Dear brothers and sisters – on this day on which we celebrate the Meeting of the Vladimir Icon, we also celebrate the Holy Equals to the Apostles Constantine and Helena.
Though we have a lack of Constantine’s, we greet our sisters baptised in honour of the Holy Empress Helena, congratulating them, asking God’s blessing and praying that he will preserve them for many years!
Многая и Благая лѣта!
Canon of the saints, 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 Equals to the Apostles, Constantine and Helena, pray to God for us.
O Thou Who alone art the King of heaven, through the entreaties of Thy favoured ones, free Thou my lowly soul from sin, which now reigneth within me.
Holy Equals to the Apostles, Constantine and Helena, pray to God for us.
As one who loved the kingdom on high, O blessed Constantine, believing with a pure mind, thou didst worship the King and Master of all.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Illumined with divine light, O divinely wise Helena, thou didst truly forsake the darkness of ignorance and most sincerely enslave thyself to the King of the ages.
Now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O Lady, thou portal of the divine East, open unto me the door of repentance, and by thine intercession deliver me from the gates of deadly sin.
Ode III, Irmos: O Lord, Creator of the vault of Heaven * and Builder of the Church, * do Thou strengthen me in Thy love, O Summit of desire, * O Support of the faithful, * O only Lover of mankind.
Holy Equals to the Apostles, Constantine and Helena, pray to God for us.
Thou didst strive to receive heavenly rewards; wherefore, O divinely wise father, thou didst follow Him Who called thee, forsaking the darkness of the falsehood bequeathed to thee, and didst become a luminary through the divine Spirit.
Holy Equals to the Apostles, Constantine and Helena, pray to God for us.
Having cleaved unto Christ and set all thy hope on Him, O most honoured one, thou didst attain unto His sacred places, wherein the Supremely good One, having become incarnate, endured His most pure sufferings.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Burning with divine desire, O divinely blessed one, thou didst uncover the precious Cross, the weapon of salvation, the insuperable victory, the hope of Christians, which had been hidden in malice.
Now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Having fallen away from my sacred citizenship, O most pure one, I have become like a beast and am wholly condemned. O thou who hast given birth to the Judge, deliver and save me from all condemnation.
Lord, have mercy.Lord, have mercy.Lord, have mercy.
Sessional Hymn of the saints, Tone VIII, Spec. Mel. “Of the Wisdom…”: Having stretched forth thy senses toward heaven and acquired the beauty of the stars, thou wast taught by them the mysteries of the Lord of all; and the weapon of the Cross shone forth in their midst, signifying that in which thou shouldest conquer and achieve dominion. Wherefore, opening the eyes of thy soul, thou didst read the writings and learn about the image. O most honored Constantine, entreat Christ God, that He grant remission of sins unto those who celebrate thy holy memory with love. (Twice)
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 VIII: Having conceived the Wisdom and Word in thy womb without being consumed, O Mother of God, thou hast given birth for the world unto the Nourisher of all and Fashioner of creation; and thou didst bear in thine arms Him Who holdeth all things. Wherefore, I beseech thee, O all-holy Virgin, and glorify thee with faith: May I be delivered from transgressions, and, on the day of judgment when I shall stand before the face of my Creator, O pure Virgin Sovereign Lady, grant me thine aid; for thou canst do all things whatsoever thou dost will, O thou who art all-hymned.
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 Equals to the Apostles, Constantine and Helena, pray to God for us.
Christ the Lord pursued thee from heaven, as He had Paul of old, O Constantine, teaching thee to worship Him as the only King.
Holy Equals to the Apostles, Constantine and Helena, pray to God for us.
With a most radiant sign of stars, O blessed one, Christ the Sun illumined thee, showing thee to be a luminary for the darkened.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
O blessed one, thou wast God-loving in nature and right wondrous in thy divine works; wherefore, we glorify thee with faith.
Now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O Ever-Virgin who hast given birth to the Sun of righteousness, illumine my soul, which hath been darkened by sins.
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 Equals to the Apostles, Constantine and Helena, pray to God for us.
Having risen at dawn unto the never-waning Sun and Master, O divinely wise emperor, thou wast filled with light.
Holy Equals to the Apostles, Constantine and Helena, pray to God for us.
Wearing love and perfect loving-kindness like a robe of royal purple, thou hast now made thine abode in the kingdom on high.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
O Helena, thou hast joined the choirs of the incorporeal ones, having pleased God by thy virtuous works.
Now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Cleanse thou my soul, which hath been defiled by carnal pleasures through the treachery of the serpent, O Virgin.
Ode VI, Irmos: I will pour out my prayer unto the Lord, * and to Him will I proclaim my grief; * for my soul is filled with evils, * and my life unto Hades hath drawn nigh, * and like Jonah I pray unto Thee: * Raise me up from corruption, O God. Most gloriously didst thou assemble the divine choir of the God-bearing fathers,
Holy Equals to the Apostles, Constantine and Helena, pray to God for us.
O Constantine, and through them make steadfast the storm-tossed hearts of all, that they might glorify the Word as equal in honor and co-enthroned with the One Who begat Him.
Holy Equals to the Apostles, Constantine and Helena, pray to God for us.
Having believed on the living Lord Who giveth life unto all, O Helena, thou didst spurn the abominable worship of vain idols and joyously received the kingdom of heaven.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Guided by Thy hand, O Word, through Thee the sovereigns thrust aside the most profound darkness of ignorance and the tempest of cruel godlessness, and arrived, rejoicing, at the calm havens of piety.
Now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Heal thou my heart, which hath grown incurably sick and hath been grievously wounded by the sting of the evil one, O Maiden, and by thine entreaties grant healing unto me, and save me who trust in thee, O most pure one.
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 III, Spec. Mel. “Today the Virgin …”: Today Constantine and his mother Helena * have revealed the Cross, the most precious Tree, * which putteth to shame all the Jews * and is the weapon of faithful kings against the adversary. ** For our sake the great standard hath appeared, terrible in battle.
Ikos: Let us honor Constantine, and Helena his mother; for, hearing the words of David, they recognized the three parts of the Cross in the cedar, the pine and the cypress, upon which the suffering of the Savior was accomplished. And having found it, in preparation to display it before the people, they set it before all the Jews, hidden because of their hatred and jealousy; revealing it to be the great justification. Wherefore, they have been revealed to all as victors, bearing the invincible trophy, the great standard, terrible in battle.
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 Equals to the Apostles, Constantine and Helena, pray to God for us.
Keeping Thy precepts, Constantine submitted to Thy law. Wherefore, he hath cast down hordes of the iniquitous, crying out to Thee: Blessed art Thou, O Lord God!
Holy Equals to the Apostles, Constantine and Helena, pray to God for us.
The Tree which hath drawn all from the pit of destruction, O right wondrous one, and which was buried out of malice, thou didst disclose unto us, burying the most pernicious demons forever.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
By godly works thou didst make thy heart a temple of God, O Helena, and didst likewise build sacred churches for Him, where for our sake He endured His most pure sufferings for our sake.
Now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Willingly committing sins, and enslaved by unseemly habits, I flee now to thy tender compassion. O most holy Sovereign Lady, save me who am in despair!
Ode VIII, Irmos: In his wrath the Chaldean Tyrant made the furnace blaze, * with heat fanned sevenfold for the servants of God; * but when he perceived that they had been saved by a greater power * he cried aloud to the Creator and Redeemer, * ‘O ye youths bless, O ye priests praise, * O ye people, supremely exalt Him throughout all ages’.
Holy Equals to the Apostles, Constantine and Helena, pray to God for us.
Arrayed in loving-kindness as in a robe and in goodly meekness as in cloak, O glorious one, thou wast adorned with a mind perfect in the virtues as with a crown; and having been translated from earth to the kingdom on high, thou dost cry aloud: O ye priests bless; O ye people supremely exalt Christ throughout all ages!
Holy Equals to the Apostles, Constantine and Helena, pray to God for us.
Beholding thee rejoicing with thy divinely wise son, in the kingdom of God, O glorious Helena, we magnify Christ Who hath shown us your honoured festival, which illumineth us more brightly than the rays of the sun, wherefore we chant with faith: O ye people supremely exalt Christ throughout all ages!
Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Wondrous is thy desire and godly thy character, O glorious Helena, thou boast of women! For having attained unto the places where the precious sufferings took place, thou didst adorn them with all-beauteous temples of the Master of all, crying: O ye people supremely exalt Christ throughout all ages!
Now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O Theotokos, enlighten the eyes of my soul, which have been blinded by many crimes; grant peace to my mind and heart, which have been vexed by multifarious pleasures, I pray, and save me who cry: O ye priests bless; ye people supremely exalt the pure one throughout all ages!
Ode IX, Irmos: Heaven was stricken with awe, * and the ends of the earth were filled with amazement, * for God hath appeared in the flesh, * and thy womb was rendered more spacious than the heavens. * Wherefore, the ranks of men and of angels * magnify thee as the Theotokos.
Holy Equals to the Apostles, Constantine and Helena, pray to God for us.
The tomb wherein thy sacred and precious body doth lie, O Constantine, doth ever pour forth the radiance of divine healings upon those whoever approach it in purity, driving away the darkness of divers passions and illumining those who praise thee with never-waning light.
Holy Equals to the Apostles, Constantine and Helena, pray to God for us.
Having finished thy life in holiness, thou hast now made thine abode with the saints, full of sanctity and enlightenment. Wherefore, ever pouring forth rivers of healings, thou dost burn up our sufferings, giving drink to our souls, O blessed Helena.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
O unoriginate and immortal King, Thou hast vouchsafed Thy heavenly kingdom to the holy Helena and the great Constantine, whom of old thou didst grant to reign piously on earth, and who loved Thee in purity, O Lord. By their supplications have pity on us all.
Now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Having conceived, thou hast given birth to the King and Creator of all, O Virgin. And, lo! as a Queen thou standest forth now at His right hand. Wherefore, I beseech thee: at the hour of judgment deliver me from the left side, and number me with the sheep on the right.
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Troparion, Tone VIII: Beholding the image of Thy Cross in the sky, * and like Paul receiving a call not from men, * Thine apostle among kings placed the imperial city in Thy hands, O Lord. * Do Thou ever preserve it in peace, ** through the supplications of the Theotokos, O Thou Who alone art the Lover of mankind.
Until the week before our young brother, Macarius, was baptised in Lazarica, we were unaware that he intended to take the name of the desert father, St Macarius the Great of Egypt, having been inspired by reading his life.
For those unfamiliar with the hagiography of this important desert father, his life follows, together with the canon of his feast, which I hope the newly baptised Macarius will pray regularly, and indeed this may be a prompt for us ALL to pray the canon or akathist to our own name-saint regularly.
When did you last pray the canon or an akathist to the saint whose name you bear? Have you EVER done so? Our name-saint should be part of ourpersonal identity and part of our spiritual life: a friend, guide, protector and companion. If we never talk to them in prayer, honouring them and involinge them in our lives, this relationship and association will go nowhere, and we will end up excluding and dishonouring the saint with whose name we have been baptised into the Lord’s death and resurrection.
Saint Macarius the Great of Egypt was born in the early fourth century in the village of Ptinapor in Egypt. At the wish of his parents he entered into marriage, but was soon widowed. After he buried his wife, Macarius told himself, “Take heed, Macarius, and have care for your soul. It is fitting that you forsake worldly life.”
The Lord rewarded the saint with a long life, but from that time the memory of death was constantly with him, impelling him to ascetic deeds of prayer and penitence. He began to visit the church of God more frequently and to be more deeply absorbed in Holy Scripture, but he did not leave his aged parents, thus fulfilling the commandment to honor one’s parents.
Until his parents died, Saint Macarius used his remaining substance to help them and he began to pray fervently that the Lord might show him a guide on the way to salvation. The Lord sent him an experienced Elder, who lived in the desert not far from the village. The Elder accepted the youth with love, guided him in the spiritual science of watchfulness, fasting and prayer, and taught him the handicraft of weaving baskets. After building a separate cell not far from his own, the Elder settled his disciple in it.
The local bishop arrived one day at Ptinapor and, knowing of the saint’s virtuous life, ordained him to the diaconate against his will. Saint Macarius was overwhelmed by this disturbance of his silence, and so he went secretly to another place. The Enemy of our salvation began a tenacious struggle with the ascetic, trying to terrify him, shaking his cell and suggesting sinful thoughts. Saint Macarius repelled the attacks of the devil, defending himself with prayer and the Sign of the Cross.
