28th
Sunday after Pentecost / The Sunday of the Holy Forefathers / St. Herman of Alaska
Beatitudes on 12, Octoechos 4; Forefathers 4, from Ode 3; Saint 4, from Ode 6.
1. From paradise didst
Thou drive our forefather Adam, who had broken Thy commandment, O Christ; but,
O Compassionate One, Thou didst cause to dwell therein the thief who confessed
Thee on the cross, crying out: “Remember me, O Savior, in Thy kingdom!”
2. With the curse of death
didst Thou condemn us who had sinned, O Lord, Bestower of life; yet having
suffered in Thy flesh, O sinless Master, Thou hast granted life unto mortals
who cry out: “Remember us also in Thy kingdom!”
3. In rising from the dead,
Thou hast raised us up from the passions with Thyself through Thy resurrection,
O Lord; and all the power of death hast Thou destroyed, O Savior. Wherefore, with faith we cry out to Thee:
“Remember us also in Thy kingdom!”
4. O Thou who as God grantest
life, by Thy three days in the tomb Thou didst raise up with Thyself the dead
in hell, and as One Who is good Thou hast poured forth incorruption upon all of
us who with faith ever cry out: “Remember us also in Thy kingdom!”
5. The zeal of Seth for his Creator is hymned
throughout the world, for in his blameless life and spiritual love he was truly
pleasing unto Him, and now doth cry out in the land of the living: holy art
Thou, O Lord
6.
The wondrous Enos trusted in the Spirit and with divine wisdom began to call
upon the God and Master of all with mouth, tongue and heart; and having lived
on earth in a God-pleasing manner, he received glory.
7. Let us bless Enoch with sacred utterances,
for, having been well pleasing unto the Lord, he was translated in glory, being
shown to be greater than death, as it hath been written, since he had been a
most earnest servant of God.
8. Now doth the
Expectation of the nations come forth from the
Virgin, and Bethlehem doth radiantly open the shut gates of Eden, receiving the
incarnate Word, Who, in the flesh, was laid in a manger.
9. To proclaim the glad tidings of the Gospel
thou didst travel to the ends of the world, to a new place, Spruce Island,
which thou didst call New Valaam, showing thy love for the Valaam
of thy homeland; and therein thou didst acquire new brethren, the newly-enlightened
people, through the discourse of thy preaching and thy works of piety.
10. The Lord glorified thy brethren, O venerable
one, for their works were truly like unto the struggles of the apostles: Juvenaly chanteth in the Choir of
the martyrs, Joasaph and Innocent, and those with them, sing in the ranks of
the hierarchs, and together we chant unto God: Glory to Thee Who hast shown us
the light!
11. Thy works and those of thy fellow evangelists
have received their sanctification and crowning through the confession and
martyr’s blood of Peter the Aleut, at whose mighty faith and endurance thou
didst marvel. Wherefore, following thee,
we cry aloud: O holy new-martyr Peter, pray to God for us!
12. Come, ye people, that we may see how the stormy
waters which were about to engulf the island submitted to the meek Herman. Before the icon of the Mother of God they humble
themselves and turn back to the ocean’s depths.
And let us, who are bestormed by the waves of
life, cry out with the chosen of the Mother of God: O all-holy Theotokos, save
us!
Troparia & Kontakia
Tone 3: Let the heavens be glad; let earthly things rejoice; /
for the Lord hath wrought might with His arm. /
He hath trampled down death by death; /
the first-born of the dead hath He become. /
From the belly of Hades hath He delivered us //
and Hath granted to the world great mercy.
Tone 2: By faith Thou didst justify the Forefathers, /
when through them Thou didst betroth Thyself aforetime /
to the Church that was from among the nations. /
The Saints boast in glory that from their seed there is a glorious fruit, /
even she that bore Thee seedlessly. //
By their prayers, O Christ God, save our souls.
Tone 4: O venerable Herman, /
ascetic of the northern wilderness and gracious advocate for the world, /
teacher of the Orthodox Faith and good instructor of piety, /
adornment of Alaska and joy of all America: //
entreat Christ God, that He save our souls.
Glory… Tone 8: O beloved of the Mother of God, who received the tonsure at Valaam, /
new zealot of the struggles of the
desert-dwellers of old: /
wielding prayer as a spear and shield, /
thou didst show thyself to be terrible
to demons and pagan darkness. /
Wherefore, we cry out to thee: //
O venerable Herman, entreat Christ God,
that our souls be saved!
Both now… Tone
6:
A hand-wrought image ye would not
worship, O thrice-blessed ones; /
but armed with the Indescribable
Essence, ye were glorified in your ordeal by fire. /
Standing in the midst of the
irresistible flame, ye called upon God: /
Speed Thou, O Compassionate One, /
and hasten, as Thou art Merciful, to
come unto our aid, //
for Thou art able if Thou will it.
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 Epistle
of the Holy Apostle Paul to the Colossians:
[Col.
3:4-11 (§257); Gal. 5:22-6:2 (§213)]
Reader: Alleluia in the 4th
Tone: Moses and Aaron among His
priests, and Samuel
among
them that call upon His name.
Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia,
Alleluia!
Reader: They
called upon the Lord, and He hearkened unto them.
Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia,
Alleluia!
Reader: In the 8th Tone: Blessed
is the man that feareth the Lord, in His commandments
shall he greatly
delight.
Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia,
Alleluia!
Gospel [Luke 14:16-24 (§76);
Luke 6:17-23a (§24)]
Communion Verse: Praise the Lord from the
heavens, praise Him in the highest! Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous; praise
is meet for the upright. Alleluia, Alleluia,
Alleluia!