The Canon to St Mark the Evangelist

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Ode I, Irmos: Thy victorious right arm, * in a manner befitting God, * hath been glorified in strength, O Immortal One; * for in its infinite strength it shattered the enemy, * fashioning anew a path for the Israelites through the deep.

Holy, glorious, all-praised, Apostle and Evangelist, Mark, pray to God for us.

O blessed one, who like a skilful fisherman hast drawn men forth from the deep of transgressions with thy net, illumine my soul with radiant splendours, and grant that I may praise thy memory as is meet, O divinely revealed evangelist Mark.

Holy, glorious, all-praised, Apostle and Evangelist, Mark, pray to God for us.

The pre-eternal and supremely perfect God, Who with the Father is equally beginningless, appeared on earth incarnate as a man, and showed thee forth, O blessed one, as His fellow-labourer in grace and His most wise servant, who art strengthened by His power.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Thou wast a disciple of the most wise Peter, and was greatly enriched thereby, O all-glorious Mark, showing thyself to be an initiate of the divine mysteries, and one who followed in his glorious footsteps.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

The Angel of Great Counsel, having assumed flesh, manifested Himself to the world through the Virgin Mother, and showed thee forth, O father Mark, as a disciple adorned with virtues, a divine herald proclaiming His words.

Ode III, Irmos: Thou alone knowest the weakness of human nature * and in compassion hast assumed its form; * do Thou gird me with power from on high, * that I may cry unto Thee: * Holy is the animate temple of Thine ineffable glory, O Lover of mankind!

Holy, glorious, all-praised, Apostle and Evangelist, Mark, pray to God for us.

Thy friend Mark, O Christ, proclaiming Thee, the hypostatic Wisdom, hath thereby enlightened the whole world O Lord, with thine abundantly splendid rays, O Lover of mankind.

Holy, glorious, all-praised, Apostle and Evangelist, Mark, pray to God for us.

O Christ, Who lovest mankind, Thine eyewitness Mark, having received an ever- flowing stream of wisdom resounding like a river, hath watered the ends of the earth with the light of divine knowledge, truly revealing Thy prophecy.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Manifestly following Peter, O wise one, as his disciple thou didst copy the Gospel, receiving from him the light of theology and clearly proclaiming the coming of God in the flesh, O apostle.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Thou didst cause the temples of the demons to quake, O Thou Who wast aforetime borne to Egypt in the Virgin’s arms, and thither Thou didst send Mark, that all might know of Thy divine mystery and that Thou hadst become man.

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Sessional Hymn of the evangelist, in Tone I: Spec. Mel.: “Thy tomb, O Saviour …”: Having ascended to the summit of virtue, O divine Mark, as a godly preacher thou hast thundered down upon us the great mysteries of the dogmas of salvation. Wherefore in faith we entreat thee, O most blessed one; free us from every sorrow, offence and misfortune.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Seedless was thy conception, and transcending understanding was thy childbirth, O immaculate Virgin Mother; an awesome deed, an exceeding great wonder, honoured by the angels and glorified by mortal men, O Lady and Maiden.

Ode IV, Irmos: Perceiving thee with prophetic eyes * as the mountain overshadowed by the grace of God, * Habbakuk proclaimed that the Holy One of Israel * would come forth from thee, * for our salvation and restoration.

Holy, glorious, all-praised, Apostle and Evangelist, Mark, pray to God for us.

Thy sound hath gone forth into all the earth, O most wise one, and the power of thy words manifestly extendeth to the ends of the world, like David splendidly preaching our salvation and renewal.

Holy, glorious, all-praised, Apostle and Evangelist, Mark, pray to God for us.

Like lightning Thy most wise apostle hath appeared to the world, O Saviour, announcing the joy of truth, illumined with the divine radiance of effulgence, unto our salvation and renewal.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Thy feet were adorned prophetically, for ineffably hast thou announced unto us the Peace that hath manifestly revealed Himself in the flesh to the ends of the world, unto our salvation and renewal.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

The Word sat upon the cloud of the Virgin and, in that He is merciful, He made foolish the counsels of Egypt and hath destroyed thoughts adverse to God through the teachings of the divine Mark, unto our salvation and renewal.

Ode V, Irmos: Thou hast shone upon us with the radiance * of Thy coming O Christ, * and illumined the ends of the world with Thy Cross, * enlighten with the light of thine understanding * the hearts of those who with right worship hymn Thee.

Holy, glorious, all-praised, Apostle and Evangelist, Mark, pray to God for us.

Thou didst let fall the sweetness of piety, the shower of thy divine words, casting light over all in bright beams, clearly revealed by the grace of the noetic Sun, O all-blessed and God-pleasing Mark.

Holy, glorious, all-praised, Apostle and Evangelist, Mark, pray to God for us.

From the house of the Lord thou didst pour forth a wellspring watering barren hearts abundantly with spiritual streams, teaching them to bring forth fruit instead of barrenness, O apostle.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Thou wast the son of the great Peter, and illumined by his teaching thou didst enlighten the souls who approached thee fervently, O blessed apostle, seer of God.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

O Christ Who shone forth from the Father before all creation, and wast born of the Virgin as a man, Thou wast sent to the Egyptians. For them, O Wise One, Thou didst anoint Mark who hath taught them the mysteries of divine knowledge.

Ode VI, Irmos: The deepest abyss hath surrounded us, * and there is none to deliver us, * yea we have been counted as sheep for the slaughter; * save Thy people O our God, * for thou art the strength and restoration of the weak.

Holy, glorious, all-praised, Apostle and Evangelist, Mark, pray to God for us.

Thou didst set at naught the scorn of the wicked, O Lord, and didst put down their prideful arrogance, showing forth Thine apostle as a conqueror by Thy might, for Thou art the strength and restoration of the afflicted.

Holy, glorious, all-praised, Apostle and Evangelist, Mark, pray to God for us.

By thy words, O wise Mark, thou didst preach the Fashioner of creation, the Crown of hope wherewith we are now crowned, and which, to our glory, hath been wrought of the nature of the flesh.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

O glorious one, the pre-eminent Peter clearly instructed thee to mystically record the precious Gospel, showing thee to be a servant of divine grace, for thou didst shed the light of divine knowledge upon us.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Through the Virgin Mother of God didst Thou enlighten Egypt which aforetime was in darkness, entering it as an infant, O Lord; and Thou didst reprove its vanity through the teachings pf the divinely eloquent Mark, O Thou Who lovest mankind.

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Kontakion, in Tone II: Spec. Mel.: “Seeking the highest …”: Receiving from on high the grace of the Spirit, * thou didst destroy the snares of the orators, O apostle, * and, hunting all the nations, * thou didst lead them to thy Master, O all-glorious Mark, ** preaching the divine Gospel.

Ikos: A disciple of the pre-eminent apostle, with him thou didst preach Christ the Son of God, rendering steadfast upon the rock of truth those who were shaken by falsehood. Do thou also make me steadfast thereon, and set aright my steps, that, delivered from the snares of the enemy, I may glorify thee without faltering, for thou hast enlightened all, O wise Mark, preaching the divine Gospel.

Ode VII, Irmos: We the faithful perceive thee, O Theotokos, * to be a noetic furnace; * for as He, the supremely exalted One, * saved the three children, * so hath He wholly refashioned fallen humanity, in thy womb, * O Thou praised and supremely glorified God of our fathers.

Holy, glorious, all-praised, Apostle and Evangelist, Mark, pray to God for us.

Illumined with divine rays, thou dost mystically, by reflection, emit radiant beams, O most blessed Mark, for thou didst preach the Word incarnate, the Timeless One, the praised and supremely glorious God of our fathers.

Holy, glorious, all-praised, Apostle and Evangelist, Mark, pray to God for us.

O Maker of all, having armed thy divinely eloquent disciple with divinely effective power, Thou didst make of him a wonderworker, for he hath dispelled affliction and healed wounds, preaching Thee, the supremely praised and supremely glorious God.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Having as teacher the divine Peter, the first in rank among the choir of the apostles, thou didst show thyself to be like unto him, for thou didst bring order to all the fullness of the Church of the supremely praised and supremely glorious God of our fathers.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Following the saying of Isaiah, O most glorious one, thou didst thyself set up a pillar in Egypt: the scripture of thy Gospel, for Him Who, without seed, was born of the Mother of God, proclaiming our supremely praised and supremely glorious God.

Ode VIII, Irmos: In the furnace as in a fiery smelter * the Israelite children shone more brightly than gold * with the beauty of godliness, * as they exclaimed: Bless the Lord all ye works of the Lord, * hymn and supremely exalt Him throughout all ages.

Holy, glorious, all-praised, Apostle and Evangelist, Mark, pray to God for us.

Christ, the Word begotten of the Father before all ages, Who clothed Himself in human nature, didst thou preach, O glorious one; and thou didst cry aloud: O all ye works of the Lord, hymn and supremely exalt the Lord throughout all ages!

Holy, glorious, all-praised, Apostle and Evangelist, Mark, pray to God for us.

O glorious one, thou didst glorify Christ Who gaveth Himself as deliverance from our offence and passion and raised up the fallen; and thou didst cry: O all ye works of the Lord, hymn and supremely exalt the Lord throughout all ages!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Submitting to the most wise teaching of Peter, O Mark, thou didst most wisely commit to writing the precious Gospel for the faithful who cry aloud: O all ye works of the Lord, hymn and supremely exalt the Lord throughout all ages!

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Bearing Emmanuel as an infant, the Virgin stood before the Egyptians, to whom Mark is set like a radiant star, crying aloud: O all ye works of the Lord, hymn and supremely exalt the Lord throughout all ages!

Ode IX, Irmos: The Bush, which burnt without being consumed, * prefigured thy pure birthgiving, O Theotokos. * Wherefore, we now entreat Thee: * quench the raging furnace of temptations that beset us, * that we may unceasingly magnify Thee.

Holy, glorious, all-praised, Apostle and Evangelist, Mark, pray to God for us.

Having reached the ineffable wellspring of the three-sunned radiance O divinely revealed one, and most manifestly delighting in the divinity therein, which is beyond the mind of mortals, thou dost now unceasingly rejoice with the angels O most blessed one.

Holy, glorious, all-praised, Apostle and Evangelist, Mark, pray to God for us.

As one who was familiar with the teachings of Peter, and his godly preaching, thou dwellest now in the heavenly mansions with him, O most blessed and godly-spoken one, do thou pray for us O apostle Mark.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

The Light, thrice-radiantly joined and strangely unified, didst thou piously preach, a right worthy one, illumined by a ray of grace. Wherefore, we entreat thee: Ever offer supplication on our behalf.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

The honoured apostle Mark was given as a holy hierarch to the Egyptians, to whom the Lord of glory had also come, incarnate as a babe through the pure Virgin Mother of God; and Him do we magnify as is meet.

Troparion, in Tone III: O holy apostle and evangelist Mark, * entreat the Merciful God * that He grant remission of sins ** unto our souls.

Another Troparion, same tone: Thou wast an apostle of Christ who learned from the pre-eminent Peter, * and didst shine like the sun upon the lands of the Alexandrians, * being their adornment. * Through thee was Egypt freed from deception, O blessed one, * who as the Church’s pillar of fire dost illumine all with thy teaching of the Gospel. * Wherefore, honouring thy memory, we keep splendid festival, ** O divinely eloquent Mark, entreat God, that He grant unto our souls, remission of sins.

The Sunday and Week of the Paralytic

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Dear brothers and sisters, Christ is Risen!

Happy St Mark’s Day!

On this feast of the Holy, All-Praised Apostle and Evangelist Mark, we congratulate our devoted Deacon, Father Mark, on his nameday. May God give him strength in his labours, and grant him many, blessed years!

After a rather minimal congregation, last Sunday, we were glad that the second bank-holiday weekend did not affect numbers, so that things were a little more normal, with forty adults in addition to the clergy, plus our parish children.

This was our oltarnik Oswald’s penultimate Cardiff Liturgy before leaving for the continent, on the first leg of the journeyman year of his apprenticeship.

