ΕΙΚΙΚΗ ΤΕΛΕΤΗ

SPECIAL CEREMONY

   

   

At the end of the Divine Liturgy, after the hymn “Blessed be the name of the Lord,” the choir sings the slow “Holy God” of the Great Doxology; the priest processes to the solea or around the nave of the church holding the tray with the cross. On the solea he circles the table three times before placing it on the table.

At the end of the Divine Liturgy, after the hymn “Blessed be the name of the Lord,” the choir sings the slow “Holy God” of the Great Doxology; the priest processes to the solea or around the nave of the church holding the tray with the cross. On the solea he circles the table three times before placing it on the table.

ΧΟΡΟΣ

CHOIR

Ἅγιος ὁ Θεός, Ἅγιος Ἰσχυρός, Ἅγιος Ἀθάνατος, ἐλέησον ἡμᾶς.

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.

When the “Holy God” is finished, the priest says:

When the “Holy God” is finished, the priest says:

ΙΕΡΕΥΣ

PRIEST

Σοφία. Ὀρθοί.

Wisdom. Arise.

Ἀπολυτίκιον.

Apolytikion.

Τοῦ Τριωδίου - - -

From Triodion - - -

Ἦχος αʹ.

Mode 1.

Σῶσον, Κύριε, τὸν λαόν σου καὶ εὐλόγησον τὴν κληρονομίαν σου, νίκας τοῖς βασιλεῦσι κατὰ βαρβάρων δωρούμενος, καὶ τὸ σὸν φυλάττων διὰ τοῦ Σταυροῦ σου πολίτευμα.

Save, O Lord, Your people and bless Your inheritance, granting victory to the faithful over the enemy, and by Your Cross protecting Your commonwealth. [GOA]

ΧΟΡΟΣ

CHOIR

Ἀπολυτίκιον.

Apolytikion.

Τοῦ Τριωδίου - - -

From Triodion - - -

Ἦχος αʹ.

Mode 1.

Σῶσον, Κύριε, τὸν λαόν σου καὶ εὐλόγησον τὴν κληρονομίαν σου, νίκας τοῖς βασιλεῦσι κατὰ βαρβάρων δωρούμενος, καὶ τὸ σὸν φυλάττων διὰ τοῦ Σταυροῦ σου πολίτευμα.

Save, O Lord, Your people and bless Your inheritance, granting victory to the faithful over the enemy, and by Your Cross protecting Your commonwealth. [GOA]

Τοῦ Τριωδίου - - -

From Triodion - - -

Ἦχος αʹ.

Mode 1.

Σῶσον, Κύριε, τὸν λαόν σου καὶ εὐλόγησον τὴν κληρονομίαν σου, νίκας τοῖς βασιλεῦσι κατὰ βαρβάρων δωρούμενος, καὶ τὸ σὸν φυλάττων διὰ τοῦ Σταυροῦ σου πολίτευμα.

Save, O Lord, Your people and bless Your inheritance, granting victory to the faithful over the enemy, and by Your Cross protecting Your commonwealth. [GOA]

ΙΕΡΕΥΣ

PRIEST

Τὸν Σταυρόν σου προσκυνοῦμεν, Δέσποτα, καὶ τὴν ἁγίαν σου ἀνάστασιν δοξάζομεν.

We venerate Your Cross, O Master, and we glorify Your Holy Resurrection.

ΧΟΡΟΣ

CHOIR

Τὸν Σταυρόν σου προσκυνοῦμεν, Δέσποτα, καὶ τὴν ἁγίαν σου ἀνάστασιν δοξάζομεν. (δίς)

We venerate Your Cross, O Master, and we glorify Your Holy Resurrection. (2)

The clergy venerate the cross first, followed by the faithful. While they are venerating, the following Idiomela may be chanted.

The clergy venerate the cross first, followed by the faithful. While they are venerating, the following Idiomela may be chanted.

ΧΟΡΟΣ

CHOIR

Ἦχος βʹ.

Mode 2.

