27th Sunday after Pentecost / St. Alexander Nevsky / Afterfeast of the Entry
Beatitudes on 12: Octoechos: 4; Feast: 4, from Ode 4; Saint: 4, Ode 6.
1. We offer Thee the cry of the thief, and we pray: Remember us in Thy kingdom, O Savior.
2. For the forgiveness of transgressions we offer unto Thee the Cross which Thou didst accept for our sake, O Thou who lovest mankind.
3. We bow down in worship, O Master, before Thy burial and rising, whereby Thou hast delivered the world from corruption, O Thou Who lovest mankind.
4. By Thy death hath death been slain, O Lord, and by Thy resurrection hast Thou saved the world, O Savior.
5. The Temple of God, receiving today the portal through whom none may pass, hath ceased to perform any service of the Law, crying: Truly truth hath appeared to them that are on earth!
6. The mountain overshadowed—which Habakkuk beheld of old—prefigured her that hath made her abode in the inaccessible chambers of the Temple, flourishing with virtues; for she cover the ends of the earth therewith.
7. O Prophet Isaiah, prophesy unto us: Who is the Virgin who will conceive in her womb; who springing from the root of Judah, shall give birth to the right glorious Fruit of the holy seed of King David?
8. O virgins, commence ye to chant hymns, holding candles in your hands and praising the arrival of the pure Theotokos who now cometh to the temple of God, celebrating with us!
9. Thou didst bud forth as a branch from an all-honored root, O all-glorious one, and didst live piously on earth; and thou wast shown to be a pure habitation of the Spirit, sanctifying those who have recourse to thee with faith, O blessed one.
10. Today the holy land of Russia hath been filled with gladness on the appointed day of the feast of the all-glorious and blessed wonder-worker Alexander; for he ever preserveth his homeland unharmed.
11. With hymns let us bless Alexander, glorifying him as the helper of orphans and widows, our invincible ally amid misfortunes; for he delivereth from tribulations and sorrows those who celebrate his memory with gladness.
12. As the all-holy temple, O Theotokos, thou gavest birth to the inexhaustible Well-spring, O most-immaculate Mistress.
Troparia & Kontakia
Tone 2: When Thou didst descend unto death, O Life Immortal, /
then didst Thou slay Hades with the lightning of Thy Divinity. /
And when Thou didst also raise the dead out of the nethermost depths, /
all the Hosts of the heavens cried out: //
O Life-giver, Christ our God, glory be to Thee.
Tone 4: Today is the prelude of God’s good will /
and the heralding of the salvation of mankind. /
In the temple of God, the Virgin is presented openly, /
and she proclaimeth Christ unto all. /
To her, then, with a great voice let us cry aloud: /
Rejoice, O thou fulfillment //
of the Creator’s dispensation.
Tone 4: Recognize thy brethren, O right-believing Prince Alexander, /
thou Russian Joseph who reignest not in Egypt, but in heaven; /
and accept their entreaties, /
increasing the harvest of thy people through the fertility of thy land, /
and protecting the cities of thy dominion by thy supplications. /
And together with our Orthodox hierarchs //
do battle against all heresies.
Tone 2: Thou didst rise from the tomb, O omnipotent Savior, /
and Hades was terrified on beholding the wonder; /
and the dead arose, /
and creation at the sight thereof rejoiceth with Thee. /
And Adam also is joyful, //
and the world, O my Savior, praiseth Thee for ever.
Glory… Tone 4: As thy kinsmen Boris and Gleb appeared to thee, /
bringing thee help from heaven /
when thou didst battle against Velgar the Swede and his warriors, /
so now, O blessed Alexander, come to the aid of thy kinfolk, //
and contend thou against those who wage war against us.
Both now... Tone 4: The most pure temple of the Savior, /
the most precious bridal-chamber and Virgin, /
the sacred treasury of the glory of God, /
is on this day brought into the house of the Lord, /
bringing with her the grace that is in the Divine Spirit. /
And the angels of God chant praise unto her: //
she is the heavenly tabernacle.
The Epistle
Reader: The Prokimenon in the 2nd Tone: The Lord is my strength and my song, and He is become my salvation.
Choir: The Lord is my strength and my song, and He is become my salvation.
Reader: With chastisement hath the Lord chastened me, but He hath not given me over unto death.
Choir: The Lord is my strength and my song, and He is become my salvation.
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 Ephesians:
[Eph. 6:10-17 (§233); Gal. 5:22-6:2 (§213)]
Reader: Alleluia in the 2nd Tone: The Lord hear thee in the day of affliction; the name of the God of Jacob defend thee.
Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Reader: O Lord, save the king, and hearken unto us in the day when we call upon Thee.
Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Reader: In the 6th Tone: Blessed is the man that feareth the Lord; in His commandments shall he greatly delight.
Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Gospel [Luke 12:16-21 (§66); Matt. 11:27-30 (§43)]
Instead of “It is truly meet…” we chant the Irmos of the 9th Ode of the First Canon of the feast, Fourth Tone:
Refrain: The angels beholding the entry of the most pure one /
were struck with wonder, //
seeing how the Virgin entered into the Holy of Holies.
Irmos: Let no profane hand touch the living Ark of God, /
but let the lips of the faithful, chanting unceasingly /
the words of the angel to the Theotokos, /
cry out with joy: //
Truly art thou high above all, O pure Virgin.
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!