4th Sunday of Great Lent – St. John of the Ladder. Tone 7. Mat. Gos. 7. Combine Octoechos and Triodion. Great Vespers. Entrance. No Old Testament readings. In addition to the Resurrectional Troparion, include also the Troparion of St. John of the Ladder at Vespers, Matins and Liturgy. Matins: Ps. 50. “Open the doors.” Katavasia of Annunciation. Liturgy of St. Basil: Epis. Hebrews 6:13-20; Ephesians 5:8-19. Gos. Mark 9:17-32; Matthew 4:25, 5:1-12. Axion: “In you o woman full of grace.”
St. Benedict of Nursia; Martyr Alexander the Priest (Oil & wine permitted)
Tone 7
Tropar
By your Cross, you destroyed death! You opened paradise to the thief! You changed the weeping of the ointment-bearing women to joy; and charged them to proclaim to your apostles, that you arose, O Christ God, granting great mercy to the world!
Troparion for St. John
Tone 8
The barren wilderness thou didst make fertile with the streams of thy tears and by thy deep sighing thou hast given fruit through thy struggles a hundred-fold. Accordingly, thou hast become a star for the universe, sparkling with miracles. Therefore, O righteous Father John, intercede with Christ God to save our souls.
Kontak
The dominion of death can no longer hold men captive, for Christ descended, shattering and destroying its powers! Hades is bound. The prophets together rejoice, for the Savior stood before them and said to those who believe: O you faithful! Come out to resurrection!
Kontakion of the Five Sundays of Great Lent
Tone 8
To thee the champion leader, I thy servant offer thanks for victory, O Theotokos, thou who hast delivered me from terror. As thou hast power invincible, free me from every danger that I may cry unto thee: Rejoice, O bride without bridegroom.
Epistle Reading
Deacon: Let us be attentive!
Priest: Peace be to all.
Choir: And to your spirit.
Deacon: Wisdom! (DYNAMIS)
Reader: The Prokiemenon is in the 7th tone.
Reader: The Lord will give strength to his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace.
People: The Lord will give strength to his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace.
Reader: Bring to the Lord, you sons of God, bring to the Lord glory and power.
People: The Lord will give strength to his people; the Lord will bless his people with peace.
Reader: The Lord will give strength to his people
People: Lord will bless his people with peace.
The Reading is from Saint Paul’s Letter to the Hebrews
Deacon: Let us be attentive!
BRETHREN, when God made a promise to Abraham, since he has no one greater by whom to swear, he swore to himself, saying, “Surely I will bless you and multiply you.” And thus Abraham, having patiently endured, obtained the promise. Men indeed swear by a greater than themselves, and in all their disputes an oath is final for confirmation. So when God desired to show more convincingly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he interposed with an oath, so that through two changeable things, in which it is impossible that God should prove false, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to seize the hope set before us. We have this as a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters into the inner shrine behind the curtain, where Jesus has gone as a forerunner on our behalf, having become a high priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.
Priest: Peace be to you, reader
Reader: And to your spirit. – Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Choir/People: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Reader: (first alleluia verse) It is good to praise the Lord, to sing to your name, O Most High!
Choir/People: Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia.
Reader: (second alleluia verse) To proclaim your mercy in the morning and your truth all through the night.
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. Mark
People: Glory to You, O Lord, glory to You.
Priest: Let us be attentive.
Someone from the crowd answered him, “Teacher, I brought you my son; he has a spirit that makes him unable to speak; and whenever it seizes him, it dashes him down; and he foams and grinds his teeth and becomes rigid; and I asked your disciples to cast it out, but they could not do so.” He answered them, “You faithless generation, how much longer must I be among you? How much longer must I put up with you? Bring him to me. And they brought the boy to him. When the spirit saw him, immediately it convulsed the boy, and he fell on the ground and rolled about, foaming at the mouth. Jesus asked the father, “How long has this been happening to him?”
And he said, “From childhood. It has often cast him into the fire and into the water, to destroy him; but if you are able to do anything, have pity on us and help us.” Jesus said to him, “If you are able! – All things can be done for the one who believes.” Immediately the father of the child, cried out, “I believe; help my unbelief!” When Jesus saw that a crowd came running together, he rebuked the unclean spirit, saying to it, “You spirit that keeps this boy from speaking and hearing, I command you, come out of him, and never enter him again!’ After crying out and convulsing him terribly, it came out, and the boy was like a corpse, so that most: of them said,, “He is dead.” But Jesus took him by the hand and lifted him up, and he was able to stand. When he had entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, “Why could we not cast it out?” He said to them “This kind can come out only through prayer.” They went on from, there and passed through Galilee. He did not want anyone to know it;
People: Glory to You, O Lord, glory to You.