Evil people slandered the saint, accusing him of seducing a woman from a nearby village. They dragged him out of his cell and jeered at him. Saint Macarius endured the temptation with great humility. Without a murmur, he sent the money that he got for his baskets for the support of the pregnant woman.
The innocence of Saint Macarius was manifested when the woman, who suffered torment for many days, was not able to give birth. She confessed that she had slandered the hermit, and revealed the name of the real father. When her parents found out the truth, they were astonished and intended to go to the saint to ask forgiveness. Though Saint Macarius willingly accepted dishonor, he shunned the praise of men. He fled from that place by night and settled on Mt. Nitria in the Pharan desert.
Thus human wickedness contributed to the prospering of the righteous. Having dwelt in the desert for three years, he went to Saint Anthony the Great, the Father of Egyptian monasticism, for he had heard that he was still alive in the world, and he longed to see him. Abba Anthony received him with love, and Macarius became his devoted disciple and follower. Saint Macarius lived with him for a long time and then, on the advice of the saintly abba, he went off to the Skete monastery (in the northwest part of Egypt). He so shone forth in asceticism that he came to be called “a young Elder,” because he had distinguished himself as an experienced and mature monk, even though he was not quite thirty years old.
Saint Macarius survived many demonic attacks against him. Once, he was carrying palm branches for weaving baskets, and a devil met him on the way and wanted to strike him with a sickle, but he was not able to do this. He said, “Macarius, I suffer great anguish from you because I am unable to vanquish you. I do everything that you do. You fast, and I eat nothing at all. You keep vigil, and I never sleep. You surpass me only in one thing: humility.”
When the saint reached the age of forty, he was ordained to the priesthood and made the head of the monks living in the desert of Skete. During these years, Saint Macarius often visited with Saint Anthony the Great, receiving guidance from him in spiritual conversations. Abba Macarius was deemed worthy to be present at the death of Saint Anthony and he received his staff. He also received a double portion of the Anthony’s spiritual power, just as the prophet Elisha once received a double portion of the grace of the prophet Elias, along with the mantle that he dropped from the fiery chariot.
Saint Macarius worked many healings. People thronged to him from various places for help and for advice, asking his holy prayers. All this unsettled the quietude of the saint. He therefore dug out a deep cave under his cell, and hid there for prayer and meditation.
Saint Macarius attained such boldness before God that, through his prayers, the Lord raised the dead. Despite attaining such heights of holiness, he continued to preserve his unusual humility. One time the holy abba caught a thief loadng his things on a donkey standing near the cell. Without revealing that he was the owner of these things, the monk began to help tie up the load. Having removed himself from the world, the monk told himself, “We bring nothing at all into this world; clearly, it is not possible to take anything out from it. Blessed be the Lord for all things!”
Once, Saint Macarius was walking and saw a skull lying upon the ground. He asked, “Who are you?” The skull answered, “I was a chief priest of the pagans. When you, Abba, pray for those in hell, we receive some mitigation.
The monk asked, “What are these torments?” “We are sitting in a great fire,” replied the skull, “and we do not see one another. When you pray, we begin to see each other somewhat, and this affords us some comfort.” Having heard such words, the saint began to weep and asked, “Are there still more fiercesome torments?” The skull answered, “Down below us are those who knew the Name of God, but spurned Him and did not keep His commandments. They endure even more grievous torments.”
Once, while he was praying, Saint Macarius heard a voice: “Macarius, you have not yet attained such perfection in virtue as two women who live in the city.” The humble ascetic went to the city, found the house where the women lived, and knocked. The women received him with joy, and he said, “I have come from the desert seeking you in order to learn of your good deeds. Tell me about them, and conceal nothing.”
The women answered with surprise, “We live with our husbands, and we have not such virtues.” But the saint continued to insist, and the women then told him, “We married two brothers. After living together in one house for fifteen years, we have not uttered a single malicious nor shameful word, and we never quarrel among ourselves. We asked our husbands to allow us to enter a women’s monastery, but they would not agree. We vowed not to utter a single worldly word until our death.”
Saint Macarius glorified God and said, “In truth, the Lord seeks neither virgins nor married women, and neither monks nor laymen, but values a person’s free intent, accepting it as the deed itself. He grants to everyone’s free will the grace of the Holy Spirit, which operates in an individual and directs the life of all who yearn to be saved.”
During the years of the reign of the Arian emperor Valens (364-378), Saint Macarius the Great and Saint Macarius of Alexandria were subjected to persecution by the followers of the Arian bishop Lucius. They seized both Elders and put them on a ship, sending them to an island where only pagans lived. By the prayers of the saints, the daughter of a pagan priest was delivered from an evil spirit. After this, the pagan priest and all the inhabitants of the island were baptized. When he heard what had happened, the Arian bishop feared an uprising and permitted the Elders to return to their monasteries.
The meekness and humility of the monk transformed human souls. “A harmful word,” said Abba Macarius, “makes good things bad, but a good word makes bad things good.” When the monks asked him how to pray properly, he answered, “Prayer does not require many words. It is needful to say only, “Lord, as Thou wilt and as Thou knowest, have mercy on me.” If an enemy should fall upon you, you need only say, “Lord, have mercy!” The Lord knows that which is useful for us, and grants us mercy.”
When the brethren asked how a monk ought to comport himself, the saint replied, “Forgive me, I am not yet a monk, but I have seen monks. I asked them what I must do to be a monk. They answered, ‘If a man does not withdraw himself from everything which is in the world, it is not possible to be a monk.’ Then I said, ‘I am weak and cannot be as you are.’ The monks responded, ‘If you cannot renounce the world as we have, then go to your cell and weep for your sins.’”
Saint Macarius gave advice to a young man who wished to become a monk: “Flee from people and you shall be saved.” That one asked: “What does it mean to flee from people?” The monk answered: “Sit in your cell and repent of your sins.”
Saint Macarius sent him to a cemetery to rebuke and then to praise the dead. Then he asked him what they said to him. The young man replied, “They were silent to both praise and reproach.” “If you wish to be saved, be as one dead. Do not become angry when insulted, nor puffed up when praised.” And further: “If slander is like praise for you, poverty like riches, insufficiency like abundance, then you shall not perish.”
The prayer of Saint Macarius saved many in perilous circumstances of life, and preserved them from harm and temptation. His benevolence was so great that they said of him: “Just as God sees the whole world, but does not chastize sinners, so also does Abba Macarius cover his neighbor’s weaknesses, which he seemed to see without seeing, and heard without hearing.”
The monk lived until the age of ninety. Shortly before his death, Saints Anthony and Pachomius appeared to him, bringing the joyful message of his departure to eternal life in nine days. After instructing his disciples to preserve the monastic Rule and the traditions of the Fathers, he blessed them and began to prepare for death. Saint Macarius departed to the Lord saying, “Into Thy hands, O Lord, I commend my spirit.”
Abba Macarius spent sixty years in the wilderness, being dead to the world. He spent most of his time in conversation with God, often in a state of spiritual rapture. But he never ceased to weep, to repent and to work. The saint’s profound theological writings are based on his own personal experience. Fifty Spiritual Homilies and seven Ascetic Treatises survive as the precious legacy of his spiritual wisdom. Several prayers composed by Saint Macarius the Great are still used by the Church in the Prayers Before Sleep and also in the Morning Prayers.
Man’s highest goal and purpose, the union of the soul with God, is a primary principle in the works of Saint Macarius. Describing the methods for attaining mystical communion, the saint relies upon the experience of the great teachers of Egyptian monasticism and on his own experience. The way to God and the experience of the holy ascetics of union with God is revealed to each believer’s heart.
Earthly life, according to Saint Macarius, has only a relative significance: to prepare the soul, to make it capable of perceiving the heavenly Kingdom, and to establish in the soul an affinity with the heavenly homeland.
“For those truly believing in Christ, it is necessary to change and transform the soul from its present degraded nature into another, divine nature, and to be fashioned anew by the power of the Holy Spirit.”
This is possible, if we truly believe and we truly love God and have observed all His holy commandments. If one betrothed to Christ at Baptism does not seek and receive the divine light of the Holy Spirit in the present life, “then when he departs from the body, he is separated into the regions of darkness on the left side. He does not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven, but has his end in hell with the devil and his angels” (Homily 30:6).
In the teaching of Saint Macarius, the inner action of the Christian determines the extent of his perception of divine truth and love. Each of us acquires salvation through grace and the divine gift of the Holy Spirit, but to attain a perfect measure of virtue, which is necessary for the soul’s assimilation of this divine gift, is possible only “by faith and by love with the strengthening of free will.” Thus, the Christian inherits eternal life “as much by grace, as by truth.”
Salvation is a divine-human action, and we attain complete spiritual success “not only by divine power and grace, but also by the accomplishing of the proper labors.” On the other hand, it is not just within “the measure of freedom and purity” that we arrive at the proper solicitude, it is not without “the cooperation of the hand of God above.” The participation of man determines the actual condition of his soul, thus inclining him to good or evil. “If a soul still in the world does not possess in itself the sanctity of the Spirit for great faith and for prayer, and does not strive for the oneness of divine communion, then it is unfit for the heavenly kingdom.”
The miracles and visions of Blessed Macarius are recorded in a book by the presbyter Rufinus, and his Life was compiled by Saint Serapion, bishop of Tmuntis (Lower Egypt), one of the renowned workers of the Church in the fourth century. His holy relics are in the city of Amalfi, Italy.
The Canon of the venerable one, the acrostic whereof is “I glorify Macarius who is most excellent among ascetics”, the composition of Theophanes, in Tone IV
Ode I, Irmos:The people of Israel, having fled across the watery deep of the Red Sea with dryshod feet, beholding the mounted captains of the enemy drowned therein, sang with gladness: Let us chant unto our God, for He hath been glorified!
Venerable Father, Macarius, pray to God for us.
Resplendent with light divine, and dwelling now with the angels, O father, by thy supplications save those who celebrate thy most sacred memory and cry out in joy: Let us sing unto our God, for He hath been glorified!
Venerable Father, Macarius, pray to God for us.
Walking unerringly, O all-blessed one, thou didst reach the end of the path which leadeth to life, fleeing tumults, and thou didst put down the uprisings of the demons, crying out with joy: Let us sing unto our God, for He hath been glorified!
Venerable Father, Macarius, pray to God for us.
Having mortified carnal-mindedness with ascetic struggles, O father, thou didst submit to the divine Spirit; and, guided by His divine power, thou didst cry out in joy: 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.
Thou didst forsake all beautiful things, loving the eternal beauty which is in the house of the Lord, O father, where the sound is of those who keep pure festival, crying out in joy: Let us sing unto our God, for He hath been glorified!
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Having conceived in thy womb the unoriginate Father’s timeless Son, Who became flesh for the sake of us men, thou didst ineffably give birth to Him under time; and, rejoicing, we cry out to Him: Let us sing unto our God, for He hath been glorified!
Ode III, Irmos: The bow of the mighty is become weak, and the strengthless have girded themselves with power; wherefore, my heart is established in the Lord.
Venerable Father, Macarius, pray to God for us.
Thou didst submit to the law of the Spirit, putting on His armour, O venerable one, and didst not subject thy will to the law of sin.
Venerable Father, Macarius, pray to God for us.
Directing thine understanding towards God on high, O God-bearer, thou didst forsake all things on earth, being unceasingly made light by the pangs of abstinence.
Venerable Father, Macarius, pray to God for us.
Having burst asunder the bonds of nature by thy supernatural and pure life, O God-bearer, thou didst receive the ability to do things which transcend nature.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
That thou mightest converse with God in stillness, O blessed father, thou didst resolve to dwell in the desert, withdrawing from tumult.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Desiring to save man for his benefit, He Who loveth mankind made His abode within thy womb without being circumscribed, O Mother of God, in that He is our Benefactor.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Kontakion, Tone IV, Spec. Mel. “Thou hast appeared…”: The Lord truly set thee in the house of abstinence like a star which wandereth not, guiding the ends of the earth with light, O venerable Macarius, father of fathers.
Sessional Hymn, Tone I: Spec. Mel. “Thy tomb, O Saviour…”: Tried by the fire of abstinence like gold in the crucible, O wise one, thou wast shown to shine with great lustre; for which cause thou hast passed over to the kingdom of heaven. Wherefore, praising thee with faith, we cry out: Ask thou grace, mercy and the cleansing away of our transgressions, O father! Twice
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: To the path of repentance guide us who have ever wandered away into the trackless wastes of evil and have angered the all-good Lord, O blessed Mary who knewest not wedlock, thou refuge of despairing men and dwelling-place of God.
