Liturgy: The Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee / St. Alexis of Moscow

Sunday of the Publican and Pharisee / St. Alexis of Moscow / Tone 5

Beatitudes on 12: Octoechos 4; Triodion 4, from Ode 3; Hierarch 4.

1.  Believing Thee to be God, O Christ, the thief on the cross confessed Thee in a pure manner, crying out from the depths of his heart:  Remember me in Thy kingdom, O Lord!

2.  Together let us hymn as Savior and Creator, Him Who on the Cross budded forth life for our race and caused the curse which originated from the tree to wither up.

3.  By Thy death hast Thou destroyed the power of death, O Christ, and Thou didst raise up with Thyself the dead of ages past, who now hymn Thee as our true God and Savior.

4.  Arriving at Thy tomb, O Christ, the honorable women sought to anoint Thee with myrrh, O Bestower of life; but an angel appeared to them, crying out: The Lord is risen!

5.  From the dung-hill of the passions the humble is lifted up on high, while the proudhearted suffers a grievous fall from the height of the virtues: Let us flee from his evil ways.

6. Vainglory brings to nothing the riches of righteousness, but humility scatters a multitude of passions.  Grant then that we may seek humility, O Savior, and do Thou bestow upon us the portion of the Publican.

7. As the Publican let us also beat our breast and cry out in compunction, “God be merciful unto us sinners”, that like him we may receive forgiveness.

8. O ye faithful, let us increase in zeal and meekness, and let us pass our days in humility, with cries of sorrow from our heart and weeping and prayer, that we may receive forgiveness from God.

9. O most blessed Alexis, thou golden star of Russia who hast splendidly illumined the divinely wrought firmament of the Church of God with the bright beams of thine apostolic corrections and with godly success hast dispelled the gloomy darkness of the assaults of the barbarians: dispel the dark cloud of the assaults of the enemy.

10. O God-bearing Alexis, thou noetic temple of God, who with divine zeal erected material temples of God to the majestic glory of the immaterial God, we beseech thee: By thy God-pleasing entreaties fashion our hearts into temples of God fit for His dwelling.

11. O most wondrous Alexis, thou right fruitful root of a heavenly tree, who uprooted the pernicious thorns of prideful pretension and with godly success didst plant the goodly saplings of humble-minded contemplation of God: Plant thou in our hearts the divinely growing root of God-pleasing humility.

12. O Virgin Theotokos, who gavest birth to the incarnate Word of God, the almighty Stiller of the waves of the sea: By the celestial calm of thine aid still thou the most tempestuous tumult of our sorrows.

Troparia & Kontakia

Tone 5: Let us, O faithful, praise and worship the Word /

Who is co-unoriginate with the Father and the Spirit, /

and Who was born of the Virgin for our salvation; /

for He was pleased to ascend the Cross in the flesh /

and to endure death, //

and to raise the dead by His glorious Resurrection.

Tone 8:

Hastening to thy precious shrine, O holy hierarch Alexis, divinely wise wonder-worker, /

assembling with love, we celebrate with splendor the memory of thee who art equally enthroned with the apostles, /

the all-good physician, the right pleasing servant; /

and we rejoice with songs and hymns, glorifying Christ //

Who hath given thee such grace to heal and hath bestowed upon thy city a great bulwark.

Tone 5: Unto hades, O my Savior, didst Thou descend, /

and having broken its gates as one omnipotent, /

Thou, as Creator, didst raise up the dead together with Thyself. /

And Thou didst break the sting of death, /

and didst deliver Adam from the curse, O Lover of mankind. /

Wherefore, we all cry unto Thee: //

Save us, O Lord.

Glory… Tone 8: O all ye people, hymning with faith the new wonder-worker Alexis, /

the godly and all-honorable hierarch of Christ, /

let us bless him with love, as a great pastor, an all-wise minister and teacher of the land of Russia. /

And hastening today to his memorial, let us joyfully give utterance to a hymn to the God-bearer: /

As thou hast boldness before God, deliver us from all manner of evil circumstances, //

that we may cry to thee: Rejoice, O confirmation of our city!

Both now... Tone 3.

Unto the Lord let us sinners offer groanings like those of the Publican /

and let us fall down before Him, as He is Master.  /

For He desireth the salvation of all men; /

He granteth forgiveness unto all that repent.  /

For our sake He became incarnate, //

He who with the Father is co-unoriginate God.

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.

Choir: Thou, O Lord, shalt keep us and shalt preserve us from this generation and for evermore.

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 Second Epistle of the Holy Apostle Paul to Timothy:

[II Tim. 3:10-15 (§296); Heb. 13:17-21 (§335)]

Reader: Alleluia in the 5th Tone: Of Thy mercies, O Lord, will I sing for ever. Unto generation and generation will I declare Thy truth with my mouth.

Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!

Reader: For Thou hast said: Mercy shall be built up for ever, in the heavens shall Thy truth be established.

Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!

Reader: In the 4th Tone: The righteous cried, and the Lord heard them, and He delivered them out of all their tribulations.

Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!

Gospel [Luke 18:10-14 (§89); Luke 6:17-23 (§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!