Δεῦτε πιστοὶ τὸ ζωοποιὸν Ξύλον προσκυνήσωμεν, ἐν ᾧ Χριστὸς ὁ Βασιλεὺς τῆς δόξης ἑκουσίως χεῖρας ἐκτείνας ὕψωσεν ἡμᾶς εἰς τὴν ἀρχαίαν μακαριότητα, οὓς πρὶν ὁ ἐχθρός, διʼ ἡδονῆς συλήσας, ἐξορίστους Θεοῦ πεποίηκε. Δεῦτε πιστοὶ Ξύλον προσκυνήσωμεν, διʼ οὗ ἠξιώθημεν, τῶν ἀοράτων ἐχθρῶν συντρίβειν τὰς κάρας. Δεῦτε πᾶσαι αἱ πατριαὶ τῶν ἐθνῶν τὸν Σταυρὸν τοῦ Κυρίου ὕμνοις τιμήσωμεν. Χαίροις Σταυρὲ τοῦ πεσόντος Ἀδὰμ ἡ τελεία λύτρωσις, ἐν σοὶ οἱ πιστότατοι Βασιλεῖς ἡμῶν καυχῶνται ὡς τῇ σῇ δυνάμει, Ἰσμαηλίτην λαόν, κραταιῶς ὑποτάττοντες. Σὲ νῦν μετὰ φόβου, Χριστιανοὶ ἀσπαζόμεθα, καὶ τὸν ἐν σοὶ προσπαγέντα Θεὸν δοξάζομεν λέγοντες· Κύριε ὁ ἐν αὐτῷ προσπαγείς, ἐλέησον ἡμᾶς ὡς ἀγαθὸς καὶ φιλάνθρωπος.

Come, O believers, let us venerate the life-giving Cross. For Christ, the King of glory, voluntarily extended His hands on it and raised us up to the original blessedness, after the enemy long ago had captured us with the bait of pleasure, and caused us to be exiled from God. Come, O believers, let us venerate the Cross, by which we have been granted to crush the skulls of our invisible enemies. Come, all you families of the Gentiles, let us sing hymns to honor the Cross of the Lord. “We salute you, O Cross, for you are the complete redemption of Adam who had fallen. In you our most faithful leaders boast, for by your power they have mightily subdued the foreign enemy. Now we Christians with fear and awe salute you with a kiss, and we glorify God who was nailed to you, and we say, ‘O Lord, who were nailed to the Cross, have mercy on us, for You are good and benevolent.’” [SD]

Ἦχος πλ. δʹ.

Mode pl. 4.

Σήμερον ὁ Δεσπότης τῆς Κτίσεως, καὶ Κύριος τῆς δόξης, τῷ Σταυρῷ προσπήγνυται, καὶ τὴν πλευρὰν κεντᾶται· χολῆς καὶ ὄξους γεύεται, ὁ γλυκασμὸς τῆς Ἐκκλησίας· στέφανον ἐξ ἀκανθῶν περιβάλλεται, ὁ καλύπτων Οὐρανὸν τοῖς νέφεσι· χλαῖναν ἐνδύεται χλεύης, καὶ ῥαπίζεται πηλίνῃ χειρί, ὁ τῇ χειρὶ πλάσας τὸν ἄνθρωπον· τὸν νῶτον φραγγελοῦται, ὁ περιβάλλων τὸν Οὐρανὸν ἐν νεφέλαις· ἐμπτυσμοὺς καὶ μάστιγας δέχεται, ὀνειδισμοὺς καὶ κολαφισμούς, καὶ πάντα ὑπομένει, διʼ ἐμὲ τὸν κατάκριτον, ὁ Λυτρωτής μου καὶ Θεός, ἵνα σώσῃ Κόσμον ἐκ πλάνης ὡς, εὔσπλαγχνος.

