Sixth Sunday of Pascha: Sunday of the Man Born Blind
Text from “The Divine Liturgy: An Anthology for Worship”; Pg. 540.
Liturgical Instruction: According to Galician usage, we continue to sing the First Antiphon of Pascha and the Third Antiphon, “Come, let us sing joyfully to the Lord” with the refrain “Son of God, risen from the dead,” until the eve of Ascension.
After the priest exclaims “Blessed is the Kingdom” and we have responded “Amen,” the clergy sing the following Tropar once and the people repeat it. Then the clergy sing the first half, and we conclude it. This is done every day until the Wednesday before Ascension Thursday.
Troparion: Christ is risen from the dead, trampling death by death, and to those in the tombs giving life (3x).
Troparion (Tone 5): Let us the faithful acclaim and worship the Word,* co-eternal with the Father and the Spirit,* and born of the Virgin for our salvation.* For He willed to be lifted up on the cross in the flesh, to suffer death* and to raise the dead by His glorious resurrection.
+Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Kontakion (Tone 4): Blinded in the eyes of my soul,* I come to You, O Christ, like the man who was blind from birth,* and I cry in repentance:* You are the brilliant light of those in darkness.
Now and for ever and ever. Amen.
Kontakion (Tone 8): Though You descended into a tomb, O Immortal One,* yet You destroyed the power of Hades;* and You rose as victor, O Christ God,* calling to the myrrh-bearing women: Rejoice!* and giving peace to Your apostles:* You, who grant Resurrection to the fallen.
Prokimenon (Tone 8): Pray and give praise to the Lord our God.* Pray and give praise to the Lord our God (Ps 75:12).
verse: In Judea God is known; His name is great in Israel (Ps 75:2).
Epistle (Acts 16:16-34): In those days as the apostles were going to the place of prayer, we met a slave-girl who had a spirit of divination and brought her owners a great deal of money by fortune-telling. While she followed Paul and us, she would cry out, ‘These men are slaves of the Most High God, who proclaim to you a way of salvation.’ She kept doing this for many days. But Paul, very much annoyed, turned and said to the spirit, ‘I order you in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her.’ And it came out that very hour. But when her owners saw that their hope of making money was gone, they seized Paul and Silas and dragged them into the market-place before the authorities. When they had brought them before the magistrates, they said, ‘These men are disturbing our city; they are Jews and are advocating customs that are not lawful for us as Romans to adopt or observe.’ The crowd joined in attacking them, and the magistrates had them stripped of their clothing and ordered them to be beaten with rods. After they had given them a severe flogging, they threw them into prison and ordered the jailer to keep them securely. Following these instructions, he put them in the innermost cell and fastened their feet in the stocks. About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he supposed that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted in a loud voice, ‘Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.’ The jailer called for lights, and rushing in, he fell down trembling before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them outside and said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ They answered, ‘Believe on the Lord Jesus, and you will be saved, you and your household.’ They spoke the word of the Lord to him and to all who were in his house. At the same hour of the night he took them and washed their wounds; then he and his entire family were baptized without delay. He brought them up into the house and set food before them; and he and his entire household rejoiced that he had become a believer in God.
Alleluia (Tone 8): Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
verse: Look upon me and have mercy (Ps 118:132).
verse: Direct my steps according to Your word (Ps 118:133).
