SUNDAY, MARCH 8
1st Sunday of Great Lent. The Triumph of Orthodoxy. Tone 5.
Liturgy Epistle: (329-ctr) Hebrews 11:24-26,32-12:2
Liturgy Gospel: (5) John 1:43-51
Molieben Epistle: (121) Romans 16:17-20
Molieben Gospel: (75) Matthew 18:10-18
READER AND CHOIR CUES
HOURS
At All Hours:
Troparion, Resurrection
Glory…
Troparion, Triodion
Now and ever…
Theotokion from the Horologion
Kontakion, Triodion
DIVINE LITURGY OF ST. BASIL THE GREAT
BEATITUDES TROPARIA on 10, Tone 5: Resurrection–6; Triodion–4 (from Ode VI).
In Thy kingdom remember us, O Lord, * when Thou comest in Thy kingdom.
Blessed are the poor in spirit, * for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Blessed are those who mourn, * for they shall be comforted.
10. Blessed are the meek, * for they shall inherit the earth.
The thief on the cross believing Thee to be God / confessed Thee earnestly from his heart, / crying aloud: O Lord, remember me // in Thy Kingdom.
9. Blessed are those who hunger and thirst after righteousness, * for they shall be filled.
Let us with one accord praise as Savior and Creator / Him Who made life flower for our kind by the wood of the Cross / and Who withered // the curse coming from the tree.
8. Blessed are the merciful, * for they shall obtain mercy.
By Thy death, O Christ, Thou hast destroyed the might of death / and hast raised with Thyself those dead from the ages / praising Thee // as our true God and Savior.
7. Blessed are the pure in heart, * for they shall see God.
The holy women having come to Thy tomb, O Christ, / sought to anoint Thee, O Giver of life, with myrrh / and an angel appeared to them crying aloud: // The Lord is risen.
6. Blessed are the peacemakers, * for they shall be called the sons of God.
Thou hast been crucified, O Christ, between two condemned thieves / and one of them blaspheming Thee was rightly sentenced / while the other, confessing Thee, // went to dwell in Paradise.
5. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, * for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
The holy women coming to the choir of the apostles lifted their voices crying: / Christ is risen. / Worship ye Him // as Master and Creator.
4. Blessed are you, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, * and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake.
Once more the Master’s countenance is depicted, / honored with faith and venerated; / once more the Church regains her boldness of approach to God, // reverently glorifying the Savior.
3. Rejoice, and be exceedingly glad, * for great is your reward in heaven.
The Church of Christ is delivered / from the dark despondency of heresy: / she puts on a robe of gladness, // and is clothed in the light of divine grace.
2. Glory to the Father, * and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
The Orthodox people has regained the light / and glory which it had of old, / through the decision of the Empress Theodora // and her pious son the Emperor Michael.
1. Now and ever, * and unto ages of ages. Amen.
He Who of old commanded Moses to set up the ark of the testimony, / came to dwell in thee, O Virgin, as in a spiritual ark: / He alone is glorified, // and He makes thy temple glorious with miracles.
TROPARIA & KONTAKION
Troparion, Resurrection, Tone 5: Let us, the faithful, praise and worship the Word, / Co-eternal with the Father and the Spirit, / born for our salvation from the Virgin; / for He willed to be lifted up on the Cross in the flesh, / to endure death, / and to raise the dead // by His Glorious Resurrection.
Troparion, Triodion, Tone 2: We venerate Thy most pure image, O Good One, / and ask forgiveness of our transgressions, O Christ our God. / Of Thy good will Thou wast pleased to ascend the Cross in the flesh / and deliver Thy creatures from bondage to the enemy. / Therefore with thankfulness we cry aloud to Thee: / Thou hast filled all with joy, or our Savior, // for Thou didst come to save the world.
Glory … now and ever…
Kontakion, Triodion, Tone 8: No one could describe the Word of the Father; / but when He took flesh from thee, O Theotokos, He accepted to be described, / and restored the fallen image to its former state by uniting it to divine beauty. // We confess and proclaim our salvation in word and images.
LITURGY EPISTLE
Deacon: Let us attend!
Priest: Peace be unto all!
Reader: And to thy spirit.
Deacon: Wisdom!
Reader: The Prokeimenon in the 4th Tone, the Song of the Fathers: Blessed art Thou O Lord God of our Fathers and praised and glorified is Thy name forever!
