Exile and Adversity: A Lesson From the Saints

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We are not long home after a very prayerful Liturgy in Canton, at the end of which I was very pleased to be able to offer a litia in honour of St Calogero the Anchorite of Agrigento – observing in the homily how, even in adversity and the experience of being a refugee, the holy monk seized the opportunity to bring God’s love, light and grace to those who surrounded him in Sicily, his place of exile, where he died in his cave hermitage on Monte Kronio in 561, in the ninth decade of his long life.

We can say similar things of saints who acted in a like way in the emigration after the 1917-1918 Revolution: St John the Wonderworker in China, Europe and America; St Maria Skobtsova in inter-war Paris; St Seraphim (Sobolev) in Sofia. And, of course, countless other people of every level of society acted in like ways, showing a different way of Faith to the local religion that surrounded them.

God scattered the faithful to the four winds, and wherever they found themselves, temples rose up (sometimes in very humble makeshift settings), the Holy Mysteries were celebrated, encounters and conversations brought ‘outsiders’ to the threshold of the Church, which became their Church.

Out of adversity, exile and loss, came the Light of Christ, as God blessed the world by sending His faithful servants to so many nations, through their experience of revolution, social upheaval and exile.

In a parish like ours, in Cardiff, where we have just as many converts to Holy Orthodoxy as ‘native Orthodox’, we might reflect that without those who – like St Calogero – fled violence and persecution, the Light of Faith may not have touched our lives. For those of us who were taught and formed by émigrés, this is particularly true.

The Saviour teaches us that, “Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.”

Exiles like St Calogero, and so many saints exiled from their native lands never hid the Light of Christ, but shared it with those who surrounded them, and importantly, they did not allow adversity to crush and defeat them, but persevered so that others were enlightened, comforted, and touched by the love and grace of God.

This is a sober reminder for us.

The irritations and difficulties of our lives may be transformed from sharp sand and grit to pearls, as God transfigures and raises us up through our humility, patient-endurance, long-suffering, struggling, faithfulness and even joyfulness in trials.

And, in all of these things, the Light fo Christ still needs to shine.

The saints have found God even in starvation and cold, prison, exile, illness, torture, death and every adversity. None of these things have separated them from either His Presence or His love, and at the end of his life, in pain and privation in exile, this was so powerfully demonstrated in the dying words of St John Chrysostom, as he breathed his last at Comana Pontica, on 14 September 407 during a forced journey into further exile: “Δόξα τῷ Θεῷ πάντων ἕνεκεν” (Glory to God for all things).

Based on this, Metropolitan Tryphon Turkestanov wrote the well-loved akathist, which returns to St John’s words for its refrain, as in exile and imprisonment in the gulag, the godly hierarch still shared the Light of Christ, and saw His love in the glories of the world around him.

As St Paul wrote in the eight chapter of his letter to the Church in Rome:

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?

36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.

37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.

38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,

39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

If we can keep recognising, seeing and finding God’s love and glory, then we have something pricesless and limitless to share… and it is always with us, whatever life sends us, wherever we are, however we are feeling – in sickness and health, plenty or privation, joy or sorrow. God’s love is always there.

The dark storm clouds of life bring no terror to those in whose hearts Thy fire is burning brightly. Outside is the darkness of the whirlwind, the terror and howling of the storm, but in the heart, in the presence of Christ, there is light and peace, silence: Alleluia! 

(Kontakion 5 of the akathist, Glory to God for all things!)

Prayers to St Calogero after tomorow’s Liturgy

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Dear brothers and sisters,

In our final summer at Newman Hall, one of the greatest joys was to celebrate the feast of St Calogero of Agrigento, a 6th century Sicilian saint who arrived on the island as an exile, fleeing persecution and heresy, and by so doing blessed Sicily with his fearless preaching of Orthodox dogma– becoming one of the most well-loved saints and wonderworkers of the island. See:

Celebrating St Calogero. Buona Festa!

We were unable to celebrate his feast on his day, 18 June on the Church calendar, 1 July on the civil calendar- but will serve a litia before the icon, painted and presented in response to that Newman celebration, at the end of tomorrow’s Liturgy.

This happily reflects the celebrations held on and between the first two Sundays of July, in Sicily – and the icon remains a sign of friendship and proof that the saints bring us together in the bonds of Faith.

Though persecution and exile and the negatives of life caused St Calogero’s flight to Sicily, his preaching, miracles, and pastoral care in his new land show that blessings so often come through adversity – if only we take advantage and control of the new and unknown circumstances into which we are thrown.

Through exile, homelessness and escape from heresy came the preaching of Orthodoxy; countless miracles; the restoration of sight to the blind, speech to the dumb and hearing to the deaf; and the great consolation that this holy monk brought to the people of not only to the people of Byzantine Sicily, but to the Sicilian people to this day.

