First Saturday of Lent / The Great Martyr Theodore / The 40 Martyrs of Sebaste
Beatitudes on 8, Forty
Martyrs, 4 from Ode 3 and St. Theodore, 4 from Ode 6.
1. Disdaining the army and life, the comeliness of their
bodies, and wealth, the right glorious forty martyrs inherited Christ instead
of all of these things.
2. When the forty martyrs were mercilessly stoned with rocks at the command of the tormentors, by the Spirit of God the stones were hurled back against those who commanded that they be beaten.
3. O ye martyred company and united chorus of crowned
martyrs, standing before the Master, do ye ever save us that sing your praises.
4. Battered by the lake of the passions and by the waves of grievous temptations, we flee to you, Christ’s forty warriors.
5. Amazed by the strange vision in which thou hast appeared to him, the Archbishop said: “Who art thou, my lord, that speakest to me? Show me how to find help quickly.”
6. Theodore replied: “I am the martyr, listen to me, Boil wheat, and distribute it among the people, and ye shall thus be saved from the polluted food of the avenger.”
7. Great is the wonder thou hast performed, Theodore, and marvelous is thy help. Taking courage, then, with undivided heart we turn to thee for refuge, and we pray: save thy servants.
8. At the good pleasure of the Father, and through the descent of the Holy Spirit upon thee, thou wast made the dwelling-place of the Light, the pure tabernacle of the Word: guide me with thy light.
At the entrance,
the choir sings:
O come let us worship and fall down before Christ, Who art wondrous in the saints, O Son of God, save us who sing to Thee: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Troparia & Kontakia
Tone 1: By the pangs of Thy saints, /
be Thou
entreated, O Lord, /
and heal all our
diseases, we beseech Thee, //
O Thou Who lovest
mankind.
Tone 2: Great are the achievements of faith! /
In the fountain of flame as in refreshing water, /
the holy martyr Theodore rejoiced; /
for having been made a whole-burnt offering in the fire, /
he was offered as sweet bread unto the Trinity. //
By his prayers, O Christ God, save our souls.
Tone 6: Having left every military array of the
world, /
ye cleaved unto the Master in the heavens, /
O forty passion-bearers of the Lord; /
for, having passed through fire and water, O blessed ones, /
as is meet ye received glory from the heavens //
and a multitude of crowns.
Glory… Tone 8:
Having received the Faith of Christ in thy heart as a breastplate, /
thou didst trample upon the enemy hosts, O great champion; //
and thou hast been crowned eternally with a heavenly crown, as thou art invincible.
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 5th Tone: Thou,
O Lord, shalt keep us and shalt preserve us from this generation and for
evermore.
Choir: Thou, O
Lord, shalt keep us and shalt preserve us from this generation and for
evermore.
Reader: Save
me, O Lord, for a righteous man there is no more; for truths have diminished
from the sons of men.
Choir: Thou, O
Lord, shalt keep us and shalt preserve us from this generation and for
evermore.
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 Epistle of the Holy Apostle Paul to the Hebrews: [Heb. 1:1-12 (§303); II Tim. 2:1-10 (§292);
Heb. 12:1-10 (§331)]
Reader: Alleluia in the 4th Tone: Shout with
jubilation unto the Lord all the earth; chant ye unto His name, give glory in
praise of Him.
Choir:
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Reader: For Thou hast proved us, O God, and by
fire hast Thou tried us even as silver is tried by fire.
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 [Mark 2:23-3:5
(§10); John 15:17-16:2 (§52); Matt. 20:1-16 (§80)]
Communion Verse: Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous; praise is meet for the upright. In everlasting remembrance shall the righteous be; he shall not be afraid of evil tidings. Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!