Service for All Saints Who Flourished
in the Land of the Swiss
Which the Holy Church Doth Celebrate
on the Sunday after the Exaltation
of
the Precious & Life-creating Cross of the Lord
At Great Vespers
After the Introductory Psalm, we chant “Blessed is the man…”, the first antiphon.
On “Lord, I have cried…”, 10: 3 stichera of the Resurrection; 3 of the Cross; and 4 of the saints, in Tone IV—
O ye faithful, let us hymn the glory of the martyrs, who with their own blood encrimsoned the standard which they raised: the radiant Cross of Christ. True soldiers of Christ, the glorious legion did battle unto death to acquire immortal life; wherefore, we entreat them to water the arid ground of our souls with their blood, that it may bring forth the grace of salvation. Twice
O holy hierarchs of the land of the Swiss, ye spared yourselves neither sorrows nor toils in raising up the insuperable rampart of the Faith and erecting the temple of the Holy Spirit within the souls of your flock. And now we entreat you, O builders of the Church, to set within our souls the cornerstone of salvation.
Fasting, vigilance and prayer were the tools wherewith ye labored to cultivate and sow the land of the Swiss, that it might bring forth the fruit of the Faith, O holy hermits and ascetics. And now, as faithful stewards, ye oversee the harvest, praying before the throne of the Lord for our souls’ salvation.
Glory…: Idiomelon of the saints, in Tone VI—
Today the land of the Swiss giveth thanks to its Master, for the Cross which it took as its standard doth shield it from sorrows and tribulations. Today, the martyrs of Agaunum rejoice with the righteous; Marius, Protasius, Salonius, Theodulus, and all the holy hierarchs chant together with the choir of the apostles; the hermits of the Jura exult with the prophets; and we join our voices to those of the angels, to praise the Creator of all things, and to entreat Him to save our souls.
Now & ever…: Dogmatic theotokion.
Entrance. O gladsome Light… Prokimenon of the day. Three Readings:
A Reading from the Prophecy of Isaiah
Thus saith the Lord: “All the nations are gathered together, and princes shall be gathered out of them. Who will declare these things, or who will let them bring forth their witnesses, and be justified; and let them hear, and declare the truth? Be ye My witnesses, and I too am a witness, saith the Lord God, and My servant whom I have chosen: that ye may know, and believe, and understand that I am He: before Me there was no other God, and after Me there shall be none. I am God; and beside Me there is no Savior. I have declared, and have saved; I have reproached, and there was no strange god among you. Ye are My witnesses, and I am the Lord God, even from the beginning: and there is none who can deliver out of My hands. I will work, and who shall turn it back?” Thus saith the Lord God Who redeemeth you, the Holy One of Israel.
A Reading from the Wisdom of Solomon
The souls of the righteous are in the hand of God, and there shall no torment touch them. In the sight of the unwise they seemed to die: and their departure is taken for misery, and their going from us to be utter destruction: but they are in peace. For though they be punished in the sight of men, yet is their hope full of immortality. And having been a little chastised, they shall be greatly rewarded: for God proved them, and found them worthy for Himself. As gold in the furnace hath He tried them and received them as a burnt offering. And in the time of their visitation they shall shine, and run to and fro like sparks among the stubble. They shall judge the nations, and have dominion over the people, and their Lord shall reign forever. They who put their trust in Him shall understand the truth: and such as be faithful in love shall abide with Him: for grace and mercy is to His saints, and He hath care for His elect.
A Reading from the Wisdom of Solomon
The righteous live for evermore; their reward also is with the Lord, and the care of them is with the Most High. Therefore shall they receive a glorious kingdom, and a beautiful crown from the Lord’s hand: for with His right hand shall He cover them, and with His arm shall He protect them. He shall take to Him His jealousy for complete armor, and make the creature His weapon for the revenge of His enemies. He shall put on righteousness as a breastplate, and true judgment instead of a helmet. He shall take holiness for an invincible shield. His severe wrath shall He sharpen for a sword, and the world shall fight with Him against the unwise. Then shall the right-aiming thunderbolts go abroad; and from the clouds, as from a well-drawn bow, shall they fly to the mark. And hailstones full of wrath shall be cast as out of a stone bow, and the water of the sea shall rage against them, and the floods shall cruelly drown them. Yea, a mighty wind shall stand up against them, and like a storm shall blow them away: thus iniquity shall lay waste the whole earth, and ill dealing shall overthrow the thrones of the mighty. Hear, therefore, O ye kings, and understand; learn, ye that be judges of the ends of the earth. Give ear, ye that rule the people, and glory in the multitude of nations. For power is given you of the Lord, and sovereignty from the Most High.