In the present dark times, an exiled, refugee saint should be an inspiration, opening our minds and hearts see that even in sorrow and darkness, God sends grace, light and life, and that seeds may be planted and new beginnings emerge even in adversity and trial.

Святый Преподобне Отче, Калогере, моли Бога о нас

Holy, venerable Father, Calogero, pray to God for us!

Troparion, Tone 8. By the streams of thy tears, thou didst make the soil of the desert fertile and with your deep groans didst make thy labours to bear fruit an hundredfold; and thou didst became a beacon for the whole world, radiating light by miracles, O Calogero, our Father; intercede with Christ-God to save our souls. 

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

Kontakion. Tone IV: Celebrating today the sacred memory of Calogero with songs, we give glory to Christ, to him who grantest him the grace of miracles to heal infirmities.

Celebrating St Calogero in the refectory of Newman Hall: Summer 2020.

The Kazan Icon “Of the Seven Lakes”

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Dear brothers and sisters, in addition to being the feast of the Tikhvin Icon of the Mother of God, today is also the feast of the Seven Lakes Kazan Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos. The photograph is of one of my favourite cell-icons.

 Its origin story relates that near the end of the 1500s, a fellow named Evfimiy was born to a poor family.   Being a pious individual, he went to live in a monastery.  When his parents died, he inherited an icon of the “Smolensk” type from them, which he took with him to the region of Kazan.  He eventually settled in a secluded place many miles from the city.  It was surrounded by seven lakes.  There he eventually founded a monastery.

Though some time later he went to live in the Metropolitan’s house in Kazan, he nonetheless continued to guide the monastic community he had begun, and he also decided to give up his inherited “Smolensk” icon to the Seven Lakes monastic community.  The wooden church at the monastic site was eventually replaced by a stone church, and the “Smolensk” icon was placed in it, on the left side of the Royal Doors that led to the altar.

In June of 1654, there was a severe plague in Kazan, and people were dying.  It was decided to send the Seven Lakes – Sedmiezernaya – “Smolensk” icon to the city. 

It is said that a nun had a vision in her sleep, in which a shining old man who looked like St. Nicholas appeared to her, telling her that the people of Kazan should fast for a week and repent, and that the Mother of God was coming to the city to save the people from the plague. 

The nun did not do as she was told, so the old man appeared to her when she next slept, scolding her.  Finally, she went to the city officials and reported her vision.   According to tradition, all the citizens of the city went out, carrying their own “Kazan” icon, to formally meet and welcome the Sedmiezernaya icon some two miles from the city, where they fell to their knees and prayed for “her” help in ending the plague.

It is said the plague subsided when the icon was carried in procession around the city of Kazan.  The city eventually returned the icon to the Seven Lakes Monastery, but again in 1656 there was a plague in Kazan, so the icon was brought back to Kazan, and again the plague subsided.  After that, it became the custom to bring the icon from the Seven Lakes Monastery to the city of Kazan each year, when it would leave the monastery on June 25th and be brought into the city in a formal procession on June 26th (July 9, New Style).

The “Seven Lakes” Icon is also commemorated on July 28 and October 13.

Never, O Mother of God, will we cease to speak of thy powers, unworthy as we are. For if thou didst not intercede in prayer, who would have delivered us from so many dangers? Who would have kept us free until now? Let us never forsake thee, our Lady, for thou ever savest thy servants from all perils.

 

 

Schismatic charades at Lambeth Palace – and shameful ones at that…

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The sight of the Archbishop of Canterbury kneeling to be ‘blessed’ by ‘Metropolitan’ Epifaniy Dumenko is a great insult to the suffering and persecuted Ukrainian Orthodox Church, under the leadership of Metropolitan Onuphry.

Day by day, the Phanar-sponsored schismatics – led by the none-ordained Dumenko – illegally transfer churches to their ownership, storming temples even during services; desecrating places of worship; beating and kicking priests and even throwing paint in their faces; attacking religious processions, even stoning an icon of the Mother of God; beating and throwing down the faithful, regardless of age and gender… and yet the Archbishop of Canterbury kneels before the leader of this vicious schismatic circus.

We remind the Archbishop of Canterbury that the head of the canonical Ukrainian Church is His Beatitude, Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv and All Ukraine, and that the vast majority of Ukrainian Orthodox faithful belong to the real Church over which the Lord has placed him as First-Hierarch – not the Phanar and CIA sponsored schismatic body of Messrs Dumenko and Zoria – neither of whom are clerics, as they possess no valid ordination, and merely dress up as clergy: wolves in sheep’s clothing.

Jumping on the politically-correct, virtue signalling, bandwagon – driven by blind-folded ‘well-wishers’ does little for Dr Welby’s spiritual kudos.

This is liberal ecumenism at its very worst – a schismatic charade paraded at the heart of the Anglican establishment – which seems to have decided that people like ‘us’ are to be avoided, and seen as enemy agents, even though the lives of our members of our own community, our parish families and of our friends are directly affected by the tragedy of Ukraine. It is very marked and interesting that after five months of war, the Diocese of Llandaff has yet to send a single communication to our parish. Very telling! Are we the enemy in the eyes of the Anglican leaders?