We were very glad that after the considerable tidy-up – that we face every week – we were able to have social-time across the road in Brodie’s with him and our other young people. We will miss his icon stall in church, and I was glad that I finally remembered which icon I wanted last week, when Oswald had a bank-holiday event, at Woodchester Mansion, the home of his workshop and master.

And so, I returned home with the icon “Noli me tangere” (Do not touch me), showing the Risen Lord appearing to the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles, St Mary Magdalene. Though it was too late for the Sunday of the Myrrh-Baring Women, this icon will be ready for St Mary’s feast in July.

I have already encouraged anyone with spare or loose euros to bring them to church, as these would be most useful and welcome for our young parishioner as he starts his journey. So, please find your change and currency left-overs for Oswald.

As announced in church, we will be making a parish pilgrimage to Glastonbury on Saturday 20th May, hopefully beginning our day with a moleben to St Brigid and the saints of Glastonbury on Bride’s Mound, in Beckery, the site of an early monastic site, with Irish associations. We will then visit the abbey, before heading to the Tor and Chalice Well, possibly visiting the rural-life museum in the abbey barn, if time permits and pilgrims are so inclined! Anyone interested should email Tracy: t_sbrain@icloud.com

Today brought additions to the summer Walsingham Pilgrimage, from 24 – 27th July, and anyone others interested should contact me, Norman or Georgina asap, as I believe there are still some places left. We would love to see more parishioners join those of us who are taking advantage of Fr Dean’s kind invitation to join him and Butetown parishioners, once again.

I also announced that, unfortunately, we will be unable to celebrate our Ascension Day Liturgy in St Mary Butetown, as hoped, so I will check the possibility of celebrating in Nazareth House and make an announcement in the next few days. However, I am very glad to announce that we are able to return to St Mary’s for Friday Study Group, looking to commence on Friday 19th May at 19:00, meeting every fortnight. On these Fridays, confessions will be heard in St Mary’s before and after the sessions if needed.

This week will see confessions on Thursday, as I would like a quiet Friday before the monthly Liturgy for our Cheltenham Mission.

Those requiring confessions on Thursday should email me before noon on Wednesday.

The Cheltenham Liturgy will be celebrated in Prestbury United Reformed Church, as usual, with confessions from 09:15, and the Hours and Liturgy commencing at 10:00. Everyone is most welcome, and there will be a bring-and-share lunch after the service. We will call at Nazareth House on the way home, and any remaining confessions may be heard at that time. Email me please.

Please continue to make the celebration of the Paschal season a reality in your homes, with the joy of the season’s prayers and hymns in your daily spiritual-life. Some new parishioners are unaware of the glory of the Paschal Canon, which I encourage the faithful to continue to use throughout the season. However, the Paschal Canon in our prayerbooks is as used on the night of Pascha only, whereas after that night we also add Theotokia (troparia to the Mother of God). This full text, with the Theotokia may be found here:

https://www.stmaryofegypt.org/files/library/Bright-Week—Preparing-for-Holy-Communionb.pdf  

… an excellent ongoing addition to our prayers during Pascha.

Atgyfododd Crist!

Hieromonk Mark

The Canon to the Holy Great-Martyr George

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As we celebrate the feast of the Holy Great-Martyr and Trophy-Bearer George, we congratulate our parishioners George and Georgiy, as well as sending greetings to Dedushka Georgiy, in Crimea, and to our brothers Reader George, Georgije (Joshua) our former parishioner Yury, to George Tattum-Smith and George Ioannou.

Congratulations, dear brothers.

May God grant you many years!

Canon I of the great martyr, the composition of Theophanes, in Tone II.

Ode I, Irmos: In the deep of old the infinite Power overwhelmed Pharaoh’s whole army. * But the Incarnate Word annihilated pernicious sin. * Exceedingly glorious is the Lord, * for gloriously hath He been glorified.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Standing, most radiant, before the precious throne of Him Who hath dominion over all, by thy supplications and intercessions preserve those who call upon thee with fervent faith and love, O martyr of Christ, crown-bearer George.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Thou wast a noble field of Christ, O George, cultivated by the acts of thy martyrdom, and the Judge of the contest hath laid thee up in the treasuries of heaven as most glorious riches, in that thou didst contend most excellently.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Called to struggles, O George, thou didst strive steadfastly and with endurance, O most blessed George, and having cast down the bold array of the tyrants, thou hast become an advocate for all who call upon thee.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Thou hast now received the blessed life which is hidden in Christ, for which thou didst contend, even to the shedding of thy blood, O George. Pray thou, that those who hymn thee be saved from every evil circumstances, O passion-bearer.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Thou wast a noetic heaven, O Mother of God, containing within thy womb the heavenly Word by Whom all things – heaven and earth, and those things that are above them – came into being. Wherefore, pray thou with boldness, that He save those who hymn thee.

Another Irmos: The people of Israel passed dry-shod across the watery deep of the Red Sea * and beholding the riders and captains of the enemy * swallowed by the waters, they cried out for joy: * ‘Let us chant unto our God, for He hath been glorified.’

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Thou hast finished the course of sacred sufferings, and, arriving in the heaven, hast been shown to be an incorrupt crown-bearer, O George, revealing thyself to be a right flourishing traveller; and thou joinest chorus with the angels, chanting: Let us sing unto our God, for He hath been glorified!

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Thou hast finished the course of sacred sufferings, and, arriving in the heaven, hast been shown to be an incorrupt crown-bearer, O George, revealing thyself to be a right flourishing traveller; and thou joinest chorus with the angels, chanting: Let us sing unto our God, for He hath been glorified!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

While thou wast still in pain, thou wast shown to the heavenly choirs of the incorporeal beings to pour forth a torrent of blessings, O George, and didst amaze the ranks of mortals with thy divine sufferings. And dancing with them, thou criest out: Let us sing unto our God, for He hath been glorified!

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

 The staff of Aaron which budded forth prefigured thee, the most pure one from the root of Jesse, who for the world produced a Flower: God incarnate. Cease thou never to entreat Him on behalf of us who flee to thee, O Ever- Virgin.

Ode III, Irmos: The desert of the barren Church of the nations * blossomed like a lily * at Thy coming, O Lord, * therein hath my heart been established.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Resplendent in the crown of suffering, O glorious and blessed one, entreat God our Redeemer, that He deliver from all necessity those who piously call upon thee.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Illumined with rich effulgence, O most wise one, from us who praise thee with faith drive far away dark grief and the gloom of the passions.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Made steadfast by hope and love, and fortified by faith, O George, strengthened by the power of Christ thou didst cast down the delusion of the idols.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

O most pure one, thou gavest birth in the flesh to the Incorporeal One Who hath enlightened the ends of the earth, and Who before all things is co-unoriginate with the Father. Wherefore, we the faithful honour thee, the Theotokos.

Canon II, Irmos: Likened to a barren woman * the Church from among the nations hath given birth, * and the assembly abundant in children, hath grown weak. * Let us cry out to our wondrous God: * Holy art Thou, O Lord!

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Thou didst quietly distribute thy wealth to the poor, O George, and, having anointed thyself with the oil of love as an athlete, thou didst with body and soul vanquish the tyrant.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Thou didst quietly distribute thy wealth to the poor, O George, and, having anointed thyself with the oil of love as an athlete, thou didst with body and soul vanquish the tyrant.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Made steadfast by grace, and consumed with the fire of zeal, thou wast not visible to those who interrogated thee, nor wast thou found by those who sought thee, O George, being angered for Christ’s sake at the delusion of the idols.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

As thou bearest in thine arms and feedest at thy breast Him Who feedeth every creature, O Theotokos Mary, worshiping Him we proclaim: Pray thou to Him, O pure one, on behalf of us all!

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Sessional Hymn of the great martyr, in Tone VIII: Spec. Mel.: “Of the Wisdom …”: Manfully contending in every manner of piety, O martyr, casting down the delusion of impiety thou didst trample the arrogance of the enemy underfoot; and ever burning with divine desire, thou didst quench the ungodly savagery of the tyrants. Wherefore, thou hast fittingly received a crown as the reward for thy torments, and grantest healings unto those who have recourse to thee with faith. O passion-bearer George, entreat Christ God, that He grant forgiveness of sins unto those who celebrate thy holy memory with love.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Sessional Hymn in the same tone & melody: Having distributed thine earthly riches to the poor on earth, O wise martyr, through thy labours thou hast inherited heavenly riches; for, armed with the precious Cross as with a breast-plate, thou didst thereby put the arrogance of the tyrants to shame. Wherefore, by thy supplications thou grantest divine gifts and the benefactions of healings unto those who petition thee. O passion-bearer George, entreat Christ God, that He grant forgiveness of transgressions unto those who celebrate thy holy memory with love.

Ode IV, Irmos: From a Virgin didst Thou come forth, not as an ambassador, * nor as an Angel, * but the very Lord himself incarnate, * and didst save me, the whole man; * wherefore I cry unto Thee: * Glory to Thy power, O Lord!

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

O most blessed George, we hymn thy struggles, whereby thou didst break asunder the worship of the idols; and thou didst set at naught all the delusion of the demons, O most glorious one.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Still thou the turbulence of perils and misfortunes, O right wondrous one, and dispel from those who hymn thee as a warrior of Christ every evil assault of the demons.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Thou hast shone forth like a radiant star, O George, driving away dark delusion with valour of spirit and steadfastness of faith, and saving those who hymn thee.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

O Virgin, thou gavest birth to Him Who is in essence salvation, saving mankind in the richness of His goodness and his essential kindness, and restoring His image which had become corrupt.

Another Irmos: I have heard, O Christ, truly most glorious report of Thee, * how being God immortal, * Thou didst assume the likeness of a mortal man, * yet remained what Thou wast before. * Wherefore, I glorify Thy power.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

The utterance of the words of thy wisdom, which transcended the human mind, struck the tyrants with awe before their tribunal, O George, and Christ God was acknowledged by those who knew Him not.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

With the word of the faith of Christ, O all-wise George, thou didst demolish the philosophers’ weaving of vile myths, and thou didst mock their gods as passion-ridden creatures, O champion of the Trinity.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

The tyrants who heard the report of thy words were put to shame, for, mocking their gods, thou didst show them to be objects of derision, preaching Christ God, Who was crucified in the flesh and hath abolished soul-destroying delusion.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

We glorify thee, O most pure one, the only Theotokos, the true Ever-Virgin, whom the bush which was mingled with fire without being consumed prefigured for Moses the God-beholder.

Ode V, Irmos: O Christ my Saviour, the enlightenment of those lying in the darkness of sin. * I rise early to hymn Thee O King of Peace, * enlighten me with Thy radiance, * for I know no other God than Thee.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

As thou hast the boldness of a martyr before the Master, earnestly beseech salvation for those who hymn thee, doing away with their spiritual ailments by thine entreaties, O passion-bearing martyr, most blessed George.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

As thou joinest chorus with the choirs of angels and martyrs, O crown-bearer, and sharest in immortal and blessed glory, rescue those who have recourse to thy protection from threefold waves and tempest.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Deliver us from all necessity, O Christ, in that Thou art merciful, dispelling the multifarious turmoil of sin and misfortune, and accepting the supplications of George Thy favourite.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Thou didst repay the debt of our first mother Eve, O Mother of God; for thou didst wrap in flesh the Saviour of the world Who was born of thee. Wherefore, we all call thee blessed, O joyous and all-immaculate Virgin.

Another Irmos: Do Thou O Lord send down upon us * Thine enlightenment, and free us * from the gloom of transgression, O Good One, * granting us Thy peace.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Wrestling like an athlete and manfully contending against the causes of divers deceptions, O George, naked to the world thou didst strip away the might of the cruel prince of this world.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Wrestling like an athlete and manfully contending against the causes of divers deceptions, O George, naked to the world thou didst strip away the might of the cruel prince of this world.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Protected by the weapon of the Cross, O George, with the hope of faith and mighty love thou didst blunt the sharp edges of all the weaponry of the cruel adversary.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

The womb of the virgin put to shame the understanding of the tyrants; for a child received the deadly sting of an adder in his hand, but George, casting down the prideful one who fell away from God, hath humbled him beneath the feet of the faithful.

