7/01/2023 - Divine Liturgy

Special Hymns for Today  

 Tone 3 Troparion (Resurrection)  

Let the heavens rejoice! 

Let the earth be glad! 

For the Lord has shown strength with His arm. 

He has trampled down death by death. 

He has become the first born of the dead. 

He has delivered us from the depths of hell, 

and has granted to the world// 

great mercy. 

Tone 8 Troparion (Theotokos) 

Ever-Virgin Theotokos, protectress of mankind, 

you have given your people a powerful legacy: 

the robe and sash of your most honored body, which remained incorrupt throughout your seedless childbearing;

for through you time and nature are renewed!// 

Therefore we implore you: “Grant peace to your people and to our souls great mercy!” 

Troparion -Tone 8 (St. Nikolai) 

O golden-tongued preacher proclaiming the risen Christ, / everlasting guide of the  cross-bearing Serbian people, / resounding harp of the Holy Spirit, and dear to mo nastics who rejoice in you, / pride and boast of the priesthood, teacher of repentance,  master for all nations, / guide of those in the army of Christ as they pray to God, / Ho ly Nikolai teacher in America and pride of the Serbian people, / with all the saints,  implore the only Lover of mankind//to grant us peace and joy in his heavenly king dom! 

Tone 3 Kontakion (Resurrection) 

On this day You rose from the tomb, O Merciful One, 

leading us from the gates of death. 

On this day Adam exults as Eve rejoices;

with the Prophets and Patriarchs//

they unceasingly praise the divine majesty of Your power.  

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

Kontakion-Tone 3 (St. Nikolai)  

Born at Lelich in Serbia, / you served as archpastor at the church of Saint Nahum in  Ochrid./ You presided on the throne of Saint Sava at Zhicha,/ teaching the people of  God and enlightening them with the Gospel, / bringing them to repentance and love for Christ. / And for His sake you endured suffering at Dachau. / Therefore, Nikolai, we glorify you as one newly well pleasing to God. 

 Both now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.  

Tone 4 Kontakion (Theotokos) 

O Pure One, full of the grace of God, 

you have given your sacred robe as a garment of incorruption to all the faithful, 

with it you covered your holy body, 

O divine protection of all mankind. 

We celebrate its enshrinement in Blachernae

with love and we cry aloud with awe:// 

The Reading is from the Holy Epistle of St.  Paul to the Romans 6:18-23

Brethren, having been set free from sin, you be came slaves of righteousness. I speak in human terms because of the weakness of your  flesh. For just as you presented your members as slaves of uncleanness, and of lawlessness leading to more lawlessness, so now present your members as slaves of righteous ness for holiness. For when you were slaves of sin, you were free in regard to righteous ness. What fruit did you have then in the things of which you are now ashamed? For the  end of those things is death. But now having been set free from sin, and having become  slaves of God, you have your fruit to holiness, and the end, everlasting life. For the wag es of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. 

The Reading is from the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew 8:5-13

Let us attend! At that time, as Jesus had entered Capernaum, a centurion came to Him,  pleading with Him, saying, "Lord, my servant is lying at home paralyzed, dreadfully tor mented." And Jesus said to him, "I will come and heal him." The centurion answered  and said, "Lord, I am not worthy that You should come under my roof. But only speak  a word, and my servant will be healed. For I also am a man under authority, having sol diers under me. And I say to this one, 'Go,' and he goes; and to another, 'Come,' and he  comes; and to my servant, 'Do this,' and he does it." When Jesus heard it, He marveled,  and said to those who followed, "Assuredly, I say to you, I have not found such great  faith, not even in Israel! And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and  sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven.But the sons of the  kingdom will be cast out into outer darkness. There will be weeping and gnashing of  teeth." Then Jesus said to the centurion, "Go your way; and as you have believed, so let it  be done for you." And his servant was healed that same hour.