Whether the Anglican Primate understands, cares or is even bothered by the non-ordination of Dumenko, his schismatic accomplices and church-stealing, babushka-beating thugs, or the daily attacks on Ukrainian Orthodox temples, clergy and faithful is beyond our knowledge, but he should know that the ‘blessing’ of such a schismatic fake is nothing more than a spiritual curse upon his own head.

Prayers Today

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In the intense heat of the afternoon, it was a blessing to be in the cool interior of St Alban’s and enjoy the peace and tranquillity as everyone seemed to be hiding from the heat.

Just a few days after his feast, prayers were once again offered at the shrine of St Alban, for our parish, for our parishioners and friends – particularly asking the Protomartyr to show our parish the way forward in its search for a home which can be a ‘seven-days-a-week’ temple, with services in the same place, rather than in different parts of the city. However, we know that the Lord knows and the Lord allows, as we continually pray, “Thy will be done.”

As candles were lit, prayers were also offered to the Mother of God, before her Walsingham icon, especially for the sick among our parishioners and friends, and for those far from home, seeking refuge from war-torn Ukraine.

Parishioners will remember the icon of Our Lady of Walsingham from the Little Oratory of Newman Hall, where we often prayed the akathist in honour of the Walsingham icon as part of the many Orthodox services celebrated there. When the Oratorian Fathers were relieved of the chaplaincy and the care of Newman Hall, the icon was translated to the Oratory Church where it continues to be venerated, and where we continue to pray before it.

O Sovereign Lady, Mother of God most high, who didst inspire the Lady Richeldis to stablish the holy house at Walsingham for the veneration of thy holy Annunciation, entreat thy Son, even our God, to send down grace upon us for the healing of soul and body, that, as we approach and kiss thy holy ikon and drink the wholesome water drawn up from thy spring, we may ever praise and glorify the Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and for ever and to the ages of ages.  Amen.

Celebrating Saints Peter and Fevronia of Murom

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Dear brothers and sisters,

As we celebrate the feast of the Holy Wonderworkers Peter and Fevronia, we pray for all of the married couples within our community, mindful of the fact that marriage can be challenging in the modern world – in which marriage and the traditional family is undermined, eroded and attacked.

Whilst having supper with us in Newman Hall, Bishop Irenei reminded us that the primary aim of a husband and wife in the Holy Matrimony is to lead one another into the Kingdom of Heaven, and this is manifestly true of the marriage of Saints Peter and Fevronia. We need to never lose sight of this.

Wishing you a happy feast!

Holy Wonderworkers, Peter and Fevronia, pray to God for us!

Prayer to the Holy & Right-believing Prince Peter & Princess Fevronia, the Wonderworkers of Murom

O greatly favoured ones of God and all-wondrous wonderworkers, right-believing Prince Peter and Princess Fevronia, intercessors for the city of Murom, preservers of honourable marriage and diligent advocates for all of us before the Lord! In the days of your earthly life ye showed forth a model of piety, Christian love and fidelity one to another, and thereby glorified lawful and blessed marriage. Wherefore, we have recourse unto you and pray with mighty zeal: Offer your holy supplications unto the Lord God for us sinners, and ask for us all things of goodly benefit to our souls and bodies: right faith, good hope, unfeigned love, unshakable piety, success in good works*; and by your supplications grant even more unto those united by the bond of matrimony chastity, love for one another in the bond of peace, oneness of mind of souls and bodies, an unsullied marriage bed, an undisgraced sojourn, long-lived progeny, the favour of children, homes full of goodness, and the imperishable crown everlasting glory in eternal life. Yea, O holy wonderworkers, disdain not our prayers which are offered unto you with compunction, but be ye our faithful helpers before the Lord, and vouchsafe that through your intercession we may receive eternal salvation and inherit the kingdom of heaven, that we may glorify the ineffable love for mankind of God Who is worshipped in Trinity – the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit – unto ages of ages. Amen.

Troparion, tone 8: Having lived thy good life in piety, O blessed Peter, thou wast a most precious offspring of the pious root; and thus having pleased God in peace with thy spouse, the all-wise Fevronia, the holy monastic life was vouchsafed unto you. Beseech the Lord, that He preserve our homeland unharmed, that we may honor your memory unceasingly.

Kontakion, tone 8: Pondering the transitory glory and governance of this world, O Peter, thou didst live piously in peace with thy spouse the all-wise Fevronia, having pleased God with your alms and prayers. Wherefore, lying inseparably in the tomb even after death, ye invisibly impart healing. Pray now unto Christ, that He preserve our land and the faithful who glorify you.