Gospel: (John 9:1-38): At that time as Jesus walked along, he saw a man blind from birth. His disciples asked him, ‘Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?’ Jesus answered, ‘Neither this man nor his parents sinned; he was born blind so that God’s works might be revealed in him. We must work the works of him who sent me while it is day; night is coming when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.’ When he had said this, he spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the man’s eyes, saying to him, ‘Go, wash in the pool of Siloam’ (which means Sent). Then he went and washed and came back able to see. The neighbours and those who had seen him before as a beggar began to ask, ‘Is this not the man who used to sit and beg?’ Some were saying, ‘It is he.’ Others were saying, ‘No, but it is someone like him.’ He kept saying, ‘I am the man.’ But they kept asking him, ‘Then how were your eyes opened?’ He answered, ‘The man called Jesus made mud, spread it on my eyes, and said to me, “Go to Siloam and wash.” Then I went and washed and received my sight.’ They said to him, ‘Where is he?’ He said, ‘I do not know.’ They brought to the Pharisees the man who had formerly been blind. Now it was a sabbath day when Jesus made the mud and opened his eyes. Then the Pharisees also began to ask him how he had received his sight. He said to them, ‘He put mud on my eyes. Then I washed, and now I see.’ Some of the Pharisees said, ‘This man is not from God, for he does not observe the sabbath.’ But others said, ‘How can a man who is a sinner perform such signs?’ And they were divided. So they said again to the blind man, ‘What do you say about him? It was your eyes he opened.’ He said, ‘He is a prophet.’ The Jews did not believe that he had been blind and had received his sight until they called the parents of the man who had received his sight and asked them, ‘Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?’ His parents answered, ‘We know that this is our son, and that he was born blind; but we do not know how it is that now he sees, nor do we know who opened his eyes. Ask him; he is of age. He will speak for himself.’ His parents said this because they were afraid of the Jews; for the Jews had already agreed that anyone who confessed Jesus to be the Messiah would be put out of the synagogue. Therefore his parents said, ‘He is of age; ask him.’ So for the second time they called the man who had been blind, and they said to him, ‘Give glory to God! We know that this man is a sinner.’ He answered, ‘I do not know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that though I was blind, now I see.’ They said to him, ‘What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?’ He answered them, ‘I have told you already, and you would not listen. Why do you want to hear it again? Do you also want to become his disciples?’ Then they reviled him, saying, ‘You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know that God has spoken to Moses, but as for this man, we do not know where he comes from.’ The man answered, ‘Here is an astonishing thing! You do not know where he comes from, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that God does not listen to sinners, but he does listen to one who worships him and obeys his will. Never since the world began has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a person born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.’ They answered him, ‘You were born entirely in sins, and are you trying to teach us?’ And they drove him out. Jesus heard that they had driven him out, and when he found him, he said, ‘Do you believe in the Son of Man?’ He answered, ‘And who is he, sir? Tell me, so that I may believe in him.’ Jesus said to him, ‘You have seen him, and the one speaking with you is he.’ He said, ‘Lord, I believe.’ And he worshipped him.
Instead of “It is truly…” (Pg. 507): The Angel cried out to the One full of Grace: O chaste Virgin, rejoice! And again I say, Rejoice! Your Son has risen from the tomb on the third day, and raised the dead. Let all people rejoice!
Irmos (Tone 1): Shine, shine, O new Jerusalem! for the glory of the Lord has risen upon you! Exult now and be glad, O Zion! And you, O chaste Mother of God, take delight in the resurrection of your Son.
Communion Verse: Receive the Body of Christ;* taste the fountain of immortality.
Second Communion Verse: Praise the Lord from the heavens;* praise Him in the highest (Ps 148:1). Alleluia! (3x).
Instead of “Blessed is He…”: Christ is risen from the dead, trampling death by death, and to those in the tombs giving life.
Instead of “We have seen the true light…”: Christ is risen from the dead, trampling death by death, and to those in the tombs giving life.
Instead of “Let our mouths…”: Christ is risen from the dead, trampling death by death, and to those in the tombs giving life (3x).
Instead of “Blessed be the name of the Lord…”: Christ is risen from the dead, trampling death by death, and to those in the tombs giving life (3x).
“Christ is risen” is sung again once (using a simple cord chant) instead of “Glory be to the Father…” at the dismissal.
Then the Troparion “Christ is risen” is sung as in the beginning of the Liturgy, but with an additional ending.
Troparion: Christ is risen from the dead, trampling death by death, and to those in the tombs giving life (3x).
And to us He has granted life eternal;* we bow down before His resurrection on the third day.
Great Vespers (Royaldoors.net):
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Divine Liturgy:
PDF – 6th Sunday after Pascha – Sunday of the Man Born Blind – UKR
PDF – 6th Sunday after Pascha – Sunday of the Man Born Blind – ENG
PDF – 6th Sunday after Pascha – Sunday of the Man Born Blind – ENG-UKR