At Litia, the sticheron of the temple, and this sticheron of the saints: Idiomelon, in Tone I—
In following our Savior and Lord, ye did not falter or stray, O ever-memorable saints of the lands of the Swiss; and as ye dwelt among the Alpine peaks and dales, ye perceived in spirit that in Christ every valley is exalted, every mountain and hill is made low, the crooked paths are made straight and the rough places plain. Wherefore, as ye exalt God Most High in hymns, beseech Him to have mercy upon our souls, freeing us from all the snares of the enemy.
Glory…: Idiomelon, in Tone III—
O blessed multitude of the fathers of the Jura, what human tongue can praise you fittingly? For, imitating John the Forerunner of the Lord, the venerable Paul of Thebes and Anthony the Great, ye withdrew from all the tumults of the world, trusting in God to guide and preserve you; and, struggling against temptations and the assaults of the demons with the help of His grace, ye established your sacred dwellings amid the wild and impassable mountains, where ye nurtured the pious flock of your disciples on the pastures of salvation. Wherefore, from all want deliver us, who honor your sacred memory, and earnestly entreat Christ, the Chief Shepherd, that our souls be saved.
Now & ever…: Idiomelon of the Cross, in Tone II—
Thou art my mighty protection, O tripartite Cross of Christ! Sanctify me by thy power, that I may bow down with faith and love, and glorify thee.
Aposticha stichera from the Octoechos; and Glory…, of the saints, in Tone IV—
Celebrating now the annual memorial of the saints of the land of the Swiss, let us praise them as is meet. Of a truth, they embodied all the beatitudes of the Savior: poor, they became rich in the Spirit; meek, they have inherited the earth of the meek; mournful, they were comforted; hungry for righteousness, they were filled therewith; merciful, they have obtained mercy; pure of heart, they beheld God, as far as it is possible; peace-makers, they have been found worthy to become sons of God; persecuted and martyred for righteousness and piety, they abide now in the joy and gladness of heaven, and unceasingly entreat the Savior to have pity on our homeland.
Now & ever…: Idiomelon of the Cross, in Tone VIII—
That which Moses prefigured with his body cast down and vanquished Amalek of old; and David the psalmist, crying out, hath commanded us to bow down before Thy footstool, Thy precious Cross, O Christ God. Today we sinners also do homage with our unworthy lips to Thee Whose will it was to be nailed thereto; and, chanting, we pray: O Lord, vouchsafe that with the thief we may receive Thy kingdom!
After the Blessing of the Loaves, we chant “Virgin Theotokos, rejoice!…”, twice; and the troparion of the saints, in Tone VIII—
The land of the Swiss offereth Thee, O Savior, as the comely fruits of its sowing all the saints who have sprung forth therein. Through their intercessions preserve thy Church and our homeland in peace profound by the might of Thy Cross, O Merciful One. Once
At Matins
At “God is the Lord…”, the troparion of the Resurrection, twice; Glory…, that of the saints; Now & ever…: Troparion of the Exaltation of the Cross.
After the kathismata of the Psalter, the sessional hymns of the Resurrection, in the tone of the week, with their stichoi and theotokia.
After the Polyeleos, the clergy chant this Magnification—
We magnify you, O all ye saints who have shone forth in the land of the Swiss, and we honor your holy memory; for ye entreat Christ our God in our behalf. Once
Then straightway the chanters sing the usual resurrectional troparia [Eulogitaria]: "Blessed art Thou, O Lord… The assembly of the angels…"
Hypacoï, and this sessional hymn of the saints, in Tone I: Spec. Mel.: "Thy tomb, O Savior…"—
Like the radiant sun hath the honored memory of its saints dawned upon the mountains and valleys of the land of the Swiss, illumining all the faithful and moving their hearts to imitate their godly life and their zeal for the Faith.
Glory…: Another sessional hymn, in Tone VIII—
The mountains of the land of the Swiss rejoice, and the valleys thereof are filled with gladness. All the faithful celebrate the memory of Thy glorious saints, O compassionate Lord. At their entreaties take pity our souls, O Merciful One.