Stavrotheotokion: The unblemished ewe-lamb, beholding the Lamb and Shepherd hanging dead upon the Tree, cried out, weeping and exclaiming maternally: “How can I endure Thine abasement which is past recounting, as well as voluntary sufferings, O my Son, mine all-good God?”
Ode IV, Irmos:Seated in glory upon the throne of the Godhead, Jesus most divine hath come on a light cloud, and with His incorrupt arm hath saved those who cry: Glory to Thy power, O Christ!
Venerable Father, Macarius, pray to God for us.
Through true asceticism thou didst straightway put off the old corrupt man and sinful passions, O father; and thou didst put on Christ, the new Man, O most honoured one.
Venerable Father, Macarius, pray to God for us.
Thy life was shown to be most radiant, as a most excellent standard of every godly virtue, O father, in prayers and fasting, vigils and supplications to Christ, Who loveth mankind.
Venerable Father, Macarius, pray to God for us.
Thou gavest no slumber to thine eyelids, O divinely wise father, until thou didst make thyself a most beautiful abode for the Master Who seeth all things; and to Him thou didst cry: Glory to Thy power, O Christ!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
In thy youth thou didst show forth chastity, in old age, understanding, and throughout thy life, endurance and long-suffering, and love for all who cry: Glory to Thy power, O Christ!
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Thou hast brought life to dead men and hast raised up those who have fallen into corruption, O most pure one, having given birth to the Bestower of life, Who delivereth those who cry: Glory to Thy power, O Christ!
Ode V, Irmos:Send down upon us Thine enlightenment, O Lord, and free us from the gloom of transgressions, O Good One, granting us Thy peace.
Venerable Father, Macarius, pray to God for us.
Extending the intelligence of thy soul, and directing thy senses, O wise and glorious one, thou didst become a most honoured temple dedicated to God.
Venerable Father, Macarius, pray to God for us.
Setting at naught the machinations of the most perverse serpent, thou didst blunt his bitter wiles, ever setting thy soul firmly in divine law.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Thou didst adorn the three parts of thy soul, O venerable one, and, having made thy mind master, thou didst have Christ guiding thee to the path of heaven.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
The Virgin gave birth to our all-pure God, Who hath appointed purity as the law for all and declareth the holiness of piety to all on earth.
Ode VI, Irmos:Prefiguring Thy three-day burial, the Prophet Jonah, praying within the sea monster, cried out: Deliver me from corruption, O Jesus, King of hosts!
Venerable Father, Macarius, pray to God for us.
Thou didst ardently love to dwell in the desert, O God-bearer, therein receiving God Who delivered thee and guarded thy steps.
Venerable Father, Macarius, pray to God for us.
Thou didst remain unshaken in asceticism, O divinely wise one, maintaining such strictness even to the end, and thereby thou hast manifestly been vouchsafed incorrupt delight.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Thou didst live an angelic life on earth, and hast received the dignity of the angels as is meet, standing before the God of all with the angels.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
In thy womb, O Mother of God, thou didst conceive the Word of the unoriginate Father, Who for our sake immutably became man like us, and is known in two natures.
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 I, Spec. Mel. “The choir of the angels…”: Having in life reached the end of a blessed life with the choirs of the martyrs, thou dwellest in the land of the meek, as is meet, O God-bearing Macarius; and having populated the desert as it were a city, thou hast received from God the grace of miracles. Wherefore, we honour thee.
Ikos: As a zealous disciple of the God-bearing Anthony, O father, pliable as wax, thou didst truly receive the imprint of his every virtue and struggle. Wherefore, like Elijah to another Elisha, he imparted the grace of miracles in twofold measure to thee, who hast also received the effulgence of the foreknowledge of the truth. The great activity of thy life hath been established throughout the world, awakening those who sleep in the abyss of perdition. Wherefore, we honour thee.
Ode VII, Irmos:O all-hymned Lord God of our fathers, Who saved the children of Abraham in the fire, slaying the Chaldæans whom justice rightly overtook: blessed art Thou!
Venerable Father, Macarius, pray to God for us.
Casting down the enemy with the help of God and assistance from on high, thou didst become a victor, crying: O all-hymned Lord God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!
Venerable Father, Macarius, pray to God for us.
Having purged away the gloom which cometh from the passions, thou wast illumined with the enlightenment of dispassion, O blessed one, crying: O all-hymned Lord God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Having adorned thy soul in magnificent virtues and become beautiful for God with comeliness, thou didst chant, rejoicing: O all-hymned Lord God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Making His abode within thy womb, O Virgin, the Lord Who loveth mankind, the blessed God of our fathers, became incarnate, calling us who had fallen into captivity, that we might become what we were in the beginning.
Ode VIII, Irmos:The birthgiving of the Theotokos saved the pious children in the furnace – then in figure, but now in deed – and it moveth all the world to chant to Thee: Hymn ye the Lord and exalt Him supremely for all ages!
Venerable Father, Macarius, pray to God for us.
Receiving the words of eternal life in thy heart, O most blessed one, thou didst cause thy body to wither; and thou didst die to the world, clothing thyself in life-bearing mortality, and criest: Hymn the Lord, and exalt Him supremely for all ages!
Venerable Father, Macarius, pray to God for us.
O God-bearer, entreat our only Benefactor, that He be merciful unto those who celebrate thy most sacred memory, asking remission of offenses for them. Hymn the Lord, ye works, and exalt Him supremely for all ages!
Venerable Father, Macarius, pray to God for us.
Heeding God with constant inclination, and thus receiving the radiance of effulgence, like a mirror thou sendest forth luminous reflected light upon those who chant: Hymn the Lord, ye works, and exalt Him supremely for all ages!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Ever advancing with divine ascents, thou didst mount the ladder which stretcheth up to the heavens, whereon the Lord had appeared, O father, until thou didst reach those who chant: Hymn the Lord, ye works, and exalt Him supremely for all ages!
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
We hymn thee, O joyous one, for thou gavest birth for us to God incarnate. Wherefore, we all call thee the Theotokos, the God-receiving table, the beauty of Jacob, crying: Hymn the Lord, ye works, and exalt Him supremely for all ages!
Ode IX, Irmos:Eve, through weakness, abode under the curse of disobedience; but thou, O Virgin Theotokos, hast put forth blessing for the world through the Offspring of thy child-bearing. Wherefore, we all magnify thee.
Venerable Father, Macarius, pray to God for us.
Thou didst water the field of thy heart with tears of fasting; and, rejoicing, O God-bearing father, in joy thou now gatherest up the honours of thy struggles like sheaves. Wherefore, we all bless thee.
Venerable Father, Macarius, pray to God for us.
Never-waning light shone upon thee, and thou hast received everlasting gladness; and, as thou joinest chorus with the angels around the King and Lord, be thou mindful of those who celebrate thy memory with faith, O most blessed father.
Venerable Father, Macarius, pray to God for us.
Thou didst succeed in eluding the arrows of the demons and their wicked machinations; thy soul was saved, O blessed one, and stood forth, pure and undefiled, and thou hast been vouchsafed the inheritance of heaven. Wherefore, be thou mindful of those who hymn thee.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Thou didst contend according to the law of asceticism, as is meet, O father, and didst triumph. Wherefore, the only Benefactor hath honoured thee with a crown of glory and vouchsafed unto thee divine effulgence and blessed delights.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
As thou gavest birth to the Creator of all creatures, O Mother of God, thou hast surpassed every creature in divine glory, holiness and grace, and in the perfection of every virtue. Wherefore, we all magnify thee.
Troparion, Tone I: Thou wast shown to be a desert-dweller, an angel in the flesh and a wonder-worker, O our God-bearing father Macarius. Having received heavenly gifts through fasting, vigil and prayer, thou healest the infirm and the souls of those who have recourse unto thee in faith. Glory to Him Who hath given thee strength! Glory to Him Who hath crowned thee! Glory to Him Who worketh healings for all through thee!
The General Order for Chanting a Canon – With Supplicatory Prayers to St Arilda
Dear brothers and sisters, one of our young people recently asked about the order for chanting canons and akathists, so this post will hopefully help.
We have previously published a simple order, which consists of the opening prayers with Psalm 50 and the creed before the canon/akathist, and then “It is truly meet…”, the Trisagion prayers and the dismissal.
The following order is a little more complex, mirroring the order of the moleben, but without readings, and is set out for use when there is no priest.
As you will see, we begin with the opening prayers and the usual moleben Psalm (142).
This is followed by “God is the Lord…” with its verses, and this is always chanted in the tone of the first troparion of the feast or saint that is being honoured.
The troparion is then chanted twice, and after the Glory, we sing the Theotokion, which is a troparion to the Mother of God appointed to follow troparia.
If we are honouring a Great Feast, we chant the troparion twice, and then repeat it after “Glory… Now and ever…”
We then chant Psalm 50, although this is sometimes omitted, and the canon(s) follows.
As some of our parishioners will be visiting Oldbury-on-Severn on Saturday, and will honour the Virgin-Martyr, Arilda, I have taken the canon for a Virgin-Martyr from the General Menaion and used this to illustrate the order of prayer. The General Menaion is used for the variable parts of services when there are none specific to a saint in the monthly menaion. We insert names into the general hymns.
The canon is followed by “It is truly meet…” or a zadostoinik (a hymn to the Mother of God that takes the place of “It is truly meet…”), the Trisagion prayers, the troparion and kontakion (sometimes a prayer) and the dismissal sequence.
Once the faithful get used to this order, it will be straight forward and second nature!
Reader: Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon us.
People: Amen.
O Heavenly King, O Comforter, * Spirit of Truth, Who art everywhere present and fillest all things, * Treasury of good things and Giver of life, * come and dwell in us, * and cleanse us of all impurity, ** and save our souls, O Good One.
Reader: Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (Thrice)
Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us. O Lord, blot out our sins. O Master, pardon our iniquities. O Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities for Thy Name’s sake.
Lord, have mercy. (Thrice)
Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Our Father, Who art in the heavens, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the Evil One.
Reader: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon us.
People: Amen.
Reader: Lord, have mercy. (Twelve times)
Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen
O come let us worship God our King.
O come let us worship and. fall down before Christ our King and God.
O come let us worship and fall down before Christ Himself, our King and God.
Psalm 142: O Lord, hear my prayer, give ear unto my supplication in Thy truth; hearken unto me in Thy righteousness. And enter not into judgment with Thy servant for in Thy sight shall no man living be justified. For the enemy hath persecuted my soul; he hath humbled my life down to the earth. He hath sat me in darkness as those that have been long dead, and my spirit within me is become despondent; within me my heart is troubled. I remembered days of old, I meditated on all Thy works, I pondered on the creations of Thy hands. I stretched forth my hands unto Thee; my soul thirsteth after Thee like a waterless land. Quickly hear me, O Lord; my spirit hath fainted away. Turn not Thy face away from me, lest I be like unto them that go down into the pit. Cause me to hear Thy mercy in the morning; for in Thee have I put my hope. Cause me to know, O Lord, the way wherein I should walk; for unto Thee have I lifted up my soul. Rescue me from mine enemies, O Lord; unto Thee have I fled for refuge. Teach me to do Thy will, for Thou art my God. Thy good Spirit shall lead me in the land of uprightness; for Thy name’s sake, O Lord, shalt Thou quicken me. In Thy righteousness shalt Thou bring my soul out of affliction, and in Thy mercy shalt Thou utterly destroy mine enemies. And Thou shalt cut off all them that afflict my soul, for I am Thy servant.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia. Glory to Thee, O God. (Thrice)
And in Tone 4: God is the Lord, and hath appeared unto us. Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
Stichos 1: O give thanks unto the Lord, for He is good, for His mercy endureth for ever.
People: God is the Lord…
Stichos 2: Surrounding me they compassed me, and by the Name of the Lord, I warded them off.
People: God is the Lord…
Stichos 3: I shall not die, but live, and I shall tell of the works of the Lord.
People: God is the Lord…
Stichos 4: The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner. This is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes.
People: God is the Lord…
Troparion, Tone IV: Thy ewe-lamb Arilda, O Jesus crieth out with a loud voice: * “Thee do I love, O my Bridegroom, * and, seeking Thee, I endure suffering. * In Thy baptism I am crucified and buried with Thee. * I suffer for Thy sake, that I may reign with Thee; * I die for Thee, that I may live with Thee. * Accept me, who with love sacrifice myself for Thee, * as an unblemished offering!” ** By her supplications, in that Thou art merciful, save Thou our souls. (Twice)
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: The mystery hidden from all ages * and unknown to the ranks of angels, * hath been revealed to those on earth through thee, O Theotokos: * God incarnate in an uncommingled union, * Who willingly accepted the Cross for our sake, * and through it hath raised up the first-formed man, ** and saved our souls from death.
