The Saturday of the Dead
THE SATURDAY BEFORE THE SUNDAY OF THE LAST JUDGEMENT
We celebrate a memorial of all who have fallen asleep from the beginning, Orthodox Christians, our fathers and brothers.
VESPERS ON FRIDAY EVENING
The Psalm of Introduction (Psalm 103), the Great Litany, and the appointed reading from the Psalter (the eighteenth kathisma).
To Lord, I have cried, six stichera are sung: three to the Martyrs in the Tone of the week, and then the following three for the dead:
TONE EIGHT
O ye faithful, remembering today by name all the dead from all the ages who have lived in piety and faith, let us sing praises to the Lord and Saviour, asking Him fervently to give them in the hour of judgement a good defence before our God who judges all the earth. May they receive a place at His right hand in joy; may they dwell in glory with the righteous and the saints, and be counted worthy of His heavenly Kingdom.
By Thine own Blood, O Saviour, Thou hast ransomed mortal men, and by Thy death Thou hast delivered us from bitter death, granting us eternal life by Thy Resurrection. Give rest then, O Lord, to all those who have fallen asleep in godliness, whether in wilderness or city, on the sea or land, in every place, both princes, priests and bishops, monks and married people, of every age and line, and count them worthy of Thy heavenly Kingdom.
Through Thy rising from the dead, O Christ, death rules no longer over those that die in faith. Therefore we pray fervently: Give rest in Thy courts and in the bosom of Abraham to those Thy servants from Adam to this present day who have worshipped Thee in purity, our fathers and brethren, friends and kin, all who in different ways have offered faithful service to Thee in this life and now have gone to dwell with Thee, O God; and count them worthy of Thy heavenly Kingdom.
Glory be to the Father…
TONE EIGHT
I lament and weep whenever I see death and look upon our beauty, formed according to God’s image, lying in the grave disfigured and inglorious, its outward form destroyed. O strange wonder! What mystery is this concerning us? How have we been delivered to corruption? How have we been yoked to death? All this, so it is written, is by the ordinance of God, who grants rest to the departed.
Both now…
Then the Theotokion (Dogmatikon) in the Tone of the week from the Octoechos. There is no Entrance, unless prescribed in the Menaion. After O joyful Light, we sing in place of the Prokimenon of the day:
TONE EIGHT
Alleluia (three times).
℣ 1. Blessed are they whom Thou hast chosen and taken to Thyself, O Lord.
Alleluia (three times).
℣ 2. Their memorial is from generation to generation.
Alleluia (three times).
Then Vouchsafe, O Lord…
For the Aposticha we use one sticheron to the Martyrs and two for the dead by St. John of Damascus, all in the Tone of the week, and between them we insert the same verses as at the Prokimenon, Blessed are they… and Their memorial…
Glory be to the Father…
TONE SIX
Thy creative ordinance was my beginning and foundation. For Thou hast willed to fashion me as a living creature from natures visible and invisible: Thou hast made my body from the earth, and given me a soul by Thy divine and quickening breath. Therefore, O Saviour, grant rest to Thy servants in the land of the living, in the tabernacles of the righteous.
Both now…
Theotokion
At the intercessions of the Mother who bore Thee, O Christ, and at the prayers of Thy martyrs and apostles, of the prophets, bishops, holy monks, of the righteous and all the saints, give rest to Thy servants that have fallen asleep.
Apolytikion (troparion of the day):
TONE EIGHT
O Thou who with wisdom profound orderest all things in Thy love for mankind, who bestowest on all men, O only Creator, that which is best for them: give rest, O Lord, to the souls of Thy servants, for they have set their hope in Thee, our Maker and Creator and our God.
Glory be to the Father…
For they have set their hope in Thee, our Maker and Creator and our God.
Both now…
Theotokion
In thee we have a wall and haven, and an intercessor acceptable to God whom thou hast borne, O Virgin Theotokos, the salvation of the faithful.
Litany and Dismissal.