Now & ever…: Sessional hymn of the Cross, in Tone VI—
No sooner was the tree of Thy Cross planted, O Christ our Lord, than the foundations of death were shaken. That which hades swallowed greedily it spewed forth, trembling. Thou hast revealed to us Thy salvation, O Holy One, and we glorify Thee. O Son of God, have mercy on us!
Hymns of Ascent of the tone of the week.
Prokimenon of the tone of the week.
Let every breath praise the Lord.
Gospel of the Resurrection.
Psalm 50. Glory…: Through the prayers of the apostles… Now & ever…: Through the prayers of the Theotokos… Troparion: “Have mercy on me, O God…”; and then: “Jesus having risen from the dead…” Prayer: O God, save Thy people…
Canon of the Resurrection, with 4 troparia, including the irmos; that of the Theotokos, with 2 troparia; that of the Exaltation of the Cross, with 4 troparia; and this canon of All Saints of the Land of the Swiss, with 4 troparia, the composition of the priest Peter, in Tone VIII—
Ode I
Irmos: That which had been hewn down cut through the undivided, and the sun saw land which it had not seen before; the water engulfed the cruel enemy, and Israel traversed the impassable, and chanted the hymn: Let us sing to the Lord, for gloriously is He glorified!
[Refrain: O saints of the land of the Swiss, pray to God for us.]
On the orders of an earthly ruler, O Maurice, thou didst lead thy legion from distant Egypt unto the land of the Swiss; but it was for the King of heaven that thou and thy companions contended unto death.
Rather than obey the ungodly order of the tyrant, the glorious legion of godly martyrs laid aside their iron armaments, and it was through the spiritual weaponry of the Faith that the Thebans won an imperishable crown.
The blood of the six thousand companions of Maurice, Candidus and Innocent stained red the waters of the Rhone. And the river bore the tidings of the soldiers’ victory for Christ as far as the great sea.
Theotokion: O Mistress, with the angelic hosts, the glorious prophets, and the apostles and martyrs, pray to God for us sinners who glorify the feast of thy protection of our land.
Katavasiæ: The irmoi of the Canon of the Exaltation of the Cross.
Ode III
Irmos: O Lord Who saidst: Be thou made firm upon the rock of faith, whereon I will found My Church, save me who cry out: Thou art the Son of the living God, O Christ, and my spirit hath been established in Thee!
At Agaunum no legionary was daunted when faced with fearsome combat; and it pleased the Lord to send some of these faithful Thebans to bear the word of salvation to other places.
It was Vincent the veteran who welcomed you to Solothurn to preach the Gospel, O Ursus and Victor. The tyrant, desiring to erase your very memory, cast your tortured bodies into the river; but the Lord caused them to be found, to establish His glory in the place of your burial.
Thou also, O Exuperius, wast hidden in Zurich by the pious Felix and Regula. But as the word of Truth cannot be hidden, the brother and sister joyfully shared all with the martyrdom of the Theban.
Theotokion: Now is the time to come to our defense, O most holy Mother of God: temptations are increasing. Now is the time, O brethren, for us to sigh after her. Let us then say with all our heart: Mistress, O Mistress, come to the aid of thy people!
Kontakion of the saints, in Tone IV—
Rejoice exceedingly, O Church of Christ, beholding the holy martyrs, hierarchs and ascetics who have shone forth in the land of the Swiss standing round about thy table like newly planted olive shoots; and cry aloud to the Creator of all: Wondrous art Thou in Thy saints, O God!
Ikos: O ye Orthodox faithful, let us now praise the saints of the land of the Swiss, for, never shaken in their trust in the Lord, they dwell now in Holy Sion, in the Jerusalem on high, surrounded by the mountains of the Lord Who, as saith the Psalmist, is round about His people, from henceforth and for evermore. Wherefore, as they unceasingly entreat the Master in behalf of us sinners, let us all cry aloud with reverence to the Creator of all: Wondrous art Thou in Thy saints, O God!
Sessional hymn of the saints, in Tone IV: Spec. Mel.: "O Thou Who wast of Thine own will lifted up on the Cross…"—
Come, let us praise the martyrs, hierarchs and ascetics who have made the land of the Swiss a heaven, for they have shone forth therein like a radiant constellation of stars, resplendent in their Orthodox Faith, guiding all toward the safe haven of salvation. And let us cry out unto them: Deliver us from every misfortune and temptation, O ye servants of the Most High.