Reader: Lord, have mercy. (Twelve times)
Psalm 50: Have mercy on me, O God, according to Thy great mercy; and according to the multitude of Thy compassions blot out my transgression. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I know mine iniquity, and my sin is ever before me. Against Thee only have I sinned and done this evil before Thee, that Thou mightest be justified in Thy words, and prevail when Thou art judged. For behold, I was conceived in iniquities, and in sins did my mother bear me. For behold, Thou hast loved truth; the hidden and secret things of Thy wisdom hast Thou made manifest unto me. Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be made clean; Thou shalt wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow. Thou shalt make me to hear joy and gladness; the bones that be humbled, they shall rejoice. Turn Thy face away from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from Thy presence, and take not Thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of Thy salvation, and with Thy governing Spirit establish me. I shall teach transgressors Thy ways, and the ungodly shall turn back unto Thee. Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, Thou God of my salvation; my tongue shall rejoice in Thy righteousness. O Lord, Thou shalt open my lips, and my mouth shall declare Thy praise. For if Thou hadst desired sacrifice, I had given it; with whole-burnt offerings Thou shalt not be pleased. A sacrifice unto God is a broken spirit; a heart that is broken and humbled God will not despise. Do good, O Lord, in Thy good pleasure unto Sion, and let the walls of Jerusalem be builded. Then shalt Thou be pleased with a sacrifice of righteousness, with oblation and whole-burnt offerings. Then shall they offer bullocks upon Thine altar.
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The Canon, in Tone VIII
Ode I, Irmos: Let us sing unto the Lord, * who led His people through the Red Sea: * for He alone hath gloriously been glorified.
Holy Martyr Arilda pray to God for us!
By her wondrous actions the all-praised maiden Arilda inspires the choirs of heavenly hosts above and those of us here on Earth below to hymn her holy deeds.
Holy Martyr Arilda pray to God for us!
The Master of all loved the beauty of thy most fair heart, O all-praised one, wherefore He hath made thee worthy to dwell in the heavenly dwellings.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Thou, O Martyr, without fear underwent suffering, manifold wounds, and execution, taking with thee the sustaining grace of the Savior which helped thee to endure.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
We ever hymn thee, O most pure Theotokos, who above nature hast given birth unto the pre-eternal Incarnate and supremely divine Word.:
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 Martyr Arilda pray to God for us!
Thou O all-praised Arilda, didst appear before thy judges with a courageous soul, vanquishing the cowardly enemy.
Holy Martyr Arilda pray to God for us!
Sporting neither blemish in thy beauty, nor any failing in thy soul, Christ received thee as a fair bride in His incorruptible palaces.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
O all-praised Martyr of Christ Arilda, heal the scars of my soul, and by thine intercessions still the stormy seas of my life.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
All Orthodox Christians have acquired in thee a refuge and an unshakable rampart, wherefore we unceasingly magnify thee, O thou who knewest not wedlock.
Katavasia: Pray to God for us, O Holy Virgin-Martyr, Arilda, for we eagerly betake ourselves unto thee, who art a spreedy helper and intercessor for our souls.
Lord, have mercy. (Thrice)
The Sessional Hymn, in Tone VIII: With the streams of thy blood * thou hast drowned the wicked, O all-praised Martyr of Christ, * and from joyous clouds of grace thou dost ever water the spiritual meadows, * rearing up therein the fruits of faith; * wherefore after thy repose thou hast appeared lustrously as a luminous cloud, * shedding forth the testimony of thy life. * O all-praised spiritual athlete Arilda, * pray to Christ God that those whom with love honor thy holy memory * be granted the remission of their sins.
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 in Tone VIII: All we, the generations of mankind, * call thee blessed, * in that thou art the Virgin who alone among women * hast given birth without seed unto God in the flesh; * for the fire of the Godhead made its abode within thee, * and thou didst feed the Creator and Lord * with milk as an infant. * Wherefore, we, the race of mankind and of angels, * worthily glorify thine all-holy birthgiving, * and together we cry out to thee: * Entreat Christ God to grant forgiveness of sins ** unto those who with faith worship thine all-holy Offspring.
Ode IV, Irmos: O Lord, I have heard the mystery of Thy dispensation; * I haveconsidered Thy works, * and I have glorified Thy Divinity.
Holy Martyr Arilda pray to God for us!
Presenting thyself as an unstained mirror of divine understanding, thou, O Martyr, doth shine forth in the midst of women sufferers like a golden lamp of priceless beauty.
Holy Martyr Arilda pray to God for us!
Thou didst not offer sacrifice unto the dumb demons, O invincible Martyr Arilda, but rather with love desired to receive a life-bestowing death for thy piety.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
With the other passion-bearers, O unblemished Arilda, thou didst bear upon thy body countless wounds, and yet remained without pangs through the manifestation of divine love.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
As the only Sinless One, grant deliverance from ignorance unto us, and peace to Thy world, O God, through the intercession of her who gave birth to Thee.
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 Martyr Arilda pray to God for us!
Having learned the difference between the spiritual day and the darkness of the world, thou didst rebuke the contentious spirit.
Holy Martyr Arilda pray to God for us!
Imagining he would be able to weaken thy divine strength, O Martyr Arilda, the most cunning enemy hath only made himself a subject of derision.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Grant unto me, O all-praised one, enlightenment and peace, and by thine intercessions disperse the great agitation and confusion that afflicts my soul.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
We hymn thee as a Virgin, O Theotokos, even after child-birth, for thou hast brought forth into the world God the Word in the flesh.
Ode VI, Irmos: O Thou that puttest on light as a garment * grant me also a robe of light, * O All-merciful Christ, our God.
Holy Martyr Arilda pray to God for us!
Bearing valiant wisdom of mind while in thy feminine body, thou, O glorious one, didst not fear beasts of land and sea.
Holy Martyr Arilda pray to God for us!
Vanquishing the pride of thy tormentors, thy soul remained unharmed, O invincible Martyr, wherefore thou didst receive a crown of victory.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
As righteous and beautiful, as honorable and resplendent with the radiance of virginity, the Bridegroom, even the Lord, hath brought thee to Himself, O most glorious martyr.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
As the only one who hath given birth in the flesh unto the Word, we beseech thee to deliver our souls from the snares of the enemy.
Katavasia: Pray to God for us, O Holy Virgin-Martyr, Arilda, for we eagerly betake ourselves unto thee, who art a spreedy helper and intercessor for our souls.
Lord, have mercy. (Thrice)
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: Finding thine all-revered temple (and holy spring)* to be a source of healing for our souls, * we the faithful with a loud voice cry unto thee, * O greatly renowned Maiden-Martyr Arilda, ** entreat Christ God unceasingly on behalf of us all.
Ikos: Having gathered together today let us worthily honor the Martyr of Christ Arilda, that by her intercessions, our souls and bodies be may delivered from all pestilence, earthquake and plague, and that we may pass our lives in humility, and thereby be granted to praise God together with all the saints that pleased Him in ages past, and to walk in the un-waning light. For Thou, O Savior, hast bedewed with Thy mercies all those who in faith praise her. Wherefore we cry unto her, unceasingly pray for us all.
Ode VII, Irmos: The Children of Judaea, * who of old came to dwell in Babylon, * trampled underfoot the flame of the furnace * through their faith in the Trinity, * as they sang: “O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou.”
Holy Martyr Arilda pray to God for us!
The manly-courage of the divine Martyrs is beyond understanding, for the Creator of maketh His creation subject to those who in the midst of their suffering cry out: “O God of our Fathers, blessed art Thou.”
Holy Martyr Arilda pray to God for us!
The glorious maiden hath silenced the wicked mouths of her tormentors and subdued the pride of the lawless, while in the Holy Spirit she divinely sang: “O God of our Fathers, blessed art Thou.”
Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Of old, the trio of devout youths burned those who superheated the fiery furnace; and now, as then, the Divinely-wise maiden, hymning the Trinity, inspires us to sing: “O God of our Fathers, blessed art Thou.”
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O Savior, when thou didst deign to accomplish our salvation; Thou didst enter the womb of the Virgin and reveal her to be a sure intercessor for all the world: “O God of our Fathers, blessed art Thou.”
Ode VIII, Irmos: The King of heaven, * Who is glorified by the hosts of angels, * let uspraise and supremely exalt throughout all ages.
Holy Martyr Arilda pray to God for us!
The exceedingly blessed among women Arilda, having been rewarded with grace from the Most High, now hymneth, praising Christ throughout all ages.
Holy Martyr Arilda pray to God for us!
Strengthened by the thought of the Bridegroom and caring for things spiritual, thou didst give up thy body, even unto death, and inherited eternal life.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
The Bridegroom, mysteriously descending unto the most pure maiden in the furnace, hath, by the dew of the Holy Spirit, and in accordance with the good pleasure of the Father, saved her who hymneth Christ throughout all ages.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Despise not, O pure Virgin; those that seek thine aid, and who chant and extol thee throughout all ages.
Ode IX, Irmos: With never ceasing praises we magnify thee, * the Mother of God Most High, * who art higher than the most pure hosts, * and who beyond comprehension knew not wedlock, * yet hath truly given birth to God.
Holy Martyr Arilda pray to God for us!
From on high thou wast granted to understand that the flow of thy blood was a token of thy future incorruptible life, O all-praised martyr, wherefore thou hast appeared unto all who draw nigh to thee, to be an inexhaustible treasury of healings.
Holy Martyr Arilda pray to God for us!
In accordance with the law of nature, O divinely-wise one, thou didst suffer death, which thou didst willingly endure; and upon death, which was witnessed to by the flow of thine own blood, thine all-precious body was laid to rest remaining incorrupt.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
As the fairest bride of Christ and an illumining sun, as a truly chosen turtle-dove and as a fertile olive tree more comely than the cedars of Lebanon we all praise thee, O godly-revered Arilda.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O bride who knewest not wedlock, receptacle of sweet fragrance, the true and immaculate Virgin and Mother who received in thy womb the heavenly rain descending from the cloud of light, thee do we magnify.
Zadostoinik, Tone VIII: Receive the prayers of thy servants, O Sovereign Lady, and deliver us from every need and sorrow. Thou art our weapon, O Mother of God, and a wall of refuge; thou art the Mediatrix, and unto thee do we run, and now we cry in prayer to thee, that thou mightest deliver us from our enemies. We all exalt thee, O blameless Mother of Christ our God, whom the Holy Spirit hath overshadowed.
Reader: Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. Thrice.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us. O Lord, blot out our sins. O Master, pardon our iniquities. O Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities for Thy name’s sake.
Lord, have mercy. (Thrice).
Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Our Father, Who art in the heavens, hallowed be Thy name. Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread, and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the Evil One.
Reader: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy upon us.
People: Amen.
Troparion, in Tone IV: Thy ewe-lamb Arilda, O Jesus crieth out with a loud voice: * “Thee do I love, O my Bridegroom, * and, seeking Thee, I endure suffering. * In Thy baptism I am crucified and buried with Thee. * I suffer for Thy sake, that I may reign with Thee; * I die for Thee, that I may live with Thee. * Accept me, who with love sacrifice myself for Thee, * as an unblemished offering!” ** By her supplications, in that Thou art merciful, save Thou our souls.
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: Finding thine all-revered temple (and holy spring)* to be a source of healing for our souls, * we the faithful with a loud voice cry unto thee, * O greatly renowned Maiden-Martyr Arilda, ** entreat Christ God unceasingly on behalf of us all.
Reader: Lord, have mercy. (Forty times)
O holy Virgin-Martyr, Arilda, look upon us with a merciful eye, and hearken unto our small supplication; and as thou didst flee the pollution of the world, and refusing the defilement of sin didst become a ewe-lamb offered unto the Lord, we humbly pray and bessech thee to intercede for us before the Master and Shepherd of His sheep. Help us, that encumbered as we are with the pleasures and ease of life, we may emulate thy martyrdom, resisting the lures and temptations of the world, and may be granted the grace to struggle for purity of body, mind and soul. Pray to God for us, that we may join thee in the Heavenly Kingdom, and that as pure and unblemished offerings, holy to the Lord, He may grant to us healing of soul and body, and great mercy.