After the end of Vespers, we celebrate in the narthex a memorial service for the departed, at which we sing the Canon for the dead in the Tone of the week.
MATTINS
After the Six Psalms and the Great Litany we sing:
TONE EIGHT
Alleluia (three times).
℣ 1. Blessed are they whom Thou hast chosen and taken to Thyself, O Lord.
Alleluia (three times).
℣ 2. Their memorial is from generation to generation.
Alleluia (three times).
℣ 3. Their souls shall dwell in prosperity.
Alleluia (three times).
Then the troparion of the day, O Thou who with wisdom profound…; Glory be to the Father…; For they have set their hope…; Both now…; In thee we have a wall…
After the first reading from the Psalter (the sixteenth kathisma) we sing the sessional hymns to the Martyrs in the Tone of the week. Then the reader begins the seventeenth kathisma (Psalm 118):
Blessed are those that are blameless in the way, who walk in the law of the Lord.
Blessed are they that search out His testimonies, and seek Him with their whole heart.
And so the reader continues with the first half of the kathisma down to verse 91; and as he reads the choir sings softly:
TONE FIVE
Blessed art Thou, O Lord.
When the reader has said verse 91, the choir sings three times the two following verses, Unless Thy law had been my study…, and then comes the Small Litany of the Dead. After this the reader continues with the second half of the seventeenth kathisma, I am Thine, save me…, while the choir sings softly:
Save me, O Saviour.
The reader continues to verse 174, and the choir sings three times the two concluding verses:
My soul shall live, and it shall praise Thee: and Thy judgements shall help me.
I have gone astray like a lost sheep: seek Thy servant, for I have not forgotten Thy commandments.
The choir then sings the Evlogitaria of the Dead:
TONE FIVE
Blessed art Thou, O Lord, teach me Thy statutes.
The choir of saints has found the Fountain of Life and the Door of Paradise; may I also find the way through repentance. I am the lost sheep: call me back and save me, O Saviour.
Blessed art Thou, O Lord, teach me Thy statutes.
O saints and martyrs who preached the Lamb of God and like lambs were slain, who now are translated to the eternal life that knows no age: pray fervently to Him, that He may grant us the forgiveness of our sins.
Blessed art Thou, O Lord, teach me Thy statutes.
All ye who in this life have trod the narrow way of sorrow, bearing the Cross as a yoke and following Me in faith: come and receive with joy the honours and the heavenly crowns that I have prepared for you.
Blessed art Thou, O Lord, teach me Thy statutes.
I am an image of Thine ineffable glory, even though I bear the marks of sin. Take pity on Thy creature, O Master, and cleanse me in Thy loving-kindness. Grant me the fatherland for which I long, making me once more a citizen of Paradise.
Blessed art Thou, O Lord, teach me Thy statutes.
Of old Thou hast created me from nothing and honoured me with Thy divine image; but when I disobeyed Thy commandment, Thou hast returned me to the earth whence I was taken: lead me back again to Thy likeness, refashioning my ancient beauty.
Blessed art Thou, O Lord, teach me Thy statutes.
Give rest, O God, to Thy servants and establish them in Paradise, where the choirs of the saints and the righteous shine as the stars of heaven. Give rest, O Lord, to Thy servants who have fallen asleep, and overlook all their offences.
Glory be to the Father…
To the Holy Trinity
With reverence let us praise the threefold radiance of the one Godhead, and let us cry aloud: Holy art Thou, O Father who hast no beginning, coeternal Son and Holy Spirit. Illumine us who worship Thee in faith, and snatch us from the eternal fire.
Both now…
Theotokion
Hail, holy Virgin, who for the salvation of all hast borne God in the flesh. Through thee mankind has found salvation: through thee may we find Paradise, O Theotokos pure and blessed.
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, glory to Thee, O God (three times).
