The Holy Martyrs Nazarius, Gervasius, Protasius and Celsus; Our Venerable Mother Parasceva of Ternovo; Blessed Roman Lysko, Pastor of Youth and Martyr of L’viv.

Troparia and Kontakia

Troparion, Tone 4: This quartet of martyrs illumines the Church* like a brilliant star in the sky.* By the suffering of Nazarius and confession of the others,* the Church has been made to sing:* Glory to God, the strength of martyrs!

Troparion, Tone 4: You followed closely in the steps of Christ, your spouse,* loving the silent desert life.* As a young woman you took up his yoke* and armed yourself with the cross against the enemy.* By fasting and prayer, by tears and penance,* you utterly quenched the fires of passion.* Now you stand with the wise virgins in Christ’s presence* and pray for those who honour your memory, O Paraskevia.

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

Kontakion, Tone 6: Let us all sing of holy Paraskevia, patroness of those in peril.* She spurned the crown of corruption and received the lasting one;* therefore, God has given her glory and the grace of miracles.

Kontakion, Tone 2: O heavenly martyrs, you have become brilliant stars.* By your miracles you shed light on the world.* You dispel the murky darkness and free us from sickness.* Pray unceasingly to Christ for all of us.

Prokeimenon, Tone 4

God is wonderful in His saints,* the God of Israel.

verse: Bless God in the churches, the Lord from the fountains of Israel. (Psalm 67:36,27)

Epistle

Colossians 1:18-23

Brothers and Sisters, Christ is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, so that he might come to have first place in everything. For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and through him God was pleased to reconcile to himself all things, whether on earth or in heaven, by making peace through the blood of his cross.

And you who were once estranged and hostile in mind, doing evil deeds, he has now reconciled in his fleshly body through death, so as to present you holy and blameless and irreproachable before him— provided that you continue securely established and steadfast in the faith, without shifting from the hope promised by the gospel that you heard, which has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven. I, Paul, became a servant of this gospel.

Alleluia, Tone 1

verse: With expectation I have waited for the Lord, and he was attentive to me, and He heard my prayer.

verse: He brought me out of the pit of misery and the mud of the swamp. (Psalm 39:2,3)

Gospel

Luke 8:22-25

At that time, Jesus got into a boat with his disciples, and he said to them, “Let us go across to the other side of the lake.” So they put out, and while they were sailing he fell asleep. A windstorm swept down on the lake, and the boat was filling with water, and they were in danger. They went to him and woke him up, shouting, “Master, Master, we are perishing!” And he woke up and rebuked the wind and the raging waves; they ceased, and there was a calm. He said to them, “Where is your faith?” They were afraid and amazed, and said to one another, “Who then is this, that he commands even the winds and the water, and they obey him?”

Communion Hymn

The just man shall be in everlasting remembrance;* of evil hearsay he shall have no fear*. Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia. (Psalm 111:6)