone 1: In confirming
the common Resurrection, O Christ God, /
Thou didst raise up
Lazarus from the dead before Thy passion.
/
Wherefore, we also, like
the children bearing the symbols of victory, /
cry to Thee, the
Vanquisher of death: /
Hosanna in the highest; //
blessed is He that cometh
in the name of the Lord.
Glory… Both now… Tone
4:
As by baptism we were
buried with Thee, O Christ our God, /
so by Thy Resurrection we were deemed worthy of immortal
life; /
and praising Thee, we cry:
/
Hosanna in the highest; //
blessed is He that cometh
in the name of the Lord.
The Epistle
Reader: The
Prokimenon in the 4th Tone: Blessed is he that cometh in the
name of the Lord. God is the Lord, and hath appeared unto us.
Choir: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. God is the Lord, and hath appeared unto us.
Reader: O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good,
for His mercy endureth forever.
Choir: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. God is the Lord, and hath appeared unto us.
Reader. Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
Choir: God is the Lord, and hath appeared unto us.
Reader: The Reading is from the Epistle of the
Holy Apostle Paul to the Philippians:
[Philippians
4:4-9]
Reader: Alleluia
in the 1st Tone.
Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Reader: O
sing unto the Lord a new song, for the Lord hath wrought wondrous things.
Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Reader: All
the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.
Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Gospel [John 12:1-18]
Kontakion
Tone 6:
Being borne upon
a throne in heaven, and upon a colt on the earth, /
O Christ God, Thou didst accept the praise of the angels /
and the laudation
of the children as they cry to Thee: //
Blessed is He
that cometh to recall Adam.
Instead of “It is truly
meet…” we chant the Irmos of the 9th Ode of the First Canon of the
feast, Fourth Tone:
Irmos: God is the Lord, and hath appeared unto us; /
make ye a feast, and with gladness, /
come, let us magnify Christ with palms and branches, /
with hymns crying aloud: //
blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord our Savior.