3rd Sunday after Pentecost. Tone 2. Mat. Gos. 3. Great Vespers: Entrance. Matins: Resurrectional Hymns of Blessings. Hymns of Ascent of Tone. Katavasia of Annunciation. At 9th Ode: “More honorable.” Great Doxology. Liturgy: Epis. Romans 5:1-10. Gos. Matthew 6:22-33. Axion: “It is truly right.” Martyr Aquilina; St. Triphyllios, Bishop of Cyprus (Fish permitted) Tropar When you descended to encounter death, O deathless Life, you put Hades to death by the reflected light of Divinity. But when you raised the dead from the abyss, all the Powers of heaven cried out: O Life-giving Christ, O our God, glory to you! Kontak You arose from the dead, O almighty Savior. Hades seeing this wonder was frightened. The dead rose up. Adam with all creation, seeing this, rejoiced because of you. And the world, O my Savior, praises you forever. Epistle Reading Deacon: Let us be attentive! Priest: Peace be to all. Choir: And to your spirit. Deacon:  Wisdom! (DYNAMIS) Reader: The Prokeimenon in the 2nd Tone: The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. Choir:  The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. Reader:  Though the Lord has chastened me severely, he has not abandoned me to death. Choir:  The Lord is my strength and my song; he has become my salvation. Reader:   The Lord is my strength and my song; Choir:  he has become my salvation. Reader: The Reading is from St. Paul’s Letter to the Romans 5:1-10 Deacon: Let us be attentive! BRETHREN, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Through him we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand, and we rejoice in our hope of sharing the glory of God. More than that, we rejoice 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 which has been given to us. While we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. Why, one will hardly die for a righteous man–though perhaps for a good man one will dare even to die. But God shows his love for us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Since, therefore, we are now justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. Not only so, but we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received our reconciliation. Priest: Peace be to you, reader Reader: And to your spirit. – Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. Choir/People:  Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. Reader: (first alleluia verse) May the Lord answer you in the day of trouble. May the name of the God of Jacob defend and protect you. Choir/People:  Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. Reader: (second alleluia verse) Lord, save the king and hear us when we call. Choir/People:  Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia During the Alleluia Verses, the priest stands at the holy table and says the PRAYER BEFORE THE GOSPEL: Priest: Enkindle in our hearts the pure light of your divine knowledge, O master, Lover of mankind, and open the eyes of our mind to the understanding of your evangelical proclamations. Instill the fear of your blessed commandments in us, so that trampling down all bodily desires, we may practice a spiritual life, thinking and doing all which pleases you. For you are the illumination of our souls and bodies, Christ God, and we offer glory to you, together with your Father who is without beginning and your All-Holy, good and life-creating Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen. Deacon:  Wisdom. Arise. Let us listen to the Holy Gospel. Priest: Peace be to all. People:  And with your spirit. Deacon: The Reading of the Holy Gospel according to St. Matthew6:22-33 People:  Glory to You, O Lord, glory to You. Priest: Let us be attentive. “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 unhealthly, 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, I 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. People:  Glory to You, O Lord, glory to You. Synaxis of Martyr Aquilina of Byblos in Syria & St. Triphyllios, Bishop of Cyprus The Holy Martyr Aquilina, a native of the Phoenician city of Byblos, suffered under the emperor Diocletian (284-305). Her parents raised her in Christian piety. When the girl was only twelve years old, she persuaded a pagan friend to convert to Christ. One of the servants of the imperial governor Volusian accused her of teaching others not to follow the religion of their fathers. The girl firmly confessed her faith in Christ before the governor and said that she would not renounce Him. Volusian tried to influence the young confessor through persuasion and by flattery, but seeing her confidence, he ordered her to be tortured. They struck her upon the face, then they stripped her and beat her with whips. The torturer asked, “Where then is your God? Let Him come and take you out of my hands”. The saint answered, “The Lord is here with me invisibly, and the more I suffer, the more strength and endurance will He give me.” They drilled through the martyr’s ears with heated metal rods. The holy virgin fell down as if dead. The torturer thought that the girl had actually died, and he gave orders to throw her body outside the city to be eaten by dogs. By night a holy angel appeared to St Aquilina, roused her and said, “Arise and be healed. Go and denounce Volusian, so that he and his plans may come to nothing.” The martyr went to the court of the governor and stood before Volusian. Seeing St Aquilina, he called for his servants and ordered them to keep watch over her until morning. In the morning he sentenced St Aquilina to death, saying that she was a sorceress who did not obey the imperial decrees. When they led the saint to execution, she prayed and gave thanks to God for allowing her to suffer for His Holy Name. A voice was heard in answer to her prayer, summoning her to the heavenly Kingdom. Before the executioner could carry out the sentence, the martyr gave up her spirit to God (+ 293). The executioner feared to disobey the governor’s orders, so he cut off her head although she was already dead. Christians piously buried the martyr’s body. Later, her relics were taken to Constantinople and placed in a church named for her. Saint Tryphillius, Bishop of Leukosia, was born in Constantinople, and he received his education at Berit (Beirut, in Lebanon). He was very intelligent and eloquent. In spite of this, the saint chose as his guide a man neither bookish nor learned, but one of conspicuous holiness: St Spyridon of Tremithos (December 12). The emperor Constantine II (337-340) fell grievously ill, and receiving no help from the doctors, he turned to God. In a dream he saw an angel, directing him to a group of hierarchs. Pointing out two of them, the angel said that only through them could he receive healing. Constantine issued an imperial edict, commanding the bishops to assemble. St Spyridon also received this order, and went to the emperor with his disciple St Tryphillius. The sick one immediately recognized them as the healers indicated by the angel. He bowed to them and asked them to pray for his health. St Spyridon with a prayer touched the head of the emperor, and he became well. St Tryphillius was charmed by the beautiful palace, the majestic figure of the emperor, and the pomp of palace life. St Spyridon said, “Why are you astonished? Does all this make the emperor any more righteous? All of them, emperors and dignitaries alike, will die and stand together with the very poorest before the judgment seat of God. One should seek eternal blessings and heavenly glory.” Soon St Tryphillius was made Bishop of Leukosia on Cyprus. He often visited with St Spyridon. Once, they passed through an area of vineyards and gardens of special beauty and abundance, named Parimnos. St Tryphillius, attracted by the beauty of nature, considered how they might explore this land. St Spyridon discerned the thoughts of St Tryphillius and said, “Why do you always think about earthly and transitory blessings? Our habitation and riches are in Heaven, for which we ought to strive.” Thus did St Spyridon lead his disciple toward spiritual perfection, which St Tryphillius attained through the prayers of his instructor. St Tryphillius had a charitable soul, a heart without malice, right faith and love towards all, and many other virtues. Once, a Council of bishops assembled on Cyprus. The Fathers of the Council requested that St Tryphillius, known for his erudition and eloquence, address the people. Speaking about the healing of the paralytic by the Lord (Mark 2:11). in place of the word “cot” he used the word “bed”. Impatient with the imprecise rendering of the Gospel text, St Spyridon said to St Tryphillius, “Are you better than He who said “cot”, that you should be ashamed of His wording?” and abruptly he left the church. In this way St Spyridon gave St Tryphillius a lesson in humility, so that he would not become proud of his own eloquence. St Tryphillius wisely shepherded his flock. From the inheritance left him by his mother, he built a monastery at Leukosia. The saint died in old age in about the year 370. The Russian pilgrim Igumen Daniel saw the relics of St Tryphillius on Cyprus at the beginning of the twelfth century.