13th
Sunday After Pentecost / The Beheading of St. John the
Baptist
Beatitudes on 10 Octoechos 6; Forerunner 4, from Ode 3.
1. By the tree was Adam
forced to depart from paradise; but by the Tree of the Cross was the thief made
to dwell in paradise. For the one by
tasting, broke the commandment of the creator; while the other, crucified with
Him, confessed the hidden God, crying out: Remember me in Thy kingdom!
2. O Lord Who wast lifted
up upon the Cross, Who hast destroyed the power of
death and as God hast destroyed the record of our sins, grant also the
repentance of the thief unto us who faithfully serve Thee and cry out to thee,
O Christ God Who alone lovest mankind: Remember us also in Thy kingdom!
3. On the Cross Thou didst
tear asunder with the spear the record of our sins; and, numbered among the
dead, Thou didst bind the tyrant of hades, O Lord Who
lovest mankind, Who by Thy resurrection hast delivered all from the bonds of
hades. Thereby have we been illumined,
and we cry to Thee: Remember us also in Thy kingdom!
4. O Thou Who alone art
immortal, Who wast crucified and as almighty didst
arise from the tomb on the third day, and hast raised up Adam, the first
created: Vouchsafe that I also may turn to repentance with my whole heart, and
may ever cry out to Thee with fervent faith: Remember me, O Savior, in Thy
kingdom!
5. For our sake He Who is
without passion became a man subject to the passions; and, nailed of His own
will to the Cross, He hath raised us up with Himself. Wherefore, we glorify His Cross, passion, and
resurrection, whereby we have been refashioned and whereby we also are saved,
who cry out: Remember us also in Thy kingdom!
6. O ye faithful, let us
entreat Him who hath risen from the dead, hath made captive the dominion of
hades, and wast seen by the myrrh-bearing women and said to them: “Rejoice!”,
that He deliver from corruption the souls of us who ever cry out to Him with
the voice of the noble thief: Remember us also in Thy kingdom!
7. As mediator standing between the old and the
new covenant of the Gospel preachings, thou didst
denounce the iniquitous union of the tyrant, and, rejoicing, didst accept a
glorious death.
8.
Instructed beforehand by her iniquitous mother, the girl said unto Herod, who
was befuddled with drunkenness: “Give me the head of John on a platter, that I
may present to my mother the gift she desireth!”
9. The shameless tyrant, unable to endure the
reproof of thy God-bearing tongue, O glorious prophet, gave thy precious
martyr’s head to the girl as a reward for her dancing.
10. Having made Thy bodily
abode within the virgin, O Lord, Thou didst appear
unto men, in that it was fitting that they behold Thee. Her didst Thou show to
be the true Theotokos and the help of the faithful, O Thou Who alone lovest
mankind.
Troparia & Kontakia
Tone 4: Having learned the joyful proclamation of the Resurrection from the angel, /
and having cast off the ancestral condemnation, /
the women disciples of the Lord spake to the apostles exultantly: /
Death is despoiled and Christ God is risen, //
granting to the world great mercy.
Tone 2: The memory of the righteous
is celebrated with hymns of praise, /
but
the Lord's testimony is sufficient for thee, O Forerunner; /
for
thou hast proved to be even more venerable than the prophets /
since
thou wast granted to baptize in the running waters Him Whom they proclaimed. /
Wherefore,
having contested for the truth, /
thou
didst rejoice to announce the good tidings even to those in Hades; /
that
God hath appeared in the flesh, //
taking
away the sin of the world and granting us great mercy.
Tone 4: My Savior and Redeemer hath, as God, /
raised up the earthborn from the grave and from their fetters, /
and He hath broken the gates of hades, /
and, as Master, //
hath risen on the third day.
Glory… Tone 5: The glorious beheading of
the Forerunner /
was part of God’s dispensation, /
that the coming of the Savior might also be preached
to those in hades. /
Lament then, Herodias, that thou hast demanded a
wicked murder, /
for thou didst love neither the law of God nor
eternal life, //
but one false and fleeting.
Both now... Tone 6: O protection of Christians that cannot be put to shame, /
O mediation unto the
creator unfailing, /
disdain not the suppliant
voices of sinners, /
but be thou quick, O good
one, to help us who in faith cry unto thee; /
hasten to intercession and
speed thou to make supplication, //
thou who dost ever
protect, O Theotokos, them that honor thee.
The Epistle
Reader: The
Prokimenon in the 4th Tone: How magnified are Thy works O Lord! In
wisdom hast Thou made them all.
Choir: How
magnified are Thy works O Lord! In wisdom hast Thou made them all.
Reader: Bless
the Lord, O my soul; O Lord my God, Thou hast been
magnified exceedingly.
Choir:
How magnified are Thy works O Lord! In wisdom hast Thou made them all.
Reader: In the
7th tone: The righteous man shall be glad in the Lord, and
shall hope in Him.
Choir: The righteous man shall be glad in the Lord
and shall hope in Him.
Reader: The Reading is from the First Epistle of
the Holy Apostle Paul to the Corinthians: [I
Cor. 16:13-24 (§166); Acts 13:25-32 (§33)]
Reader: Alleluia
in the 4th Tone: Bend Thy bow, and proceed prosperously, and be king,
because of truth and meekness and righteousness.
Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Reader: Thou
hast loved righteousness and hated iniquity.
Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Reader: The righteous man shall flourish like a
palm tree, and like a cedar in Lebanon shall he be multiplied.
Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Gospel [Matt. 21:33-42 (§87); Mark 6:14-30 (§24)]
Communion Verse: Praise the Lord from the
heavens, praise Him in the highest! In everlasting remembrance shall the
righteous be; he shall not be afraid of evil tidings. Alleluia,
Alleluia, Alleluia!