AT LITURGY

Stichos: Hearken, O God, unto my prayer, when I make supplications unto Thee.

Reading from Acts of the Apostles, §29

Prokimenon, in Tone VII —

The righteous man shall be glad in the Lord, and shall hope in Him.

In those days, Herod the king stretched forth his hands to vex certain of the church. And he killed James the brother of John with the sword. And because he saw it pleased the Jews, he proceeded further to take Peter also. (Then were the days of unleavened bread.) And when he had apprehended him, he put him in prison, and delivered him to four quaternions of soldiers to keep him; intending after Passover to bring him forth to the people. Peter therefore was kept in prison: but prayer was made without ceasing of the Church unto God for him. And when Herod would have brought him forth, the same night Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains: and the keepers before the door kept the prison. And, behold, the angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shined in the prison: and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying: “Arise up quickly.” And his chains fell off from his hands. And the angel said unto him: “Gird thyself, and bind on thy sandals.” And so he did. And he saith unto him: “Cast thy garment about thee, and follow me.” And he went out, and followed him; and knew not whether it were true what was done by the angel; but thought he saw a vision. When they were past the first and the second ward, they came unto the iron gate that leadeth unto the city; which opened to them of its own accord: and they went out, and passed on through one street; and forthwith the angel departed from him. And when Peter was come to himself, he said: “Now I know of a surety, that the Lord hath sent His angel, and hath delivered me out of the hand of Herod, and from all the expectation of the people of the Jews.”

Alleluia, in Tone IV —

Stichos: The righteous man shall flourish like a palm tree, and like a cedar in Lebanon shall he be multiplied.

Stichos: Those who are planted in the house of the Lord, in the courts of our God they shall blossom forth.

Gospel according to John, §52 [15:17-16:2]

The Lord said to His disciples: “These things I command you, that ye love one another. If the world hate you, ye know that it hated Me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love its own; but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you: The servant is not greater than his lord. If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept My saying, they will keep yours also. But all these things will they do unto you for My name’s sake, because they know not Him Who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin; but now they have no cloak for their sin. He who hateth Me hateth My Father also. If I had not done among them the works which none other man did, they had not had sin: but now have they both seen and hated both Me and My Father. But this cometh to pass, that the word might be fulfilled that is written in their law: They hated Me without a cause. But when the Comforter is come, Whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, Who proceedeth from the Father, He shall testify of Me: and ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with Me from the beginning. These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. They shall put you out of the synagogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service.”

Communion Verse —

In everlasting remembrance shall the righteous be; he shall not be afraid of evil tidings.