Looking forward to the feast of Saints Peter and Paul

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We are looking forward to the Feast of the Holy Chief-Apostles Peter and Paul, next Tuesday, 12 July New Style, when we will again celebrate the Hours and Divine Liturgy in the Church of St Mary the Virgin, North Church St, Butetown.

We will begin the Hours at 10:00, with the Liturgy following at 10:30. We will break the Apostles’ Fast in the parish room afterwards, and you are invited to bring NON-LENTEN food to celebrate the feast.

Being able to celebrate the weekday feasts, now that there is a full-time parish-priest is a great blessing, as is the kindness of Father Dean and his parishioners in making this possible in St Mary’s.

How blessed we are! Слава Богу за всё!

The Challenge of the Forerunner

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In St John the Forerunner, today’s feast celebrated a unique figure.

As the seal of the prophets of the Old Covenant and the herald of the Messiah and His New Covenant, he looks back to the Judaic world of the Old Testament and forward to the new age of Faith, manifest in the life of Christ, the preaching of the Gospel and the foundation of the Church as the New Israel.

St John stood on a boundary between the old and the new, as a wild and challenging figure, living in a manner similar to some of his Jewish contemporaries living an ascetical lifestyle, but is unique in the mission and meaning of that unconventional life: “The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: ‘Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.’ ”

He was not an easy figure, but challenging, unabashed in his preaching, saying things that some did not want to hear. To recall this today is striking at a time of crisis in eastern Europe, when voices ‘in the wilderness’ are silent, and Church leaders fail to speak in the spirit of the Forerunner and call Herod to account.

As we celebrate his Nativity, we might well ask, where is the spirit of the Forerunner, not only in the Church, but also in our own lives and communities?

When Christianity becomes respectable and institutionalised, the flame is dying, and the lukewarmness of user-friendly, easy faith is an ersatz imitation of the challenging edginess that Christianity should always have for us.

When the zeal of Faith becomes dissolved in middle-class ‘niceness’ and suburban respectability, when Christianity should have ‘bite’ and challenge us all to be ‘spiritual activists’ struggling to storm the Kingdom of Heaven, we are far from the spiritual zeal of the Forerunner.

This does not mean that we should be catapulted into political-activism and placard-carrying protest, but rather that we should personally embody the radical message of the Gospel, which is counter-cultural in the materialistic and anthropocentric darkness of the current age, gripped by the idols of self, wealth, health, ‘efficiency’ (reflected in the normalisation of abortion, euthanasia, surveillance, government erosion of freedom of expression etc.), let alone the moral and spiritual bankruptcy of those who rule and make such major decisions in the world.

Faith must have a voice in this darkness as traditional Christians are labelled bigots, reactionaries and medievalists by both secularists and self-proclaimed ‘Christians’ who have willingly and gladly embraced the agendas, causes and -isms of the fallen world, as authentic Christianity is forced into the shadows, and the warm, but deadly glow of a  vague and ambiguous ‘religious’ universalism replaces Christ-the Cornerstone.

As the Forerunner’s life and death teach us, this voice has a cost – possibly a very great cost.

This was the cost paid by the martyrs, among whom we hold both St John and his righteous father Zacharias, who was “murdered between the Temple and the altar.” St Gabriel Ugrebadze paid this cost by being incarcerated by the Soviets and injected with chemicals. St Maria of Paris paid this cost by being arrested by the Nazis and incarcerated in Ravensbruck, where she met her death in the gas-chamber; the martyred Father Daniel Sysoev paid this price when he was slain in his own temple by Islamists.

Even as Christians claiming the fullness of the Faith in a Church which rejects compromise, and the dangers of modernism, today’s feast is a challenge to each of us, but as we celebrate the Forerunners memory, are we ready and would we be prepared to pay the price for being a voice in the current wilderness preaching the Truth of Faith – Truth which may be dangerous and costly ?

This is a challenge for each of us – perhaps an uncomfortable one for most of us – but a challenge we must embrace.

Butetown Today

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It was wonderful to celebrate the Nativity of the Forerunner with the Divine Liturgy in the church of St Mary Butetown this morning.

We were enveloped in great peace, as a few of us gathered at the nave altar, with the beautiful simplicity of two-voices singing prayerfully and quietly on the kliros.

The Liturgy was punctuated only by the mewing of sea-gulls and children’s voices from the school playground, and the church was bathed in summer sun, reflected on the holy vessels and icons.

Following the Liturgy, we enjoyed a simple lunch in the parish room, celebrating our starosta’s nameday, happy that Father Dean could join us for a short time in his very busy day. We thank him for his generosity and open-door to the parish.

“His name is John.”

Canon for the Nativity of St John the Forerunner

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Dear brothers and sisters, greetings as we celebrate the feast of the Nativity of St John the Forerunner, sending nameday congratulations to the many Johns named for the Baptist of the Lord – especially our starosta, Norman John. May God grant them all many, blessed years.