Ode VI, Irmos: Whirled about in the abyss of sin, * I appeal to the unfathomable abyss of Thy compassion: * Raise me up from corruption, O God.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Transcending nature, all telling and understanding are the brave deeds of thy valour, which are unceasingly hymned, O most blessed martyr George.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

In that thou art a converser with the army of heaven, and beholdest the revelation of God insofar as thou canst attain thereto, O blessed one, save those who honour thee with faith.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Inclining toward God in every way, and receiving the effulgence of miracles, O most blessed George, thou dost distribute gifts to those in need.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

I now flee to thee, O most pure one. Save and preserve me by the supplications; for thou canst do all things whatsoever thou desirest, in that thou art the Mother of the Almighty.

Another Irmos: Prefiguring Thy three-day burial * Prophet Jonah praying in the belly of the sea-monster cried aloud: * Deliver me from corruption * O Jesus Thou King of hosts.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Thou didst cry out to the Creator with boldness, O George: “Give not thy servant over to the iniquitous, but grant me the strength to destroy their arrogance!”

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Scorning the vessels of the torturers, O George, of thine own will thou didst manfully hasten to the contest, and hast been crowned by Christ God with the honours of victory.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

The deceitful tyrants, their threats turned to wonder during the testing of thy virtue, O George, marvelled at Christ, the Bestower of life, Whom thou didst preach.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. 

Of old the serpent deceived me and made me subject to death through my first mother Eve; but now, O pure one, He Who created me hath through thee called me back from corruption.

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Kontakion of the great martyr, in Tone IV: Spec. Mel.: “Having been lifted up …”: Having been cultivated by God, * thou didst show thyself to be a most honourable husbandman of piety, * gathering to thyself the sheaves of the virtues; * for, having sown in tears, thou reapest in gladness, * and having suffered in the shedding of thy blood, * thou hast received Christ. * And by thy supplications, * O holy one, ** thou grantest forgiveness of sins unto all.

Ikos: Desiring Christ the King, Who laid down His life for the life of the world, the warrior hastened to die for Him, and, possessing great and divine zeal in his heart, he brought himself to Him. With faith, then, let us all hymn the divine George as a fervent intercessor, a glorious servant of Christ, who manifestly emulated his Master and respondeth to everyone who approacheth him; for he doth ever hasten to entreat the Saviour, that He grant forgiveness of sins unto all.

Ode VII, Irmos: The godless order of the lawless tyrant * fanned the roaring flame; * but Christ bedewed the God-fearing children with the Spirit, * therefore He is greatly blessed and highly exalted.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Emulating thy Master, O glorious martyr, thou didst willingly hasten to the struggle, and having received the victory hast become the guardian of the Church of Christ. Do thou ever preserve it by thine intercession.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

As an invincible martyr, as an athlete, as an unvanquished champion of the Faith, O all-wise George, be thou now an unshakable pillar far those who praise thee, protecting them by thy supplications.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Having wisely cultivated the divine seed, thou hast multiplied it, watering it with the torrents of thy blood, with the urgency of thy pangs and divers wounds, whereby thou didst put down the savagery of the tyrants.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Thou didst remain a virgin even after giving birth, for thou gavest birth to God Who feedeth all creatures in His ineffable mercy, and Who in His great loving-kindness became a man, O pure one. Him do thou entreat, that our souls be saved.

Another Irmos: Of old the Children of Abraham in Babylon * trampled down the flame of the furnace, * crying aloud with hymns: * O God of our Fathers, blessed art Thou.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Seeing the delusion of idolatry prevailing, O George, burning with the zeal of piety thou didst give thyself over to struggles.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Thou wast shown to preach the persecuted Faith, O George, and, denouncing the darkness of delusion, thou didst say: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Thou didst cut off falsehood at the root, didst cultivate great faith by piety, O George, and didst rejoice, saying: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Thou art more exalted than all creatures, O Theotokos, in that thou gavest birth to the Creator and Lord. Wherefore, I cry to thee: O blessed one, the Lord of hosts is with thee!

ODE VIII, Irmos: In Babylon, the activity of the fire was once divided, * for, by the command of God it consumed the Chaldeans, * but bedewed the faithful, who chant: * Bless ye the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

By thy supplications, O crown-bearer George, bring a halt to the torrent of cruel sufferings and misfortunes, tumultuous evil circumstances, attacks of pain, the wiles of the demons and the assaults of the ungodly.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Wholly illumined with purity by the light of the Trinity, O blessed dweller in heaven, as an invincible martyr, a champion of piety and a divinely crowned victor, by thy supplications save those who honour thee.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Adorned in every way with the noetic crown and diadem of the kingdom, dignified with a sceptre and arrayed in a royal robe empurpled in thy blood, O blessed one, thou reignest with the King of hosts.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

O Virgin Mother, thou gavest birth to Him Who was begotten timelessly of the Father, Who shone forth before time began and hath created all things, visible and invisible. Wherefore, we and all the terrestrial nations glorify thee, the Theotokos

Another Irmos: Rejoicing in their condemnation by the tyrant * for not worshiping all his abominable gods, * but only the living God, * the children braved the fire; and, bedewed by the Angel, * they chanted the hymn: * Hymn the Lord, all ye works, * and supremely exalt Him throughout all ages!

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Strengthened by the Spirit, thou didst spurn the instruments of pain, for thou wouldst not offer praise to deaf idols, but only to Christ God, having acquired roving faith in Him, O George; and thou didst say: Hymn the Lord, all ye works, and supremely exalt Him throughout all ages!

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Seeking after no transitory beauty, rejoicing in the hope of divine life, O George, thou didst undergo divers afflictions; and paying no heed to thy terrible dismemberment, with steadfastness of soul thou didst say: Hymn the Lord, all ye works, and supremely exalt Him throughout all ages!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. 

Seeing thy body cut apart by instruments of bronze and dismembered limb by limb with sharp knives, alive in spirit thou didst say: “These present tortures are for the glory which is to come, O ye unworthy! Hymn the Lord, all ye works, and supremely exalt Him throughout all ages!”

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. 

The Lord of all, Who formed thee from the rib of Adam, became incarnate of thy virginity; and, hymning Him, we cry: All ye works, bless and hymn the Lord, and supremely exalt Him throughout all ages!

Ode IX, Irmos: The Son of the unoriginate Father, God and Lord, * hath appeared to us incarnate of a Virgin, * to enlighten those in darkness, * and to gather the dispersed; * therefore the all-hymned Theotokos do we magnify.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Unceasingly entreat the Lord for us who hymn thee, O blessed one, as a martyr of Christ who vanquished the tyrant, as an expeller of evils spirits, a tireless guardian, a helper unashamed.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

The Master of all hath richly rewarded thee for thy sufferings, O thrice-blessed one; and, standing before him with the boldness of a martyr, preserve those who call upon thee with gladness.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

The earth covered thee, but heaven received thee and manifestly opened unto thee the gates of paradise, O athlete; and joyously dancing and leaping up therein, by thy supplications preserve those who hymn thee with faith.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

The tabernacle of the witness, wherein were the tablets of the law, the jar of manna and the golden ark, prefigured thee, O most pure one; for like it, O Theotokos, thou didst contain the unoriginate Word, incarnate, within thy womb.

Another Irmos: O pure Theotokos, thou art our boast, * thou who wast born of earthborn mortals * yet hast given birth unto the Creator: * wherefore, we magnify thee * as the Sovereign Lady of all creation.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us.

Priests hymn, kings praise and the people utter laudation to thy sufferings, O martyr George; wherefore, we all call thee blessed.

Holy Great-Martyr George, pray to God for us. 

Priests hymn, kings praise and the people utter laudation to thy sufferings, O martyr George; wherefore, we all call thee blessed.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. 

All the hosts of heaven hymned thy struggles; for, sacrificing thyself, thou wast well pleasing to God, O martyr George. Wherefore, we all call thee blessed.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. 

Rejoice, O pure Theotokos our boast, who sprang forth from mortal parents and gavest birth to the Creator! Thee do we magnify as her who hath dominion over creation.

Troparion, Tone IV: As a liberator of captives, * a helper of the poor, * and a physician of the infirm, O champion of kings, * victorious great martyr George, ** entreat Christ God, that our souls be saved.

The Canon of the Holy Myrrh-Bearers

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Christ is Risen!

Matins of the Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearers is blessed with a fine canon, and it would be appropriate and spiritually beneficial to use it in our home prayer throughout this week.

Ode I, Irmos: Taking up the Song of Moses, O my soul, * cry aloud: * “A helper and a protector hath become unto me salvation. * My God, * whom I will glorify”.

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

Thou wast crucified in the flesh, O Thou Who art passionless by the nature of the Father; and Thou was pierced in the side, thereby causing blood and water to spring forth for the world. Thou art our God, and we glorify Thee.

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

I honour Thy Cross and I glorify Thy Burial, O Good One, and I praise and worship Thine Arising, and I cry out: Thou art our God and we glorify Thee.

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

Though Thou didst taste of gall, O Thou Who art the sweetness of the Church, yet didst Thou cause incorruption to spring forth for us from Thy side. Thou art our God, and we glorify Thee.

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

O Savior, Thou wast counted among the dead, Thou Who didst raise up the dead. Thou didst taste of corruption, though Thou didst in no wise know corruption. Thou art our God, and we glorify Thee.

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

Let Sion rejoice, and let Heaven be glad; Christ is risen, having raised up the dead who chant: Thou art our God, and we glorify Thee.

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

Having wrapped Thy Body with fine linen, O Christ, Joseph laid Thee, our Salvation, in a new sepulcher; and as God, Thou didst raise up the dead.

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

Anticipating the dawn, the women beheld Christ, and cried unto the divine disciples: Truly Christ is risen; come and praise Him together with us.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

O all-holy Trinity, one Godhead, beginningless Unity: Father, Son, and Divine Spirit, save the world. Thou art our God, and we glorify Thee.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Thou didst loose the ancient curse by thy womb, O modest one, by blossoming forth the Blessing for us, when thou didst give birth unto a Child. For He is God, though He weareth flesh.

Katavasia: It is the Day of Resurrection, * let us be radiant, O ye people; * Pascha, the Lord’s Pascha: * for from death to life, * and from earth to heaven, * Christ God hath brought us, * as we sing the song of victory

Ode III, Irmos: My mind hath not brought forth good fruit, * but do Thou show me to be fruitful * in Thy compassion O God, * Thou husbandman of all good things.

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

When Thy palms were nailed to the Cross, O Jesus, Thou didst bring all the nations together out of error and didst call them unto knowledge of Thee, O Savior.

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

The people of the Jews cried unto Pilate: Release unto us the villainous thief; away with the Sinless One, away with Him, crucify Him!

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

When Thou wast crucified, O Christ, the light was darkened, the earth was shaken, and the many of the dead arose from the grave out of fear of Thy power.

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

As she stood at the Cross, Thine ewe-lamb cried out lamenting, O Jesus: Whither goest Thou, my Son? Whither dost Thou depart, O Lamb, Who art slain on behalf of all?

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

I worship Thy Cross, I praise Thy Burial, I honour Thy Passion, and the nails in Thy hands, and the lance, and Thy Resurrection, O Jesus.

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

Thou art arisen, O Jesus, the enemy is despoiled, Adam is delivered together with Eve from the bonds of corruption by Thy Resurrection.

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

When Thou didst arise, O Christ, the bars were shattered, and the gates of Hades and the bonds of death were straightway rent asunder out of fear of Thy power.

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

O God-receiving Joseph, come and stand with us, and cry: Risen is Jesus the Redeemer, Who in His compassion hath raised up Adam.

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

Let the choir of the twelve disciples rejoice with us, together with the myrrhbearing women and Joseph, and the other disciples and women disciples of Christ.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

I worship and praise the one Nature: the Father, the Son and the Upright Spirit, divided in Hypostases and united in Essence.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Blessed art thou, O pure one, who art of the root of Jesse, and from whom Christ, the Rod and Blossom, blossomed forth in the flesh for us.

Katavasia: Come, let us drink a new drink, * not one miraculously brought forth from a barren rock * but the Fountain of Incorruption, * springing forth from the tomb of Christ, * in Whom we are strengthened.

