The Liturgy of the Word
The Synaxarion
The Synaxarion
The Synaxarion is the collection of biographies of the saints of the Church venerated in the liturgy.
Up until and including the 14th of each month in the Coptic calendar, "commence" is said, after which "conclude" is said. Generally, it is the celebrant Priest who reads it.
Priest
The (...) day of the blessed month of (...); may God commence/conclude† it in goodness and may it return to find us in peace and tranquillity, while our sins and iniquities are forgiven through the tender mercies of our Lord, O my fathers and brethren. Amen.
After the Synaxarion is read, the reader concludes with this verse
Priest
Glory is due to our God, Unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Veneration
After the sacred reading, a glorification of the saint of the day is performed. God is glorified in His saints and He glorifies them.
Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct.
— Hebrews 13:7
And all Mine are Yours, and Yours are Mine, and I am glorified in them.
— John 17:10
And the glory which You gave Me I have given them, that they may be one just as We are one:
— John 17:22
Congregation
In the name of the Father,
The Son, and the Holy Spirit;
The Holy Trinity,
One in essence.
Worthy, worthy, worthy,
Saint Mary the Virgin.
Worthy, worthy, worthy, (...)
Worthy, worthy, worthy,
The saints of this day.
After glorifying the holy saints of the Church, we lift up the sanctification to Christ our God from whom all holiness, glory, and honour are derived, and we glorify Him with The Hymn of the Trisagion.
The Hymn of the Trisagion
The Hymn of the Trisagion is chanted before the reading of the Holy Gospel in anticipation of hearing the life-giving words of the Lord Jesus Christ, Who was incarnate, died and rose again to grant us salvation.
Congregation
Holy God, Holy Mighty,
Holy Immortal,
Who was born of the Virgin,
Have mercy upon us.
Holy God, Holy Mighty,
Holy Immortal,
Who was crucified for us,
Have mercy upon us.
Holy God, Holy Mighty,
Holy Immortal,
Who rose from the dead and ascended to heaven,
Have mercy upon us.
Glory to the Father,
The Son and the Holy Spirit;
Both now and always,
And unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O Holy Trinity,
Have mercy upon us.
In this hymn we praise the hypostasis of the Son, saying to Him, "Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal". It is a hymn taken from the Book of Isaiah.
And one cried to another and said, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory.”
— Isaiah 6:3
As we chant this theological hymn that we received about the seraphim, we share the heavenly hosts in the praise of thanksgiving.
— St Cyril of Jerusalem
The Trisagion explains the reality of the unity of divinity with humanity in the person of our Lord Jesus Christ. The Holy Mighty Living God who is not subject to death is the very one who was born of the Virgin, crucified for us, rose from the dead, and ascended to heaven.
We cannot speak of two separate natures in the one person of our Lord Jesus Christ after the union. He is the same one glorified with the Father and the Holy Spirit. He is the one who accepted humiliation and death through the cross, and we worship Him and glorify Him.
God is powerful and capable of everything, and we draw strength from and seek refuge in this power. God is immortal, meaning He is not subject to death. He who is not subject to death accepted for our sake and for our salvation to incarnate, be born of a woman, be crucified for us, and rise from the dead on the third day. His extreme love for humanity makes Him accept everything for our sake.
Our loving God worked the impossible for us and for our salvation. And so, we chant this hymn on Good Friday:
Congregation
Holy God, who being God (did not lose His divinity); for our sake, became man without change (without alteration).
Holy Mighty who by weakness (death, pain, and humiliation) showed forth what is greater than power (salvation, victory over Satan, death, and sin).
Holy Immortal, who was crucified for our sake, and endured death in His flesh, the Eternal and Immortal.
We love Him because He first loved us.
— 1 John 4:19