People: Amen,
Reader: Most Holy Mother of God, save us.
People: More honourable than the Cherubim, and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim, who without defilement gavest birth to God the Word, the true Theotokos, thee do we magnify.
Glory be to the Father and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit; now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen. Lord, have mercy. (Thrice) Lord, bless.
Reader: Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, through the prayers of Thy Most-Pure, Mother, of the Holy Virgin-Martyr Arilda, and all the saints, have mercy upon us and save us, for Thou art a merciful God and lovest mankind.
The Canon of The Venerable One, the Acrostic Whereof Is: “I Offer a Hymn to the Wise Benedict”: The Composition of Joseph, in Tone II
Ode I, Irmos: Come, O ye people, * let us sing a song to Christ our God, * Who divided the sea, * and made a way for the nation * which He had brought up out of the bondage of Egypt; * for He hath been glorified.
Venerable Father, Benedict, pray to God for us.
O venerable Benedict, pray thou that God grant deliverance from all trans- gressions and grace unto me who yearn to hymn thy right laudable memory.
Venerable Father, Benedict, pray to God for us.
Taking up thy cross from childhood, in monasticism thou didst follow after the Almighty; and having mortified the flesh, thou wast deemed worthy of life, O most blessed one.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Subjecting thyself to the law of God, O right wondrous one, thou didst quell the uprisings of the passions with feats of abstinence, and wast enriched by the grace of dispassion.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Enriched with incorruption on account of thee, O all-pure Birthgiver of God, we cry out to thee who art full of joy: Rejoice, O adornment of the venerable and the righteous!
Ode III, Irmos: O Lord, who didst slay sin upon the tree, * firmly establish us in Thee, * and in the hearts of us who hymn Thee * plant the fear of Thee.
Venerable Father, Benedict, pray to God for us.
Full of the living waters of the divine Spirit, O God-bearer, thy soul poured forth rivers of miracles, drying up the flow of ailments.
Venerable Father, Benedict, pray to God for us.
Thou didst pass over to abide in the vastness of paradise, O all-blessed one, having trodden the narrow path, and didst choke off the wiles of the demons and the ways of the disorderly.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Watered with streams of thy tears, O Benedict, like a fruitful tree thou didst bring forth a divine harvest of virtues and miracles, by divine grace.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
He Who alone is good passed, incarnate, through thy womb, O most immaculate one, and was seen as a perfect man. Him do thou beseech, that He save those who hymn thee.
Sessional Hymn, Tone I: Being a monk in a manner pleasing to God, thou didst live virtuously and didst receive the grace of healing, O Benedict, working awesome miracles; and having assembled a sacred community, thou didst lead to the Lord multitudes of the saved, O most spiritually rich father. Glory to God Who enlightened thee! Glory to Him Who crowned thee! Glory to Him Who hath glorified thy holy memory!
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.
Theotokion, Tone I: Stretching forth thy divine arms, wherewith thou didst bear the Creator Who in His goodness hath become incarnate, O most pure virgin, beseech Him to deliver from temptations, sufferings and tribulations us who praise thee with love and cry aloud: Glory to Him Who made His abOde within thee! Glory to Him Who issued forth from thee! Glory to Him Who hath delivered us by thy birthgiving!
Stavrotheotokion (replaces the Theotokion on Wednesdays and Fridays): In awe of Thy great and dread endurance, O Savior, the most pure one lamented bitterly and cried out to Thee Who wast crucified on the Cross by the iniquitous ones and whose side was pierced with a spear by the soldiers: Glory to Thy love for mankind! Glory to Thy goodness! Glory to Thee Who by Thy death hast rendered mankind immortal!
Ode IV, Irmos: I hymn Thee, O Lord, for I have heard report of Thee, * and I was afraid; * for Thou comest to me, seeking me who am lost. * Wherefore, I glorify Thy great condescension towards me, * O greatly Merciful One.
Venerable Father, Benedict, pray to God for us.
Having crucified thyself to the passions and the world, O father Benedict, thou didst please Christ Who stretched out His hands on the Cross of His own will. Him do thou entreat, that He save our souls.
Venerable Father, Benedict, pray to God for us.
With feats of abstinence didst thou mortify thy fleshly members, O venerable one; by thy prayer didst thou raise up the dead; thou gavest the paralyzed, who marveled in faith, the ability to walk, and didst heal every infirmity, O father.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
By thy vivifying discourse, O venerable one, didst thou render dry and desiccated souls fruitful, bringing forth spiritual and divine fruit, in that thou wast advanced by God, thou most sacred adornment of monastics.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
The incarnate Word descended upon thine honored womb like rain upon the fleece, O pure one, and manifestly halted the rains of polytheism and brought an end to the bitter winter, O all-immaculate one.
Ode V, Irmos: O Lord, Bestower of light and Creator of the ages: * guide us in the light of Thy commandments, * for we know none other God than Thee.
Venerable Father, Benedict, pray to God for us.
Entreating the God of mercy, O venerable father, like Elijah thou didst fill a cruse, a great vessel, with oil, a thing marveled at by those who watched with faith.
Venerable Father, Benedict, pray to God for us.
As one pure of soul, O all-blessed Benedict, in ecstasy, thou didst behold the whole earth resplendent as beneath a single light, for God so honoreth thee.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Working miracles in Christ, O Benedict, by thy supplication thou entreatest the Judge of the contest, that water gush forth, which remaineth to this day, proclaiming thy wonders.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
He Who dwelleth in the heavens, so desiring, made His abOde within thy pure womb, that He might make habitations for the Trinity of us who proclaim thee to be the Theotokos, O pure one.
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.
Venerable Father, Benedict, pray to God for us.
Illumined by the effulgence of the Spirit, thou didst dispel the darkness of evil demons, O wonder-worker Benedict, most radiant lamp of monastics.
Venerable Father, Benedict, pray to God for us.
How glorious was thy life, O blessed one! How splendid thine honored life whereby thou didst draw the flock of monastics to knowledge of the Savior!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
As a resident of the kingdom of heaven, O divinely wise Benedict, pray thou, that we who ever faithfully bless thee may also attain it.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
The never-setting Sun of righteousness shone forth from thy holy womb and enlightened the faithful, O all-hymned virgin Theotokos.
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 venerable one, Tone VI: Thouwast enriched by the grace of God, * and by thy deeds proclaimed thy name. * In prayer and fasting thou wast revealed to be * full of the gifts of the Spirit of God, * O Benedict, favorite of Christ God, * shown to be a healer of the infirm, ** as one who repulses the enemy, the ready helper of our souls.
Ode VII, Irmos: Of old the youths revealed themselves to be rhetors * with a love for supreme wisdom, * for from the depths of their God-pleasing souls, * they theologized with their lips as they sang: * O supremely divine God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!
Venerable Father, Benedict, pray to God for us.
Thou didst acquire life-bearing mortality by laying aside pleasures; wherefore, thou wast deemed worthy to resurrect the dead, O blessed Benedict, crying out: O supremely divine God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!
Venerable Father, Benedict, pray to God for us.
Astonishing a multitude of the faithful, thou didst do as did the great Elijah, raising up a garden for monks by thy venerable labors, and it remaineth ever walled about by thy supplications, O blessed one.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
The mindless ones who sought to murder thee with evil sorcery were put to shame, O father Benedict, denounced by the foreknowledge in thee, for thou wast preserved by the hand of Almighty God.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Heal thou the passions of my soul, O Virgin who ineffably conceived the Well-spring of dispassion, and grant me a shower of compunction to bring me consolation there, O holy Theotokos.
Ode VIII, Irmos: God Who descended into the fiery furnace * with the Hebrew children, * and transformed the flame into dew, * do ye works hymn, * and supremely exalt as Lord throughout all ages.
Venerable Father, Benedict, pray to God for us.
Reigning in Christ over corrupting passions, O divinely wise father, thou wast deemed worthy to dwell in the heavenly kingdom with all who lived righteously and loved God Who seest all things.
Venerable Father, Benedict, pray to God for us.
Accepting thy holy supplications, through thee God bestowed the means to live upon those in want, glorifying thee exceedingly with miracles on earth, O thrice– blessed Benedict.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Adorned with the beauties of godly virtues, thou didst pass on to the beautiful mansions to abide with God, O father, and to enjoy His divine beauties for ages without end.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Behold, a Babe, the Son of the Most High, is born of thee, O pure one, as Isaiah crieth out, and He is seen to be thy Son also, O Virgin, making those who honor thee children of the heavenly Father.
Ode IX, Irmos: God the Word, God of God, * Who by ineffable wisdom came to create Adam anew * after his grievous fall to corruption through eating * and Who took flesh beyond all telling from the Holy Virgin for our sake, * Him we faithful with one accord magnify in song.
Venerable Father, Benedict, pray to God for us.
Thou wast shown to be like the great sun, illumining creation with awesome signs and rays of the virtues; wherefore, celebrating thy truly luminous memory, we are enlightened with compunctionate thoughts, O father.
Venerable Father, Benedict, pray to God for us.
The flock of monastics assembled by thee giveth praise day and night, having in their midst thy body which poureth forth rivers of miracles abundantly and unceas- ingly enlighteneth their steps, O wise father.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Thou didst emit a radiance greater than that of the Sun, O father, fulfilling the commandments of God; and thou hast passed into never-waning light, praying that forgiveness of sins be granted to those who faithfully honor thee; O ever-memorable Benedict.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O Virgin, bearer of the Light, drive thou the passions from my soul, and grant that I may behold, in pure manner, the beauty of the Savior Who shone forth ineffably from thy most pure womb, as a light to the nations, O all-hymned one.
Dear brothers and sisters, greetings for the feast of St Gerasimos, famously remembered to taking a thorn from the paw of a lion who came to him, and being befriended by the creature.
His monastery, of which he was abbot, remains a place beloved of pilgrims to the Holy Land.
Saint Gerasimos was a native of Lycia (Asia Minor). From his early years he was distinguished for his piety. Having received monastic tonsure, he withdrew into the desert of the Thebaid (in Egypt). Thereafter, in about the year 450, the monk arrived in Palestine and settled at the Jordan, where he founded a monastery.
For a certain while Saint Gerasimos was tempted by the heresy of Eutyches and Dioscorus, which acknowledged only the divine nature in Jesus Christ, but not His human nature (i.e. the Monophysite heresy). Saint Euthymius the Great (January 20) helped him to return to the true Faith.
Saint Gerasimos established a strict monastic Rule. He spent five days of the week in solitude, occupying himself with handicrafts and prayer. On these days the wilderness dwellers did not eat cooked food, nor did they kindle a fire, but ate only dry bread, roots and water.
On Saturday and Sunday all gathered at the monastery for Divine Liturgy and to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ. In the afternoon, taking a supply of bread, tubers, water and an armload of date-palm branches for weaving baskets, the desert-dwellers returned to their own cells. Each had only old clothes and a mat, upon which he slept. When they left their cells, the door was never locked, so that anyone could enter and rest, or take whatever he needed.
Saint Gerasimos himself attained a high level of asceticism. During Great Lent he ate nothing until the very day of the All-Radiant Resurrection of Christ, when he received the Holy Mysteries. Going out into the desert for all of Great Lent, Saint Gerasimos took with him his beloved disciple Saint Cyriacus (September 29), whom Saint Euthymius had sent to him.
When Saint Euthymius the Great died, Saint Gerasimos saw how angels carried the soul of the departed up to Heaven. Taking Cyriacus with him, the monk immediately set off to the monastery of Saint Euthymius and consigned his body to the earth.
Saint Gerasimos died peacefully, mourned by his brethren and disciples. Before his death, a lion had aided Saint Gerasimos in his tasks, and upon the death of the Elder it died at his grave and was buried nearby. Therefore the lion is depicted on icons of the saint, at his feet.
Canon to the venerable one, the acrostic whereof is: “I praise Gerasimos, as I weave for him a crown,” in Tone VIII
Ode I, Irmos: Let us chant unto the Lord, Who led His people through the Red Sea, for He alone hath gloriously been glorified.
Venerable Father, Gerasimos, pray to God for us.
The glory of immortality and a divine crown of incorruption hath Christ given thee who struggled well, O Gerasimos.
Venerable Father, Gerasimos, pray to God for us.
Having the Bestower of light attending to thy supplications, O father Gerasimos, thou didst diminish the darkness of the demons.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Through the streams of thy tears, O father, thou didst bring forth the fruits of immortality like an irrigated tree, O divinely wise Gerasimos.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Ease thou the pain of my heart, O all-pure Theotokos who, in manner past understanding and recounting, gave birth unto Christ without pain.