Then the Small Litany of the Dead, and the sessional hymn:
TONE FIVE
Give rest with the righteous to Thy servants, O our Saviour, and make them to dwell in Thy courts, as it is written, in Thy goodness passing over all their transgressions, voluntary or involuntary, every sin committed in knowledge or in ignorance, O Thou who lovest mankind.
Glory be to the Father… Both now…
Theotokion
O Christ our God who from a Virgin hast shone forth upon the world, and through her hast made us sons of light, have mercy on us.
Then Psalm 50.
The Canon
We use the Canon of the patron saint of the church or monastery with six troparia (including the irmos), and the Canon for the Dead from the Triodion with eight troparia.
TONE EIGHT
Canticle One
Irmos: O ye people, let us raise a song…
God is wonderful in His saints, the God of Israel.
As we celebrate today the memory of the dead from the beginning, let us all entreat Christ to deliver from the everlasting fire those who have fallen asleep in faith and in the hope of eternal life.
Give rest, O Lord, to the souls of Thy departed servants.
In the depth of Thy judgements, O Christ, with fullness of wisdom Thou hast preordained the end of each man’s life, its appointed moment and its manner. Therefore, All-Merciful, at the judgement save those in every land whom the grave has hidden.
Give rest, O Lord, to the souls of Thy departed servants.
It is Thou who hast set bounds to our time upon this earth; therefore, when we waken from the night of life, make us children of the day that knows no evening: Orthodox priests and kings and all Thy people.
Give rest, O Lord, to the souls of Thy departed servants.
To those hidden by the deep or cut down in battle, swallowed by earthquake, murdered, or consumed by fire, grant in Thy mercy a place with the faithful and the righteous.
Give rest, O Lord, to the souls of Thy departed servants.
Overlooking all the transgressions of the flesh, our Saviour, in every age, by every nation of mankind, grant that, as they make their defence to Thee the Creator, they may stand before Thy judgement-seat uncondemned.
Glory be to the Father…
I sing the praises of three self-dependent Persons in one Nature, the Father unbegotten, the Son begotten, and the Holy Spirit: sovereignty and power without beginning, a single Godhead.
Both now…
Theotokion
Truly thou hast appeared as heaven on earth, a heaven far greater than the highest firmament, O Virgin unwedded. For from thee has shone forth upon the world the Sun and King of righteousness.
Katavasia: O ye people, let us raise a song to our God who works wonders, for He set Israel free from bondage; and with a hymn of victory let us cry aloud: ‘Let us sing to Thee, our only Master.’
Canticle Two
Irmos: See now, see that I am your God, before all ages begotten from the Father, and in the last times conceived without man by the Virgin: and I have destroyed the sin of Adam the forefather in My love for mankind.
See now, see that I am your God, who in righteous judgement have fixed the bounds of life, bringing from corruption into incorruption all that have fallen asleep in the hope of eternal resurrection.
O Lord, Thou receivest from the four corners of the earth those that have died in faith, at sea and on the land, in rivers, springs, lakes or wells, devoured by wild beasts, birds or creeping things. Give rest to them all.
O Lord, in the palm of Thy hand Thou hast discerned all things before they come to pass. All those whose bodies are dissolved into the four elements, do Thou restore and raise up at Thy coming, forgiving them all their offences committed in knowledge or in ignorance.
O Lord, how fearful shall be Thy second Advent! For as lightning shalt Thou come on earth and raise up all Thy creatures to be judged. Grant to those who lived with faith in Thee, that they may meet Thee on that day and be counted worthy to dwell with Thee.
Glory be to the Father…
Unity in three Persons, supreme in Godhead and surpassing all perfection, Father unbegotten, Son only-begotten, Spirit proceeding from the Father and made manifest through the Son: single in essence and in nature, one Lordship and one Kingdom, save us all.
Both now…
Theotokion
The wonder of thy conceiving is past speech, O Mother and Virgin: for how hast thou given birth and yet remained undefiled? How dost thou bear child, without knowing a man? All this is understood by the Word of God, who was born from thee in a new way, surpassing nature.
