Variable Portions of the Divine Liturgy

1 January

Circumcision of our Lord

Feast of St. Basil the Great

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Daily Antiphons

 

1st Antiphon     Through the prayers of the Theotokos, O Savior, save us!  (3)

 

2nd Antiphon    O Son of God, Who art wondrous in Thy saints,

                            save us who sing to Thee:  Alleluia!  (3)

 

3rd Antiphon     Enthroned on high with the Eternal Father and Divine Spirit,

Troparion            Thou didst will to be born on earth of Thine undefiled Mother

Feast                   Thou didst submit to circumcision as an eight-day old Child;

(Tone 1)              How gracious and wonderful are Thy works!

                             Thou wast circumcised for our sakes, O Lord,

                            as Thou art the fulfillment and perfection of the law.

 

After the Little Entrance

 

Troparion        Your words resounded throughout all the earth

Saint               O righteous Basil, father of royal priesthood;

(Tone 1)         you proclaimed the nature of creatures

                       and the character of man as being worthy of God.

                        Intercede, therefore, before Christ our God

                        to save our souls.

 

                        Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

 

Kontakion       You appeared as an unshaken pillar of the Church,

Saint                 granting all men a lordship which cannot be taken away,

(Tone 4)           sealing it with your precepts and revealing heavenly things,

                             O holy Father Basil!

 

                           Now and ever, and unto ages of ages.  Amen.

 

Kontakion        Today the Lord of all deigns to be circumcised,

Feast                  in His infinite goodness, to excise the sin of mankind;

(Tone 3)           Thus He grants salvation to the world,

                          as the high priest of our Creator, Basil, robed with light,

                          rejoices in heaven as a divine initiate of Christ!

 

Prokeimenon

 

(Tone 6)           O Lord, save Thy people and bless Thine inheritance.

 

(Tone 1)           My mouth shall speak wisdom

                         and the meditation of heart shall be understanding.

 

Holy Scriptures

 

Colossians 2:8-12                                                  Luke 2:20-21, 40

             Hebrews 7:26-8:2                                                  Luke 6:17-23

 

Hymn to the Theotokos

                                                   

                  All of creation rejoices in you,

                   O Full of Grace,

                   the assembly of angels and the race of men. 

                   O sanctified temple and spiritual paradise,

                   the glory of virgins,

                   from whom God was incarnate and became a child -

                   our God before the ages. 

                   He made your womb more spacious than the heavens. 

                   All of creation rejoices in you,

                   O Full of Grace, Glory to you!

 

Communion Hymn Verse

 

Praise the Lord from the heavens! 

Praise Him in the highest!

The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance!

He shall not fear evil tidings!

The following Prayer Before the Ambo is read

on the Feast of St. Basil, January 1st:

 

Priest:             O Thou who for a sacrifice of praise and well-pleasing worship dost

                        accept this rational and unbloody sacrifice from those who call upon

                   Thee with their whole heart, O Christ our God, the Lamb and Son

                   of God, who takest away the sin of the world, the blameless Calf,

                   who receivest not the yoke of sin, and wast sacrificed for us

                   voluntarily.   Who art broken, yet not severed, eaten, yet never

                   consumed, but sanctifying those who partake thereof:  who in

                   remembrance of Thy voluntary Passion, and life-giving Resur-

                   rection on the third day, hast made us communicants of Thine

                   ineffable, and heavenly, and awesome Mysteries, Thy holy

                   Body and Thy precious Blood.  Keep us Thy servants and

                   ministers, and all civil authorities, and our armed forces, and all

                   the people here present, in Thy sanctification, and grant us at

                   every time and every season to meditate upon Thy righteousness, 

                   that being led according to Thy will and doing the things that are

                   well-pleasing unto Thee, we may become worthy of a place also at

                   Thy right hand when Thou shalt come to judge the living and the

                   dead;  rescue those of our brethren who are captives;  visit those

                   in sickness;  pilot those in peril on the sea;  and give repose

                   where the light of Thy countenance shineth, to the souls of those

                   who have gone before us to their rest in the hope of resurrection

                   to eternal life;  and hearken to all who beseech Thine aid:

 

                   For Thou art the giver of all good things, and unto Thee we

                ascribe glory: together with Thine unoriginate Father, and Thine

                all-holy, good, and life-creating Spirit.  Now and ever, and unto

                ages of ages.

