Sunday Readings

Apostolic Reading – 1 Cor 9:2-12

Gospel – Mt 18:23-35

Troparion of the Resurrection (Tone 2)

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 life, Christ our God, glory to You!”           

Troparion of the Holy Cross (Tone 1)

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

Kondakion of the Nativity (Tone 4)

Through your holy birth, O Immaculate One, Joachim and Anne were delivered from the shame of childlessness, and Adam and Eve from the corruption of death. Your people, redeemed from the debt of their sins, cry out to you to honor your birth: “the barren one gives birth to the Mother of God the Sustainer of our life!”

Prokimenon (Tone 2)

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

Stichon

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

Reading from the First Epistle of St. Paul to the Corinthians (9:2-12)

Brethren, you are the seal set upon my apostleship in the Lord. My defense against those who question me is this: Have we not a right to eat and to drink? Have we not a right to take around with us a sister woman, as do the other apostles, and the brethren of the Lord, and Cephas? Or is it only Barnabas and I who have not the right of exemption from manual labor? What soldier ever serves at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat of its fruit? Who tends the flock and does not drink of the flock’s milk? Do I speak these things on human authority? Or does not the Law also say these things? For it is written in the Law of Moses, Thou shalt not muzzle the ox that treads out the grain. Is God concerned about the oxen, or does he say this simply for our sakes? These things were written for us. For he who plows should plow in hope, and he who threshes, in the expectation of partaking of the fruit. If we have sown for you spiritual things, is it such an affair if we reap from your material things? If others share in this right over you, why should it not rather go to us? Yet, we have not used this right, but we bear all our expenses, lest we be a hindrance to Christ’s Good News.

Alleluia (Tone 2)

The Lord shall hear you on the day of distress: the name of the God of Jacob shall defend you. Stichon

O Lord, save your people and bless your inheritance. 

The Holy Gospel According to St. Matthew the Evangelist (18:23-35)

The Lord told this parable: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a king who desired to settle accounts with his servants. And when he had begun the settlement, one was brought to him who owed him millions. And as he had no means of paying, his master ordered him to be sold, with his wife and children and all he had, and payment to be made. But the servant fell down and begged him, saying, ‘Have patience with me and I will pay you all.’ And moved with compassion, the master of that servant released him, and forgave him the debt. But as that servant went out, he met one of his fellow-servants who owed him a small amount, and he laid hold of him and throttled him, saying, ‘Pay what you owe.’ His fellow-servant therefore fell down and began to entreat him, saying, have patience with me and I will pay you all.’ But he would not; but went away and threw him into prison until he would pay what was due. His fellow-servants therefore, seeing what had happened, were very much saddened, and they went and informed their master of what had taken place. Then his master called him, and said to him, ‘Wicked servant, I forgave you all the debt, because you begged me. Should not you also have had pity on your fellow-servant, even as I had pity on you?’ And his master, being angry, handed him over to the torturers until he would pay all that was due to him. So also, my heavenly Father will do to you, if you do not each forgive your brothers from your hearts.”