Katavasia: See now, see…
Canticle Three
Irmos: O Word of God who hast made firm…
To those who have passed through the course of life in the glory of the faith, grant a crown of righteousness, O God, and count them worthy to enjoy eternal blessings.
To those who have been suddenly snatched away, burnt up by lightning, frozen by the cold, or struck down by any other calamity, give rest, O God, when Thou shalt make trial of all things in the fire.
To those who have sailed across the ever-troubled sea of this earthly life steered by the Orthodox faith, grant a safe anchorage, O Christ, in the harbour of immortal life with Thee.
Those whom the creatures of the sea or the birds of the air have devoured, O Christ our God, raise up in glory on the Last Day, as Thou judgest right.
Glory be to the Father…
In my thought I distinguish three Persons within the simplicity of the divine Oneness, and at the same time I join them together; for, shining forth in threefold radiance with the swiftness of lightning, the Godhead is made manifest as Unity.
Both now…
Theotokion
Mind cannot comprehend this wonder brought to pass in thee. For thou dost conceive without a man, pure Lady, and thou givest birth while keeping thy virginity. Therefore the angelic hosts and mortal men sing thy praise unto all ages.
Katavasia: O Word of God who hast made firm the heavens with Thine hand, through the enlightenment of Thy true knowledge make firm our hearts, for we have put our trust in Thee.
The usual Small Litany.
Sessional Hymn
TONE FIVE
O Saviour, who for our sakes hast endured the Cross and death, who hast put hell to death and raised the dead, give rest, O God, in Thy love for mankind, to those who have departed from us; and at Thy dread and fearful Coming, O Giver of Life, in the multitude of Thy mercies count them worthy of Thy Kingdom.
Glory be to the Father…
Repeat O Saviour, who for our sakes…
Both now…
Theotokion
Grant thy swift protection, thy help and mercy, to thy servants; calm the waves of my vain thoughts, O pure Theotokos, and raise up my fallen soul. For I know, I know, O Virgin, that thou hast power for all thou dost desire.
Canticle Four
Irmos: From the overshadowed mountain…
Fathers and forefathers, grandfathers and great-grandfathers, those who from the beginning up to these last times have died in holiness of life and in true faith: remember them all, our Saviour.
Those who died in faith on the mountainside or the road, in the tombs or the desert, monks and married people, young and old: grant to them all, O Christ, a dwelling with Thy saints.
To the faithful who were taken from this life suddenly, at a time that they expected not, in the midst of joy or sorrow, of prosperity or misfortune: give rest, our Saviour, to them all.
To those destroyed by the cold, killed by falling from their horse, overwhelmed by hail, snow or thunder-storms, crushed by stones or suffocated in the earth, give rest, O Christ our Saviour.
Glory be to the Father…
Strange it is that the Godhead should be One and Three, fully present in each single Person without division: for Father, Son and Holy Spirit are worshipped as one God.
Both now…
Theotokion
O Mother of the Lord, we are buffeted by the storm of sin: pilot us by thy prayers, deliver us from every danger, and guide us to the haven of salvation.
Katavasia: From the overshadowed mountain, from the one Theotokos, the Prophet in divine vision foresaw Thy coming in the flesh, O Word, and he glorified Thy power with fear.
Canticle Five
Irmos: My spirit seeks Thee early in the morning…
Celebrating today, O Lord, the memorial of all who from the beginning have died in the true faith, we cry fervently to Thee: Give rest to them all with Thy saints.
Those whom Thou hast taken from every generation, Orthodox kings, rulers and monks, do Thou in Thy compassion deliver from eternal punishment.
Thou knowest what is best for all the creatures Thou hast formed: deliver from every torment, O Lord our God, those whom Thou hast permitted to die unexpectedly, through some sudden mishap.
From the ever-burning fire, from the darkness without light, from the gnashing of teeth and the worm that torments without ceasing, from every punishment deliver, O our Saviour, all who have died in faith.