Choir: Blessed art Thou O Lord God of our Fathers and praised and glorified is Thy name forever!
Reader: For Thou art just in all that Thou hast done for us!
Choir: Blessed art Thou O Lord God of our Fathers and praised and glorified is Thy name forever!
Reader: Blessed art Thou O Lord God of our Fathers
Choir: And praised and glorified is Thy name forever!
Deacon: Wisdom!
Reader: The reading from the Epistle of the Holy Apostle Paul to the Hebrews.
Deacon: Let us attend!
[(329-ctr) Hebrews 11:24-26,32-12:2] Brethren: By faith Moses, when he was grown up, refused to be called the son of Pharaoh’s daughter, * choosing rather to share ill-treatment with the people of God than to enjoy the fleeting pleasures of sin. * He considered abuse suffered for the Christ greater wealth than the treasures of Egypt, for he looked to the reward. * And what more shall I say? For time would fail me to tell of Gideon, Barak, Samson, Jephthah, of David and Samuel and the prophets — * who through faith conquered kingdoms, enforced justice, received promises, stopped the mouths of lions, * quenched raging fire, escaped the edge of the sword, won strength out of weakness, became mighty in war, put foreign armies to flight. * Women received their dead by resurrection. Some were tortured, refusing to accept release, that they might rise again to a better life. * Others suffered mocking and scourging, and even chains and imprisonment. * They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were tempted, they were killed with the sword; they went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, ill-treated — * of whom the world was not worthy — wandering over deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth. * And all these, though well attested by their faith, did not receive what was promised, * since God had foreseen something better for us, that apart from us they should not be made perfect. * Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us, * looking to Jesus the Pioneer and Perfecter of our faith.
Priest: Peace be unto thee, Reader.
Reader: And to thy spirit.
ALLELUIA
Deacon: Wisdom!
Reader: In the 4th Tone: AL-LE-LU-IA!
Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Reader: Moses and Aaron were among His priests; Samuel also was among those who called on His Name.
Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Reader: They called to the Lord and He answered them.
Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
LITURGY GOSPEL
[(5) John 1:43-51] At that time, Jesus decided to go to Galilee. And He found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.” * Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter. * Philip found Nathanael, and said to him, “We have found Him of Whom Moses in the law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” * Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” * Jesus saw Nathanael coming to Him, and said of him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!” * Nathanael said to Him, “How dost Thou know me?” Jesus answered him, “Before Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.” * Nathanael answered Him, “Rabbi, Thou art the Son of God! Thou art the King of Israel!” * Jesus answered him, “Because I said to thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, dost thou believe? Thou shalt see greater things than these.” * And He said to him, “Truly, truly, I say to thee, thou shalt see heaven opened, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.”
INSTEAD OF “IT IS TRULY MEET…”, Tone 8:
NOTE: Traditionally sung according to a special melody, for example:
http://philipsokolov.com/music/all-of-creation.pdf
All of creation / rejoices in thee, O Full of Grace, / the assembly of angels / and the race of man. / O sanctified temple / and spiritual paradise, / the glory of virgins, / from whom God was incarnate / and became a child / our God before the ages. / He made thy body into a throne, / and thy womb He made more spacious than the heavens. / All of creation / rejoices in thee, O Full of Grace. // Glory to thee!
COMMUNION VERSES
Praise the Lord from the heavens! Praise Him in the highest!
Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous; praise befits the just.
Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
MOLIEBEN
Here we offer selected hymns and texts from the Molieben for the Triumph of Orthodoxy.
Troparion, Tone 4: We, Thine unworthy servants, O Lord, / thankful for Thy great blessings bestowed upon us, / glorifying Thee, do praise, bless, hymn, magnify and give thanks for Thy lovingkindness, / and as servants we cry out to Thee with love: // O our Savior and Benefactor, glory be to Thee!
Glory…
Troparion, Tone 3: We who have been freely vouchsafed Thy blessing and gifts, / as unprofitable servants, O Master, / earnestly having recourse to Thee, / offer such thanksgiving as we are able, / and, glorifying Thee as our Benefactor and Creator, we cry aloud: // Glory to Thee, O all-compassionate God!
Now and ever…
Troparion, Tone 4: As Thou didst make firm the majesty of the firmament on high, / and hast shown forth the beauty of this holy habitation of Thy glory here below, O Lord, / make firm this habitation for ever, / and accept the prayers we offer Thee unceasingly there, through the Theotokos, // O Life and Resurrection of all.