Glory…, Now & ever…: Sessional hymn of the Cross, in Tone IV: Spec. Mel.: “Go thou quickly before…”—
Rejoicing in thee, O thrice blessed and life-bestowing Cross, the people celebrate together with the immaterial choirs, the ranks of hierarchs reverently hymn thee, multitudes of monastics and fasters bow down before thee in adoration, and all of us glorify Christ Who was crucified on thee.
Ode IV
Irmos: Foreseeing Thine advent in the latter days, the God-bearing Prophet Habbakuk, enlightened by the Holy Spirit, cried aloud: When the years draw nigh, Thou shalt be acknowledged; when the season cometh, Thou shalt be shown forth. Glory to Thy power, O Lord!
Together with Athanasius, the fearless confessor of Alexandria, Hilary, the friend of Basil the Great and Gregory, Ambrose the hierarch of Milan, and Martin, the wonder-worker of Tours, the whole Church cometh to venerate the godly martyrs, whom the land of the Swiss presenteth to Her.
Having established the Church in Basle, thou wast a shepherd who watched over thy flock, O Pantalius; and when Ursula and her companions arrived in thy city, thou didst receive them as pilgrims, as was fitting, later accompanying those same holy virgins to their martyrdom.
O Theodulus, thou wast a tireless apostle for the diocese which was entrusted to thee, for thou didst carry the Gospel to the deepest of thy valleys, and it is thus that thou wast vouchsafed to uncover the relics of Maurice and the Thebans and to raise up the sanctuary where they are venerated.
Theotokion: O Virgin Mother of God, hope of Christians, as before grant us the loving-kindness which thou didst accord our fathers. Guard and protect us from all evil.
Ode V
Irmos: Thou didst show forth Thy precepts through enlightenment, O Christ God, in that Thou art good, for rising at dawn out of the night we send up glory, O Bestower of light.
From thy youth thou didst dedicate thyself to the Lord and didst consecrate all thy riches and works unto Him, O Marius; and He entrusted the Church of Lausanne to thy wisdom, which shone forth far from the storm.
An inheritance from thy father enabled thee to build churches, where thou didst fashion chalices with thine own hands, O holy hierarch Marius. Thy pastoral zeal enabled thee to carry the word of Truth throughout thy diocese and to meet the holy hermit Pontius, whom thou didst appoint as instructor for the monasteries thou didst establish in the Jura.
Having chosen poverty, fasting and prayer, thou didst take care to aid the unfortunate, to feed the hungry and to comfort the afflicted, O Marius, true shepherd of the sheep entrusted to thee by Christ.
O Protasius, thou wast a worthy successor of the holy hierarch Marius, for having placed thy city under the protection of the Mother of God, thou didst die while laboring for the poorest of thy flock.
Theotokion: Thou art the all-pure temple of God Whom nought can contain, O Mistress. By thine intercession make us also, who pray unto thee, temples of the grace of God.
Ode VI
Irmos: The abyss of my sins and the tempest of my transgressions discomfit me and thrust me down into the depths of violent despondency; but stretch forth Thy mighty arm unto me, as Thou didst to Peter, and save me, O my Guide.
O Salonius, thou art the adornment of the Church of Geneva, the tireless herald of the Gospel. Thou didst teach the Word to thy people, and didst set thyself as an example for them of piety and Orthodoxy.
O Clotilde, blessed saint, before illumining thy royal spouse with the Faith it was thy joy to venerate the relics of the martyr Victor, the holy protector of Geneva, in thy native town.
Thou, O holy King Sigismund, didst make the Truth thy foremost concern; and having escaped the snares of heresy, as a faithful disciple of Avitus, the holy hierarch of Lyon, thou didst restore thy kingdom to Orthodoxy.
Theotokion: By thy supplications, O holy Mother of God, most pure Virgin, may we be delivered from our sins, that we may obtain the divine illumination of thy Son, Who became incarnate of thy womb.
Kontakion & Ikos of the resurrection.
Ode VII
Irmos: Beholding the figure of the Fourth, the tyrant said to those who were with Him: "We cast three into the flame, but now I see four, and the countenance of One filleth my mind with awe and astonisheth my thoughts!" The choir of the three hymneth Thee forever!
O land of the Swiss, rejoice, for thou wast everywhere trodden by the feet of Lucius, Emerita and Placid, Ursannus and Pirminus, Beatus and Verena, and all the other hermits and ascetics, who chant with them: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!
From Geneva his capital, the pious King Sigismund turned to Agaunum to raise up a monastery to the glory of the Theban martyrs; and he ordered that they chant unceasingly therein: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!