Ode III, Irmos: Thou art the confirmation of those who have recourse to Thee, O Lord; Thou art the light of the benighted; and my spirit doth hymn Thee.
Venerable Father, Gerasimos, pray to God for us.
Following Him Who endured crucifixion willingly, O venerable one, thou wast wholly crucified to life and to the passions.
Venerable Father, Gerasimos, pray to God for us.
Strengthened by the support of Him Who accomplisheth all things, O wise Gerasimos, thou wast able to trample down all the snares of the mighty one.
Venerable Father, Gerasimos, pray to God for us.
Made strong by an humble mind and a humble spirit, O wise one, thou didst utterly lay low the passions which corrupt the soul.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
With the splendours of thy wonders thou dost, like the great sun, enlighten the hearts of all who praise thee with faith.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O all-immaculate one, thou gavest birth unto the Son Who is enthroned with the Father and of the same essence, and Who showeth the portals of life unto all.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Sessional hymn, Tone IV, Spec. Mel .“Thou hast appeared today….”: Passing over the wiles of the demons through the activity of the Cross, O venerable one, thou didst become a god by adoption. Wherefore, we faithfully honor thee, O Gerasimos . (Twice)
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: Stretching forth thine all-pure hands, O Virgin Mary, protect those who trust in thee and cry out to thy Son: O Christ, grant Thy mercies unto all!
Stavrotheotokion (replaces the Theotokion on Wednesdays and Fridays): Beholding thy Son suspended upon the Tree, O all-pure one, thou didst cry out in grief, thy maternal womb rent with pain: Woe is me! How hast Thou set, O mine everlasting Light?
Ode IV, Irmos: I have heard, O Lord, the mystery of Thy dispensation; I have understood Thy works, and have glorified Thy divinity.
Venerable Father, Gerasimos, pray to God for us.
Thine enlightened heart became a temple of the Spirit, O father. Wherefore, it poureth forth gifts, healing afflictions by grace divine.
Venerable Father, Gerasimos, pray to God for us.
Submitting to the law of God, thou didst follow the Lord from thy youth, O father, embracing the life of the bodiless ones while yet in the body.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Thy steps were directed to the way of salvation, O venerable one, by the guidance of the divine Spirit Who dwelt within thee, O venerable one.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Jesus, Who loveth mankind, Whom thou didst bear in thy womb, O all-immaculate one, do thou beseech, that He save all who hymn thee.
Ode V, Irmos: Waking at dawn, we cry to Thee: Save us, O Lord! For Thou art our God, and we know none other than Thee.
Venerable Father, Gerasimos, pray to God for us.
Having received rays of the Holy Spirit with a purified mind, thou didst become a light to monastics.
Venerable Father, Gerasimos, pray to God for us.
Thy life, shining forth through the constraint of nature, showed thee to be an earthly angel in the flesh.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Filled with the life-imparting waters of the Spirit, thou didst pour forth rivers of wonders, O father Gerasimos.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O Theotokos, the incarnate Word descended upon thee like a shower, unto the enlightenment of our souls.
Ode VI, Irmos: Cleanse me, O Saviour, for many are my transgressions; and lead me up from the abyss of evils, I pray, for to Thee have I cried, and Thou hast hearkened to me, O God of my salvation.
Venerable Father, Gerasimos, pray to God for us.
The weakness of thy flesh, strengthened by the power of Him Who hath shone forth upon us from the pure Virgin, O venerable father, hath brought low the power of the incorporeal foe.
Venerable Father, Gerasimos, pray to God for us.
Having crushed the jaws of the noetic lions by grace, thou didst put down the assaults of the senses, O venerable one. Wherefore, a lion submitted to thee, like a sheep to a shepherd, ministering to thee right dutifully.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Acquiring an angelic life and a mind humble in Christ, O father, thou wast meek. And now, thou hast made thine abode in the land of the meek, filled with divine joy.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
The Effulgence of the Father dwelt within thee, O pure one, and, born in the flesh, He hath enlightened the world and delivered all from the darkness of polytheism. Wherefore, we hymn thee.
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 IV, Spec. Mel. “Having been lifted up….”: Burning with heavenly love, thou didst prefer the harshness of the desert of Jordan more than all the delights of the world; hence, a wild beast submitted to thee even until the time of thy death, O father, dying in obedience and grief on thy grave. Thus did God glorify thee. And when thou dost pray to Him, O father Gerasimos, be thou mindful of us.
Ode VII, Irmos: In the furnace the Hebrew children boldly trod the flame underfoot and transformed the fire into dew, crying out: Blessed art Thou, O Lord God, forever!
Venerable Father, Gerasimos, pray to God for us.
Light and gladness, its spouse, shone forth upon thee, O father, who dost ever abide in the mansions of heaven and dost chant: Blessed art Thou, O Lord God, forever!
Venerable Father, Gerasimos, pray to God for us.
Having watered thy heart with showers of tears, O God-bearer, thou bringest forth fruits of virtue, through which, with all the venerable, thou hast received the delight of heaven forever.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit. Continue reading →
Canon of the venerable one, the acrostic whereof is: “Let us hymn Brigid who hath come to us from the West,” the composition of Valeria, in Tone II
Ode I, Irmos: Traversing the impassible, uncommon path of the sea dryshod, Israel the chosen cried aloud: Let us chant unto the Lord, for He hath been glorified!
Venerable Mother, Brigid, pray to God for us.
Led by the Providence of God, O venerable one, as were the chosen people in the wilderness, fleeing the darkness of unbelief as though it were the army of Pharaoh, thou didst cry aloud: I shall sing unto the Lord, for He hath been glorified!
Venerable Mother, Brigid, pray to God for us.
Burning with apostolic zeal, O honoured Brigid, and planting the Orthodox Faith in thy homeland, rejoicing thou didst chant: I shall sing unto the Lord, for He hath been glorified!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Desirous of the monastic life, thou didst offer up to God fervent supplication. Wherefore, having found what thou hast desired, thou didst cry out: I shall sing unto the Lord, for He hath been glorified!
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O Lady Theotokos, accept thou the faithful Brigid who prayeth for us, that, possessed of her intercession, we may hymn and glorify thee.
Ode III, Irmos: The bow of the mighty hath been broken by Thy might, O Christ, and the weak have been girded about with strength.
Venerable Mother, Brigid, pray to God for us.
Let us glorify Patrick and Brigid, the enlighteners of the Irish land, who, girded about with the strength of Christ, shattered the idols of unbelief.
Venerable Mother, Brigid, pray to God for us.
Having deprived thyself of a bodily eye, thou didst acquire the vision of things
heavenly and unknown, O venerable one; for the power of God is made perfect in weakness.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Thou didst resolve to journey to the heavenly kingdom by the narrow way, O Brigid, strengthened by the grace of God, crying aloud: Thou, O Christ, art the strength of the weak!
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O Mother and Virgin, not in wisdom, strength or riches do we boast, but in thee who hast raised up the human race to the heights.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Sessional Hymn, Tone VIII: The choirs of the righteous ever exult in heaven with the venerable Brigid, especially those who labored apostolically: Mary Magdalene who, on reaching Rome, preached the Resurrection of Christ, the holy Nina who planted the Christian Faith in the land of Iberia, the righteous Princess Olga who ordered the first church in the land of Russia to be built, and Cyril and Methodius who were shown to be the enlighteners of the Slavic lands. Wherefore, we honour Brigid as one worthy to be numbered among them and, celebrating her feast, with gladness we cry out: Rejoice, O thou who didst bring the Orthodox Faith from the East even unto the west! Rejoice, thou who didst raise up congregations of monastics! Pray thou unceasingly, O venerable one, that our souls be saved. (Twice)
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: I am fallen into the labyrinthine temptations laid for me by enemies visible and invisible, and am beset by the tempest of my countless sins, O pure one. Thus I flee to thy goodness as to my fervent assistance, my protection and refuge. Wherefore, O all- pure one, entreat Him Who was incarnate of thee without seed in behalf of all thy servants who unceasingly hymn thee, O all-pure Theotokos, earnestly beseeching Him to grant remission of offenses unto those who with faith bow down before thy birthgiving.
Ode IV, Irmos: I have heard, O Lord, of Thy glorious dispensation, and have glorified Thine inaccessible power, O Thou Who lovest mankind.
Venerable Mother, Brigid, pray to God for us.
Considering the beauty of the body as nought, and destroying one of thine eyes, thou didst rejoice, O venerable one, desiring to behold the splendour of heaven and to glorify God with the choirs of the righteous.
Venerable Mother, Brigid, pray to God for us.
Spurning an earthly betrothed and praying that the refusal of thy parents be changed, thou didst find aid from on high beyond hope, depriving thyself of the beauty of thy body.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Thou didst imitate the apostles, didst emulate the venerable, and in patience didst follow after the passion-bearers, O blessed Brigid.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Cover us with thy precious veil, O Mistress, delivering us from all want and grief, that together we may glorify thy loving-kindness and thine inaccessible power.
Ode V, Irmos: Night was far spent; the day was at hand, and Light shone forth upon the world; for which cause the ranks of angels praise Thee and all creatures glorify Thee.
Venerable Mother, Brigid, pray to God for us.
The ranks of angels rejoiced, beholding thee, O Brigid, laboring in the field of Christ and bringing fruit a hundredfold to God. Wherefore, they chanted glorification unto the Creator of all.
Venerable Mother, Brigid, pray to God for us.
Let us honour the two glorious enlighteners: Patrick, apostle of the Irish land, and Brigid, who founded the first convent in her native land; for they have been shown to be planters of the Orthodox Faith.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Having by thy labors banished the hosts of hell to the outermost darkness, O venerable mother, the Christian Faith of the threefold Sun shone forth in thy homeland. Wherefore, lifting up our voices, we glorify thee.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
To whom shall we flee, if not to thee, O Theotokos, thou light of our benighted souls? For thou art the hope of the hopeless and the help of the embattled, and on thee do we set all our hope.
Ode VI, Irmos: Hearkening unto the cry of words of supplication that issue forth from a soul in pain, O Master, deliver me from evils, in that Thou alone art the Author of our salvation.
Venerable Mother, Brigid, pray to God for us.
Though thou wast but a frail woman, O venerable one, yet didst thou fell invisible foes, as David did Goliath, with the sling of thy prayers to the Saviour, God Almighty.
Venerable Mother, Brigid, pray to God for us.
Bringing thine eye to the incorrupt heavenly Bridegroom as a dowry, O Brigid, thou didst truly betroth thyself to Him, and didst go forth, lighting the lamp of faith and love, to meet Him Who cometh at midnight.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Shown forth as the victor in spiritual battle, thou didst rise up against the hosts which besieged thy great city, O venerable one, and didst bring them into consternation by thine intercession before God for the people who cried out to Him in the pain of their souls.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O all-pure, all-blessed and all-merciful Virgin Theotokos: Look upon us who languish in the abyss of evils, and grant relief to us thy servants.
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 VI: Rejecting thy noble rank, and loving the godly monastic life, from oaken wood didst thou build a convent, the first in thy land; and having there united a multitude of nuns to God, thou didst teach the surrounding lands to cry to the Lord: Have mercy on us!
Ikos: Be thou mindful of the people thou didst enlighten, O venerable Brigid, guiding them to the straight path. Go forth to save the stray lambs, leading them back from the wilderness to the fold of the Church, that with one heart and one mouth we may cry: O almighty Saviour, have mercy on us!
Ode VII, Irmos: The children most wise did not worship the golden body, and entered into the flame themselves; they mocked the gods of the heathen and cried out in the midst of the flame; and the Angel bedewed them, saying: The prayer of your lips hath been heard!
Venerable Mother, Brigid, pray to God for us.
Stretching forth thy venerable hands unto God, O Brigid, thou didst still the bestial raging of the enemy as Daniel stilled the savagery of the lions. Wherefore, saved, the people cried out one to another: The prayer of our lips hath been heard!
Venerable Mother, Brigid, pray to God for us.
The blessed God of our fathers, Who delivered the youths out of the hands of the Chaldæan tyrant, delivered thy city from the incursion of barbarians, moved to mercy by thy supplications, O Brigid.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
While the tumult of battle raged and the people wept, thou didst lift up thy voice to Him Who alone is mighty in battle, O venerable one; and answering thee as He did Moses, He said: “Wherefore criest thou unto Me? I will yet again save the people, taking pity on them!”