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Sessional Hymn, Tone II: The women brought myrrh * and came unto Thy sepulcher. * Their souls filled with joy * on seeing the bright Angel’s light. * With great zeal and boldness, O Lord, they preached that Thou art the God of all, * and to Thy disciples they cried: ** The Life of all hath arisen from the dead.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Tone II: The choir of Thy disciples rejoice with one voice together * with the myrrhbearing women, * for they celebrate a common feast with them, * unto the glory and honour of Thy Resurrection; * and through them we cry to Thee: ** O Lord and Lover of mankind, grant great mercy unto Thy people.

Ode IV, Irmos: The prophet foreseeing Thy birth from a virgin, * prophesied crying aloud: * “I have heard report of Thee, and I was afraid; * For from the South, from the Overshadowed mountain * shalt thou come forth O Christ”

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

By the Cross Thou didst bind the belly of Hades, and didst raise up the dead together with Thyself, and didst destroy the tyranny of death. Wherefore, we who are of Adam worship and praise Thy burial and arising, O Christ.

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

O our Savior, Whose good pleasure it was, for the sake of Thy compassionate mercy to be nailed to the Cross and redeem us from the paternal curse, loose the bonds of my many transgressions, for Thou art able to accomplish whatsoever Thou dost will.

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

O Thou Who didst nail to the Cross mine ancient curse, and didst cause blessing to pour forth for me from Thy side by Thy blood, O Savior, loose Thou the bonds of my many transgressions, for Thou art able to accomplish whatsoever Thou dost will.

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

When hades met Thee in the nethermost regions, it was embittered, O Savior, seeing those whom it had the power to devour aforetime, now given up involuntarily; and its depths searched out, stripped, and despoiled of its dead.

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

Though the stone was sealed, and the sentry was present, O ye lawless foes, yet the Lord arose as He foretold, loosing the bonds of my many transgressions, for He is able to accomplish whatsoever He doth will.

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

O Thou Who didst arise from the sepulcher and didst despoil Hades and quicken the dead, and didst cause incorruption to flow forth for me by Thine arising, loose Thou the bonds of my many transgressions, for Thou art able to accomplish whatsoever Thou dost will.

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

Truly ye have been put to shame, ye lawless ones; for Christ is risen and hath raised up the dead together with Himself, crying: Take courage, I have conquered the world. Be ye therefore convinced by Him or be ye silent, ye deceivers, who set at naught His Resurrection.

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

O Thou Who didst call unto the myrrh-bearers: Rejoice, when Thou didst arise from the grave, O Good One, and unto the Apostles: Proclaim Mine arising; loose Thou the bonds of my many transgressions, for Thou art able to accomplish whatsoever Thou dost will.

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

Let us honour the noble Joseph, the zealot of piety, the counselor and disciple, together with the myrrh-bearers and the apostles, while crying out together with them and radiantly praising the Savior’s Resurrection with faith.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Who can tell of the immeasurable glory of the Godhead, transcendent in essence? for being the Trinity by nature, He is praised as beginningless and consubstantial, and is hymned as a Unity in Trinity, in simple hypostases.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Do thou unceasingly entreat Him Who dwelt in thy womb, O pure Virgin Mother, and Whom thou, the Theotokos, didst bear without knowing a man, that He loose the bonds of my many transgressions; for thou art able to help in whatsoever thou dost will.

Katavasia: On divine watch * let the God-inspired Habakkuk stand with us, * and show forth the light-bearing angel * clearly saying: * Today salvation is come to the world, * for Christ is risen as Almighty.

Ode V, Irmos: Having dispelled the gloom of my soul, * O my Savior, do Thou illumine me * with the light of Thy commandments * for Thou alone art the King of peace.

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

When Thou wast clothed with me, Thou didst divest me of mine ancient garment which, alas! the sower of sin wove for me, O Savior.

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

Alas! my sin hath sewn fig leaves for me who by the counsel of the serpent have not kept Thine immaculate commandment, O Savior.

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

Though my soul was wounded by my thieving thoughts; Christ, Who came forth from Mary, hath healed it, by pouring oil thereon.

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

Standing by the Cross, the most pure Theotokos called out with a maternal voice: Thou hast left me alone, O my Son and God.

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

By the weapon of Thy Cross Thou hast put down the serpent, the author of evil, and by Thine arising Thou hast broken the sting of death, O Jesus.

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

Let Adam also cry out: O Death, where is thy sting? O Hades, where is thy victory? Thou art destroyed by the quickening of Him that raiseth the dead.

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

The myrrhbearing women, on reaching the sepulcher of Him that quickeneth them that are below, heard a voice saying: Christ is risen.

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

While celebrating the memory of the pious myrrh-bearers and of all Thy disciples on thy radiant arising, we praise Thee, O Christ.

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee

As is meet, let us all honor the noble Joseph, who took down the Body of the Lord from the Tree and faithfully buried it.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Thee, the God and Father, and the Son and the Spirit, do I worship, in three hypostases, and I believe the One to be Three, in one essence.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

We the faithful praise thee, who by a seedless conception didst give birth in a manner transcending nature, to Christ, the only Master, Who hath renewed nature.

Katavasia: Let us awake in the deep dawn, * and instead of myrrh, offer a hymn * to the Master, * and we shall see Christ, the Sun of Righteousness, * Who causeth life to dawn for all.

Ode VI, Irmos: I am held fast in the depths of sin O Savior, * and am overwhelmed by the sea of life, * but as Jonah was delivered from the sea-monster, * so also deliver me from the passions, * and save me.

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

Hades is dead, take courage, O ye earthborn, for while Christ was hanging upon the Tree, He struck the sword against him, and he lieth dead; for, being stripped naked, he was despoiled of those he held.

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

Hades hath been despoiled, take courage, O ye dead; and the tombs have been opened: arise. Thus did Christ cry unto you from Hades, as One Who hath come to deliver all from death and corruption.

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

The dead, which at one time thou didst have the power to devour, and which now are demanded of thee, do thou give back to Me, O Hades, crieth God, the Giver of life, Who hath come to deliver all from thine insatiate belly.

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

O ye myrrh-bearing women, why hasten ye now? Why bring ye myrrh unto the Living One? Christ is risen, as He foretold. Let your tears cease and be changed into joy.

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

Having wrapped Thee in linen, O Christ, the noble Joseph laid Thee in a tomb; and having anointed with myrrh the fallen temple of Thy Body, he rolled a great stone before the sepulcher.

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

The Lord is risen and hath despoiled the enemy, and having plucked out them that were in fetters, He hath led them all forth, as well as Adam the first-fashioned, when He raised them up, since He is compassionate and the Lover of mankind.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

O ye faithful, let us praise the Trinity in Unity, glorifying the Father with the Son, and the Spirit Who is consubstantial with the Son, and Who with the Father is co-beginningless and everlasting God.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Like a vineyard didst thou conceive untilled in thy womb the Cluster of grapes wherefrom, like wine, there pour forth for us torrents of immortality, even eternal life.

Katavasia: Thou didst descend into * the nethermost parts of the earth, * and didst shatter the eternal bars * that held the fettered, O Christ, * and on the third day, * like Jonah from the whale, * Thou didst arise from the tomb.

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Kontakion, Tone II: When Thou didst cry, Rejoice, unto the Myrrh-bearers, * Thou didst make the lamentation of Eve the first mother * to cease by Thy Resurrection, O Christ God. * And Thou didst bid Thine apostles to preach: ** The Savior is risen from the grave.

Ikos: As the Myrrh-bearers went to Thy tomb, O Savior, they were perplexed in mind and said to themselves: Who will roll the stone away from the sepulcher for us? And looking up, they saw that the stone was rolled away. They were awestruck by the form of the angel and his raiment. They were taken with trembling and thought to flee; and the youth cried unto them: Be not afraid; He Whom ye seek is risen; come, behold the place where the body of Jesus lay, and go quickly, proclaim unto the disciples: The Savior is risen from the grave.

Ode VII, Irmos: Like unto the cherubim, the children rejoicing in the furnace sang: * “Blessed art Thou O God, * for in truth Thou hast brought this judgment upon us * because of our sins, * Thou art supremely praised and glorified throughout all ages”.

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

Thou, as the Lover of mankind, wishing to save from error all whom Thou hadst fashioned, didst deign to be nailed to the Cross, that by Thy flesh Thou mightest renew this image demolished by the passions, O Savior; and despoiling Hades, Thou didst raise up the dead with Thyself.

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

When Thou wast lifted up upon the Cross, O Compassionate One, Thou didst call all unto Thyself, as Thou didst promise, O Good One. For in truth Thou wast pleased to suffer all these things because of our sins. Wherefore, Thou didst also open the gates of Paradise unto the thief, O Savior.

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

Thou didst raise up the fallen temple of Thy Body from the grave on the third day, as Thou didst promise, O Good One, that in truth Thou mightest make known Thy glory which Thou dost cause to flow for us through faith; and thou didst take away those who were in bonds, whom Hades had held of old in fetters.

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

O mindlessness of the Jews! O frenzy of the lawless! What thing did ye see, that ye believed not in Christ? For did He not by a word raise up the sick? Or did He not Himself save the whole world? At least, let the soldiers or those that arose from the dead convince you.

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

Let the guards who became as dead now say: How was He stolen, Whom the ungrateful ones in no wise saw? For if they saw Him not arisen, how would they ever have perceived how He was stolen? At least, let this stone and Christ’s funeral shrouds convince you.

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

Whom do ye guard as dead? What seals have ye placed upon the stone, O ye Jews, who fear the fear of theft? Behold, in truth the grave is sealed. How, therefore, did He arise, were Christ not God? * Let them that arose and were seen by many convince you.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

With the Father we glorify the Son and the Holy Spirit, crying with unceasing voice: O Trinity, single essence, have mercy, save us all, Thou Who art a Unity in three Hypostases; have compassion on us, O God, Who art glorified unto the ages.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

O most pure One, how, except in a manner as He willed and as He knew, didst thou contain in thy womb a Child before Whom the hosts of angels tremble, since He is God? He dwelt among us, wishing to save all the earthborn of Adam and to loose Adam from that curse which came from the bitter tasting.

Katavasia: He Who delivered the Children from the furnace, * became man, suffereth as a mortal, * and through His Passion * doth clothe mortality with the beauty of incorruption, * He is the only blessed and most glorious * God of our fathers.

Ode VIII, Irmos: Unto Him Who of old prefigured the miracle of the Virgin, * unto Moses in the burning-bush * on Mount Sinai, * let us sing, bless and supremely exult throughout all ages.

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

The beams of the sun withdrew themselves in fear before the sufferings of Christ, and the dead arose, and the mountains shook, and the earth trembled, and Hades was laid bare.

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

The thrice-blessed Children who were in the furnace of old, raising up their hands, prefigured Thine immaculate Cross, O Good One, whereby Thou didst cast down the might of the enemy, O Christ.

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

O ye blind Jews, deceivers and transgressors, who disbelieved Christ’s arising as though it were a lie: What do ye see that is unbelievable? that Christ, Who raised up the dead, is risen?

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

Who is it that withered the fig tree? Who is it that healed the withered hand? Who is it that once filled the multitude in the wilderness? Is it not Christ God, Who raised up the dead?

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

Who is it that raised from the grave, the man four-days dead, and the son of the widow? Who is it that, as God, strengthened the paralytic on his bed? Is it not Christ God, Who raised up the dead?

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

The stone itself crieth, the seals call out; when ye placed them, ye appointed a watch to guard the tomb. Truly Christ is risen, and He liveth throughout the ages.

Let us bless Father, Son, Holy Spirit, the Lord!

We glorify the Son and the Holy Spirit together with the Father, even the Holy Trinity in one Godhead and we cry: Holy, Holy, Holy art Thou throughout the ages.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Without suffering change, thou didst give birth unto One, even Christ God, Who is twofold of nature, Who, as the ever-living Bread, was fashioned without fashioning in thy womb, according to our fashion.

Katavasia: This chosen and holy day * is the first of the Sabbaths, * the queen and lady, feast of feasts, * and the festival of festivals, * wherein we bless Christ throughout the ages.

