Antiphon 1. Mode 2.
Verse 1: It is good to give thanks to the Lord and to sing to Your name, O Most High.
Through the intercessions of the Theotokos, Savior, save us.
Verse 2: To proclaim Your mercy in the morning and Your truth at night.
Through the intercessions of the Theotokos, Savior, save us.
Verse 3: The Lord my God is upright, and there is no wrongdoing in Him.
Through the intercessions of the Theotokos, Savior, save us.
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
Through the intercessions of the Theotokos, Savior, save us.
Antiphon 2. Mode 2.
Verse 1: The Lord reigns; He clothed Himself with majesty; the Lord clothed and girded Himself with power.
or:
Save us, O Son of God, who are wondrous in the saints. We sing to You, Alleluia.
Verse 2: And He established the world, which shall not be moved.
or:
Save us, O Son of God, who are wondrous in the saints. We sing to You, Alleluia.
Verse 3: Holiness is proper to Your house, O Lord, unto length of days.
or:
Save us, O Son of God, who are wondrous in the saints. We sing to You, Alleluia.
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
Only-begotten Son and Logos of God, being immortal, You condescended for our salvation to take flesh from the holy Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary and, without change, became man. Christ, our God, You were crucified and conquered death by death. Being one of the Holy Trinity, glorified with the Father and the Holy Spirit: Save us.
Antiphon 3.
Apolytikion for the Day.
For the Angels.
Mode 4. You who were lifted.
To the melody, “You who were lifted on the Cross voluntarily.”
O Chief Commanders of the heavenly armies, * we the unworthy now entreat you in earnest, * to fortify us by your supplications to the Lord, * and shelter us beneath the wings of your spiritual glory, * guarding us who run to you and fervently entreat you: * As the Commanders of the hosts on high, * rescue us faithful from dangers of every kind.
Entrance Hymn. Mode 2.
Come, let us worship and bow down before Christ. Save us, O Son of God, who are wondrous in the saints. We sing to You, Alleluia.
Hymns after the Entrance.
Apolytikion for the Day.
For the Angels.
Mode 4. You who were lifted.
To the melody, “You who were lifted on the Cross voluntarily.”
O Chief Commanders of the heavenly armies, * we the unworthy now entreat you in earnest, * to fortify us by your supplications to the Lord, * and shelter us beneath the wings of your spiritual glory, * guarding us who run to you and fervently entreat you: * As the Commanders of the hosts on high, * rescue us faithful from dangers of every kind.
The Apolytikion of the parish church is sung. Then:
Kontakion for the Day. For the Angels.
Mode 2.
As God’s Chief Commanders and ministers of His divine glory, guides of humanity and leaders of the Angels, pray for what will benefit us and for great mercy, as Chief Commanders of the Bodiless Hosts.
Trisagios Hymn
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (3)
Glory to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Both now and ever and to the ages of ages. Amen.
Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.
Verse: Bless the Lord, O my soul. O Lord my God, You are magnified exceedingly.
The Epistle
The reading is from Paul’s Letter to the Romans.
Rom. 7:1 – 13
Brethren, I am speaking to those who know the law. Do you not know that the law is binding on a person only during his life? Thus a married woman is bound by law to her husband as long as he lives; but if her husband dies she is discharged from the law concerning the husband. Accordingly, she will be called an adulteress if she lives with another man while her husband is alive. But if her husband dies she is free from that law, and if she marries another man she is not an adulteress. Likewise, my brethren, you have died to the law through the body of Christ, so that you may belong to another, to him who has been raised from the dead in order that we may bear fruit for God. While we were living in the flesh, our sinful passions, aroused by the law, were at work in our members to bear fruit for death. But now we are discharged from the law, dead to that which held us captive, so that we serve not under the old written code but in the new life of the Spirit. What then shall we say? That the law is sin? By no means! Yet, if it had not been for the law, I should not have known sin. I should not have known what it is to covet if the law had not said, “You shall not covet.” But sin, finding opportunity in the commandment, wrought in me all kinds of covetousness. Apart from the law sin lies dead. I was once alive apart from the law, but when the commandment came, sin revived and I died; the very commandment which promised life proved to be death to me. For sin, finding opportunity in the commandment, deceived me and by it killed me. So the law is holy, and the commandment is holy and just and good. Did that which is good, then, bring death to me? By no means! It was sin, working death in me through what is good, in order that sin might be shown to be sin, and through the commandment might become sinful beyond measure.
Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia.
Verse 1: Praise the Lord from the heavens, praise Him in the highest.
Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia.
Verse 2: Praise Him, all you His angels; praise Him, all you His hosts.
Alleluia. Alleluia. Alleluia.
The Gospel
The reading is from the holy Gospel according to Matthew.
Mt. 9:36 – 38; 10:1 – 8
At that time, when Jesus saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; pray therefore the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.” And he called to him his twelve disciples and gave them authority over unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal every disease and every infirmity. The names of the twelve apostles are these: first, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother; James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James the son of Alphaeus, and Lebbaeus called Thaddaeus; Simon the Cananaean, and Judas Iscariot, who betrayed him. These twelve Jesus sent out, charging them, “Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And preach as you go, saying, ‘The kingdom of heaven is at hand.’ Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. You received without paying, give without pay.”
Hymn to the Theotokos.
It is truly right to bless you, Theotokos, ever blessed, most pure, and Mother of our God. More honorable than the Cherubim, and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim, without corruption you gave birth to God the Logos. We magnify you, the true Theotokos.
Communion Hymn. Psalm 103.
He makes His angels spirits and His ministers a flame of fire. Alleluia.
Hymn after Holy Communion.
Mode 2.
We have seen the true light; we have received the heavenly Spirit; we have found the true faith, worshiping the undivided Trinity, for the Trinity has saved us.
DISMISSAL
Glory to You, our God, glory to You.
May Christ our true God, through the intercessions of His all-pure and all-immaculate holy Mother, the power of the precious and life-giving Cross, the protection of the honorable, bodiless powers of heaven, the supplications of the honorable, glorious prophet and forerunner John the Baptist, of the holy, glorious, and praiseworthy apostles, of the holy, glorious, and triumphant martyrs, of our righteous and God-bearing fathers, (local patron saint); of the holy and righteous ancestors of God Joachim and Anna, and of all the saints, have mercy on us and save us, as He is good, benevolent, and merciful God.
Fish: fish, oil and wine are allowed. Refrain from meat, dairy and eggs.
It is the fast of the holy Apostles.