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Thee alone do we have as a protection and aid, O most holy and all- immaculate Theotokos; for mightily hast thou done battle against the enemies, visible and invisible, that war against us.
Ode VIII, Irmos: Him Who once, in the bush on Mount Sinai, prefigured for Moses the wonder of the Virgin, do ye hymn and exalt supremely for all ages!
Venerable Mother, Brigid, pray to God for us.
The two glorious preachers of Christ proclaimed the worship of the Trinity and the Orthodox Faith; wherefore, the newly-enlightened people cried out: Hymn and bless ye the Lord, and exalt Him supremely for all ages!
Venerable Mother, Brigid, pray to God for us.
From a place on the left hand at the dread tribunal of Christ, and from everlasting and unquenchable fire, do thou deliver us by thine intercession, O glorious Brigid, that we may hymn and exalt the Lord supremely for all ages.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Beholding thee who didst fend off the deadly sword from the city and cast the hordes of the foe into confusion, the people, saved beyond hope, cried out: Hymn and bless ye the Lord, and exalt Him supremely for all ages!
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
In supplications do we call upon the all-pure Theotokos, whom the unburnt bush prefigured for Moses, crying aloud: Quench thou the flame of the passions and of grievous temptations, that we may hymn and supremely exalt thee, O Queen, for all ages.
Ode IX, Irmos: O Word of God, Son of the Virgin, God of gods, all-holy Lord of the saints: Thou art all desire, all sweetness! Wherefore, we all magnify Thee and her who gave Thee birth.
Venerable Mother, Brigid, pray to God for us.
Hymning thy struggles and celebrating thy commemoration with splendour, O Brigid, with all our soul we magnify thee as one who planted the right Faith in the lands of the West.
Venerable Mother, Brigid, pray to God for us.
O venerable one, hallow thy temple by thy coming, accepting the entreaties offered up therein, and bestowing gifts of grace upon the people, that we may magnify Christ Who hath given thee to us as an intercessor.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.
Have we glorified thee as is meet, O venerable mother? Have we offered thee fitting praise? Yet do thou accept our hymnody as a drop of dew upon the blossoms of thy virtues, that we may magnify thy humbleness of mind.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Possessed of a maternal boldness before thy Son, O pure one, disdain not the supplications we offer unto thee, but bear them to Christ God Whom, with thee, O Mistress, we magnify.
Celtic style Cross with
Troparion, Tone IV: Instructed by the discourses of the holy Patrick, * thou didst arrive at the most extreme west, * heralding the Orient * which hath visited us from on high. * Wherefore, we bless thee, O venerable mother Bridget, * and cry out to thee: ** Pray thou on behalf of our souls.
The 31st Day of the Month of January: Commemoration of the Holy Wonder-Workers & Unmercenary Physicians Cyrus & John
Saint Cyrus was a noted physician in the city of Alexandria, where he had been born and raised. He was a Christian and he treated the sick without charge, not only curing their bodily afflictions, but also healing their spiritual infirmities. He would say, “Whoever wishes to avoid being ill should refrain from sin, for sin is often the cause of bodily illness.” Preaching the Gospel, the holy physician converted many pagans to Christ. During the persecution by Diocletian (284-305), Saint Cyrus withdrew into Arabia, where he became a monk. He continued to heal people by his prayer, having received from God the gift to heal every sickness.
In the city of Edessa at this time lived the soldier John, a pious Christian. When the persecution started, he went to Jerusalem and there he heard about Saint Cyrus. He began to search for him, going first to Alexandria and then to Arabia. When Saint John finally found Saint Cyrus, he remained with him and became his faithful follower.
They learned of the arrest of the Christian woman Athanasia and her three young daughters. Theoctiste was fifteen; Theodota, was thirteen; and Eudoxia, was eleven. Saints Cyrus and John hastened to the prison to help them. They were concerned that faced with torture, the women might renounce Christ.
Saints Cyrus and John gave them courage to endure what lay before them. Learning of this, the ruler of the city arrested Saints Cyrus and John, and seeing their steadfast and fearless confession of faith in Christ, he brought Athanasia and her daughters to witness their torture. The tyrant did not refrain from any form of torture against the holy martyrs. The women were not frightened by the sufferings of Saints Cyrus and John, but courageously continued to confess Christ. They were flogged and then beheaded, receiving their crowns of martyrdom.
At the same place they executed the Holy Unmercenaries Cyrus and John. Christians buried their bodies in the church of the holy Evangelist Mark. In the fifth century the relics of Saints Cyrus and John were transferred from Canopis to Manuphin. Later on their relics were transferred to Rome, and from there to Munchen (Munich) (another account is located under June 28).
Saints Cyrus and John are invoked by those who have difficulty in sleeping.
Ode I, Irmos: Having traversed the depths of the Red Sea with dryshod feet, Israel of old vanquished the might of Amalek in the wilderness by Moses’ arms stretched out in the form of the Cross.
Holy Unmercenary Healers, Cyrus and John, pray to God for us.
Thou didst receive the power to oppose falsehood, O blessed Cyrus, having the glorious John as the fellow sufferer of thy pangs; wherefore, ye delight in most sublime sweetness in the heavens.
Holy Unmercenary Healers, Cyrus and John, pray to God for us.
Girded about with spiritual skill in battle, O most honoured Cyrus, and having forsaken the earthly army, O most lauded John, ye have received from Christ victories over the demons.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Emulating the virtue of the blessed woman Thecla, ye piously arrayed yourselves in the angelic vesture of virginity and together were drawn to the contest by your love of martyrdom.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Without seed, by the will of the Father, thou didst conceive the Son through the divine Spirit of God and gavest birth in the flesh to Him Who was begotten of the Father without mother and, for our sake, from thee without father.
Ode III, Irmos: Thy Church rejoiceth in Thee, O Christ, crying aloud: Thou art my strength, O Lord, my refuge and my consolation!
Holy Unmercenary Healers, Cyrus and John, pray to God for us.
The weakness of their flesh fortified by the sufferings of Christ, the right glorious martyrs cast down the murderer of men.
Holy Unmercenary Healers, Cyrus and John, pray to God for us.
Receiving incorruptible sweetness through the Spirit, the martyrs of Christ rejoiced amid the pangs of their flesh.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
By the Cross was the weak nature of women strengthened; wherefore, they manfully vanquished the adverse serpent.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O Mother of God, thou alone hast been the mediatress of good things for mortals in manner transcending nature; wherefore, we cry to thee: Rejoice!
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Sessional Hymn, Tone IV, Spec. Mel. “O Thou Who wast lifted up…”: Trampling underfoot the pleasures which drag men down, by grace ye were taken up in splendour to the divine heights of martyrdom, O athletes Cyrus and John, ye luminaries of all the world. Wherefore, we beseech you: From the darkness of sin and afflictions deliver us, entreating Him Who is God over all. (Twice)
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: I, the lowly one, have fled to thy divine refuge after God, and, falling down, I pray: Have mercy, O all-pure one, for my sins have passed over my head. O Mistress, I fear torments and tremble. Make supplication to thy Son, O pure one, that He deliver me therefrom.
Stavrotheotokion (replaces the Theotokion of Wednesday and Fridays): She who in latter times gave birth in the flesh to Thee Who wast begotten of the unoriginate Father, O Christ, seeing Thee hanging upon the Cross cried out: “Woe is me, O Jesus most beloved! How is it that Thou Who art glorified as God by the angels art now of Thine own will crucified by iniquitous men? O my long-suffering Son, I hymn Thee!”
Ode IV, Irmos: Beholding Thee lifted up upon the Cross, O Sun of righteousness, the Church stood rooted in place, crying out as is meet: Glory to Thy power, O Lord!
Holy Unmercenary Healers, Cyrus and John, pray to God for us.
The effulgence of never-waning grace cast down the enemies who loved darkness, showing forth Cyrus and John, who fought against them, to be radiant luminaries.
Holy Unmercenary Healers, Cyrus and John, pray to God for us.
Cyrus and John delighted in the love of the Trinity and, as martyrs exceedingly beloved by God, they were shown to be divine instruments through higher union.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
In that your honoured temple is hateful to the evil spirits, it dispelleth the infirmities of all who are ill, O invincible martyrs, and imparteth the grace of healing.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Without knowing wedlock, O Virgin, thou gavest birth, yet wast shown to be virgin even after birthgiving. Wherefore, with unwavering faith, O Mistress, we cry out to thee with constant voices: Rejoice!
Ode V, Irmos: Thou hast come, O my Lord, as a light into the world: a holy light turning from the darkness of ignorance those who hymn Thee with faith.
Holy Unmercenary Healers, Cyrus and John, pray to God for us.
The two martyrs desired Thee, O Saviour; and Thou Who art holy among the saints hast granted repose to Cyrus and John as is meet.
Holy Unmercenary Healers, Cyrus and John, pray to God for us.
Thy work, O Good One, is the destruction of the enemy, and by the Cross Thou hast made martyrs of piety and crowned them with glory.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Having anointed themselves with virginity to love Thee alone with wisdom undaunted, John and Cyrus showed forth courage.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
We set thee before us as an invincible weapon against the enemy, O Bride of God; for thee do we have as the steadfastness and hope of our salvation.
Ode VI, Irmos: I will sacrifice to Thee with a voice of praise, O Lord, the Church crieth unto Thee, cleansed of the blood of demons by the blood which, for mercy’s sake, flowed from Thy side.
Holy Unmercenary Healers, Cyrus and John, pray to God for us.
The martyrs chose to be slain for Christ rather than offer sacrifice to idols, and to offer themselves to the wicked tyrant for Him Who like a lamb was slaughtered for us in His loving-kindness.
Holy Unmercenary Healers, Cyrus and John, pray to God for us.
The martyrs made weak those who piteously dismembered them, and, wounded by darts, they wounded the children instead; for they were all-gloriously made steadfast by the divine Spirit.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Confessing the Lord and King of all creation with faith, the two martyrs were of one mind and suffered together, opposing the iniquitous even to the shedding of their blood.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O wonder newest of all wonders! For the Virgin, conceiving in her womb Him Who sustaineth all things, without knowing a man, yet did not confine Him.
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 III, Spec. Mel. “Today the Virgin…”: Receiving the gift of miracles from grace divine, O saints, ye work wonders unceasingly, cutting down all our passions with invisible surgery, O divinely wise Cyrus and glorious John; for ye are divine physicians.
Ikos:Offering yourselves to God, O saints, ye endured every trial for His sake, dying zealously, O valiant martyrs; and even after your repose ye pour forth divine gifts upon all in divers infirmities, healing many of afflictions, of whom I am first, wretch that I am. For I ail in body and soul because of cruel wounds, and with faith I cry out to you: Heal me, for ye are divine physicians.
Ode VII, Irmos: The children of Abraham in the Persian furnace, afire with love of piety more than with the flame, cried out: Blessed art Thou in the temple of Thy glory, O Lord!
Holy Unmercenary Healers, Cyrus and John, pray to God for us.
Measuring wisdom as in the balance of a scale with the weight of all-pure glory, the athletes, suspended aloft, cried out: Blessed art Thou in the temple of Thy glory, O Lord!
Holy Unmercenary Healers, Cyrus and John, pray to God for us.
Well aware of the machinations of the adversary, the martyrs, spurning alike all manner of torture and blandishments, cried: Blessed art Thou in the temple of Thy glory, O Lord!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Crowned with the endurance of wounds, Cyrus and John, the defenders of the Trinity, cried out: Blessed art Thou in the temple of Thy glory, O Lord!
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Rejoice, O hallowed and divine habitation of the Most High! For through thee, O Theotokos, hath joy been given to those who cry: Blessed art thou among women, O most immaculate Mistress.
Ode VIII, Irmos: Stretching forth his hands, Daniel shut the lions’ mouths in the pit; and the young lovers of piety, girded about with virtue, quenched the power of the fire, crying out: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!
Holy Unmercenary Healers, Cyrus and John, pray to God for us.
The ungodly ones cruelly called upon Cyrus and John to deny Him Who is God by nature; but the invincible martyrs proclaimed the Fashioner of all creation, crying: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!
Holy Unmercenary Healers, Cyrus and John, pray to God for us.
Raging with anger and deceit, the tormenters, their minds set on earthly things, by death sent to life those who have life indestructible in the heavens, and who cry out: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
The relics of the martyrs have disclosed to the whole world the brilliance of miracles, O Christ, putting to shame the phantasmal falsehood of the evil demon and magnificently imparting healings to those who cry: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
The Incorporeal One, Who was begotten of the Father without mother in the beginning, was later incarnate through thee, O most pure one, desiring in His compassion to save those who sing: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!
