The Sunday of the Holy Fathers / Ss. Cyril &
Methodius / Tone 6
Beatitudes on 12, Tone 6, from the Pentecostarion: 4; Fathers: 4, from Ode 3; Saints: 4, from Ode 6.
1. Remember me when Thou comest in Thy kingdom, O God my Savior, and save me,
for Thou alone lovest mankind.
2. By a tree was Adam deceived; yet again by the Tree of the Cross was the thief saved,
who cried out: Remember me in Thy kingdom, O Lord!
3. O Bestower of life, Who hadst broken down the gates and portals of hades, Thou hast
saved all who cry out to Thee, O Savior: Glory to Thine arising!
4. O Thou Who by Thy burial hast made death captive, and by Thy resurrection hast
filled all with joy: remember me, in that Thou art compassionate.
5. The mindless and ungodly Arius, impiously attributing change, suffering and
separation to the divine nativity, is cut off by the severing sword of the fathers.
6. Like the godly Abraham of old, the most honored ones of divine eloquence who armed
themselves with Thy power mightily destroyed Thy savage foes, O Good One.
7. Assembling, the first council of Thy priests piously professed Thee to be the Creator of
all, consubstantial with and begotten by the unoriginate Father, O Savior.
8. Neither the words or the tongue of mortals is able to praise thee as is meet, O Virgin;
for from thee, without seed, was Christ, the Bestower of life, well pleased to become
incarnate, O all-pure one.
9. “Our God is like the deep of the sea, unfathomable by the mind and indescribable in
words,” thou didst say to the Moslems who disputed with thee, O all-wise Cyril; “and
some who attempt to sail across this deep in the leaky boats of their own intellect are
drowned, falling into errors and heresies, while others are buffeted by incomprehension
and doubt, knowing not how to sing: O Helmsman, save us, as Thou didst Peter!”.
10. Sunk deep in the abyss of their false understandings, the Moslems secretly offered
thee deadly poison. But He Who said: “If ye drink anything deadly, it will not harm
you”, preserved thee whole and returned thee with honor to the Imperial City. And,
fittingly blessed by the emperor and patriarch, thou wast supremely exalted, crying: “O
Helmsman, Thou hast saved me as Thou didst Peter!”
11. The Holy Spirit once said to the disciples: “Separate for Me Barnabas and Saul for
the task to which I have called them,” the enlightenment of the nations who are perishing
in the abyss of ignorance of God; and He likewise commanded that ye be sent to the
lands of the Slavs, O venerable fathers. And, illumined by the light of your teaching,
people who sat in darkness and the shadow of death have cried out: “O Helmsman, Thou
hast saved us as Thou didst Peter!”
12. The uttermost abyss of sins hath encompassed me, and, beset with trembling and
terrified of utter drowning, I offer thee entreaty, O all-immaculate one: Have mercy upon
my passion-plagued soul! Stretch forth thy hands, in that thou art good, and as Thy Son
saved Peter, so do thou save me, O thou who dost steer my soul.
Troparia
Tone 6. Angelic hosts were above Thy tomb,
and they that guarded Thee became as dead.
And Mary stood by the grave seeking Thine immaculate body.
Thou didst meet the Virgin and didst grant us life. //
O Thou Who didst rise from the dead, O Lord, glory be to Thee.
Tone 8: Most glorified art Thou, O Christ our God, /
Who hast established our holy fathers as luminous stars upon the earth, /
and through them didst guide us all to the true Faith. //
O Most merciful One, glory be to Thee.
Glory… Tone 4: As ones equal in character to the Apostles /
and as Teachers of the Slavic lands, /
O divinely-wise
Cyril and Methodius, /
pray to the Lord of all, to strengthen all
nations /
in Orthodoxy and unity of thought, /
to convert and reconcile the world to God, //
and to save our souls.
Both now… Tone 4: The mystery hidden from before the ages /
and unknown even to the angels, /
through thee, O Theotokos, hath been revealed to
those on earth: /
God incarnate in
unconfused union, /
Who willingly
accepted the Cross for our sake /
and thereby raising up the first-formed man, //
hath saved our souls from death.
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: In the 7th Tone:
Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.
Choir: Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.
Reader:
The Reading is from the Acts of the Holy Apostles:
[Acts 20:16-18,28-36 (§44); Heb.
7:26-8:2 (§318)]
Reader:
Alleluia in the 1st Tone: The God of gods, the Lord hath spoken, and
He hath
called the
earth from the rising of the sun unto the setting thereof.
Choir:
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Reader: Gather together unto Him his holy ones who
have established His covenant
upon
sacrifices.
Choir:
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Reader: In the 2nd tone:
Thy priests shall be clothed with righteousness and Thy
righteous shall rejoice.
Choir:
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Gospel [John 17:1-13 (§56);
Matt. 5:14-19 (§11)]
Kontakia:
Tone 8: The
preaching of the apostles and the doctrines of the fathers confirmed the one
Faith of the Church. /
And wearing the garment of truth, woven from the theology on
high, //
She rightly divideth and glorifieth the great mystery of
piety.
Glory… Tone 3: Let us honor our sacred pair of enlighteners,
/
who, by translating the divine
writings, /
have poured forth for us a well-spring
of divine knowledge /
from which we draw abundantly even
unto this day: /
We call you blessed, O Cyril and Methodius, /
ye who stand before the throne of
the Most High //
and intercede fervently for our
souls.
Both now... Tone 6:
When Thou didst fulfill Thy dispensation for our sake, /
uniting things on earth with the
heavens, /
Thou didst ascend in glory, O Christ our God, /
departing not hence, but remaining
inseparable from us, /
and crying unto them that love
Thee: //
I am with you, and no one shall be against you.
Instead
of “It is truly meet…” we chant the Irmos of the 9th Ode of the
First
Canon of the feast, Fifth Tone:
Refrain: Magnify, O my soul, /
Christ the giver of life, //
Who ascended from earth to Heaven.
Irmos: O thou who art
God’s Mother transcending mind and word, /
who ineffably in time gavest birth unto the Timeless One, /
thee do we the faithful //
magnify with one accord