Hymns and Readings for Sunday

Fourth Sunday of the Cross
Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost
Commemoration of the Fathers of the Seventh Ecumenical Council

TROPARIA

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 first born of the dead. He has delivered us from the bosom of Hades and has granted the world great mercy.

TROPARION OF THE FATHERS IN TONE EIGHT

O Christ our God, you are infinitely glorified, fl You established our Fathers as radiant stars on earth. Through them, you led us to the true Faith: O Most Merciful One, glory to You.

LITURGY OF THE WORD

PROKIMENON
(RESPONSORY FROM THE PSALTER)

Blessed art thou, O Lord, God of our fathers, and worthy of praise;
and thy name is glorified for ever.

For thou art just in all that thou hast done to us,
and all thy works are true and thy ways right,
and all thy judgments are truth.

THE READING FROM THE EPISTLE OF ST PAUL TO TITUS

MY SON TITUS: The saying is sure. I desire you to insist on these things, so that those who have believed in God may be careful to apply themselves to good deeds; these are excellent and profitable to men. But avoid stupid controversies, genealogies, dissensions, and quarrels over the law, for they are unprofitable and futile. As for a man who is factious, after admonishing him once or twice, have nothing more to do with him, knowing that such a person is perverted and sinful; he is self-condemned. When I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, for I have decided to spend the winter there. Do your best to speed Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way; see that they lack nothing. And let our people learn to apply themselves to good deeds, so as to help cases of urgent need, and not to be unfruitful. All who are with me send greetings to you. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all.

ALLELUIA

We have heard with our ears, O God, our fathers have told us,
what deeds thou didst perform in their days, in the days of old

When the righteous cry for help, the LORD hears,
and delivers them out of all their troubles.

THE READING FROM THE HOLY GOSPEL ACCORDING TO ST LUKE

THE LORD SPOKE THIS PARABLE: ‘A sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some fell along the path, and was trodden under foot, and the birds of the air devoured it. And some fell on the rock; and as it grew up, it withered away, because it had no moisture. And some fell among thorns; and the thorns grew with it and choked it. And some fell into good soil and grew, and yielded a hundredfold.’ As He said this, He called out, ‘He who has ears to hear, let him hear.’ And when his disciples asked Him what this parable meant, He said, ‘To you it has been given to know the secrets of the Kingdom of God; but for others they are in parables, so that seeing they may not see, and hearing they may not understand. Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God. The ones along the path are those who have heard; then the devil comes and takes away the word from their hearts, that they may not believe and be saved. And the ones on the rock are those who, when they hear the word, receive it with joy; but these have no root, they believe for a while and in time of temptation fall away. And as for what fell among the thorns, they are those who hear, but as they go on their way they are choked by the cares and riches and pleasures of life, and their fruit does not mature. And as for that in the good soil, they are those who, hearing the word, hold it fast in an honest and good heart, and bring forth fruit with patience.