Ode IX, Irmos: In a manner surpassing nature * hath the Word who timelessly shone forth from the Father, * been conceived within a womb, * according to the flesh, * O ye faithful with never silent hymns let us magnify Him.

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

When the thief recognized Thee as God upon the Cross, Thou didst make him an heir of the noetic Paradise, as he cried out: Remember me, O Almighty Savior.

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

Thou wast smitten for our sake, Thou wast spat upon by the lawless men, O Jesus, Who didst inscribe the tablets of the Law on Mount Sinai for Thy servant Moses.

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

Thou was pierced in Thy life-creating side, O Christ, and Thou didst cause Thine immaculate Blood and the precious Water to flow forth as an ever-living fount for the world.

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

Thou wast accounted among the dead, O Thou Who didst quicken the dead; Thou wast laid in a grave, Who didst empty the graves; Thou didst despoil Hades, O Thou Who didst resurrect Adam.

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

Glory be to Thee, O Christ Savior, Who didst cause life to flow forth, and the light to shine upon those in the darkness of ignorance, and Who hast illumined the whole world by Thine arising.

Glory to Thee, Our God, Glory to Thee.

Let us acclaim the wondrous Joseph, as well as Nicodemus and the faithful Myrrh-bearers, O ye faithful, as we cry out: The Lord is truly risen.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Thou art beginningless, O Father; uncreated art Thou, O Son; of equal rank is the Spirit; the Three being One by nature and Three in Hypostases, even one true God.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Let Jesse rejoice and let David dance, for behold, the Virgin, the rod planted by God, hath blossomed forth the Flower, even the everlasting Christ.

Katavasia: Shine, shine, O new Jerusalem, * for the glory of the Lord hath arisen upon thee; * dance now and be glad, O Zion, * and do thou exult, O pure Theotokos, * in the arising of Him Whom thou didst bear.

The Myrrh-Bearers’ Love Led to the Rediscovery of Hope

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“The myrrh-bearing women in the deep dawn stood before the tomb of the Giver of life; they found an angel sitting upon the stone, and he, speaking to them, said thus: Why seek ye the Living among the dead? Why mourn ye the Incorruptible amid corruption? Go, proclaim unto His disciples.”

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.

Dear brothers and sisters, Christ is Risen!

As we celebrate the Sunday of the Holy Myrrh-Bearers – Mary Magdalene, Mary the mother of James and Joses, Mary of Cleopas, Martha and Mary of Bethany, Joanna, Salome, Susanna – together with St Joseph of Arimathea and St Nicodemus, we encounter such enduring love and devotion for the Lord, which was not eclipsed by His outwardly ignominious death. This love and devotion continued, even though the Light had gone out in their lives and was replaced by confusion, spiritual and emotional darkness, fear and uncertainty

In the intended actions of the Myrrh-Bearers, we see the continued corporeal and loving concern for their Master in a continuation of their quiet but constant Gospel presence.

In the case of St Mary Magdalene, this is borne out by the fact that she is mentioned twelve times – more than anyone other than the apostles.

In his Gospel, St Luke, speaks of the material support given by several of those remembered by the Church as Myrrh-Bearing women:

“Soon afterwards he went on through cities and villages, proclaiming and bringing the good news of the kingdom of God. The twelve were with him, as well as some women who had been cured of evil spirits and infirmities: Mary, called Magdalene, from whom seven demons had gone out, and Joanna, the wife of Herod’s steward Chuza, and Susanna, and many others, who provided for them out of their resources.”

(Luke 8:1-3)

We have so recently commemorated the wonder of the raising of Lazarus, in whose home Mary and Martha, the Myrrh-Bearers, followed the Lord in their individual ways – Mary sitting attentively and contemplatively at His feet, and the ever-practical and busy Martha rushing around to provide for the Lord and the band of the disciples.

The world and lives of the Myrrh-Bearing women was Christocentric – living to serve the Lord, to enable His ministry, materially-providing for the preaching of the Gospel, and we are ALL indebted to them for their practical support for our Saviour’s ministry, in which they followed Him, providing and caring for Him and His disciples out of their own means (Mark 15:41).

Who was cooking, cleaning, washing, darning, mending… doing so many practical everyday things? Who was at the edges of the last Supper, though not appearing in the Gospel narrative?

As 21st century Christians and disciples, we still benefit from the support and labours of the women who enabled the Lord’s ministry, and we should be thankful to them even as we celebrate their memory.

In the dangerous days of Holy Week, after His arrest and during His trial and execution their faithfulness did not cease. Unlike the majority of the apostles, they did not flee, but rather stood by the Cross and then accompanied Him to His cursory, rushed burial in the Noble Joseph’s rock-hewn sepulchre.

What love and fearlessness devotion we see; what selflessness in ignoring danger and keeping vigil in the events of the passion and death of Christ; what faithfulness and loyalty, taking them all the way to the sepulchre, even though the disciples had fled in the darkness, confusion and fear that had descended upon the followers of the Lord.

But despite the fact that the Myrrh-Bearing women had not fled, the same darkness, confusion and fear must have gripped their lives, so soon after the events of Golgotha.

For them – whose lives had  been shaped by their constant support for Christ and the disciples – that life was over, or rather nearly over, as they prepared their last physical act of love for the Master.

Jesus – the centre of their world and meaning of their daily existence – was dead; their world had fallen apart; they had lost hope.

We sing of this in the verses on ‘Lord, I have cried…’:

“The myrrh-bearing women came to Thy tomb; and beholding the seals of the sepulchre and not finding Thine immaculate Body, they came with haste, lamenting and saying: Who hath stolen our Hope?”

This is also seen in the doxastikon of the vespers aposticha, in the poetic voice of Joseph of Arimathia, who presided over the burial after begging His body from Pilate:

“O Thou Who puttest on light like a garment, when Joseph with Nicodemus took Thee down from the Tree, and beheld Thee dead, naked, and unburied, he struck up a compassionate dirge,  and with mourning he said: Woe is me, O sweetest Jesus! When but a short while ago the Sun beheld Thee hanging upon the Cross, it shrouded itself in darkness, and the earth quaked with fear, and the veil of the Temple was rent asunder, But, behold, now I see Thee willingly submitting to death for my sake. How shall I bury Thee, O my God? Or how shall I wrap Thee with winding sheets? With what hands shall I touch Thine undefiled Body? Or what dirges shall I sing at Thy departure, O Compassionate One?”

However, the very fact that the women came through the darkness of that first Paschal morning bearing sweet aromatics shows that though life as they knew it was over, their love and devotion endured, and the sacred final demonstration of this had to be performed and fulfilled.

But, though this love and devotion survived, hope had indeed vanished as they worried about how they would even gain access to the tomb with the great stone blocking the entrance. The physical darkness of that pre-dawn was an outer sign of the inner darkness that must have enveloped them when their Light was extinguished on the Cross.

How confusing and nonsensical this must have seemed, after all they had witnessed – miracles, healings, the blind made to see, the deaf to hear, the lame to walk, lepers made clean, and not only the recently dead raised up, but even the raising of Lazarus – a four days dead decomposing corpse!

For those who saw Jesus, heard Jesus, fed Jesus… treasured every hour and day in His presence, how could anything make sense anymore?

The matins canon asks,

“Who is it that withered the fig tree? Who is it that healed the withered hand? Who is it that once filled the multitude in the wilderness? Is it not Christ God, Who raised up the dead?

Who is it that raised from the grave, the man four-days dead, and the son of the widow? Who is it that, as God, strengthened the paralytic on his bed? Is it not Christ God, Who raised up the dead?”

… and the Myrrh-Bearers must surely have ben reflecting on these self-same wonders, trying to reconcile them with the expectation of the Lord’s dead and lifeless corpse in the Arimathean’s tomb.

Can we, who celebrated the Resurrection in the dark hours of Pascha night knowing what they didn’t know, even begin to understand their pain, their loss, their confusion and the darkness that had swallowed their world as the Light of the World seemed to have set for ever?

We celebrated the solemn and saving events of Holy Week – with the Saviour’s arrest, trial, torture, humiliation, crucifixion, death and burial – already knowing the joyful reality that the Myrrh-Bearers didn’t discover until the revelation of the Resurrection at the garden-tomb, and even though filled with compunction and sadness in our commemoration of the events of the Great and Holy Week, we did so with the joyous foreknowledge of the Resurrection. They did not!

We started the celebration of their annual Paschal memorial and their dawn-discovery by singing ‘Christ is Risen from the dead…’, but as they journeyed through the darkness to the sealed-tomb, they had no knowledge of the wonder that awaited them.

They had every excuse to be confused, fearful, anxious, enveloped in mental, spiritual darkness, but what of us, who have just celebrated the Saviour’s Victory over hell and death?

We allow ourselves to be ground-down, depressed, tortured and crushed by aspects of our lives that envelope us in blackness, despite our knowledge that ‘Christ is Risen!’

This is not to trivialise the real trials and anguish that so many face, but we must face and conquer these trials, tribulations and temptations in the knowledge of Christ’s Victory and Life-Giving Resurrection, and that the temporal world will itself give way to the Eternal Pascha of the Eighth Day of the Kingdom of God in the age to come.

We must remember that despite the agony and trials of the Myrrh-Bearers, they have become our teachers as the first witnesses and announcers of the Resurrection – the bearers of the miraculous and wondrous news, despite the fact they had initially lost hope.

LOVE remained burning within them, and it was this enduring love that was the context in which hope was restored and reborn: not a fleeting sensation or feeling of hope, but an enduring and eternal hope for all generations – hope that is a person, a person Who is both God and man: our personal hope that is the Risen Christ, the Conqueror of Death.

Love made the Myrrh-Bearers risk danger to do what their love for Christ demanded – even as the disciples hid in a locked house, not showing the courage and dutiful devotion of the Myrrh-Bearing women.

“Retaining love in their hearts for God, they received infinitely more than what they hoped for, both for themselves and for all their loved ones both living and dead.”

Metropolitan Tikhon of Pskov

… and it is in persevering in love for God, in dutiful devotion like the Myrrh-Bearers, and imitating them, that we can rediscover hope in the Victory of the Lord’s Resurrection and the Radiant Joy of Pascha – whatever the day, the month, the hour.

We do not declare that Christ HAS risen, as a past event, way back in time… rather, we always declare that Christ IS risen. And in this reality we find ETERNAL HOPE, and if we remain steadfast in loving God, whatever trials, anxieties, fears and trials beset us – there is always hope.

The Myrrh-bearers had reason to have lost hope, but as children of the Church, baptised into the Lord’s death and resurrection, we do not.

The loyal and dutiful servants of the Risen Lord, the Holy Myrrh-Bearers went into the dawn bearing the sweet scented myrrh of love and devotion to their Lord.

Let us go into the world as hope-bearers, carrying the life-transforming hope that they rediscovered as they cast aside the needless perfumes they bore, as Christ the Sun of Righteousness rose again in their lives.

Christ did not need the myrrh they brought, but in the message of the Resurrection, the world desperately needs the HOPE that we must bear and joyously announce for the world to hear – the message of the Eternal Pascha and that Christ is risen!

Amen!

The Week of the Myrrh-Bearing Women

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Dear brothers and sisters,

The combination of the bank-holiday weekend, parishioners away – home and abroad – student workloads and sickness, rather dented attendance this Sunday of the Myrrh-Bearing Women, but one great relief and consolation was that, despite concerns at the end of the week, we were able to proceed with the Liturgy – with two singers, a single server and our small congregation.

The peace and prayerfulness of the Liturgy was a palpable blessing, and I was glad that one of the faithful came up to me at the end to say how much he had also felt this, before going and thanking our singers.

There have been various memorial services in this past Radonista week, with panikhidas for the Orthodox and prayers to St Varus for our non-Orthodox loved ones.

As today was the twenty-fifth anniversary of the repose of the handmaiden of God, Milica, Branka’s grandmother, we remembered her during the general Radonitsa memorial at the end of Liturgy, for all of our fathers and mothers, brothers and sisters who have departed this life in the the true faith, from ages past. May their memory be eternal.

This week, I will hear confessions on Thursday, and would like requests emailed by noon on Thursday. I intend to set up church earlier than usual on Saturday, so any additional confessions will be heard in the early afternoon, before vespers. I would also appreciate emailed requests, just so that I know how many people I might expect.

