Third Sunday after Pentecost; Tone 2; Our Holy Father Cyril Archbishop of Alexandria (444)
Text from “The Divine Liturgy: An Anthology for Worship”; Pg. 333
Troparion (Tone 2): When You went down to death, O Life Immortal,* You struck Hades dead with the blazing light of Your divinity.* When You raised the dead from the nether world,* all the powers of heaven cried out:* “O Giver of Life, Christ our God, glory be to You!”
+Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Kontakion (Tone 2): You rose from the tomb, O almighty Saviour,* and Hades, seeing this wonder, was stricken with fear; and the dead arose.* Creation saw and rejoices with You, and Adam exults.** And the world, my Saviour, sings Your praises forever.
Now and for ever and ever. Amen.
Theotokion (Tone 2): The tomb and death could not hold the Mother of God,* unceasingly 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 2): The Lord is my strength and my song of praise,* and He has become my salvation (Ps 117:14).
verse: The Lord has indeed chastised me, but He has not delivered me to death (Ps 117:18).
Epistle: (Romans 5:1-10): Brethren, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us. For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Indeed, rarely will anyone die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person someone might actually dare to die. But God proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us. Much more surely then, now that we have been justified by his blood, will we be saved through him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies, we were reconciled to God through the death of his Son, much more surely, having been reconciled, will we be saved by his life.
Alleluia (Tone 2): Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia!
verse: The Lord will hear you in the day of tribulation; the name of the God of Jacob will shield you (Ps 19:2).
verse: Lord, grant victory to the king, and hear us in the day that we shall call upon You (Ps 19:10).
Gospel: (Matthew 6:22-33): The Lord said: ‘The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light; but if your eye is unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! ‘No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. ‘Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And can any of you by worrying add a single hour to your span of life? And why do you worry about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not clothed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which is alive today and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? Therefore do not worry, saying, “What will we eat?” or “What will we drink?” or “What will we wear?” For it is the Gentiles who strive for all these things; and indeed your heavenly Father knows that you need all these things. But strive first for the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.
Communion Verse: Praise the Lord from the heavens;* praise Him in the highest (Ps 148:1). Alleluia! (3x)
Great Vespers (Royaldoors.net):
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Divine Liturgy:
PDF – 3rd Sunday after Pentecost – ENGLISH
PDF – 3rd Sunday after Pentecost – UKRAINIAN
PDF – 3rd Sunday after Pentecost – ENG-UKR