Sunday of the Last Judgement (Meatfare)

TROPARIA AND KONTAKION

TROPARION OF THE RESURRECTION IN TONE THREE

Let all in heaven rejoice and all on earth be glad, for the Lord has exerted power with His arm, by death He has trampled upon death, and has become the firstborn from the dead. He has delivered us from the bosom of Hades and has granted to the world great mercy.

KONTAKION OF THE LAST JUDGEMENT IN TONE ONE

O God, when You shall come down upon earth in your Glory, every creature shall tremble before You. A river of fire shall flow before your Judgment-Seat, the books shall be opened and all secrets revealed. On that day, O Just Judge, deliver me from eternal fire and make me worthy to stand at your right!

LITURGY OF THE WORD

PROKIMENON

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

R. The Lord has chastised me through his Teaching,
yet He has not delivered me to death.

THE READING FROM
THE FIRST EPISTLE OF ST PAUL TO THE CORINTHIANS

BRETHREN: Food will not commend us to God. We are no worse off if we do not eat, and no better off if we do. Only take care lest this liberty of yours somehow become a stumbling block to the weak. For if any one sees you, a man of knowledge, at table in an idol's temple, might he not be encouraged, if his conscience is weak, to eat food offered to idols? And so by your knowledge this weak man is destroyed, the brother for whom Christ died. Thus, sinning against your brethren and wounding their conscience when it is weak, you sin against Christ. Therefore, if food is a cause of my brother's falling, I will never eat meat, lest I cause my brother to fall. Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are not you my workmanship in the Lord? If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord.

ALLELUIA
The Lord shall hear you on the day of distress;
the Name of the God of Jacob shall defend you.

O Lord, save your king and listen to us
on whatever day we call upon You.

THE READING FROM THE HOLY GOSPEL
ACCORDING TO ST MATTHEW

THE LORD SPOKE THIS PARABLE: When the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne. Before Him will be gathered all the nations, and He will separate them one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats, and He will place the sheep at His right hand, but the goats at the left. Then the King will say to those at His right hand, “Come, O blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave Me food, I was thirsty and you gave Me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed Me, I was naked and you clothed Me, I was sick and you visited Me, I was in prison and you came to Me.” Then the righteous will answer Him, “Lord, when did we see Thee hungry and feed Thee, or thirsty and give Thee drink? And when did we see Thee a stranger and welcome Thee, or naked and clothe Thee? And when did we see Thee sick or in prison and visit Thee?” And the King will answer them, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.” Then He will say to those at His left hand, “Depart from Me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels; for I was hungry and you gave Me no food, I was thirsty and you gave Me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome Me, naked and you did not clothe Me, sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.'‘ Then they also will answer, “Lord, when did we see Thee hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to Thee?” Then He will answer them, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me.” And they will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.’