Our oltarnik, Oswald, will soon be departing for the journeyman part of his apprenticeship, so I would encourage you to make the most of his icon-stall over the next few weeks, as it will be a fair few months before you have the chance to buy again. We have very much appreciated the supply of icons, including those to order, and must put in the orders for our Cheltenham mission before Oswald’s departure date. Given all that he does for our parishes in Cardiff, Cheltenham and Norwich, he will be greatly missed, though we very much look forward to his reports on his progress though Europe, and the experiences that await him. Please keep him in your prayers.

One my announcements at the end of Liturgy, was that if members of the congregation so wish, we will return to having a study group on Friday evenings – with the mystery of repentance, the Divine Liturgy and the Orthodox teaching on life after death having been flagged by parishioners as possible themes. I would very much appreciate an indication of any potential support for this. It may be that we meet every couple of weeks, with St Mary Butetown as our venue, giving us use of the kitchen for refreshments. Anyone interested should get in touch.

There will be a litia to the Holy Great-Martyr George at the end of next Sunday’s Liturgy, and we look forward to congratulating George and Yuriy on their name day.

May God bless you all.

Keep the joy of Pascha alive in your prayers.

In Christ – Hieromonk Mark

St Varus – Intercessor for Those Who Have Died Outside the Church

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The Life of the Holy Marytyr Varus and the Seven Christian Teachers Who Were with Him
From Orthodox Life Vol. 44, No5 – October 1994

During the reign of the impious Maximian, the Emperor of the Romans, there lived in Egypt a brave soldier named Varus, who secretly served the King of Heaven. Out of fear he hid his faith in the true God for a time, but later, he revealed it before both heaven and earth and became a spectacle before angels and men.

At that time Maximian raised up a persecution against the Christians and issued a decree in every province of his empire commanding that those Christians who would not sacrifice to the gods be put to death. When this ordinance was published in the land of Egypt, the blood of Christians was shed mercilessly; all who worshipped the Creator and not things created were subjected to various torments. Varus, a secret Christian, visited by night the faithful who were held in prison for their confession of Christ, bribing the guards with gold to permit him to enter the cells in which they were held. He bound up the wounds of the holy martyrs and washed their blood, gave them to eat, kissed their stripes, and prayed them to beseech Christ to have mercy on him.

It happened that there were seven teachers of the Christians, desert-dwellers, that were brought before the Prince of Egypt.

When the Prince questioned them, he found them to be firm in the faith. Having subjected them to flogging, he had them cast bound into prison.

When Varus learned of this, he hastened by night to the dungeon where the saints were being held. After he had given much gold to the guards, he was permitted to visit the saints. Varus loosed their hands and removed their feet from the stocks that held them and then placed food before them. He besought them to eat, for they had remained hungry for eight days since they had been left in prison with no food. He fell at their feet and kissed them, and he praised them for their sufferings, saying, “Blessed are you, O good and faithful servants of the Lord! You shall enter into the joy of your Lord, for you have resisted unto blood (Heb. 12:4). Blessed are you, O good strugglers; the right hand of the Most High has woven crowns for you in Heaven. You have run with patience the race that is set before you (Heb. 12:1), and I know for certain that tomorrow your sufferings shall come to an end. Blessed are you, O passion-bearers of Christ; the Kingdom of Heaven is open unto you, for you suffer with Christ, Who suffered for our sake, as the Apostle says, If so be that we suffer with him, we shall also be glorified with him(Rom. 8:17). I beseech you, O holy servants of God, pray for me to Christ that He have mercy upon me, for it is my desire to suffer for Him, but I have not the strength to do so. I fear the cruel torments I see you have undergone.”

The saints replied, “Beloved, no one who is fearful can attain perfection, nor can he who does not sow reap. Likewise, a man who is unwilling to suffer receives no crown. Remember the words written in the Gospel: Whosoever shall deny Me before men, him will I deny before My Father which is inHeaven (Matt. 10:33). If you fear passing torments, you shall not escape those which are eternal. If you fear to confess Christ on earth, you shall not be sated with the vision of His countenance in Heaven. Therefore, come, O brother, and tread with us the path of martyrdom, which leads to theMaster Who looks down upon our struggles. Suffer together with us, for you will not soon find again a company like ours.

When he heard these things, Varus’ heart was set afire with love for God, and he wished to endure torment for Jesus Christ. He passed the entire night at prayer with the holy martyrs and hearkened unto their teaching gladly.

When the morning was come, the Prince’s servants came to the prison to bring the holy martyrs before the tribunal. As they entered the dungeon, they saw Varus seated with the prisoners, hearing their words with compunction of heart. They were astonished, and they asked, “What is your business here, Varus? Have you lost your mind, giving heed to the myths of which these wicked men tell? Have you no fear that someone will speak of this to the Prince or one of the nobles? You shall lose both your military rank and your life!”

Varus replied, “He who tells the Prince of me is my benefactor. Know that if you choose to make accusation against me, I am ready to die for Christ with the other Christians here.”

The servants were thus put to silence. They took six of the martyrs from the prison, but the seventh they left, for he had weakened so from his wounds that he died and departed unto the Lord, leaving his place to be filled by Varus, who was to complete his suffering. The saints were led bound before the Prince, who sat proudly upon his tribunal and sought to compel them to sacrifice to the idols.

When they would not consent, they were stripped and beaten mercilessly upon the wounds they had already received. Thus were wounds added to their wounds and stripes to their stripes, but they endured their suffering as though it were nothing and said only, “We are Christians.”

Then the Prince asked, “Were there not seven of these men? Now there are but six. Where is the seventh?”

At that very moment Saint Varus entered and said, “I am the seventh. He of whom you spoke has already finished his course and gone to Christ, leaving me to complete his sufferings. I am prepared to render to you whatever he owed you. I wish to take his place among these noble martyrs who suffer for Christ, for I am a Christian.”

When the Prince heard this, he asked his attendants, “Who is this man?”

They replied, “It is the soldier Varus, the commander of the band of Tyanis.”

The Prince was perplexed and said to Varus, “What demon has led you to surrender yourself to perdition? Why do you choose to forsake your military rank and the honours that await you and bring evil upon yourself?”

The blessed Varus answered, “I prefer the Bread which is come down from heaven and the chalice of the divine and most precious blood of my Lord to your honours and esteem. I count nothing more dear than my Christ: not your regard, my rank, great honours, nor yet life itself. To suffer for Christ I count as the greatest honour and to lose all things for His sake as gain.”

The Prince then cast his angry glance upon the six holy martyrs and said, “This is your work, you impious deceivers! It is you who have beguiled this soldier of the Emperor, depriving him of his senses by your sorcery! I swear to you by my great gods that I shall put you to death even before I do the same to him and thus revenge the dishonour you have shown our gods. You are unworthy to remain among the living, for you blaspheme the gods and lead others into wicked error.”

The saints replied, “We have not beguiled Varus but have rather delivered him from deception. We have not caused him to lose his mind but have restored him to his senses. God has vouchsafed him strength and boldness for the struggle, that together with us he might prevail over your feeble might and that of your gods. In but a short time you shall behold his soldierly courage, for we have enrolled him in the host of the angels. Is it your boast that you shall destroy us? Know that it is our desire to lay down our lives for the Lord of all.”

The Prince said, “I will immediately have you cut in pieces if you do not fall down and worship the gods of Egypt!”

The saints answered, The gods that have not made the heavens and the earth, even they shall perish (Jer. 10:11).

Wishing to move the Prince to yet greater anger, the blessed Varus said, “The fool shall speak foolish things, says the Prophet Isaiah. Lo, our bodies lie stretched out before you. Do with them as you would.”

Greatly angered, the Prince commanded that Varus be suspended from a tree, that he might put him to torture. To the six saints he said, “We shall see who will prevail over whom: you over us as you suffer torment or we over you as we inflict our tortures. Of a truth I say to you that if you by your patience prevail over me, I will renounce my gods and believe in your Christ.”

The saints replied, “Try your strength against one of us, and if you can overcome him, you may hope to prevail over the others.”

As they began to torment Varus, he said to the holy martyrs, “O holy passion-bearers! Bless me, who am your servant, that I may share your lot. Entreat the Master Christ for me that He grant me patience, for He knows that our flesh is infirm. The spirit indeed is willing, it is written, but the flesh is weak (Matt. 26:41).”

The saints lifted up their eyes unto Heaven and prayed fervently for Varus as the servants began to beat his whole body with rods and staves. As the saint was being beaten, the Prince said, “Now tell us, Varus, what profit your Christ brings you.”

Varus bravely replied, “More than you receive from your gods.”

The saints cried out to Varus, “Take courage, Varus, and may your heart be strengthened, for Christ invisibly stands before you and strengthens you!”

Answered Varus, “Truly, I perceive the help of my Christ, for these torments seem as nothing to me.”

Then they scraped his sides with iron claws, after which he was hung upside-down from the tree. They tore the skin from his back, cut his flesh with razors, and thrashed him with switches until he burst open and his bowels fell to the ground. When the holy martyrs saw his inward parts fall out, they wept. The persecutor beheld the martyrs weeping, and he cried out with a great voice, “Lo, you are defeated! You have been brought low, and you weep from fear of torment! What more is necessary for you to acknowledge that Christ cannot deliver you out of our hands and for you to forsake Him and worship our gods?”

The saints answered, “You are a beast and not a man! We are not defeated but shall yet prevail by the power of Jesus, Who strengthens us. We do not weep because we fear torment but out of natural love for our brother, whom you wish to slay in a beastly manner. In spirit we rejoice for him, for a crown has already been prepared for the noble sufferer.”

The Prince then commanded that they be led back to prison. As Varus saw the saints being returned to the dungeon, he cried out to them from the tree from which he was suspended and was being tortured, saying, “My teachers! Pray for me one last time unto Christ, for I am about to depart from my body. I thank you for you have made me to inherit life eternal.”

Saint Varus endured torture for five hours and then in suffering surrendered his honorable and holy soul into the hands of the Lord. Thinking that he was yet alive, the torturers continued to beat and torment his corpse. When they saw that he was already dead, they were amazed, and in accordance with the persecutor’s command, they cast him out of the city in the place where the carcasses of beasts were left to be devoured by dogs.

There was a widow living in that city named Cleopatra, who was born in Palestine. Her husband, an officer, had died in Egypt, and she had a son named John, who was still a little boy. When Saint Varus was tortured, she looked on from afar upon his sufferings, sighing and beating her breast, for she was a Christian. When the martyr’s corpse was cast out of the city, she arose by night, took certain of her servants, and went to remove the long-suffering body of Saint Varus. She brought it to her home, where she dug a grave for it in her room.

The next morning, the Prince had the other martyrs brought forth from the prison, and after he had tortured them for a long time, they were beheaded. They were also cast out of the city without burial, but their corpses were taken by night and committed to the earth by secret Christians.

Every day Cleopatra censed and lit candles before the grave of Saint Varus, whom she regarded as her great intercessor and mediator before God. When, after some years, the persecution died down, she began to consider how she might return to the land of her birth, and she wondered how it would be possible for her to take with her the relics of Saint Varus.

She decided to send a gift to the Prince, which was taken to him by a messenger, who said to him on her behalf, “My husband was an officer and died here in the Emperor’s service. He has still not received final burial, for it is not seemly that an officer and man of rank be buried in a foreign land. I, who am a widow and a stranger in this country, wish to return to my homeland to live with my kindred. Therefore, my lord, permit me to take the remains of my beloved husband to the land of my birth, that I may give them a fitting burial together with my forebears, for I wish to remain with my spouse even after I die.”

The woman sent this message that the Christians might not think that it was the relics of the holy martyr she was removing from the city, for she was afraid that they would prevent her from taking that sacred treasure. The Prince accepted her gift and granted her request, but she took the remains of Saint Varus rather than those of her husband. Like a vine she brought them out of Egypt (cf. Ps. 79:8) into Palestine to her village of Edras, which was near Tabor, and she buried them there with her fathers.