Today the Master of creation and Lord of glory is nailed to the Cross and He is pierced in the side. He tastes gall and vinegar, He who is the sweetness of the Church. He is crowned with a crown of thorns, He who covers the sky with clouds. He is dressed in a robe to be ridiculed, and He is smitten by a hand formed of clay, He who formed humanity with His own hand. He takes a flogging on the back, He who circles the sky with clouds. He takes the spitting and the whips, the beatings and the taunts; and He endures it all for me, who am condemned, in order so save the world from delusion, for He is compassionate, my Redeemer and my God. [SD]

Δόξα. Ἦχος πλ. δʹ.

Glory. Mode pl. 4.

Σήμερον ὁ ἀπρόσιτος τῇ οὐσίᾳ προσιτός μοι γίνεται, καὶ πάσχει πάθη, ἐλευθερῶν με τῶν παθῶν, ὁ φῶς παρέχων τυφλοῖς ὑπὸ ἀνόμων χειλέων ἐμπτύεται, καὶ δίδωσι τὸν νῶτον ὑπὲρ αἰχμαλώτων εἰς μάστιγας. Τοῦτον ἡ Ἁγνὴ καὶ Μήτηρ, ἐπὶ Σταυροῦ θεωροῦσα, ὀδυνηρῶς ἐφθέγγετο· οἴμοι Τέκνον ἐμόν! τί τοῦτο πεποίηκας; ὁ ὡραῖος κάλλει παρὰ πάντας βροτούς, ἄπνους ἄμορφος φαίνῃ, οὐκ ἔχων εἶδος οὐδὲ κάλλος· οἴμοι τὸ ἐμὸν φῶς! οὐ δύναμαι ὑπνοῦντα καθορᾶν σε· τὰ σπλάγχνα τιτρώσκομαι καὶ δεινή μοι ῥομφαία τὴν καρδίαν διέρχεται. Ἀνυμνῶ σου τὰ Πάθη, προσκυνῶ σου τὸ εὔσπλαγχνον, μακρόθυμε Κύριε δόξα σοι.

Today, He who is unapproachable in His essence becomes approachable to me; and He is suffering the Passion, thus freeing me from the passions. He who gives sight to the blind is spit on by lawless lips, and He takes a whipping on the back for the sake of us captives. When His pure Mother saw Him on the Cross, in pain she uttered, “Woe is me, my Child! Why have You done this! You who are more beautiful than all men, I see You not breathing, unsightly, without form or beauty. Woe is me, my Light! I cannot bear to see You sleeping. I am wounded to the core, and an awful sword is piercing my heart. I extol Your Passion, I worship Your compassion. O longsuffering Lord, glory to You!” [SD]

Καὶ νῦν. Ἦχος πλ. βʹ. Εἱρμολογικόν.

Both now. Mode pl. 2. Heirmologic.

Σήμερον τὸ προφητικὸν πεπλήρωται λόγιον· ἰδοὺ γὰρ προσκυνοῦμεν εἰς τὸν τόπον, οὗ ἔστησαν οἱ πόδες σου Κύριε· καὶ ξύλου σωτηρίας γευσάμενοι, τῶν ἐξ ἁμαρτίας παθῶν ἐλευθερίας ἐτύχομεν, πρεσβείαις τῆς Θεοτόκου μόνε Φιλάνθρωπε.

Today the prophetic saying has been fulfilled. For, behold, we are worshiping in the place where Your feet stood, O Lord. And now that we have eaten from the tree of salvation, we have obtained the freedom from the passions that come from sin, by the intercessions of the Theotokos, O only benevolent God. [SD]

When the veneration is finished, the priest returns the cross to the holy altar.

When the veneration is finished, the priest returns the cross to the holy altar.

ΧΟΡΟΣ

CHOIR

Σῶσον, Κύριε, τὸν λαόν σου καὶ εὐλόγησον τὴν κληρονομίαν σου, νίκας τοῖς βασιλεῦσι κατὰ βαρβάρων δωρούμενος, καὶ τὸ σὸν φυλάττων διὰ τοῦ Σταυροῦ σου πολίτευμα.

Save, O Lord, Your people and bless Your inheritance, granting victory to the faithful over the enemy, and by Your Cross protecting Your commonwealth. [GOA]