Glory be to the Father…
One in throne, without beginning, threefold Unity, single in Nature yet distinct in Persons, unite us in the one will of Thy commandments.
Both now…
Theotokion
Thou wast made higher in honour than the fiery seraphim, O pure Virgin, for thou hast borne Him whom they dare not approach, Jesus the Saviour, who by taking flesh from thee has made our earthly nature godlike.
Katavasia: My spirit seeks Thee early in the morning, O God, for Thy commandments bring us light before Thy coming: shine with them upon our minds, O Master, and guide us in the path of life.
Canticle Six
Irmos: Held fast by many sins…
Author of Life, by Thy Passion Thou hast loosed the pains of death: give rest, our God, to Thy servants who have fallen asleep from the beginning of time.
To those whom in Thy ineffable providence Thou hast permitted to be killed by drugs or poison, or through choking on bones, give rest, O Lord, with Thy saints.
When Thou shalt come as judge and all things stand naked and laid bare before Thy face, then in Thy mercy spare, O God, those who worshipped Thee in faith.
When Thine Archangel shall sound the last trumpet, awakening all to the resurrection of life, then, O Christ, give rest to Thy servants.
Be merciful, O God, to all the faithful from every nation of mankind, whom Thou hast taken since the beginning of time, and count them worthy to glorify Thee with Thy servants for ever.
Glory be to the Father…
Thrice-holy Godhead, one in throne, Father, Son and Spirit, Thou art my God, holding all in unity by Thine almighty power.
Both now…
Theotokion
Leap for joy, Jesse the forefather; from thy root has sprung the Flower of Life that saves the world, Christ our God, born from the pure Maiden.
Katavasia: Held fast by many sins, I fall down like the Prophet before Thy tender mercies. Accept me also in Thy love for mankind, O Lord, and save me.
The Small Litany of the Dead.
Kontakion
TONE EIGHT
With the saints give rest, O Christ, to the souls of Thy servants, where there is no pain, no sorrow, no sighing, but life without end.
Ikos
Thou only art immortal, who hast created and fashioned man: but we are mortal, formed from the earth, and to this same earth shall we return, as Thou hast commanded when Thou madest me, saying: ‘Dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.’ There shall all we mortals go, and for our funeral dirge we sing: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia.
Canticle Seven
Irmos: O Thou who in the beginning…
Celebrating the memory of those who from the beginning have died in the true faith, we cry aloud: Blessed art Thou unto all ages, O Lord God of our fathers.
Give rest, O God, to the faithful that have fallen asleep, who perished suddenly, struck by some weapon of iron, wood or stone.
At Thy dread coming, O merciful Christ, place with the sheep at Thy right hand all those who in this life served Thee in the true Orthodox faith, and have now departed to Thee.
Grant to Thy servants, O Christ, a place in the choir of Thine elect, that they may cry aloud to Thee: Blessed art Thou unto all ages, O Lord God of our fathers.
Thou hast fashioned our clay from the dust of the earth, O merciful Saviour, and quickened it by the Spirit: give rest, O God, to those whom Thou hast taken, in the life that grows not old.
Glory be to the Father…
Let us praise the Godhead, one in Nature but threefold in Persons, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, three Suns with but one single light.
Both now…
Theotokion
With the words of David we sing to thee, O Virgin, calling thee the mountain of God: in thee the Word dwelt according to the flesh, and in thee He has spiritually made our nature godlike.
Katavasia: O Thou who in the beginning hast laid the foundations of the earth and established the heavens by Thy word, blessed art Thou unto all ages, O Lord God of our fathers.
Canticle Eight
Irmos: Glorified in the holy mountain…
Thou hast destroyed the shadow of death and shone forth from the tomb as the rising sun: make all those from every age who died in faith children of Thy Resurrection, O Lord of glory.
Thou who knowest things obscure and hidden, when Thou shalt come to reveal the works of darkness and the counsels of our hearts, then show mercy to all who have fallen asleep in faith, and do not require from them what is due.
