Apostolic Reading – Romans 5:1-10

Gospel – Matthew 6:22-33

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

Troparion of the Resurrection (Tone 2)

When You descended to death, O Immortal Life, You destroyed Hades by the splendor of Your Divinity, and when You raised the dead from under the ground, all the Powers of heaven cried out: O Christ our God, the giver of life, glory to You. 

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

O never failing Protectress of Christians and their ever-present intercessor before the Creator, despise not the petitions of us sinners, but in your goodness extend your help to us who call upon you with confidence. Hasten, O Mother of God, to intercede for us, for you have always protected those who honor you.

Prokimenon

My strength and my courage is the Lord, and He has been my Savior.

Stichon

The Lord has chastised me through His teaching, yet He has not delivered me to death.

Reading from the Epistle of St. Paul to the Romans (5:1-10)

Brethren, now that we have been justified by faith, let us have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through Whom we have access by faith to that grace in which we stand and exult in the hope of God’s glory. And not only this, but we exult also in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces endurance, and endurance challenge, and challenge hope, and hope does not deceive, for God’s love is poured forth in our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us. For why did Christ die at the appointed time for the wicked while we were still weak? Hardly would someone die for a just man; perhaps someone would have the courage to die for a virtuous man. But God proves His love for us, since Christ died for us while we were still sinners. Much more now that we are made just in His blood, shall we be saved by Him from wrath. For if, while we were enemies, we were reconciled with God through His death, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by His life.

Alleluia  

May the Lord answer you in the days of distress; may the name of the God of Jacob defend you.

Stichon

O Lord, save Your people and bless Your inheritance.

The Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew the Evangelist (6:22-33)

The Lord said: The lamp of the body is the eye. If your eye is sound, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eye is evil, your whole body will be full of darkness. Therefore, if the light that is in you is darkness, how great is the darkness itself! No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will stand by the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon. Therefore, I say to you, do not be anxious for your life, what you shall eat and drink; nor yet for your body, what you shall wear. Is not life a greater thing than food, and the body than clothing? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow, or reap, or gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are not you of much more value than they? But which of you by being anxious about it can add to his stature a single cubit? And as for clothing, why are you anxious? See how the lilies of the field grow; they neither toil nor spin, yet I say to you that not even Solomon in all his glory was adorned like one of these. But if God so clothes the wild flower of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, how much more you, O you of little faith! Therefore, do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or, ‘What shall we drink?’, or, ‘What are we to wear?’ (For all these things the Gentiles seek); for your heavenly Father knows you need all these things. But seek first the kingdom of God and His justice, and all the rest shall be given you besides.”