Every day she went to his grave, censed it, and lit candles there. When the other Christians who lived there saw this, they began to go with her to where the saint lay. They brought with them their sick, who received healing at Saint Varus’ grave through his prayers. Soon all the Christians in the parts that lay round about learned of Saint Varus, and they began to come with faith to his tomb.

When Cleopatra saw how the Christians gathered to pray at the grave of the saint, she determined to build a church dedicated to him. Soon its erection was begun. By that time her son had reached manhood, and Cleopatra desired that he receive a position in the imperial army. Through the intercession of certain mediators she requested that her son be commissioned an officer, and her entreaty was granted.

Her son received from the Emperor his appointment to the army and the emblems of his rank while the church was being constructed, but Cleopatra said, “My son shall not begin to serve the Emperor in the army until the house of God is completed. It is my intention that he be here to help transfer the saint’s relics to the church. After this is done, he may depart to serve the Emperor.”

When the church was completed, Cleopatra summoned bishops, priests, and monks, removed the precious relics of the holy martyr from their grave, and had them placed on a very costly bier. She laid her son’s military belt and uniform upon the relics, that they might be sanctified by the saint’s remains. She prayed to Saint Varus fervently that he be her son’s protector, and all the bishops and priests present bestowed their blessing upon the young man. A multitude of Christian people without number had gathered there as well, and accompanied by them, Cleopatra and her son carried the bier and the relics to the church. The church was consecrated, and the remains of thesaint were placed beneath the altar. Then the Divine Liturgy was served.

Cleopatra fell down before the relics of Saint Varus and prayed thus: “I beseech thee, 0 passion-bearer of Christ: Ask God for that which is profitable for me and for mine only son. I do not dare ask for anything more than what the Lord Himself wisheth, for He knoweth what is needful for us. May His good and perfect will be done in us!”

After the service was completed, a great banquet was set before those present at which Cleopatra and her son served the guests.

Cleopatra instructed her son to eat nothing until the evening, when the meal was finished and only then to partake of that which remained. As the youth was serving, he suddenly took ill, and he went to lie down upon his bed.

When all the guests had arisen from the meal, Cleopatra called for her son, that he might share with her what food remained. But John was unable even to reply, for he was burning with a great fever. When Cleopatra saw how ill her son was, she said, “As the Lord lives, I will not put food into my mouth until I learn what is to become of my child!”

She sat down beside him and sought to cool the fire of his fever; but her own womb burned still more than did his body, and her heart ached for her only son. At midnight the youth died, leaving his mother to weep inconsolably. As she lamented bitterly, she hastened to the Church of Saint Varus, and she fell down before his sepulchre and cried out, “O servant of God! Is this how thou hast rewarded me for the great labours I endured on thy behalf? Is this the succour which thou providest me, who forsook my husband on thine account and have placed my hope in thee? Thou hast permitted mine only son to die; thou hast deprived me of mine only consolation and hast taken from me the light of mine eyes! Who shall now feed me in mine old age? Who shall close mine eyes when I die? Who shall commit my body to the grave? It had been better for me to die than to behold my beloved son perish in his youth like a flower before its time. Either give me back my son as once Elisha returned the son of the Shunamite woman (cf. IV Kings, ch. 4) or take me hence without delay, for I can endure this bitter sorrow no longer.”

Cleopatra remained weeping by the grave of the saint and then fell asleep for a short while from weariness and grief. As she slept, she beheld Saint Varus in a dream. He held her son by the hand, and they both shone like the sun. Their vesture was whiter than snow, and they were girded with golden belts; upon their heads were crowns of unspeakable beauty.

Seeing this, the blessed Cleopatra fell down before them, but Saint Varus lifted her up and said, “O woman, why do you cry unto me? Do you imagine that I have forgotten the good works you did on my behalf in Egypt and along the way to this place? Do you suppose that I felt nothing when you removed my body from amid the carcasses of beasts, placing it in a coffin? Have I not always hearkened to your prayers? I make entreaty for you at all times unto God. I have prayed first of all for your relatives, with whom you buried me, that their sins be remitted them, and now I have enrolled your son in the army of the King of Heaven. Did you not beseech me here at my grave that I ask God to grant you and your son whatever is in accordance with His will and is to your benefit? Therefore, I have prayed unto the good God, and in His ineffable kindness He has deigned to number your son among the host of Heaven. Lo, you see that your son now stands near the Lord’s throne. If you wish, take him and send him to serve a mortal and earthly king since you do not desire that he should serve the heavenly and eternal King.”

The youth, who sat beside Varus and embraced him, exclaimed, “No, my lord! Pay no heed to my mother, neither permit me to be returned to the world, which is full of falsehood and every iniquity, and from which you delivered me when you came to me. Do not deprive me, O father, of a portion with the saints and a dwelling place among them.”

Then the youth turned to his mother and said, “Why do you lament for me thus, mother? I have been enrolled in the host of Christ the King and have been permitted to stand before Him with the angels. Why do you now ask that I be removed from the kingdom and brought to abasement?”

When the blessed Cleopatra saw that her son’s appearance was like that of an angel, she said, “Take me with you that we may be together.”

Saint Varus said, “In this place you are with us. Go in peace, and after a time, when the Lord commands, we shall come and take you.

After saying this, the saint became invisible. When Cleopatra awoke, her heart was filled with ineffable happiness and joy, and she related her dream to the priests. They buried her son beside the sepulchre of Saint Varus, and Cleopatra wept no more but rather rejoiced in the Lord. Later she distributed her possessions among the needy and renounced the world. She lived beside the Church of Saint Varus, serving God in prayer and fasting by day and night.

Every Sunday as she prayed, Saint Varus appeared to her in great glory with her son. After she had lived in this God-pleasing manner for seven years, the blessed Cleopatra reposed. Her body was placed in the Church of Saint Varus near her son John, and her holy soul took up its abode in the heavens, together with Saint Varus and John. There it now stands in the presence of God, to Whom be glory unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Translated by Father Thomas Maretta

From the Slavonic Menologion of

St. Demetrius of Rostov

 

Through the Prayers of St Varus…

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At this time of Paschal memorial services, as at other times, we turn to the intercessions of the Holy Great-Martyr Varus of Alexandria to intercede for our loved ones who have died outside the Holy Orthodox, Catholic, Apostolic Church, having great trust in his intercessions through the Lord’s great mercy.

O glorious Varus, in God thou art able by thy divinely acceptable supplications to obtain and pour forth mercies upon those who have been utterly separated therefrom. For there is but one Father of compassions and lovingkindness, and as Master all things are possible for Him. Unfailingly beseech Him, O athlete, that He forgive and have mercy on NN., whom we remember.

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Sessional hymn, in Tone V: Pray thou for the whole world, O great-martyr, and cease not to ask mercy for all sinners who have in divers ways grievously offended the Master and continue to offend him, who by mortal works have utterly done themselves to death and acquired nought, since they have wrought evil. And intercede also, O passion-bearer, for our departed kinfolk, NN., beginning as is possible; and cease not to pray and fall down before the Lord Who hath mercy on all, that He forgive and have mercy on those who sit in darkness and are embittered with exceeding great bitterness.

Glory…,

Another sessional hymn, in Tone III: O great Varus, dweller in everlasting joy and namesake of heavenly rest: With boldness thou darest to remember before the Lord the redeeming qualities of our forebears; for even though we cannot place thee in their graves, yet do we beseech thee to add thy prayers to our earnest supplications that they be granted pity. Wherefore, fall down and pray, for the Master will not reject thine intercession, but, inclined by His infinite goodness, will send deliverance and great mercy upon those who are embittered with exceeding great bitterness.

Now and ever…,

Theotokion, in the same tone: O all-radiant Lady, who art hymned above all and art continually magnified by the heavenly hosts, Mother of the King of all: Since thy glory and greatness are increased where and when He desireth, when thou helpest sinners and coverest the whole world with thy supplications, O Mistress, increase the majesty of thy sublimity, and by thy fervent supplications deliver from grievous torments our unbelieving and unbaptized kinfolk and NN., who are commemorated with them; and grant them deliverance and great mercy.

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Prayer to the Holy Martyr St. Varus for Those Who Have Died Outside the Faith
O Holy, wondrous Martyr Varus, who, burning with zeal for the Heavenly King, didst confess Him before thy torturers and didst greatly suffer for Him!
Now the Church doth venerate thee, as one glorified with the glory of heaven by Christ the Lord, Who granted thee the abundant grace to approach Him boldly.
And now, standing before Him together with the Angels, rejoicing on high, beholding the Most Holy Trinity clearly, and enjoying the Uncreated Light, remember the suffering of our relatives who have died outside the Faith, and accept our pleas, and as thou didst intercede for the unbelieving ancestors of Cleopatra and didst free them from eternal suffering, remember those who have died unbaptized and have been buried in an ungodly manner, and pray earnestly that they may be delivered from eternal darkness, that we may all, with one mouth and one heart, praise the Most Merciful Creator unto the ages of ages. Amen.

St Martin the Confessor, Pope of Rome: Life and Canon

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ST. MARTIN THE CONFESSOR THE POPE OF ROME

Commemorated on April 14/27

Saint Martin the Confessor, Pope of Rome, was a native of the Tuscany region of Italy. He received a fine education and entered into the clergy of the Roman Church. After the death of Pope Theodore I (642-649), Martin was chosen to succeed him.

At this time the peace of the Church was disturbed by the Monothelite heresy (the false doctrine that in Christ there is only one will. He has a divine, and a human will). The endless disputes of the Monothelites with the Orthodox took place in all levels of the population. Even the emperor Constans (641-668) and Patriarch Paul of Constantinople (641-654) were adherents of the Monothelite heresy. The emperor Constans II published the heretical “Pattern of Faith” (Typos), obligatory for all the population. In it all further disputes were forbidden.

The heretical “Pattern of Faith” was received at Rome in the year 649. Saint Martin, a firm supporter of Orthodoxy, convened the Lateran Council at Rome to condemn the Monothelite heresy. At the same time Saint Martin sent a letter to Patriarch Paul, persuading him to return to the Orthodox confession of faith. The enraged emperor ordered the military commander Olympius to bring Saint Martin to trial. But Olympius feared the clergy and the people of Rome who had descended upon the Council, and he sent a soldier to murder the holy hierarch. When the assassin approached Saint Martin, he was blinded. The terrified Olympius fled to Sicily and was soon killed in battle.

In 654 the emperor sent another military commander, Theodore, to Rome. He accused Saint Martin of being in secret correspondence with the enemies of the Empire, the Saracens, and of blaspheming the Most Holy Theotokos, and of uncanonically assuming the papal throne.

Despite the proofs offered by the Roman clergy and laity of Saint Martin’s innocence, the military commander Theodore with a detachment of soldiers seized Saint Martin by night and took him to Naxos, one of the Cyclades islands in the Aegean Sea. Saint Martin spent an entire year on this almost unpopulated island, suffering deprivation and abuse from the guards. Then they sent the exhausted confessor to Constantinople for trial.

They carried the sick man on a stretcher, but the judges callously ordered him to stand up and answer their questions. The soldiers propped up the saint, who was weakened by illness. False witnesses came forward slandering the saint and accusing him of treasonous relations with the Saracens. The biased judges did not even bother to hear the saint’s defense. In sorrow he said, “The Lord knows what a great kindness you would show me if you would deliver me quickly over to death.”

After such a trial they brought the saint out in tattered clothes to a jeering crowd. They shouted, “Anathema to Pope Martin!” But those who knew the holy Pope was suffering unjustly, withdrew in tears. Finally the sentence was announced: Saint Martin was to be deposed from his rank and executed. They bound the half-naked saint with chains and dragged him to prison, where they locked him up with thieves. These were more merciful to the saint than the heretics.

In the midst of all this the emperor went to the dying Patriarch Paul and told him of the trial of Saint Martin. He turned away from the emperor and said, “Woe is me! This is another reason for my judgment.” He asked that Saint Martin’s torments be stopped. The emperor again sent a notary and other persons to the saint in prison to interrogate him. The saint answered, “Even if they cripple me, I will not have relations with the Church of Constantinople while it remains in its evil doctrines.” The torturers were astonished at the confessor’s boldness, and they commuted his death sentence to exile at Cherson in the Crimea.