When Thou shalt come to sit upon the throne and shalt summon with the trumpet all men from the ends of the earth, commanding them to stand before Thee for judgement, then spare us all, O Christ, in Thy mercy.
Those of the faithful who died suddenly in some accident, as they cried out violently or ran swiftly, were struck on the face or trampled underfoot, do Thou forgive, O Lord of glory, unto all the ages.
We bless the Lord, Father, Son and Holy Spirit.
As Unity in Essence I sing Thy praises; as Trinity in Persons I venerate Thee, Father, Son and All-Holy Spirit. The power of Thy Kingdom that has no beginning I glorify unto all ages.
Both now…
Theotokion
Thou art revealed, O Theotokos Virgin, as a sealed fountain of living water. For without man thou hast given birth to the Lord, and thou makest the faithful to drink from the waters of immortality unto all ages.
We praise, bless and worship the Lord…
Katavasia: Glorified in the holy mountain, the Lord revealed the mystery of the Ever-Virgin to Moses in the burning bush praise and exalt Him above all for ever.
Canticle Nine
Irmos: The burning bush upon the mountain…
Where Thy saints dwell in joy, O Lord, grant that all from every age who fell asleep in faith and hope may also rejoice and be glad.
Give rest, O Christ, to all the faithful destroyed by the wrath of God: struck down by deadly thunderbolts from heaven, swallowed by a cleft in the earth, or drowned in the sea.
Give rest, O God, to all the faithful Thou hast taken from every age in life: old and young, children and new-born babies, male and female.
Give rest to all that worshipped Thee in faith: killed by poisonous bites, swallowed by serpents, trampled underfoot by horses, strangled or hanged by their neighbours.
We remember by name each of the faithful who died in every generation from the beginning of time: grant them at Thy coming to stand before Thee uncondemned.
Glory be to the Father…
O God, one in three, glory be to Thee without ceasing. Each is God, yet Father, Son and Spirit are one in Nature, though threefold and distinct in the splendour of their Persons.
Both now…
Theotokion
Beyond our understanding is thy childbearing, O undefiled Virgin. For thou givest birth to Him who was before all things, and ineffably thou feedest with thy milk Him that feeds the world; thou holdest Him that upholds the universe, Christ our only Redeemer.
Katavasia: The burning bush upon the mountain revealed in prophecy to the Giver of the Law Christ’s birth from the Ever-Virgin for our salvation: and with never-silent songs of praise we magnify Him.
The usual Small Litany.
Exapostilarion of the Dead
O Thou who hast authority as God over both the living and the dead, give rest to Thy servants in the dwelling-place of the elect, for though they have sinned, O Saviour, yet they did not turn away from Thee.
Glory be to the Father…
Give rest to Thy servants, O Lord, in the land of the living from which pain, sorrow and sighing have fled away. In Thy love for mankind be merciful to the sins that they committed in this life: for Thou alone art sinless and merciful, O Master of the dead and the living.
Both now…
Theotokion
O Mary, Bride of God, pray to Christ without ceasing on behalf of us thy servants, that with the prophets inspired by God, and the companies of the martyrs, of hierarchs, holy monks and all the righteous, we may become fellow-heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven.
Lauds. Four stichera are sung:
TONE EIGHT
to the special melody, The Paradise in Eden…
Come, brethren, before the end, and let us all look upon our clay, upon the infirmity and meanness of our nature. Let us behold our end, and the organs of the vessel of our flesh. Let us see that man is dust, food for worms, and corruption; that our bones grow dry, and have no breath of life within them. Let us gaze on the tombs. Where is man’s glory? Where his outward beauty? Where is the eloquent tongue? Where the noble brow, and where the eye? All is dust and shadow. Therefore, Saviour, spare us all.