Canon I, of John the Monk, with 8 Troparia, including its Irmos, in Tone IV:

Ode I, Irmos:  O Thou who wast born of the Virgin, * drown I implore Thee, in the depth of dispassion * the triune nature of my soul, * as Thou didst the mighty strongholds of the warriors, * that in the mortality of my flesh * as on a timbrel * I may chant a hymn of victory.

Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, John, pray to God for us.

The offspring of the barren woman manifestly proclaimeth the birthgiving of the Virgin, preceding the Sun like a magnificent dawn. And he now shineth forth the light of piety and grace upon the whole universe.

Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, John, pray to God for us.

“Truly art thou called the prophet of the Most High; for thou goest before the face of Christ, to prepare the way for the Creator!” Zacharias cried out to thee, his son, borne up by the most Holy Spirit, O most praised John.

Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, John, pray to God for us.

Hearing the words of Gabriel’s divine news, Zacharias showed himself to be intractable, and was stricken with muteness; but he is suddenly loosed therefrom, for John the Forerunner, the voice of the Word, hath been born.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

O most immaculate Theotokos, thou godly city of the King of all, habitation well-pleasing unto God, precious treasure: preserve thine inheritance, which ever praiseth thee and honoureth thy birthgiving with faith.

Another Canon, of Andrew, with 6 Troparia, in Tone IV:

Irmos:  Let us chant unto God our Redeemer, * Who of old guided Israel * fleeing from the slavery of Pharaoh, * and fed them in the wilderness, * for He hath been glorified.

Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, John, pray to God for us.

The silence of the father is a symbol of the mysteries of the Scriptures of the law; for when grace arrived Moses fell silent. For it was fitting that all fall silent in the presence of the treasure of wisdom which had been revealed.

Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, John, pray to God for us.

While the priest was censing in the temple, an angel from on high stood before him and cried aloud: “I am come unto thee bearing news of a strange birthgiving, O elder! For thou shalt receive from the barren woman the baptizer of Christ as your offspring.”

Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, John, pray to God for us.

“Wherefore dost thou marvel, O elder? Why standest thou, refusing to believe the one who telleth thee these things? For he is an angel, even if he is in the semblance of a man, be thou therefore mute until the time of the birth of the voice of the Word!”

Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, John, pray to God for us.

He who made the silence of Zacharias a symbol of the written law hath thereby shown me to be a preacher of repentance who cry out: He giveth unto the barren woman a son who is the voice who crieth.

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

O the most glorious pronouncements of the Forerunner of Christ! He who, even before he was wrapped in swaddling bands, recognized Him who hath loosed our bonds and sanctified the nations, is born today of Elizabeth and looseth the voice of his father.

Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Thou art the habitation of God and the noetic ladder by which God hath descended and, taking our form, hath led our nature up to the heavens. Thee do we all praise as the mediatress of our salvation.

Ode III, Irmos: Not in wisdom, nor in power do we glory, * but we glory in Thee O Christ, * the Hypostatic Wisdom of the Father, * for there is none more holy than Thee, O Lover of mankind.

Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, John, pray to God for us.

The birthgiving of the Master is accomplished through the Virgin, while that of His beloved servant is through an elderly and barren mother; wherefore, splendidly hath he proceeded the Wonder of wonders.

Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, John, pray to God for us.

The elderly and barren woman kisseth the Virgin Mother, truly recognizing her birthgiving, for the bond of her barrenness hath been loosed by the will of God. 

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

O thou who hast given birth unto God incarnate without having known wedlock, make me steadfast who am beset by the assaults of the passions; for I have none other helper than thee, O most pure one.

Another Irmos:  Having established the thunder * and fashioned the wind: * do Thou make me steadfast O Lord, * that I may hymn Thee in truth and do Thy will; * for none is as holy as Thou, O our God.

Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, John, pray to God for us.

Elizabeth, who before was barren, prefigured Thy Church of the nations, O Christ, and, giving birth most gloriously, she hath revealed as most fertile that which once was seen to be barren.

Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, John, pray to God for us.

Making straight the ways of the Lord and preparing His path, O prophet and herald of Christ, thou didst show mankind the fruits of repentance, teaching them the way of life.

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

Dancing today, Elizabeth holdeth thee in her elderly arms, O Forerunner, and crieth out, uttering the praise: None is as holy as Thou, O Lord our God!

Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

O most holy Theotokos, thou didst loose the grief of our first parents, giving birth to the Creator of life and Redeemer for us. Him do thou earnestly entreat, that thy flock be saved.

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

Sessional Hymn, in Tone VIII: Spec. Mel.: “That which was commanded …”: The Forerunner, the voice of the Word, upon his birth splendidly loosed the voice of Zacharias, and he hath shown unto all the barrenness of the law, crying out: Repent, ye who are on earth, for, lo! Jesus cometh and hath appeared, desiring to deliver all from the primal curse, illumining them with baptism! Truly this is a most glorious wonder!

