Variable Portions of the Divine Liturgy
7 February 2010
35th Sunday After Pentecost
Afterfeast of the Meeting of our Lord
Sunday of the Last Judgment
Meatfare Sunday
Festal Antiphons
1st Antiphon Through the prayers of the Theotokos, O Savior, save us.
2nd Antiphon O Son of God, held in the arms of Simeon the Righteous,
save us who sing to Thee: Alleluia!
3rd Antiphon Rejoice, O Virgin Theotokos, Full of Grace!
Meeting From you shown the Sun of Righteousness,
Troparion Christ our God,
(Tone 1) enlightening those who sat in darkness!
Rejoice and be glad, O righteous elder;
you accepted in your arms the Redeemer of our souls,
Who grants us the Resurrection!
After the Little Entrance
Troparion When Thou didst descend to death, O Life Immortal,
Resurrection Thou didst slay hell with the splendor of Thy Godhead!
(Tone 2) And when from the depths Thou didst raise the dead,
all the powers of heaven cried out:
O Giver of Life, Christ our God, glory to Thee!
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Kontakion When Thou, O God, shall come to earth with glory,
Triodion all things shall tremble
(Tone 1) and the river of fire shall flow before Thy Judgment Seat;
The Books shall be opened and the hidden things disclosed;
Then deliver me from the unquenchable fire
and make me worthy to stand at Thy right hand,
O Righteous Judge.
Now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Kontakion By Thy Nativity, Thou didst sanctify the Virgin's womb,
Meeting and didst bless Simeon's hands, O Christ God.
(Tone 1) Thou art come on this day to save us through Thy love.
Grant peace to all Orthodox Christians, O only Lover of Man!
Prokeimena
(Tone 2) The Lord is my strength and my song! He has become my salvation!
(Tone 3) My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
Holy Scriptures
1 Corinthians 8:8-9:2 Matthew 25:31-46
Hebrews 7:7-17 Luke 2:22-40
Hymn to the Theotokos:
People: O Virgin Theotokos, hope of all Christians!
Protect, preserve, and save all those who honor you!
We faithful saw the figure in the shadow of the law
and the scriptures:
Every male child that opened the womb was sacred to God.
Therefore, we magnify the only-begotten Son
of the unoriginate Father,
the first-born Son of the unwedded Mother!
Communion Hymn
I will receive the cup of salvation
and call on the name of the Lord!
Great Lent begins at sunset, next Sunday, February 14th.
Today is Meatfare - use up or give away all meat by the end of today. The coming week is for using-up all cheese and dairy products, which may be used even on this Wednesday and Friday.
Cheesefare is our Mardi Gras a.k.a. "Shrovetide."
Epistle - Sunday of the Last Judgment - Afterfeast of the Meeting of our Lord
Priest: Let us attend! Peace be unto all!
Reader: And to your spirit.
Priest: Wisdom!
Reader: The Prokeimenon in the 3rd Tone: Great is our God, and great is His power. His understanding is without measure.
People: Great is our God, and great is His power. His understanding is without measure.
Reader: Praise the Lord, for a psalm is good; let praise be sweet unto our God.
People: Great is our God, and great is His power. His understanding is without measure.
Reader: And in the 3rd Tone: My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
People: My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior!
Priest: Wisdom!
Reader: The Reading from the 1st Epistle of the holy Apostle Paul to the Corinthians.
Priest: Let us attend!
(1 Corinthians 8:8-9:2)
Brethren, food does not commend us to God; for neither if we eat are we the better, nor if we do not eat are we the worse. But beware lest somehow this liberty of yours become a stumbling block to those who are weak. For if anyone sees you who have knowledge eating in an idol's temple, will not the conscience of him who is weak be emboldened to eat those things offered to idols? And because of your knowledge shall the weak brother perish, for whom Christ died? But when you thus sin against the brethren, and wound their weak conscience, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food makes my brother stumble, I will never again eat meat, lest I make my brother stumble.
Am I not an apostle? Am I not free? Have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? If I am not an apostle to others, yet doubtless I am to you. For you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.
(Hebrews 7:7-17)
It is beyond dispute that the inferior is blessed by the superior. Here tithes are received by mortal men; there, by one of whom it is testified that he lives. One might even say that Levi himself, who receives tithes, paid tithes through Abraham, for he was still in the loins of his ancestor when Melchiz'edek met him.
Now if perfection had been attainable through the Levit'ical priesthood (for under it the people received the law), what further need would there have been for another priest to arise after the order of Melchiz'edek, rather than one named after the order of Aaron? For when there is a change in the priesthood, there is necessarily a change in the law as well. For the one of whom these things are spoken belonged to another tribe, from which no one has ever served at the altar. For it is evident that our Lord was descended from Judah, and in connection with that tribe Moses said nothing about priests. This becomes even more evident when another priest arises in the likeness of Melchiz'edek, who has become a priest, not according to a legal requirement concerning bodily descent but by the power of an indestructible life. For it is witnessed of him, "Thou art a priest for ever, after the order of Melchiz'edek."
Priest: Peace be unto you, Reader!
Reader: And to your spirit. Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
People: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Reader: May the Lord hear you in the day of trouble! May the Name of the God of Jacob protect you!
People: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Reader: Save the King, O Lord, and hear us on the day we call to Thee!
People: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Reader: Lord, now lettest Thou, Thy servant, depart in peace according to Thy Word!
People: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Gospel - Sunday of the Last Judgment - Afterfeast of the Meeting of our Lord
Priest: The Reading is from the holy Gospel according to St. Luke.
People: Glory to Thee, O Lord, glory to Thee!
Priest: Let us attend!
(Luke 2:22-40)
At that time the parents of the child Jesus brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the law of the Lord, "Every male that opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord") and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the law of the Lord, "a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons."
Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, looking for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he should not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And inspired by the Spirit he came into the temple; and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, "Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word; for mine eyes have seen thy salvation which thou hast prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to thy people Israel." And his father and his mother marveled at what was said about him; and Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, "Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is spoken against (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that thoughts out of many hearts may be revealed." And there was a prophetess, Anna, the daughter of Phan'u-el, of the tribe of Asher; she was of a great age, having lived with her husband seven years from her virginity, and as a widow till she was eighty-four. She did not depart from the temple, worshiping with fasting and prayer night and day. And coming up at that very hour she gave thanks to God, and spoke of him to all who were looking for the redemption of Jerusalem. And when they had performed everything according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their own city, Nazareth. And the child grew and became strong, filled with wisdom; and the favor of God was upon him.
(Matthew 25:31-46)
Then the Lord said: "When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the holy angels with Him, then He will sit on the throne of His glory. All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them one from another, as a shepherd divides his sheep from the goats. And He will set the sheep on His right hand, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on His right hand, 'Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world: for I was hungry and you gave Me food; I was thirsty and you gave Me drink; I was a stranger and you took Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.' Then the righteous will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You, or thirsty and give You drink? When did we see You a stranger and take You in, or naked and clothe You? Or when did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?' And the King will answer and say to them, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.' Then He will also say to those on the left hand, 'Depart from Me, you cursed, into the everlasting fire prepared for the devil and his angels: for I was hungry and you gave Me no food; I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink; I was a stranger and you did not take Me in, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.' Then they also will answer Him, saying, 'Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to You?' Then He will answer them, saying, 'Assuredly, I say to you, inasmuch as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to Me.' And these will go away into everlasting punishment, but the righteous into eternal life."
People: Glory to Thee, O Lord, glory to Thee!
This content has been generously provided by Fr. Jerome Cwiklinski, CAPT, CHC, USN