There the saint died, exhausted by sickness, hunger and deprivations on September 16, 655. He was buried outside the city in the Blachernae church of the Most Holy Theotokos, and later the relics of the holy confessor Martin were transferred to Rome.

The Monothelite heresy was condemned at the Sixth Ecumenical Council in 680.

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Troparion, Tone 3: Thou didst strengthen the Church with true doctrine, / O wise hierarch Martin, / declaring the two natures of Christ, / putting heresy to shame. / Entreat the Lord to grant us His great mercy.

Kontakion, Tone 8: O High Priest and teacher of the mysteries, / thou didst pour forth streams of doctrine, / expounding the true doctrine of the two natures and wills of Christ. / Intercede for those who cry: “Rejoice, O blessed Father Martin.”

The Orthodox Church in America

20 апреля 2017 г.

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Canon of the holy hierarch, the composition of Joseph, in Tone VIII.

Ode I, Irmos: Irmos: That which had been hewn down divided the undivided, * and land unseen was seen by the sun; * water engulfed the cruel enemy, * and Israel traversed the impassable, chanting a hymn: * Let us sing unto the Lord, * for gloriously hath He been glorified!

Holy Father, Martin the Confessor, pray to God for us.

Thou didst endure many sufferings for Christ God, O Martin, and now hast departed unto the life which is devoid of pain, having struggled well; wherefore, ease thou the cruel pangs of my soul, that, enlightened by thy supplications, I may chant unto thee.

Holy Father, Martin the Confessor, pray to God for us.

Thou didst teach that Christ is transcendent God, One of the adored Trinity, of two natures, two wills and two activities; and all who do not worship Him thus thou didst cast forth, O blessed and most sacred Martin.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Adorned with true understanding and faith, O Martin, thou didst openly denounce those who were mindless and inclined to irrationality, reasoning that there is but one will in Christ; and, rejoicing, thou didst cry out: Let us chant unto the Lord, for gloriously hath He been glorified!

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

He Who is invisible in His divine nature became a visible Babe through thee, becoming man and truly possessing two wills and activities within one Hypostasis. Him do thou entreat, O most immaculate one, that He save all who hymn thee with love.

Ode III, Irmos: Thy fear, O Lord, do Thou plant * in the hearts of Thy servants * and be Thou the confirmation of us * who in truth call upon Thee.

Holy Father, Martin the Confessor, pray to God for us.

Full of divine zeal, O all-blessed Martin, thou didst convoke a council of priests confirming the doctrine of the Church.

Holy Father, Martin the Confessor, pray to God for us.

In the midst of the council thou didst anathematize Pyrrhus, Sergius, Theodore and Cyrus, and all heretics who uttered foolish things like them, O father.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Exiled from Rome by force, like the sun thou didst make a circuit, shedding thy radiant beams and illumining all the Orthodox, O venerable one.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

O all-holy maiden, in a manner past all telling thou hast given birth to Him. Who is equally worshipped and co-enthroned with the Father, and Who possesseth two activities and two wills.

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Sessional Hymn, Tone IV: Spec. Mel. “Having been lifted up …”: Adorned with sacred confessions, and having completed a martyric life, O wise Martin, hastening to the heavens thou hast been crowned by God with a never-fading wreath. Wherefore, we celebrate thy holy memory, crying aloud: Remember us, O sacred and blessed one, as thou standest before Christ!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Theotokion, Tone IV: O Theotokosfleeing to thy divine protection after God, * I humbly fall down and beseech thee: * Have mercy, O most pure one, * for my sins have submerged my being, * and trembling O Sovereign Lady, I fear the torments to come, * O pure one, entreat thy Son, ** that I may be delivered from them.

Stavrotheotokion (replaces the Theotokion on Wednesdays and Fridays): She who in latter times gave birth to Thee in the flesh, * O Christ Who wast begotten of the beginningless Father, * when she saw Thee hanging upon the Cross, cried out: * “Woe is me, O Jesus most beloved! * How is it that Thou Who art worshipped as God by the angels, * art now crucified by iniquitous men? ** I hymn Thee, O Long-suffering One!”Continue reading →

The Canon to St Basil the Confessor

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Canon of the Hierarch, in Tone VIII

Ode I, Irmos: Having passed through the water as upon dry land, * and having escaped the malice of the Egyptians, * the Israelites cried aloud: * Unto our God and Redeemer let us sing.

Holy Father, Basil the Confessor, pray to God for us.

The indescribable and thrice radiant Light hath shone forth upon thee in the unshakable kingdom of heaven, O father, and the gladness of the righteous hath received thee.

Holy Father, Basil the Confessor, pray to God for us.

The gates of Eden have been opened unto thee, O right glorious one; thou hast joined the holy hierarchs and been numbered among the Church of the firstborn.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Having suffered lawfully and preserved thy priesthood pure to the end, thou hast been deemed worthy to rejoice with the priests of heaven.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Having united Himself hypostatically to the flesh, and having received it from thee, O Mother of God, the Creator of all ineffably issued forth and was well pleased to draw nigh unto mankind.

Ode III, Irmos: O Lord, thou art the confirmation of those who flee to Thee, * Thou art the Light of those in darkness, * and my spirit doth hymn Thee.

Holy Father, Basil the Confessor, pray to God for us.

Thy right wondrous and most glorious memory doth gladden the assemblies of the Orthodox with joy.

Holy Father, Basil the Confessor, pray to God for us.

Shedding the cloud and breaking the bonds of the body, O venerable one, thou didst draw nigh unto God

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

As one elect, O venerable one, thou didst receive a blessed end and the delight of the chosen, as is meet.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Having thee as my helper, O most pure Mother of God, I am not ashamed; and having thee as mine intercessor, I am delivered from mine enemies.

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Sessional Hymn, Tone III: Spec. Mel. “Of the divine faith …”: A great sun hath shone forth upon the whole world in thy virtues, and thou hast enlightened the companies of the faithful with radiance and the splendors of miracles, destroying the darkness of the passions. O Basil our father, entreat Christ God, that He grant us great mercy.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Theotokion, Tone III: Thou wast the divine tabernacle of the Word, * O only all-pure Virgin Mother * who surpassed the angels in purity. * By the divine waters of thy supplications * cleanse me who, more than all others, * have become dust, defiled by carnal transgressions; ** and grant me great mercy, O pure one.

Stavrotheotokion (replaces the Theotokion on Wednesdays and Fridays): The unblemished ewe-lamb of the Word, * the incorrupt Virgin Mother, * beholding Him Who sprang forth from her without pain * suspended upon the Cross, cried out, maternally lamenting: * “Woe is me, O my Child! * How is it that Thou dost suffer willingly, * desiring to redeem mankind ** from the indignity of the passions?

Ode IV, Irmos: O Lord, I have heard the mystery of Thy dispensation; * I have considered Thy works, * and I have glorified Thy Divinity.

Holy Father, Basil the Confessor, pray to God for us.

Making entreaty to God, O father, for thou didst cast down the haughty thinking of wicked heresy, gladdening the Church.

Holy Father, Basil the Confessor, pray to God for us.

The Judge of the contest hath caused thee to dwell in the tabernacles of heaven, O father, accepting thy tireless opposition to those who fought against Him.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

For the sake of the Traditions preserved in the Church of God, thou didst endure exile; and, winning victories, thou didst repose.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

O pure Virgin, entreat God Who was born of thee, that He grant forgiveness of sins to thy servants.

Ode V, Irmos: Rising early we cry to Thee, O Lord; * save us, for Thou art our God, * and we know none other besides Thee.

Holy Father, Basil the Confessor, pray to God for us.

The divine grace which abode within thee, O God-bearer, revealed thee to be a most faithful pastor of the Church.

Holy Father, Basil the Confessor, pray to God for us.

Having mortified the wisdom and passions of thy flesh, O glorious one, thou didst follow the Spirit of life.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Having achieved the end of thy life in chastity and righteousness, O divinely wise one, thou hast received reward for thy virtues.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

As a most holy temple, thou hast given birth to the Well-spring of dispassion, O all-immaculate Virgin Mother.

Ode VI, Irmos: Cleanse me, O Savior, * for many are mine iniquities; * lead me up from the abyss of evils I pray Thee, * for unto Thee have I cried, * and Thou hast hearkened unto me, * O God of my salvation.

Holy Father, Basil the Confessor, pray to God for us.

Illumined with the beauty of heavenly effulgence, O venerable one, thou didst leave thy seat on earth, and, as one most meek, received the incorruptible inheritance of those who are meek on earth.

Holy Father, Basil the Confessor, pray to God for us.

Mocking the deception of the blasphemous heretics, O right wondrous one, thou didst most diligently master the divine and pious understanding of Orthodoxy: and venerated the icon of the Savior.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Thy desire for God was fulfilled, O most glorious one, for thou didst divinely pass over to Him, rejoicing; and now thou dost behold the splendors and beauties of the saints, O father.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Mankind hath been delivered from mortality and corruption; for thou didst seedlessly give birth to the Bestower of life by nature, O all-immaculate Virgin, unto the benefit of those who praise thee with faith.

Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Kontakion, Tone II: Spec. Mel. “Seeking in the highest …”: Illumined by the light of the Most High, O blessed father, * thou dost enlighten all who with love venerate thine honored suffering. * O sacred athlete Basil, ** entreat Christ God unceasingly on behalf of us all!

Ode VII, Irmos: The Hebrew children in the furnace * boldly trampled upon the flames, * changing the fire into dew, they cried aloud: * ‘Blessed art Thou, O Lord our God, throughout the ages’.

Holy Father, Basil the Confessor, pray to God for us.

O the ineffable gladness which thou hast been deemed worthy to receive, O all- blessed one, living in immaterial light and chanting: Blessed art Thou, O Lord God, throughout the ages!

Holy Father, Basil the Confessor, pray to God for us.

Beautifully adorned with the crown of divine magnificence, O all-blessed one, thou hast joined chorus with the armies on high, crying out: Blessed art Thou, O Lord God, throughout the ages!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

As an initiate of the mysteries of the Trinity, a minister of the mysteries of heaven, render the Master merciful to those who cry aloud: Blessed art Thou, O Lord God, throughout the ages!

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Thou didst transform the ancient curse of Eve into a blessing, having given birth to the Son of God, to Whom we all cry: Blessed art Thou, O Lord God, throughout the ages.

Ode VIII, Irmos: By Thy grace the children became vanquishers * of both the tyrant and the flames, * carefully observing Thy commandments, * wherefore they cried aloud: * Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!

Holy Father, Basil the Confessor, pray to God for us.

Delivered from the sorrows of life and grievous turmoil, O all-blessed one, thou didst receive joy and gladness past understanding, chanting: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord, supremely and exalt Him throughout the ages!

Holy Father, Basil the Confessor, pray to God for us.

Zealously opposing the blasphemies of the blasphemers with the doctrines of the Spirit, O father, thou didst easily break them asunder, O initiate of the mysteries, chanting: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord, and supremely exalt Him throughout the ages!

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

How beautiful is the place wherein thou hast made thing abode, O thou who art manifest in sanctity! How comely the habitation where thou abidest, chanting: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord, and supremely exalt Him throughout the ages!

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

All of us, the faithful, have acquired thee as our intercessor, O most pure one, and, delivered from evils by thy supplications, we cry out to Christ: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord, and supremely exalt Him throughout the ages!

Ode IX, Irmos: Saved by thee, O pure Virgin, * we confess thee to be truly the Theotokos, * and together with the choirs of the bodiless hosts * thee do we magnify.

Holy Father, Basil the Confessor, pray to God for us.

Thou didst live a holy life, O father, and having pleased God by thy works, thou hast received the kingdom of heaven, O wise one.

Holy Father, Basil the Confessor, pray to God for us.

Having finished the race, having kept the Faith and accomplished the struggle, O Basil, thou hast received the crown of righteousness, rejoicing.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Thou didst receive a divine name, O most blessed one, and the complete fulfillment of thy desires; wherefore, cease thou never to pray now for thy flock.

Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Spurn not the torrent of my tears, O Virgin who hast given birth to Christ Who taketh away all tears from every face.