Sunday of the Prodigal Son

TROPARIA AND KONTAKION
(THEME HYMNS OF THE DAY & CONCLUDING SEASONAL HYMN)

TROPARION OF THE RESURRECTION IN TONE TWO

When you descended to death, O Immortal Life, You put Hades to death by the splendor of Your Divinity. And when You raised the dead from below the Earth, all the heavenly Powers cried out to You: O Giver of Live, Christ our God, glory to You.

TROPARION OF THE PRESENTATION IN TONE ONE

Hail, O Woman full of grace, Virgin and Mother of God: from you has arisen the Sun of Justice, Christ our God, enlightening those who stand in darkness. You too, just Elder Simeon, rejoice for you carried in your arms the Redeemer of our souls, our Resurrection.

KONTAKION OF THE PRODIGAL SON IN TONE THREE

When in my wretchedness I ran away from your fatherly love, I squandered in wickedness the riches You had given me. And so now, like the Prodigal Son, I cry out to You: “I have sinned in your sight, O Merciful Father: receive me now that I repent and make me as one of your hired servants.”

KONTAKION OF PRESENTATION OF OUR LORD IN TONE ONE

O Christ our God who through your birth have sanctified the virginal womb and have now blessed the arms of Simeon, today You have come to save us. O Lord, when wars prevail, keep your people in peace and strengthen our public authorities in every good deed, for You alone are the Lover of Mankind.

LITURGY OF THE WORD

PROKIMENON
(RESPONSORY FROM THE PSALTER)

R: May Your kindness, O Lord, be upon us
who have put our hope in You.

V: Exult, you just, in the Lord,
praise from the upright is fitting.

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

BRETHREN: "All things are lawful for me," but not all things are helpful. "All things are lawful for me," but I will not be enslaved by anything. "Food is meant for the stomach and the stomach for food" — and God will destroy both one and the other. The body is not meant for immorality, but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. And God raised the Lord and will also raise us up by His power. Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ? Shall I therefore take the members of Christ and make them members of a prostitute? Never! Do you not know that he who joins himself to a prostitute becomes one body with her? For, as it is written, "The two shall become one flesh." But he who is united to the Lord becomes one spirit with Him. Shun immorality. Every other sin which a man commits is outside the body; but the immoral man sins against his own body. Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit within you, which you have from God? You are not your own; you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body.

ALLELUIA

God gives me redress and subdues people under me.

He has given great victories to His king
and shown His love for His Anointed,
for David and his sons forever.

THE READING FROM THE HOLY GOSPEL
ACCORDING TO ST LUKE

THE LORD SPOKE THIS PARABLE: There was a man who had two sons; and the younger of them said to his father, “Father, give me the share of property that falls to me.” And he divided his living between them. Not many days later, the younger son gathered all he had and took his journey into a far country, and there he squandered his property in loose living. And when he had spent everything, a great famine arose in that country, and he began to be in want. So he went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that country, who sent him into his fields to feed swine. And he would gladly have fed on the pods that the swine ate; and no one gave him anything. But when he came to himself he said, “How many of my father's hired servants have bread enough and to spare, but I perish here with hunger! I will arise and go to my father, and I will say to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me as one of your hired servants.’” And he arose and came to his father. But while he was yet at a distance, his father saw him and had compassion, and ran and embraced him and kissed him. And the son said to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and before you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.” But the father said to his servants, “Bring quickly the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet; and bring the fatted calf and kill it, and let us eat and make merry; for this my son was dead, and is alive again; he was lost, and is found.” And they began to make merry. Now his elder son was in the field; and as he came and drew near to the house, he heard music and dancing. And he called one of the servants and asked what this meant. And he said to him, “Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fatted calf, because he has received him safe and sound.” But he was angry and refused to go in. His father came out and entreated him, but he answered his father, “Lo, these many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your command; yet you never gave me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends. But when this son of yours came, who has devoured your living with harlots, you killed for him the fatted calf!” And he said to him, “Son, you are always with me, and all that is mine is yours. It was fitting to make merry and be glad, for this your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost, and is found.”