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Divine Liturgy 22 March 2020

4th Sunday of Lent

Divine Liturgy of our Father among the Saints Basil the Great, celebrated by Father Yuriy at Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker Parish, Victoria. 10AM 22 March 2020.

Proper prayers and readings

Troparion, Tone 8
You came down from on high, O Merciful One, * and accepted three days of burial * to free us from our sufferings. * O Lord, our life and our resurrection, * glory be to You.

Troparion, Tone 1
O John, our God-bearing father, * you were shown to be a citizen of the desert, * an angel in bodily form, * and a worker of miracles. * Through fasting, prayers and vigils you received heavenly gifts * to heal the sick and the souls of those who, in faith, run to you. * Glory to Him who gives you strength. * Glory to Him who crowned you. * Glory to Him who works healing for all through you.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. Now and forever and ever, Amen.

Kontakion, Tone 4
On the heights of true abstinence, * the Lord established you as a reliable star, * giving light for guidance to the ends of the earth, * O father John, our teacher.

Prokeimenon, Tone 8
Pray and give thanks to the Lord our God. Verse: In Judea God is known; His name is great in Israel. (Psalm 75:12,2)

Prokeimenon, Tone 7
Verse: The venerable ones will exult in glory * and they shall be joyful in their beds. (Psalm 149:5)

Epistle : Hebrews 6:13-20
A reading from the letter of St. Paul to the Hebrews: Brothers and sisters, when God made a promise to Abraham, because he had no one greater by whom to swear, he swore by himself, saying, ‘I will surely bless you and multiply you.’ And thus Abraham, having patiently endured, obtained the promise. Human beings, of course, swear by someone greater than themselves, and an oath given as confirmation puts an end to all dispute. In the same way, when God desired to show even more clearly to the heirs of the promise the unchangeable character of his purpose, he guaranteed it by an oath, so that through two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible that God would prove false, we who have taken refuge might be strongly encouraged to seize the hope set before us. We have this hope, a sure and steadfast anchor of the soul, a hope that enters the inner shrine behind the curtain, where Jesus, a forerunner on our behalf, has entered, having become a high priest for ever according to the order of Melchizedek.

Alleluia, Tone 8
Verse: Come, let us rejoice in the Lord; let us acclaim God our Saviour. Verse: Let us come before His countenance with praise and acclaim Him with psalms. (Psalm 94:1,2)

Verse: They who are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts of our God. (Psalm 91:14)

Gospel : Mark 9:17-31
At that time a man came to Jesus and said: ‘Teacher, I have brought to you my son possessed by a mute spirit. Wherever it seizes him, it throws him down; he foams at the mouth, grinds his teeth, and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive it out, but they were unable to do so.’ He said to them in reply, ‘O faithless generation, how long will I be with you? How long will I endure you? Bring him to me.’ They brought the boy to him. And when he saw him, the spirit immediately threw the boy into convulsions. As he fell to the ground, he began to roll around and foam at the mouth. Then he questioned his father, ‘How long has this been happening to him?’ He replied, ‘Since childhood. It has often thrown him into fire and into water to kill him. But if you can do anything, have compassion on us and help us.’ Jesus said to him, ‘“If you can!” Everything is possible to one who has faith.’ Then the boy's father cried out, ‘I do believe, help my unbelief!’ Jesus, on seeing a crowd rapidly gathering, rebuked the unclean spirit and said to it, ‘Mute and deaf spirit, I command you: come out of him and never enter him again!’ Shouting and throwing the boy into convulsions, it came out. He became like a corpse, which caused many to say, ‘He is dead!’ But Jesus took him by the hand, raised him, and he stood up. When he entered the house, his disciples asked him in private, ‘Why could we not drive it out?’ He said to them, ‘This kind can only come out through prayer.’ They left from there and began a journey through Galilee, but he did not wish anyone to know about it. He was teaching his disciples and telling them, ‘The Son of Man is to be handed over to men and they will kill him, and three days after his death he will rise.’

Prayer to the Mother of God
In you, O Full of Grace, all creation rejoices: the angelic ranks and all the human race. Sanctified temple and spiritual paradise, virgins’ pride and boast, from whom God is made flesh and became a little Child; and He who is our God before all ages, He made your womb a throne, and He made it wider that all the heavens. In you, O Full of Grace, all creation rejoices. Glory be to you.

Communion Hymn
Praise the Lord from the heavens; * praise Him in the highest. (Psalm 148:1) * The just man shall be in everlasting remembrance;* of evil hearsay he shall have no fear. (Psalm 111:6) * Alleluia, alleluia, * alleluia.