Palm Sunday

Great Vespers: Blessed is the man.

Lord I have Cried, Tone 6, on 10: Feast 10 (Today the grace); G: Today the grace; N: Repeat.

Entry; O Gladsome Light; Prokimenon of the day, Tone 6: The Lord is King,

3 Readings for the Feast.

Litia: Feast (The All-Holy Spirit); G/N: Six days before the Passover.

Aposticha: Feast (Rejoice and be glad, O city of Zion); G: Today the grace of the Holy Spirit; N: Repeat.

Troparia: In confirming the common Resurrection x2; As by baptism we were buried with Thee x1.

Matins: God is the Lord, Tone 1: In confirming the common Resurrection x2; G/N: As by baptism we were buried with Thee x1.

After each Kathisma: Sessional hymns of the Feast.

Polyeleos and Magnification of the Feast: We magnify Thee, O Christ the Giver of Life: Hosanna in the highest! And we cry aloud to Thee: Blessed is He who cometh in the name of the Lord. Psalm verse: O Lord, our Lord, how wonderful is Thy Name in all the earth.

The Evlogitaria are not sung.

Sessional hymn of the Feast (He who sits upon the throne of the cherubim).

Hymn of Ascents, First Antiphon, Tone 4: From my youth.

Prokimenon of the Feast, Tone 4: Out of the mouth of babes and sucklings hast Thou perfected praise.

Matins Gospel: Matt. 21:1-11,15-17 (§83).

Having beheld the Resurrection, is not sung.

Psalm 50; the priest takes the censer, censes the palms crosswise, three times, and then says the Prayer for the Blessing of Palms (O Lord, our God, Who sittest upon the cherubim), found in the Triodion p. 495. Then the priest sprinkles the palms with holy water, saying: These palms are blessed by the grace of the All-Holy Spirit, through the sprinkling of this holy water: in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. x3.

Choir: G: Today Christ enters; N: Repeat; Have mercy on me, O God; Sticheron of the Feast (Today the grace of the Holy Spirit). Save, O God, Thy people.

Canon: Feast 12 Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.

The Irmos and Katavasia of the Feast: The springs of the deep were seen bereft of water.

After Ode 3, Hypakoe of the Feast (First they sang in praise of Christ our God with branches).

After Ode 6, Kontakion (Being borne upon a throne in heaven) and Ikos of the Feast.

At Ode 9, we do not sing More Honorable. We instead chant Ode 9 immediately (God is the Lord).

Exapostilarion: Holy is the Lord our God, in Tone 4, x3.

Praises, Tone 4: Feast 6 (A very great multitude); G/N: Feast (Six days before the Passover). After the Great Doxology: Troparion: In confirming the common Resurrection; the two remaining Litanies and Festal Dismissal: May Christ our true God, Who for our salvation did deign to ride the colt of an ass; First Hour.

Hours: Troparia: In confirming; G: As by baptism; Kontakion: Feast.

Note: At Proskomedia, 4 Lambs are prepared – one for the Liturgy of the day, and 3 for the Presanctified Liturgies of Holy Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.

Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom: The festal antiphons are sung in place of the usual Typical Psalms and Beatitudes.

At the entrance, the deacon (or priest if there is no deacon) says the Festal Introit in place of the usual O come let us worship: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. We have blessed you out of the house of the Lord. God is the Lord, and hath appeared unto us. After the entrance: The Troparion of the Feast, In confirming; G: As by baptism; N: Kontakion of the Feast: Being borne upon a throne in heaven.

The Trisagion.

Prokimenon, Tone 4: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.

Epistle: Phil. 4:4-9 (§247).

Alleluia, Tone 1.

Gospel: John 12:1-18 (§41).

Instead of It is truly meet, we sing the Irmos of the Ninth Ode (God is the Lord).

Communion Hymn: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. God is the Lord, and hath appeared unto us.

Festal Dismissal: May Christ our true God, Who for our salvation did deign to ride the colt of an ass.

Vespers: No Kathisma.

Lord I have Cried, Tone 8, on 6: Feast 6 (Rejoice and be glad, O city of Zion); G: Rejoice and be glad, O city of Zion; N: O Thou who ridest on the cherubim.

Entry; O Gladsome Light; Prokimenon of the day, Tone 8: Behold now, bless ye the Lord. During the final repetition of the prokimenon, the priest closes the royal doors, removes his phelonion and puts on a dark epitrachilion, and goes out to the Ambon. All the other liturgical covers are likewise changed. Vouchsafe, O Lord. Then the Litany, Let us complete our evening prayer unto the Lord, with the choir singing the responses according to the penitential Lenten melody.

Aposticha: Triodion (Stichera and verses in the Triodion, beginning with Passing from one divine feast), G: Passing from one divine feast; N: It is a fearful thing.

Now lettest Thou Thy servant. Troparia: O Theotokos and Virgin (with a great prostration); G: O Baptizer of Christ (with a great prostration): N: Plead in our behalf (great prostration); Beneath thy compassion (without a prostration). Lord, have mercy x40; G/N: More honorable. In the name of the Lord, father bless.

Priest: He that is is blessed. Reader: O Heavenly King, strengthen Orthodox Christians. Then the priest says the prayer of St. Ephrem with 3 prostrations, then the Dismissal: May Christ our true God, the Lord Who for our salvation went to His voluntary Passion.

Small Compline: The Three-Canticled canon of Great Monday is chanted (Triodion, pp. 506 – 510). After the Trisagion the Kontakion of the Triodion is read (Jacob lamented the loss of Joseph – Triodion, p. 513).