1st Saturday of Lent; the Great Martyr Theodore the Recruit

1st Sat_theodoreoftyre1st Saturday of Lent; the Great Martyr Theodore the Recruit; The Holy Martyrs Pamphilus the Priest (c. 309) and Porphyrius and Their Companions; Maruthas bishop of Mesopotamia (422) – February 16.

Text from “The Divine Liturgy: An Anthology for Worship”;  Pg. 616

Troparion (Tone 2): Great are the achievements of faith!* In the fountain of flames, the holy martyr Theodore rejoiced as by the water of rest,* for having been baked as a whole-burnt offering,* he was brought to the Trinity as a sweet bread.* By his prayers, O Christ God, save our souls.

+Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. Now and for ever and ever. Amen.

Kontakion (Tone 8): You accepted the faith of Christ in your heart as a breastplate* and trampled the enemy’s power, O long-suffering martyr Theodore.* You were crowned for all eternity with a wreath from heaven* as the invincible one.

Prokimenon (Tone 7): The just man shall be glad in the Lord,* and shall hope in Him
(Ps 63:11).

verse:Hear, O God, my voice when I make my petition to You (Ps 63:2).

Epistle (Hebrews 1:1-12): Brethren, long ago God spoke to our ancestors in many and various ways by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed heir of all things, through whom he also created the worlds. He is the reflection of God’s glory and the exact imprint of God’s very being, and he sustains all things by his powerful word. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. For to which of the angels did God ever say,
‘You are my Son; today I have begotten you’?
Or again,
‘I will be his Father, and he will be my Son’? 
And again, when he brings the firstborn into the world, he says,
‘Let all God’s angels worship him.’ 
Of the angels he says,
‘He makes his angels winds, and his servants flames of fire.’ 
But of the Son he says,
‘Your throne, O God, is for ever and ever, and the righteous sceptre is the sceptre of your kingdom. 
You have loved righteousness and hated wickedness;
therefore God, your God, has anointed you with the oil of gladness beyond your companions.’ 
And,
‘In the beginning, Lord, you founded the earth, and the heavens are the work of your hands; 
they will perish, but you remain;
   they will all wear out like clothing; 
like a cloak you will roll them up, and like clothing they will be changed.
But you are the same, and your years will never end.’

Epistle (2 Timothy 2:1-10) (St. Theodore): Timothy my son, be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus; and what you have heard from me through many witnesses entrust to faithful people who will be able to teach others as well. Share in suffering like a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No one serving in the army gets entangled in everyday affairs; the soldier’s aim is to please the enlisting officer. And in the case of an athlete, no one is crowned without competing according to the rules. It is the farmer who does the work who ought to have the first share of the crops. Think over what I say, for the Lord will give you understanding in all things. Remember Jesus Christ, raised from the dead, a descendant of David—that is my gospel, for which I suffer hardship, even to the point of being chained like a criminal. But the word of God is not chained. Therefore I endure everything for the sake of the elect, so that they may also obtain the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, with eternal glory.

Alleluia (Tone 4): Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
verse: The just man shall flourish like the palm tree, and he shall grow like the cedar in Lebanon (Ps 91:13).
verse: They who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God (Ps 91:14).

Gospel (Mark 2:23-3:5): At that time, on the sabbathJesus was passing throughthe cornfields; and as they made their way his disciples began to pluck heads of grain. The Pharisees said to him, ‘Look, why are they doing what is not lawful on the sabbath?’ And he said to them, ‘Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need of food? He entered the house of God, when Abiathar was high priest, and ate the bread of the Presence, which it is not lawful for any but the priests to eat, and he gave some to his companions.’ Then he said to them, ‘The sabbath was made for humankind, and not humankind for the sabbath; so the Son of Man is lord even of the sabbath.’ Again he entered the synagogue, and a man was there who had a withered hand. They watched him to see whether he would cure him on the sabbath, so that they might accuse him. And he said to the man who had the withered hand, ‘Come forward.’ Then he said to them, ‘Is it lawful to do good or to do harm on the sabbath, to save life or to kill?’ But they were silent. He looked around at them with anger; he was grieved at their hardness of heart and said to the man, ‘Stretch out your hand.’ He stretched it out, and his hand was restored.

Gospel (John 15:17-16:2) (St. Theodore):The Lord said his disciples: I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another. ‘If the world hates you, be aware that it hated me before it hated you. If you belonged to the world, the world would love you as its own. Because you do not belong to the world, but I have chosen you out of the world—therefore the world hates you. Remember the word that I said to you, “Servants are not greater than their master.” If they persecuted me, they will persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also. But they will do all these things to you on account of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have sin; but now they have no excuse for their sin. Whoever hates me hates my Father also. If I had not done among them the works that no one else did, they would not have sin. But now they have seen and hated both me and my Father. It was to fulfil the word that is written in their law, “They hated me without a cause.”
‘When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. You also are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning. ‘I have said these things to you to keep you from stumbling. They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, an hour is coming when those who kill you will think that by doing so they are offering worship to God.

Communion Verse: The just man shall be in everlasting remembrance;* of evil hearsay he shall have no fear (Ps 111:6-7). Alleluia! (3x).


Divine Liturgy:
PDF – 1st Saturday of Lent – ENGLISH
PDF – 1st Saturday of Lent – UKRAINIAN
PDF – 1st Saturday of Lent – ENG-UKR