Sunday Readings

Apostolic Reading – Heb 11:33-12:2

Gospel – Mt 10:32-38 & 19:27-30

Hymns: See our Church’s website for Audio Recordings: holycrossmelkite.org/hymns

Troparion of the Resurrection (Tone 8)

O Merciful One, Who came down from on high and endured burial for three days, in order to save us from suffering. O our Life and our Resurrection, glory to You.     

Troparion of All Saints (Tone 4)

O Christ God, your church clothed with the blood of Your martyrs all over the world, as with purple and fine linen, cries out to You: send Your mercy upon Your people, grant peace to Your fold and extend Your great compassion upon our souls.

Troparion of the Holy Cross (Tone 1)

O Lord save your people and bless your inheritance, granting peace to the world; and protect your community by the power of your Cross.

Kondakion of the Preparation for the Feast of the Divine Body (Tone 2)

O Faithful let us prepare our hearts as precious vessels to partake of the Lord’s Banquet, with pure dispositions, and let us offer a hymn of praise in preparation to this great festivity.

Prokimenon

Awesome in His saints is God, the God of Israel.

Stichon

In the churches, bless God, the Lord out of Israel’s wellspring.

Reading from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Hebrews (11:33-12:2)

Brethren, all of the saints by faith conquered kingdoms, wrought justice, obtained the fulfillment of promises, stopped the mouths of lions, quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, recovered strength from weakness, became valiant in battle, routed foreign armies. Women had their dead returned to them through resurrection. Others were tortured, refusing to yield for their release, in order to obtain a better resurrection. Others again suffered mockery and beatings, even chains and jailings. They were stoned, they were cut to pieces, they were put to the test, they were killed by the sword. They went about in sheepskins and goatskins, destitute, anguished, afflicted (of whom the world was not worthy) wandering in deserts, mountains, caverns and holes in the ground. And all of these, in spite of the positive witnessing of faith, failed to receive what was promised, for God was keeping something better in store for us, so that they were not to reach their final perfection without us. And so, having such a cloud of witnesses over us, let us get rid of every burden, and of the sin entangling us, and run with endurance to the fight proposed to us, contemplating the author and final end of faith, Jesus.

Alleluia  

The just cried out, and the Lord heard them, and He delivered them from all their trials.

Stichon

Many are the trials of the just, but out of them all, the Lord will save them.

The Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew the Evangelist (10:32-38 & 19:27-30)

The Lord said to His disciples, “Everyone who acknowledges Me before men, I also will acknowledge before My Father in heaven. But whoever disowns Me before men, I in turn will disown before My Father in heaven. Anyone who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and anyone who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me; and anyone does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me.” Then Peter addressed him saying, “Behold, we have left all and followed You; what then shall we have?” And Jesus said to them, “Amen I say to you that you who have followed Me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man shall sit on the throne of His glory, shall also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. And everyone who has left house, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for My name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and shall possess life everlasting. But many who are first now will be last, and many who are last now will be first.”