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

Tone IV: Spec. Mel.: “Joseph marvelled …”: Like the radiant sun, the son of Zacharias hath shone forth upon us through the womb of Elizabeth, and loosed the muteness of his father, crying out to all men with great boldness: “Make straight the way of the Lord! For He freeth and saveth those who have recourse unto Him.” Entreat Him Whom didst thou preach, O John, that our souls be saved.

Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

By thy divine birthgiving, O pure one, * thou hast renewed the mortal nature of those born on earth, * which had become corrupt through the passions, * raising up all from death to a life of incorruption. * Wherefore, as is meet we all bless thee, ** O exceedingly glorious Virgin, as thou didst foretell.

Ode IV, Irmos: He who sitteth in glory upon the throne of the Godhead, * Jesus the true God, * is come in a swift cloud * and with His sinless hands he hath saved those who cry: * Glory to Thy power, O Christ.

Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, John, pray to God for us.

A mystery hath preceded ineffable mysteries, proclaiming release from suffering by a renewed nature, through its correction and deification, O Christ.

Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, John, pray to God for us.

Isaiah prophesied that when the Son would become flesh, the Father would say: “Behold, I send before Thy face an earthly angel, the equal of the angels, who crieth out: Glory to Thy power, O Christ!”

Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, John, pray to God for us.

I have been born to serve the Master as a servant; for, lo! for this reason I have come, to announce His coming, that the barren and elderly woman, putting forth fruit, may believe beforehand the birthgiving of the Virgin.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

The womb of the holy Theotokos, in whom it was Thy good pleasure to make Thine abode as in a fragrant dwelling, O supremely divine Word of the Father, was neither corrupted, nor suffered pain; for she gaveth birth to Emmanuel: God and man.

Another Irmos: I have heard of Thy glorious Dispensation, * O Christ our God: * how Thou wast born of the Virgin, * that Thou mightest deliver from error * those who cry aloud to Thee: * Glory to Thy power, O Lord.

Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, John, pray to God for us.

Repentance was made accessible through thy nativity, O Forerunner and herald; for thou alone didst preach, crying aloud: Repent ye! The kingdom of heaven is at hand!

Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, John, pray to God for us.

Virginity is established and chastity doth triumph; the desert rejoiceth, and the world holdeth festival in thy nativity, O Forerunner!

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

Elizabeth rejoiceth and Zacharias speaketh once again. Both, therefore, become young in their old age and are rendered luminous through John the voice of the Word.

Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Of old, the lawgiver saw thee as the bush unconsumed by the fire, and Daniel envisioned thee as a holy mountain, O Sovereign Lady who alone art Mother and Virgin.

Ode V, Irmos: Now I shall arise said God prophetically, * now I shall be glorified, now I shall be exalted, * elevating fallen human nature, * which I received from the Virgin, * to the noetic light of My divinity.

Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, John, pray to God for us.

The earth hath given rise to the true herald, the voice who preacheth to all, with the tongue of the Spirit, the Son of the Virgin, righteousness from heaven which hath come down to us in a bodily substance.

Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, John, pray to God for us.

The Lord hath appointed thee the true luminary of Christ, enlightening all, clothing only those who are His enemies in shame, as in a garment, and forthrightly proclaiming the Word and Son of God.

Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, John, pray to God for us.

All creation rejoiceth in thy nativity in a godly manner; for thou wast shown to be an earthly angel and a heavenly man, O Forerunner, proclaiming the God of heaven Who assumed flesh for our sake.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

He Who is begotten of the Father hath been born of thee and is ever with thee: the ever-existing and indivisible Word, the only-begotten Son, Who, in the latter days, became incarnate of the Virgin and the Holy Spirit.

Another Irmos: Shine upon me, O Lord, * the light of Thy commandments, * for my soul riseth early to Thee and hymneth Thee: * For Thou art our God, * and unto Thee do I flee, O King of peace.

Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, John, pray to God for us.

O Sun of righteousness, Thou hast prepared a star, Thy baptizer John, who today is born according to Thy promise and hath loosed the voice of his father.

Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, John, pray to God for us.

Utter thou no words of protest, O sacred elder; for Gabriel, the foremost among the archangels, telleth thee the mysteries of God, telling all of His descent unto us.

Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, John, pray to God for us.

Be not unbelieving, O elder; for God hath promised that thou shalt beget a son in thine old age, in whose birth many shall rejoice, for he shall come with the power of Elijah.

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

O prophet, herald and forerunner, offspring of the barren woman, preacher of repentance, lamb of the wilderness, and lampstand of the Light: pray thou for all with faith who honour thee

Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

We hymn thee, O Sovereign Lady, Mother of the Creator of all, as the impassable portal, the bush unconsumed, and the unquarried mountain from whom was cut the Stone Who is He Who assumed flesh from thee.

Ode VI, Irmos: I have reached the depths of the sea * and the tempest of my many sins hath engulfed me; * but do Thou raise up my life from the abyss * O Greatly-merciful One.

Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, John, pray to God for us.

While yet in thy mother’s womb, as a prophet thou didst recognize the Word of God, and, deified by the unapproachable light, thou didst utter theology in that dark chamber, employing her tongue.

Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, John, pray to God for us.

As the voice of one crying unceasingly, O Baptist, cease thou never to entreat the Redeemer of the world, that He loose the spiritual barrenness of those who hymn thy nativity.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

Thy womb, O pure Theotokos, was revealed to be the dwelling-place of the unapproachable Godhead, upon Whom the heavenly ranks cannot gaze without fear.

Another Irmos: The tempest of evil thoughts, hath overwhelmed me, * dragging me down into the abyss of my numberless sins; * but, going before me, O good Helmsman, * govern me as Thou didst the Prophet, * and save me.

Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, John, pray to God for us.

Today John is born: the citizen of the desert, the preacher of repentance, the true witness of grace, the forerunner of the Word, the star which shineth before the Light.

Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, John, pray to God for us.

Today, the axe which hath been forged, hath portended the hewing of barren souls, and planting the fruits of the virtues, hath surely come forth in thy nativity, O forerunner.

Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, John, pray to God for us.

Jordan hath rejoiced most gloriously and leapeth up, learning that John is born of the barren one’s womb; wherefore the sea danceth with leaping waters.

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

Coming forth, the candle-stand of the Light preached the coming of the Saviour, the Lamb of God, Who hath shone forth light upon the earth, offered spiritually for all nature.

Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

O all-immaculate Birthgiver of God, who hast given birth to the Abyss of mercy: drowning the abyss of my passions in the depths of thy compassions, grant me a torrent of tears from my soul.

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

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

Kontakion, in Tone III: Spec. Mel.: “Today the Virgin …”: Today she who before was barren * giveth birth unto the forerunner of Christ, * he is the fulfilment of all prophecy; * for, laying his hand in the Jordan upon Him * Whom the prophets foretold, * he hath been shown to be the prophet, herald and forerunner ** of the Word of God.

Ikos: Let us now praise the forerunner of the Lord, to whom Elizabeth gaveth birth for the priest, by means of her barren womb, though not seedlessly; for Christ alone passed through an inviolate dwelling without seed. The barren woman gaveth birth unto John, but did not beget him without the aid of her husband; but the pure virgin gaveth birth to Jesus through the overshadowing of the Father and the Spirit of God. The prophet, herald and forerunner was revealed through the barren woman to the Seedless One.

Ode VII, Irmos: The three youths in Babylon, * regarded the tyrant’s command as foolishness, * and cried aloud in the midst of the flame: * Blessed art Thou, O Lord God of our fathers!

Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, John, pray to God for us.

Before, all of human nature was in darkness, O forerunner; but thou wast shown to be the dawn, crying out: Blessed art Thou, O Lord God of our fathers!

Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, John, pray to God for us.

Thy nativity through the barren woman hath healed all afflicted nature, O forerunner, teaching it to chant: Blessed art Thou, O Lord God of our fathers!

Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, John, pray to God for us.

Thy nativity through the barren woman hath healed all afflicted nature, O forerunner, teaching it to chant: Blessed art Thou, O Lord God of our fathers!

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

O blessed Virgin, pray for us who beseech thee; for on thee do we set our hope, and to thee do we cry aloud: O Sovereign Lady, disdain not thy servants!

Another Irmos: In the Persian furnace the youths and descendants of Abraham, * burning with a love of piety * rather than by a flame of fire, * cried aloud saying: * Blessed art Thou in the temple of Thy glory, O Lord.

Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, John, pray to God for us.

Falling mute for a time, Zacharias made plain his silence by writing; and, provided again with speech through thy nativity, O forerunner, he most gloriously announced the grace of the Spirit.

Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, John, pray to God for us.

The most honoured Elizabeth, that barren and childless woman, is like unto the Church: which before was bedimmed with sacrifices and ordure now boasteth in beauty and birthgiving.

Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, John, pray to God for us.

Today the spiritual axe, whereby all the uprisings of the passions are hewn down, is honed by the nativity of the forerunner; and the fruits of repentance mystically flourish.

Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, John, pray to God for us.

We honour thee, O John, as the mediator between the old and the new testaments, the one who maketh straight the paths of Christ Who cleanseth the threshing-floor of transgression with the winnowing-fan of the Spirit.

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

We all hymn the glorious John who issued forth from the barren woman, the forerunner and preacher of repentance, who hastened like a star before the Sun, Christ our God.

Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

O Virgin Theotokos, cease thou never to pray on behalf of all unto Him Who, without seed, made His abode within thy womb, Who, in His ineffable and utter humility, was born and beggared Himself for our sake.

Ode VIII Irmos: O almighty Redeemer of all, * having descended and bedewed the children * in the midst of the flame, * Thou didst teach them to sing: * All ye works bless and hymn the Lord.

Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, John, pray to God for us.

Moses the lawgiver was a servant, but Jesus is the God of the new covenant; and now the forerunner hymneth both, as mediator between them, saying: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!

Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, John, pray to God for us.

A turtle-dove hath issued forth from the womb of the barren one! Like a divinely planted grove she hath offered the forerunner of Christ unto the Church, chanting: All ye works of the Lord, bless ye the Lord!

Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, John, pray to God for us.

O God-bearing people, holy nation, liken yourselves unto the turtle-dove of Christ and, abiding in chastity, chant ye with voices flowing with honey: All ye works of the Lord, bless ye the Lord!

Most Holy Trinity, our God, glory to Thee.

Illumined with the threefold Light, let us worship the one uncreated Godhead, ceaselessly crying aloud in an Orthodox manner: All ye works of the Lord, bless ye the Lord!

Another Irmos: In wisdom hast Thou fashioned all things, O Master, * Thou didst establish the earth firmly upon the fathomless depths of the waters, * in accordance with Thy knowledge, * wherefore we hymn Thee chanting: * Unceasingly bless ye the Lord all ye works of the Lord.

Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, John, pray to God for us.

Before thy birth, before thine own swaddling-clothes, O forerunner, thou didst recognize Christ, the Bestower of life, Whom thou didst worship, pointing Him out by leaping, and naming Him thy Lord, by borrowing thy mother’s tongue, and singing unto Christ our God.

Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, John, pray to God for us.

The ends of the earth celebrate the forefeast today; the angels and the souls of the righteous rejoice; the quick and the dead are gladdened by the birth of John, receiving through him the preaching of the Saviour and Lord of all.

Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, John, pray to God for us.

Today the Jordan, likening itself to John, hath leapt up most gloriously in its fluid torrents, listening to him whose life is like unto that of the angels, who was born of a barren and elderly woman, who maketh straight the ways and paths of the Lord and hath baptized the world.

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

Today Zacharias noted on a slate the name of the prophet and forerunner which was designated by God, and in his silence he declared: Let him be called John who is born to me in mine old age! This marvellous designation befitteth one who was begotten according to God’s promise.

Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

Thy people, O Virgin, have thee as a mighty consolation, a hope unashamed, an unassailable rampart and divine intercession, and, saved, they glorify and cry out to thee earnestly: Bless the Lord unceasingly, all ye works of the Lord!

Ode IX, Irmos: The ineffable hidden mystery of God hath been revealed in thee, * O most pure Virgin; * for in His tender compassion * God become incarnate of thee. * Wherefore, we magnify thee as the Theotokos.

Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, John, pray to God for us.

Lo! the voice of the forerunner falleth upon barren and empty hearts, crying: Prepare ye now the way of Christ, for He shall come in glory, and, submitting ourselves, we magnify Him!

Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, John, pray to God for us.

As of old, O forerunner, thou didst through the Holy Spirit manifestly preach the Son, Who is the Lamb of God Who taketh away the sins of the world, ask thou forgiveness of sins for thy flock.

Most Holy Trinity, our God, glory to Thee.

Chanting in an Orthodox manner, O ye faithful, let us glorify the threefold Unity, the consubstantial Trinity, Who illumineth us divinely and filleth our souls with the splendors of the never-waning light.

Most Holy Theotokos, save us.

O thou who hast dominion over all creatures, grant the trophy of victory to thy people and set the feet of Orthodox hierarchs upon all heresies and schisms, that we may magnify thee as the Theotokos.

Another Irmos: For the Mighty One hath done great things to me, * and holy is His name; * and His mercy is upon them that fear Him * unto generation and generation

Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, John, pray to God for us.

Behold, in thee, O priest, hath God wrought a great and most glorious sign; for thou hast begotten a son, the forerunner, in thine old age and in the mortality of thy flesh.

Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, John, pray to God for us.

Let barren women hearken and chant unto God! For, lo! Elizabeth crieth out: I give birth unto a son of mine old age and in the mortality of my flesh!

Holy Prophet, Forerunner and Baptist, John, pray to God for us.

Be glad and rejoice now in God, O Zacharias! For, lo! Elizabeth nourisheth the son of her old age at her breast and in the mortality of her flesh giveth birth to the forerunner.

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

Glory to Him Who hath giveth fruit to the barren woman in her old age and hath bestowed upon the aged prophet a son, the divine forerunner, who prepareth for Him a perfected people.

Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.

He Who was begotten in the bosom of the Father without passion and corruption, having made His abode within thee, in His loving-kindness hath led us to the Father and the divine Spirit.

Troparion, Tone IV: O prophet and forerunner of the coming of Christ, * we who honour thee with love * are at a loss how to worthily praise thee; * for by thy glorious and honoured nativity * thou didst loose the barrenness of her who gave birth to thee * and the muteness of thy father, ** and proclaimed to the world the incarnation of the Son of God.