Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost; Post-feast of the Dormition; the Holy Martyr Andrew the General and Those with Him (286-305) – Aug 19.

 Text from “The Divine Liturgy: An Anthology for Worship”; Pg. 337 (Tone 3)

Troparion (Tone 3): Let the heavens be glad, let the earth rejoice,* for the Lord has done a mighty deed with his arm.*  He trampled death by death; He became the first born of the dead;*  He saved us from the abyss of Hades* and granted great mercy to the world.

Troparion (Tone 1): In giving birth you retained your virginity,* in falling asleep you did not abandon the world, O Mother of God.* You passed into life, for you are the Mother of Life,* and by your prayers you deliver our souls from death.

Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

Kontakion (Tone 3): You rose from the tomb, O compassionate Lord,* and led us out from the gates of death.* Today Adam exults and Eve rejoices,* and the prophets together with the patriarchs* unceasingly acclaim the divine might of Your power.

Now and for ever and ever. Amen.

Kontakion (Tone 2): The tomb and death could not hold the Mother of God,* unceasing in her intercession and an unfailing hope of patronage,* for, as the Mother of Life she was transferred to life* by Him Who had dwelt in her ever-virgin womb.

Prokimenon (Tone 3): Sing to our God, sing; sing to our King, sing (Ps 46:7).

verse: Clap your hands, all you nations; shout unto God with the voice of joy
(Ps 46:2).

Prokimenon (Tone 3): My soul magnifies the Lord,* and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Saviour (Lk 1:46-47).

Epistle: (1 Corinthians 15:1-11): Brethren, now I should remind you, of the good news that I proclaimed to you, which you in turn received, in which also you stand, through which also you are being saved, if you hold firmly to the message that I proclaimed to you—unless you have come to believe in vain. For I handed on to you as of first importance what I in turn had received: that Christ died for our sins in accordance with the scriptures, and that he was buried, and that he was raised on the third day in accordance with the scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, then to the twelve. Then he appeared to more than five hundred brothers and sisters at one time, most of whom are still alive, though some have died. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles. Last of all, as to someone untimely born, he appeared also to me. For I am the least of the apostles, unfit to be called an apostle, because I persecuted the church of God. But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace towards me has not been in vain.
On the contrary, I worked harder than any of them—though it was not I, but the grace of God that is with me. Whether then it was I or they, so we proclaim and so you have come to believe.

Alleluia (Tone 3):
verse: In You, O Lord, have I hoped that I may not be put to shame for ever (Ps 30:2).
verse: Be a protector unto me, O God, and a house of refuge to save me (Ps 30:3).

Gospel: (Matthew 19:16-26): At that time a young man came to Jesus, and asked: ‘Teacher, what good deed must I do to have eternal life?’ And he said to him, ‘Why do you ask me about what is good? There is only one who is good. If you wish to enter into life, keep the commandments.’ He said to him, ‘Which ones?’ And Jesus said, ‘You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; Honour your father and mother; also, You shall love your neighbour as yourself.’ The young man said to him, ‘I have kept all these; what do I still lack?’ Jesus said to him, ‘If you wish to be perfect, go, sell your possessions, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven; then come, follow me.’ When the young man heard this word, he went away grieving, for he had many possessions. Then Jesus said to his disciples, ‘Truly I tell you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.’ When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astounded and said, ‘Then who can be saved?’ But Jesus looked at them and said, ‘For mortals it is impossible, but for God all things are possible.’

Instead of “It is truly…”: Seeing the pure one’s falling asleep, angels marvelled in wonder how the Virgin could ascend from earth to heaven.

Irmos (Tone 1): O pure Virgin, in you are conceived the bounds of nature, for childbirth remains virginal and death is betrothed to life. Virgin after childbearing and alive after death, O Mother of God, never cease to save your inheritance.

Communion Verse: Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise Him in the highest
(Ps 148:1).

Second Communion Verse: I will take the chalice of salvation;* and I will call upon the name of the Lord (Ps 115:13). Alleluia! (3x)