Sunday Readings

Apostolic Reading – 2 Cor 4:6-15

Gospel – John 9:1-38

Troparion of the resurrection (Tone 5)

Let us, O faithful, praise and worship the word, coeternal with the Father and the Spirit, born of the Virgin for our Salvation; for He was pleased to be lifted in the flesh upon the cross and to endure death and to raise the dead by His glorious resurrection.

Troparion of Pascha (Tone 5)

Christ is risen from the dead and by His death He has trampled upon death; and has given life to those who were in the tomb.

Troparion of the Third Finding of the Head (Tone 4)

 "O prophet and forerunner, Christ has revealed to us your head as divine treasure concealed in the earth. Assembled for this discovery we praise Christ with hymns inspired of God. Through your intercessions He saves us from corruption. Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit"

Troparion of the Holy Cross (Tone 1)

O Lord, save your people and bless your inheritance, granting peace to the world. And preserve your community by the power of your Cross.

Kondakion of Pascha (Tone 2)

Though You went down in the tomb, O immortal One, You overthrew the power of Hades and rose victorious, O Christ God. You greeted the ointment bearing women, saying “Rejoice!” You gave peace to Your apostles, and to those who had Fallen resurrection.

Prokimenon

O Lord, save your people and bless your inheritance!

Stichon

To you, O Lord, I have called: O my Rock, be not deaf to me!

Reading from the Second Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians (4:6-15)

Brethren, God who commanded light to shine out of darkness, has shone in our hearts, to give enlightenment concerning the knowledge of God’s glory, shining in Christ Jesus’ face. But we carry this treasure in vessels of clay, to show that its superabundant power is God’s, and not ours. In all things we suffer tribulation but we are not destitute, we endure persecution but we are not forsaken, we are cast down but we do not perish: always carrying around in our body the dying of Jesus, so that the life also of Jesus may be made manifest in our bodily frame. For we, the living, are constantly being handed over to death for Jesus’s sake, that the life also of Jesus may be made manifest in our mortal flesh. Thus, death is at work in us, but life in you. But since we have the same spirit of faith, as shown in that which is written, I believed, and so I spoke, we also believed, wherefore we also speak. For we know that the one who raised up the Lord Jesus will raise us up also together with Jesus, and will place us with you. For all things are for your sakes, so that the grace that abounds through the many may cause thanksgiving to abound for God’s glory.

Alleluia

He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High abides in the shadow of the God of heaven.

Stichon

He will say to the Lord, “My wall, my refuge, my God in whom I will trust!”

The Holy Gospel According to St. John the Evangelist (9:1-38)

At that time as Jesus was passing by, he saw a man blind from birth. And his disciples asked him, “Rabbi, who has sinned, this man or his parents, that he should be born blind?” Jesus answered, “Neither has this man sinned nor have his parents, but the works of God were to be made manifest in him. I must do the works of the one who sent me while it is day; night is coming, when no one can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the Light of the world.” When he had said these things, he spat on the ground and made clay with the spittle, and spread the clay over the man’s eyes, and said to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam (which is interpreted ‘sent’).” So, he went away, and washed, and returned seeing. The neighbors therefore and those who had seen earlier that he was blind began saying, “Is not this the man who used to sit and beg?” Some said, “It is.” But others said, “He only looks like him.” Yet, the man declared, “I am the one.” They therefore asked him, “How were your eyes opened?” He answered and said, “The man who is called Jesus made clay and anointed my eyes, and said to me, ‘Go to the pool of Siloam and wash.’ And I went and washed, and I see.” And they asked him, “Where is he?” He said, “I do not know.” They took the man who had been blind to the Pharisees. Now, it was a Sabbath on which Jesus made the clay and opened his eyes. Again, therefore, the Pharisees asked him: how he received his sight. But he said to them, “He put clay upon my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” Therefore, some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from God, for he does not keep the Sabbath.” But others said, “How can a man who is a sinner work these signs?” And there was a division among them. Again therefore they said to the blind man, “What do you say of the one who opened your eyes?” But he said, “He is a prophet.” The Jews therefore did not believe of him that he had been blind and had got his sight, until they called the parents of the one who had gained his sight, and questioned them, saying, “Is this your son, of whom you say he was born blind? How then does he now see?” His parents answered them and said, “We know this is our son, and that he was born blind; but how he now sees we do not know, or who opened his eyes we ourselves do not know. Ask him; he is of age, let him speak for himself.” These things his parents said because they feared the Jews. For already the Jews had agreed that if anyone were to confess him to be the Christ, he should be put out of the synagogue. This is why his parents said, “He is of age; question him.” They therefore called a second time the man who had been blind, and said to him, “Give glory to God! We ourselves know this man is a sinner.” He therefore said, “Whether he is a sinner, I do not know. One thing I do know, that whereas I was blind, now I see.” They therefore asked him again, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” He answered them, “I have told you already, but you did not listen. Why would you hear a second time? Would you also become his disciples?” They heaped abuse on him therefore and said, “You are his disciple, but we are disciples of Moses. We know God spoke to Moses; but as for this man, we do not know where he is from.” In answer the man said to them, “Why herein is the marvel, that you do not know where he is from, and yet he opened my eyes. Now we know God does not hear sinners; but if anyone is a worshipper of God, and does his will, him he hears. Not from the beginning of the world has it been heard that anyone opened the eyes of a man born blind. If this man were not from God, he could do nothing.” They answered and said to him, “You were altogether born in sins, and do you teach us?” And they turned him out. Jesus heard they had turned him out, and when he had found him, said to him, “Do you believe in the Son of God?” He answered and said, “Who is he, Lord, that I may believe in him?” And Jesus said to him, “You have both seen him, and he it is who speaks with you.” And he said, “I believe, Lord.” And falling down, he worshipped him.