At Liturgy

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

Prokimenon, in Tone VII —

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

Epistle to Timothy, § 292 [II Tim. 2: 1-10]

Timothy my child: Be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus. And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also. Do thou therefore endure hardness, as a good soldier of Jesus Christ. No man who warreth entangleth himself with the affairs of this life; that he may please him who hath chosen him to be a soldier. And if a man also strive for masteries, yet is he not crowned, except he strive lawfully. The husbandman who laboreth must be first partaker of the fruits. Consider what I say; and the Lord give thee understanding in all things. Remember that Jesus Christ of the seed of David was raised from the dead, according to my gospel: wherein I suffer trouble, as an evildoer, even unto bonds; but the word of God is not bound. Therefore I endure all things for the elect’s sake, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glory.

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: They that are planted in the house of the Lord, in the courts of our God they shall blossom forth.

Gospel according to Matthew, § 113

[Mt. 27: 33-54]

At that time, the soldiers brought Jesus unto a place called Golgotha, that is to say, a place of a skull. They gave Him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when He had tasted thereof, He would not drink. And they crucified Him, and parted His garments, casting lots: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet: They parted My garments among them, and upon My vesture did they cast lots. And sitting down they watched Him there; and set up over His head His accusation written: “This is Jesus the King of the Jews”. Then were there two thieves crucified with Him, one on the right hand, and another on the left. And those who passed by reviled Him, wagging their heads, and saying: “Thou who destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save Thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.” Likewise also the chief priests mocking Him, with the scribes and elders, said: “He saved others; Himself He cannot save. If He be the King of Israel, let Him now come down from the cross, and we will believe Him. He trusted in God; let Him deliver Him now, if He will have Him: for He said: ‘I am the Son of God.’” The thieves also, who were crucified with Him, cast the same in His teeth. Now from the sixth hour there was darkness over all the land unto the ninth hour. And about the ninth hour Jesus cried with a loud voice, saying: “Eli, Eli, lama sabachthani?” that is to say, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken Me?” Some of those who stood there, when they heard that, said: “This man calleth for Elias.” And straightway one of them ran, and took a sponge, and filled it with vinegar, and put it on a reed, and gave Him to drink. The rest said: “Let be, let us see whether Elias will come to save Him.” Jesus, when He had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints who slept arose, and came out of the graves after His resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many. Now when the centurion, and those who were with him, watching Jesus, saw the earthquake, and those things that were done, they feared greatly, saying: “Truly this was the Son of God.”

Communion Verse —

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