The Sunday of St. John Climacus

Tone 3 / Fourth Sunday of Lent

Great Vespers: Blessed is the man.

Lord I have Cried, Tone 3, on 10: Octoechos 7; Triodion 3 (O holy father John); G: Triodion (O holy father); N: Sunday Dogmatic in the tone of the week.

Entry; O Gladsome Light; Prokimenon of the day, Tone 6: The Lord is King.

Aposticha: Octoechos; G: Triodion (Let us honor John); N: Theotokion, Tone 2 (O new wonder)

Troparia: O Theotokos and Virgin x3.

Matins: God is the Lord, Tone 3; Troparia: Resurrection x2; G: Saint (O John our father); N: Resurrectional Theotokion, Tone 1 (When Gabriel announced to thee).

After each Kathisma: Sessional hymns from the Octoechos.

Blessed are the blameless; Evlogitaria (The assembly of angels was amazed).

Hypakoe; Hymns of Ascent; and Prokimenon, Tone 3.

Matins Gospel 11, John 21:15-25 (§67).

Having beheld the Resurrection; Psalm 50; G: The doors of repentance; N: Guide me in the paths of salvation; Have mercy on me, O God; When I think of the multitude of evil things I have done. Save, O God, Thy people.

Canon: Resurrection 4 Glory to Thy Holy Resurrection, O Lord.

Theotokos 2 Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Triodion 4 Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me.

Saint (in the Triodion) 4 Venerable Father John, pray to God for us.

Irmos of the Resurrectional canon, Tone 3.

Katavasia: I shall open my mouth. 

After Ode 3, Kontakion (Truly the Lord hath set thee) and Ikos of the Saint [The English Triodion has the Kontakion after Ode 6]; Sessional hymn of the Triodion (With Thy Holy Cross as our weapon); G: Triodion (Shining with the glory of the virtues); N: Theotokion (He who is enthroned).

After Ode 6, Kontakion and Ikos of the Resurrection.

At Ode 9, More Honorable.

Holy is the Lord, our God.

Exapostilaria: Resurrection; G: Saint (Thou hast rejected as burdensome); N: Theotokion in the Triodion (Saved through thee, O Lady).

Praises, Tone 3, on 9: Octoechos 8, with the last two psalm verses being:

1. I will confess Thee, O Lord, with my whole heart, I will tell of all Thy wonders.

2. I will be glad and rejoice in Thee, I will chant unto Thy name, O Most High.

And then the verse Arise, O Lord my God, followed by the sticheron in the Triodion: Come, let us work; G: Triodion (Come, let us work); N: Most blessed art thou. After the Great Doxology, the Troparion: Today is salvation; the two remaining Litanies and Resurrectional Dismissal; after the Dismissal: G/N: Gospel Sticheron; followed by First Hour.

Hours: Troparia: Resurrection; G: Saint; Kontakion: Resurrection.

Liturgy of St. Basil the Great: Beatitudes on 8, from the Octoechos.

After the entrance: Troparia & Kontakia as in Appendix I, B.

Prokimenon, Tone 3: O chant unto our God, chant ye. & of the Saint, Tone 7: The saints shall boast in glory and they shall rejoice upon their beds.

Epistle: Heb. 6:13-20 (§314); Eph. 5:9-19 (§229).

Alleluia, Tone 3 & Tone 2.

Gospel: Mark 9:17-31 (§40); Matt. 4:25-5:12 (§10).

Instead of It is truly meet: All creation Rejoiceth.

Communion Hymn: Praise the Lord in the heavens. & In everlasting remembrance.

Resurrectional Dismissal.

Sunday Evening Vespers: As on Cheesefare Sunday.

Lord I have Cried, Tone 3, on 10: Penitential Stichera from the Octoechos 4 (With incense and with spiritual songs – Triodion, p. 185); Triodion 3 (O ye faithful, let us taken upon ourselves); Saint 3 (O venerable father John – St. John Climacus – from the Menaion, March 30); G/N: Theotokion in the Menaion (I beseech thee, O most honored one).

Entry; O Gladsome Light; Great Prokimenon, Tone 8: Turn not Thy countenance away from Thy servant, for I am afflicted; quickly hearken unto me. Attend unto my soul and deliver it.

During the final repetition of the prokimenon, the priest closes the royal doors, removes his phelonion and puts on a dark epitrachilion, and goes out to the Ambon. All the other liturgical covers are likewise changed. Vouchsafe, O Lord.

Then the Litany, Let us complete our evening prayer unto the Lord, with the choir singing the responses according to the penitential Lenten melody.

Aposticha: Triodion (Stichera and verses, beginning with Having planted His vineyard), G/N: Theotokion in the Triodion (With the Archangel, O ye faithful).

Now lettest Thou Thy servant. Troparia: O Theotokos and Virgin (with a great prostration); G: O Baptizer of Christ (with a great prostration): N: Plead in our behalf (great prostration); Beneath thy compassion (without a prostration). Lord, have mercy x40; G/N: More Honorable. In the name of the Lord, father bless. Priest: He that is is blessed. Reader: O Heavenly King, strengthen Orthodox Christians. Then the priest says the prayer of St. Ephrem with 3 prostrations, then the Dismissal.