Why does man deceive himself and boast? Why does he trouble himself in vain? For he is earth, and soon to the earth he will return. Why does the dust not reflect that it is formed from clay, and cast out as rottenness and corruption? Yet though we men are clay, why do we cling so closely to the earth? For if we are Christ’s kindred, should we not run to Him, leaving all this mortal and fleeting life, and seeking the life incorruptible, which is Christ Himself, the illumination of our souls?
Thou hast formed Adam with Thine hand, O Saviour, and set him on the border between incorruption and mortality; Thou hast made him share in life through grace, freeing him from corruption and translating him to the life that he enjoyed at first. Give rest, O Master, to Thy servants Thou hast taken from us; may they dwell with the righteous in the choir of Thine elect; write their names in the book of life; raise them with the sound of the Archangel’s trump, and count them worthy of Thy heavenly Kingdom.
Christ is risen, releasing from bondage Adam the first-formed man and destroying the power of hell. Be of good courage, all ye dead, for death is slain and hell despoiled; the crucified and risen Christ is King. He has given incorruption to our flesh; He raises us and grants us resurrection, and He counts worthy of His joy and glory all who, with a faith that wavers not, have trusted fervently in Him.
Glory be to the Father…
TONE TWO
As a flower withers and a dream passes away, so is each man’s flesh dissolved at death. But at the sound of the trump all the dead as in an earthquake shall rise up again to meet Thee, Christ our God. Then, Master, grant to all Thy servants whom Thou hast taken from us, that they may dwell for ever in the tabernacles of Thy saints.
Both now…
Theotokion
Hail Mary Theotokos, temple that shall never be destroyed, temple of holiness, as the Prophet cries: ‘Holy is Thy temple, wonderful in righteousness.’
The usual Litany, Let us complete our morning prayer to the Lord…
Aposticha. We sing the stichera for the dead by Theophanes in the Tone of the week, from the Octoechos, and then:
Glory be to the Father…
TONE SIX
Theotokion
Thou art our God, that in wisdom createst and fillest all things. Thou hast sent prophets, O Christ, to foretell Thine advent, and apostles to proclaim Thy majesty; the first prophesied of Thy coming, and the second illumined the nations by baptism, while the martyrs through their sufferings received what they desired. With Thy Mother they all intercede before Thee: Give rest, O Lord, to the souls that Thou hast taken; and, O my Deliverer and my God, who hast endured the Cross for me that am condemned, count us worthy of Thy Kingdom.
Then It is a good thing to give thanks to the Lord…, and the rest of Mattins, with the troparion O Thou who with wisdom profound… and the Theotokion In thee we have a wall…; and the usual Litany, Have mercy upon us, O God…
For the dead, by St. John of Damascus
In days of old in Eden the eating of the fruit brought grief to Adam, through the poison of the serpent; for in this way death entered, devouring the whole race of man. But the Master by His coming has destroyed the dragon and bestowed upon us rest. To Him, therefore, let us cry aloud: Spare, O Saviour, those whom Thou hast taken, and give them rest with Thine elect.
Both now…
DIVINE LITURGY
The Typika (Psalms 102 and 145) and the Beatitudes. With the Beatitudes we sing four troparia from Canticle Three of the Canon at Mattins, and four troparia from Canticle Six.
Prokimenon:
TONE SIX
Their souls shall dwell in prosperity (Psalm 24:13).
℣. Unto Thee, O Lord, have I lifted up my soul: my God, I have put my trust in Thee (Psalm 24:1–2).
Epistle: (For the day) 1 Corinthians 10:23–8.
(For the dead) 1 Thessalonians 4:13–17.
Alleluia:
TONE SIX
℣ 1. Blessed are they whom Thou hast chosen and taken to Thyself, O Lord.
℣ 2. Their memorial is from generation to generation.
Gospel: (For the day) Luke 21:8–9, 25–7, 33–6.
(For the dead) John 5:24–30.
Communion verse: Blessed are they whom Thou hast chosen and taken to Thyself, O Lord: their memorial is from generation to generation. Alleluia.