Germanus, the holy abbot of Grandval, came with Randoald, his companion in the ascetic life, to bear witness unto righteousness, even unto the shedding of their blood, before the tyrant whose blind ungodliness made him a murderer; but Odile, his holy daughter, freed from blindness through the intercession of the venerable martyrs, opened to repentance the eyes of her father, who cried out: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!
Theotokion: O blessed Virgin, thou art truly the branch sprung forth from the root of Jesse, which gave rise to the Fruit of salvation for the faithful, who cry out to thy Son: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!
Ode VIII
Irmos: Him Who was begotten of the Father before time began, and became incarnate of His Mother in latter days, do ye hymn, O priests! Ye people, exalt Him supremely for all ages!
When the heavy clouds of heathenism loomed over our land, Columbanus, Gall and their companions, and Fridolin, traversed the sea to call us all to chant with them: O all ye works of the Lord, praise and exalt Him forever!
Thou didst burn with desire to bow down before the relics of Hilary, the true confessor of the Faith, O Fridolin, and in Poitiers thy Master appeared to thee, ordering thee to go and awaken the Faith among the Allemani. Wherefore, O holy missionary, thou gavest thy name to the valley of Glaris, that it might chant with thee: O all ye works of the Lord, praise and exalt Him forever!
We bless the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit: the Lord.
Neither threats, nor sorrows, nor freezing cold, nor wild beasts were able to drive thee away from the place which God assigned to thee, O Gall, holy pilgrim of the Gospel; and thus it was that the people of Austrasia turned back to God and chanted with thee: O all ye works of the Lord, praise and exalt Him forever!
Theotokion: O Virgin, it was in manner transcending nature that thou didst bear God the Word, the Creator and Savior, as a babe; wherefore, we hymn thee forever.
Ode IX
Irmos: With unceasing hymns we magnify thee whom Moses once foresaw as the bush which burned with the fire of the Godhead, yet was not consumed, for thou gavest birth unto the Lord, God incarnate, without being consumed.
O mountains of the Jura, ye were a Thebaïd where a multitude of monks, hermits and ascetics blossomed forth; and from your heights the voices of our holy fathers resound, offering up before the throne of God praise and the thanksgiving of the land of the Swiss.
O Imier, thou didst forsake thy native land that thou mightest come to know the land where the Lord was born. There thou becamest the disciple and companion of the patriarch of the Mother of Churches, and didst later return to describe to thy compatriots the splendors of the holy places and the almighty glory of salvation.
O Romanus, thou didst live by the word of the Creator; amid the impenetrable forest thou didst clear a monastic paradise for asceticism with Lupus, thy brother by blood and the ascetic life, and with Yole thy sister; and thou didst guide a multitude of the faithful to the path of salvation.
Clairvoyance and charity, love of neighbor and the gift of healing cause you to shine like the stars, O holy fathers Lupus and Romanus, and the splendor of your miracles hath enlighteneth the land of the Swiss.
Theotokion: Hilary, the holy hierarch of Poitiers, the teacher of the Truth, instructed his disciples from the land of the Swiss to glorify the Mother of God, saying: “The Virgin, her birthgiving, the Son Who was born of her, and later His Cross, death and the sojourn in hades: this is our salvation! For for the human race the Son of God deigned to be born of the Virgin and the Holy Spirit.”
Holy is the Lord our God! Thrice
Resurrectional exapostilarion .
Glory…: Exapostilarion of the saints—
Let us praise in hymns the inextinguishable beacons of the land of the Swiss, the vessels of the Word of God, for it is by glorifying Christ, Who loved and enlightened them, that we have intercessors for our souls.
Now & ever…: Exapostilarion of the Cross: Spec. Mel.: “When the disciples…”—
The Cross is the guardian of the whole world! The Cross is the beauty of the Church! The Cross is the dominion of kings! The Cross is the confirmation of the faithful! The Cross is the glory of the angels and the wounding of the demons!
On the Praises, 8 stichera: 4 of the resurrection; and 4 of the saints, in Tone I: Spec. Mel.: “Joy of the ranks of heaven…”—
Come, O ye faithful, and let us join our voices to those of the martyr Maurice and his glorious companions, entreating the Master of all to grant salvation to our souls, that the land of the Swiss, which is protecteth by His precious Cross, may ever resound with the singing of these praises.