 

People:            Amen.

Epistle

 

Priest:             Let us attend.  Peace be unto all.

 

Reader:            And to your spirit.

 

Priest:             Wisdom.

 

Reader:            The Prokeimenon in the 6th Tone:  O Lord, save Thy people and bless Thine inheritance.

 

People:            O Lord, save Thy people and bless Thine inheritance.

 

Reader:            To Thee, O Lord, do I call.  O my God, be not silent to me!

 

People:            O Lord, save Thy people and bless Thine inheritance.

 

Reader:            And in the 1st Tone:  My mouth shall speak wisdom and the meditation of heart shall be understanding.

 

People:            My mouth shall speak wisdom and the meditation of heart shall be understanding.

 

Priest:             Wisdom.

 

People:            The reading is from the epistle of the holy apostle Paul to the Colossians.

 

Priest:             Let us attend

 

(Circumcision - Colossians 2:8-12)

 

Reader:         Brethren, beware lest anyone cheat you through philosophy and empty deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the basic principles of the world, and not according to Christ. For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily; and you are complete in Him, who is the head of all principality and power. In Him you were also circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, by putting off the body of the sins of the flesh, by the circumcision of Christ, buried with Him in baptism, in which you also were raised with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead.

 

(St. Basil - Hebrews 7:26-8:2)

 

For such a High Priest was fitting for us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and has become higher than the heavens; who does not need daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the people's, for this He did once for all when He offered up Himself. For the law appoints as high priests men who have weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after the law, appoints the Son who has been perfected forever.

 

Now this is the main point of the things we are saying: We have such a High Priest, who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens, a Minister of the sanctuary and of the true tabernacle which the Lord erected, and not man.

 

Priest:             Peace be unto you, Reader.

 

Reader:            And to your spirit.  Alleluia. Alleluia.  Alleluia.

 

People:            Alleluia. Alleluia.  Alleluia.

 

Reader:            Give ear, O Shepherd of Israel, Thou Who leadest Joseph like a flock.

 

People:            Alleluia. Alleluia.  Alleluia.

 

Reader:            The mouth of the righteous shall meditate wisdom and his tongue shall speak of judgment.

 

People:            Alleluia. Alleluia.  Alleluia.

 

Reader:            The heavens confess Thy wonders, O Lord, and Thy truth in the congregation of the saints.

 

People:            Alleluia. Alleluia.  Alleluia.

Gospel

 

Priest:           The reading from the Holy Gospel according to St. Luke.

 

People:            Glory to Thee, O Lord, glory to Thee!

 

Priest:           Let us attend! 

 

(Circumcision - Luke 2:20-21, 40-52)

 

The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told them. And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called Jesus, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.

 

And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him. His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast. When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Jesus lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Joseph and His mother did not know it; but supposing Him to have been in the company, they went a day's journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances. So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him. Now so it was that after three days they found Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers. So when they saw Him, they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, "Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously." And He said to them, "Why did you seek Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father's business?" But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them. Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart. And Jesus increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

 

(St. Basil - Luke 2:20-21, 40-52)

 

Then Jesus came down with them and stood on a level place with a crowd of His disciples and a great multitude of people from all Judea and Jerusalem, and from the seacoast of Tyre and Sidon, who came to hear Him and be healed of their diseases, as well as those who were tormented with unclean spirits. And they were healed. And the whole multitude sought to touch Him, for power went out from Him and healed them all. Then He lifted up His eyes toward His disciples, and said: "Blessed are you poor, For yours is the kingdom of God. Blessed are you who hunger now, For you shall be filled. Blessed are you who weep now, For you shall laugh. Blessed are you when men hate you, And when they exclude you, And revile you, and cast out your name as evil, For the Son of Man's sake. Rejoice in that day and leap for joy! For indeed your reward is great in heaven, For in like manner their fathers did to the prophets.

 

People:            Glory to Thee, O Lord, glory to Thee!

  

This content has been generously provided by Fr. Jerome Cwiklinski, CAPT, CHC, USN