MOLIEBEN EPISTLE
Deacon: Let us attend!
Priest: Peace be unto all!
Reader: And to thy spirit.
Deacon: Wisdom!
Reader: The Prokeimenon in the 4th Tone: They that are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.
Choir: They that are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.
Reader: The righteous shall rejoice in the Lord and shall hope in Him.
Choir: They that are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God.
Reader: They that are planted in the house of the Lord
Choir: Shall flourish in the courts of our God.
Deacon: Wisdom!
Reader: The reading from the Epistle of the Holy Apostle Paul to the Romans.
Deacon: Let us attend!
[(121) Romans 16:17-20] Brethren: I appeal to you to take note of those who create dissensions and difficulties, in opposition to the doctrine which you have been taught; avoid them. * For such persons do not serve our Lord Christ, but their own belly, and by fair and flattering words they deceive the hearts of the simple-minded. * For while your obedience is known to all, so that I rejoice over you, I would have you wise as to what is good and guileless as to what is evil; * then the God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.
MOLIEBEN GOSPEL
[(75) Matthew 18:10-18] The Lord said, see that ye do not despise one of these little ones; for I tell you that in heaven their angels always behold the face of My Father Who is in heaven. * For the Son of man came to save the lost. * What do you think? If a man has a hundred sheep, and one of them has gone astray, does he not leave the ninety-nine on the mountains and go in search of the one that went astray? * And if he finds it, truly, I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety-nine that never went astray. * So it is not the will of your Father Who is in heaven that one of these little ones should perish. * If your brother sins against thee, go and tell him his fault, between thee and him alone. If he listens to thee, thou hast gained thy brother. * But if he does not listen, take one or two others along with thee, that every word may be confirmed by the evidence of two or three witnesses. * If he refuses to listen to them, tell it to the church; and if he refuses to listen even to the church, let him be to thee as a Gentile and a tax collector. * Truly, I say to you, whatever ye bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever ye loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.
HYMN OF ST. AMBROSE, BISHOP OF MILAN, Tone 3:
We praise Thee, O God, / we acknowledge Thee to be the Lord. / All the earth worships Thee, the Father everlasting. / To Thee all angels cry aloud: / the heavens and all the powers therein. / To Thee the Cherubim and Seraphim continually cry aloud: / Holy, Holy, Holy, Lord God of Hosts, / Heaven and earth are full of the majesty of Thy glory. / The glorious choir of the apostles praises Thee. / The noble fellowship of the prophets praises Thee. / The white-robed army of martyrs praises Thee. / The Holy Church throughout the world confesses Thee, / O Father of infinite majesty, / Thine adorable, true, and only Son, / and the Holy Spirit, the Comforter. / Thou art the King of glory, O Christ, / Thou art the everlasting Son of the Father. / When Thou didst come to deliver man, / Thou didst not abhor the Virgin’s womb. / Thou didst overcome the sting of death / and open to believers the Kingdom of Heaven. / Thou sittest at the right hand of God / in the glory of the Father. / We believe that Thou shalt come to be our judge. / We therefore beseech Thee / to help Thy servants / whom Thou hast redeemed with Thy precious Blood. / Make them to be numbered with Thy saints in everlasting glory. / O Lord, save Thy people, / and bless Thine inheritance. / Govern them and exalt them forever. / Day by day we bless Thee / and praise Thy name forever and ever. / Enable us, O Lord, / to pass this day without sin. / Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us. / Let Thy mercy, O Lord, be upon us / even as we have placed our hope in Thee. / In Thee, O Lord, have I trusted // let me not be confounded for ever.
The Troparia on the Beatitudes are from the translations of Mother Mary and Metropolitan Kallistos (The Sunday Octoechos, The Lenten Triodion). The Molieben Troparia are from the translation of Isaac Lambertsen. Scriptures are according to the approved Revised Standard Version. Everything else is from standard OCA texts as published by St. Vladimir’s Seminary Press, the Soroka family, St. Tikhon’s Seminary Press, the Department of Religious Education, and the Department of Liturgical Music and Translations. Rubrics follow the 2020 Liturgical Rubrics & Calendar published by St. Tikhon’s Monastery Press. Prepared with the assistance of Reader Teodor Zajler.