Let us praise the venerable ascetics of the lands of the Swiss, who willingly took up their cross and followed after the Lord, patiently enduring dire privations and braving the force of the elements, lifting their voices in wondrous hymnody, causing the mountains and valleys to resound with their praises.
Stichos: The righteous cried, and the Lord heard them.
Assembling, let us laud the godly hierarchs of the land of the Swiss, who tended well the flock entrusted to their spiritual care, driving away from them the spiritual wolves with the staff of the Cross, and feeding them on the verdure of the Orthodox Faith, that the mountains and valleys might resound with their praises.
Stichos: Blessed are they that fear the Lord, that walk in His ways.
When he came upon the place which Thou hadst chosen to be the site of his ascetic labors, the venerable Gall raised up a cross and chanted to Thee: “O Lord Jesus Christ, Who didst save mankind upon the Cross, be Thou well-pleased to sanctify this place, that it may ever resound with the singing of these praises!”
Glory…: Evangelical sticheron.
Now & ever…: All-blessed art thou, O Virgin Theotokos…
Great Doxology. Troparion of the resurrection. Litanies. Dismissal. First Hour.
At Liturgy
On the Beatitudes, 12 troparia: 4 of the resurrection; 4 from the appointed ode of the canon of the Exaltation of the Cross; and 4 from Ode VI of the canon of all saints of the land of the Swiss.
Prokimenon of the Exaltation of the Cross, in Tone VI—
Exalt ye the Lord our God, and worship the footstool of His feet, for it is holy.
Stichos: The Lord is king; let the peoples rage.
And this prokimenon of all saints, in Tone VII—
Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.
Epistle to the Galatians, §203
[Gal. 2: 16-20]
Brethren: Knowing that a man is not justified by the works of the law, but by the faith of Jesus Christ, even we have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified. But if, while we seek to be justified by Christ, we ourselves also are found sinners, is therefore Christ the minister of sin? God forbid. For if I build again the things which I destroyed, I make myself a transgressor. For I through the law am dead to the law, that I might live unto God. I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, Who loved me, and gave Himself for me.
Epistle to the Hebrews, §330
[Heb. 11: 33-40]
Brethren:
All the saints through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness,
obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence
of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong,
waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens. Women
received their dead raised to life again: and others were tortured, not
accepting deliverance; that they might obtain a better resurrection: and
others had trial of cruel mockings and scourgings, yea, moreover of bonds
and imprisonment: they were stoned, they were sawn asunder, were tempted,
were slain with the sword: they wandered about in sheepskins and goatskins;
being destitute, afflicted, tormented; (of whom the world was not worthy:)
they wandered in deserts, and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the
earth. And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received
not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us, that they
without us should not be made perfect.
Alleluia of the Exaltation of the Cross, in Tone IV—
Stichos: Remember Thy congregation which Thou hast purchased from the
beginning.
Stichos: God is our King before the ages, He hath wrought salvation in
the midst of the earth.
And that of all saints, in Tone in Tone IV—
Stichos: The righteous cried, and the Lord heard them, and He delivered them out of all their tribulations.
Gospel according to Mark, §37
[Mk. 8: 34-9: 1]
The Lord said: “Whosoever will come after Me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow Me. For whosoever will save his life shall lose it; but whosoever shall lose his life for My sake and the Gospel's, the same shall save it. For what shall it profit a man, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? Or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul? Whosoever therefore shall be ashamed of Me and of My words in this adulterous and sinful generation; of him also shall the Son of man be ashamed, when He cometh in the glory of His Father with the holy angels.” And He said unto them: “Verily I say unto you, that there be some of those who stand here, who shall not taste of death, till they have seen the kingdom of God come with power.”
Gospel according to Matthew, §10
[Mt. 4: 25-5: 12]
At that time, there followed Jesus great multitudes of people from Galilee, and from Decapolis, and from Jerusalem, and from Judæa, and from beyond Jordan. And seeing the multitudes, He went up into a mountain: and when He was set, His disciples came unto Him: and He opened His mouth, and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are those who mourn: for they shall be comforted. Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth. Blessed are those who do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart: for they shall see God. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God. Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven.”
Communion verses—
Praise the Lord from the heavens. Praise Him in the highest.
Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous; praise is meet for the upright.
Service composed in French by the priest Pierre Cantacuzène (now Bishop Ambrose of Geneva & Western Europe); translated and amplified by the reader Isaac E. Lambertsen. English text edited by the priest Andrew Phillips.