Ode IX, Irmos: Christ, the Chief Cornerstone uncut by human hands, Who united the two disparate natures, was cut from thee, the unquarried mountain, O Virgin. Wherefore, in gladness we magnify thee, O Theotokos.
Holy Unmercenary Healers, Cyrus and John, pray to God for us.
Cyrus and John, the two invincible martyrs, showed themselves to be obedient to the divine commandments of the Master even unto death. Wherefore, they placed their souls in the hands of the Creator.
Holy Unmercenary Healers, Cyrus and John, pray to God for us.
The two luminaries shine with the radiance of miracles from the only light-bearing Source, pouring forth grace incorruptible unto the infirm. We magnify them as is meet.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Manfully the two invincible martyrs theologized concerning the Unity of the divine Essence, the Trinity of Hypostases, and the one Christ, the Word incarnate in two natures.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Have pity on me, O Christ, when Thou wilt come to judge the world with glory, and lift the darkness of my passions through the entreaties of her who gave Thee birth and of Thine honoured martyrs, in that Thou art good and greatly merciful.
Troparion, Tone V: O Christ God Who hast given us the miracles of Thy holy martyrs as an invincible rampart, through their supplications set at naught the counsels of the heathen and strengthen the scepters of kings, in that Thou alone art good and lovest mankind.
Canon of the Theotokos, the composition of John Mauropus, Metropolitan of Euchaïta, in Tone II
Ode I, Irmos: Come, ye people, let us chant a hymn to Christ God, Who divided the sea and guided the people whom He had led forth from the bondage of Egypt, for He hath been glorified.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
O all-pure one, from cruel misfortunes, from infirmities and transgressions, save me who, with body and soul, do piously confess thee to be the pure Theotokos in truth.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
We have come to know the whole abyss of spiritual gifts which lieth within thee, O Theotokos; wherefore, fleeing earnestly to thy divine protection, we are saved.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Entreat Him Who became incarnate of thine all-pure and precious blood, O all-pure one, in behalf of us who hymn thee, that we may be delivered from transgressions and bitter pain.
Canon I of the holy hierarchs, the acrostic whereof is: “I proclaim the three suns of the light of the threefold Sun”, the composition of the same John, in the same tone:
Irmos: Same as that of the preceding canon.
Hierarchs of Christ, pray to God for us.
What manner of thanksgiving, what manner of suitable reciprocity should we offer to our benefactors, by whom we are instructed in how to live in goodness, O ye people?
Hierarchs of Christ, pray to God for us.
Let the tongues of the orators, their skill and craft, and all the power of their words, now be applied toward a single end; and, honouring them, let us venerate them all together.
Hierarchs of Christ, pray to God for us.
The heavenly minded could not bear what was peculiar to them so as to acquire something on earth; and they were revealed as preservers of society and intercessors. Let them therefore be vouchsafed praises in common.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
O most immaculate one, as with a single mouth, and forming a single concord, we all glorify thee, our common distinction of honour.
Canon II of the holy hierarchs, the composition of the same John, in Tone VIII
Irmos: The staff of Moses, once working a wonder, striking the sea in the form of the Cross and dividing it, drowned the mounted tyrant Pharaoh, and saved Israel who fled on foot, chanting a hymn unto God.
Hierarchs of Christ, pray to God for us.
This beginning is not an undertaking of human zeal; but let the wisdom which sitteth on thy throne aid me, O Thou Who lovest mankind, granting me the grace of discourse, whereby I may be enabled to glorify those whom wisdom itself hath glorified well beforehand.
Hierarchs of Christ, pray to God for us.
Like a cup full to overflowing, O Master, Thy grace and the great riches of Thy love for mankind have been poured forth and have flowed forth to show those now proposed for laudation to be like other angels in the matter of the flesh.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
It is fitting that there be praises from heaven and angelic hymnody fit for the godly; for they have become gods through communion, having Him, Who by nature is the one true God, living and speaking within them.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
The memorial of the righteous doth perfect the divinely wise company with praises; and therewith the Mother of God, as their head, is glorified magnificently, holding the last, the first and the middle rank, and partaking of goodly praise.
Ode III, Irmos: Establish us in thee, O Lord Who hast slain sin by the Tree, and plant the fear of Thee in the hearts of us who hymn Thee.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
By thy supplications, O pure one, render God, to Whom thou gavest birth, readily reconciled with thy servants, who flee to thy protection and worship thy birthgiving with faith.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Pilot my whole life, O Virgin, my hope and intercessor, delivering me from temptations and evil circumstances, O Ever-virgin.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
In that thou didst bear in thine arms the hypostatic Wisdom of God, O Theotokos, pray thou that those who hymn thee be delivered from ignorance and error.
Irmos:Establishing me upon the rock of faith, Thou hast enlarged my mouth against mine enemies, for my spirit doth exult when I chant: There is none holy as our God, and none righteous save Thee, O Lord!
Hierarchs of Christ, pray to God for us.
The great clarion of the Church, the beacon illumining the whole world, the preacher embracing all the ends of the earth with his proclamation, Basil of great renown moveth this assembly.
Hierarchs of Christ, pray to God for us.
Radiant of life and activity, radiant of discourse and teachings, outshining all in all things, as another sun outshineth the stars, the much hymned Theologian is blessed.
Hierarchs of Christ, pray to God for us.
Lo! the light of the world shineth upon the world! Behold, the salt of the earth sweeteneth the earth! Lo! the tree of life produceth the fruits of immortality, O holy Chrysostom. Come ye who desire to escape death, and find ye delight!
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
He Who brought all things into being out of non-existence and granted being to each creature, knoweth how to set forth the given natures as He desireth. Hence, who will not marvel on hearing that the Virgin gave birth?
Irmos:O Christ, Who in the beginning established the heavens in wisdom and founded the earth upon the waters, make me steadfast upon the rock of Thy commandments; for none is holy as Thee, O Thou Who lovest mankind.
Hierarchs of Christ, pray to God for us.
Praised with splendour may the radiant instructors of life be: the correctors of morals, the edifiers of souls, the common saviours of all, who have shown forth to us models of deeds and words.
Hierarchs of Christ, pray to God for us.
The Spirit of God filled Basil with skill; Gregory alone possessed tongues of fire and breathed forth the fire of exalted discourse; and the mouth of Christ spake in John.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
The foolishness of preaching manifestly made the wisdom of this age of no effect, rendering it submissive and making it serve as a slave; for grace set the wise preachers forth as orators.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
He Who made His abode within the womb of the pure Virgin maketh the souls of the God-bearing saints His dwelling-place, and through their lips He recounteth the mystery of His Mother.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Sessional hymn, Tone VIII, Spec. Mel. “Of the Wisdom…”: Together let us praise the great and luminous beacons, the unbreakable pillars of the Church, delighting in the goodly discourses and the grace of the all-wise Chrysostom, Basil the Great, and Gregory the splendid Theologian. And to them let us cry out, giving voice from the depths of our hearts: O thrice-great holy hierarchs, entreat Christ God, that He grant remission of transgressions unto those who celebrate your holy memory with love.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Another sessional hymn, the same tone & melody: Receiving wisdom from God like three more apostles of Christ, with the discourse of understanding ye set forth dogmas, which of old the fishermen set down in simple words, through the power of the Spirit in understanding; for thus was it fitting to acquire a simple exposition of our Faith. Wherefore, we all cry out to you: Entreat Christ God, that He grant remission of transgressions unto those who celebrate your holy memory with love.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Theotokion: O Theotokos, in the mercy of thy supplications go thou before my lowly soul, which is now engulfed by the waves and storm of life’s temptations, and, laden with the heavy burden of sins, is become rudderless and is nigh unto sinking into the depths of hades. Grant it peace and rescue it from misfortunes, for thou art a calm haven, praying to thy Son and God, that He grant me remission of transgressions; for thee do I, thine unworthy servant, have as my hope.
Ode IV, Irmos: I have heard report of Thy dispensation, O Lord, and have glorified Thee Who alone lovest mankind.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
O Mistress, who gavest birth to God, grant me delivery from the wounds of my soul and the infirmities of my flesh.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
By thy supplications, O only all-hymned Mother of God, deliver me from evil circumstances, from tempest and misfortunes.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Rescue me, who am tempest-tossed by the waves of life, O Virgin, guiding me to thy haven.
Irmos: Thou didst come forth from the Virgin, neither a mediator nor an angel, but Thyself incarnate, O Lord, and hast saved me, the whole man; wherefore, I cry to thee: Glory to Thy power, O Lord!
Hierarchs of Christ, pray to God for us.
Acquiring knowledge through lower wisdom, O all-glorious one, ye received the helmsman’s position through divine wisdom; wherefore, ye most wisely made lower wisdom subject to you as a handmaiden.
Hierarchs of Christ, pray to God for us.
O lovers of wisdom, in that ye love what is wise, ye become wise, and ye teach all to speak; and they marvel at your discourses, thereby taught the discipline of activity and mystic vision.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
The Creator of the waters and the ages, O most immaculate one, Who in latter times became like unto a late morning rain, descended into thy womb, duly cooling those who were fainting.
Irmos:Thou art my strength, O Lord, Thou art my power; Thou art my God, Thou art my joy, Who, without leaving the bosom of the Father, hast visited our lowliness. Wherefore, with the Prophet Habbakuk I cry unto Thee: Glory to Thy power, O Thou Who lovest mankind!
Hierarchs of Christ, pray to God for us.
A pillar of fire going before the faithful people, consuming the enemies of the Faith and manifestly saving the tribes who followed was the great Basil shown to be, that the Church of Christ might be bold and prevail, enriched by such a champion.
Hierarchs of Christ, pray to God for us.
O Gregory, thy discourse was sweetness to the tongue, the delight of every ear, the manna of life, a dew of delight, honey from a rock, the heavenly bread of the angels, moving those who partake thereof to enjoy fully, filling them with sweetness.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
A river of spiritual gifts full to overflowing, flooding the goodly face of the earth like a torrent of sweetness, floweth forth from the golden mouth, delighting and watering every Christian city with streams of divine waves.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O Mistress, the three God-bearing teachers confessed that there is in thy Son a simple nature which underwent synthesis and showed itself to be above confusion; and they proclaimed Him to have two wills and two activities by nature.
Ode V, Irmos: O Lord, Bestower of light and Creator of the ages: guide us in the light of Thy commandments, for we know none other God than Thee.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Having thee as an invincible weapon against the divers temptations of the enemy, we who acknowledge thee to be the pure Theotokos are ever delivered from all the oppression of the foe.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
O thou who art more exalted than the cherubim, thou gavest birth to the Fullness of the law, the only-begotten Son Who became incarnate of thee. Him do thou beseech in behalf of thy servants.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Having borne the Creator of all things in thine arms, by thy supplications reconcile Him with us who now have recourse to thee with all our heart.
Irmos: O Christ my Saviour, enlightenment of those who lie in darkness and salvation of the despairing: rising early unto Thee, O King of the world, may I be enlightened by Thy radiance, for I know none other God than Thee.
Hierarchs of Christ, pray to God for us.
Thou didst permit the saints to drink deeply of the wellspring of Thy gifts, which in nowise is diminished in its flow, but watereth the whole earth with the divine torrents which flow from its source, O Thou Who lovest mankind.
Hierarchs of Christ, pray to God for us.
What is gold to me? What to me are riches and glory and power? Smoke dispersed upon the winds! Let them all vanish; let the wind bear them all away! Mine only greatly-cherished riches are the trinity of eloquent teachers.
Hierarchs of Christ, pray to God for us.
The river poureth forth incorruptible sustenance and divine drink: it poureth forth the food of immortality for those who hunger, and incorruptible drink for those who thirst. Its water is eternally living and sustaineth alive those who drink of it. Partake ye all of its ever-flowing life!
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Evil hath power over us, but not utterly; for it hath grown weak since the Virgin gave birth to Him Who is mighty in power, Who took upon Himself the weakness of the flesh and hath slain Him Who is mighty in malice.
Irmos:Wherefore hast Thou turned Thy face from me, O Light never-waning? And why hath a strange darkness covered me, wretch that I am? But turn me, and guide my steps to the light of Thy commandments, I pray.
Hierarchs of Christ, pray to God for us.
With thankful voices let us praise the wise sages of divine and human things, who in their love of the Truth have manifestly made known to us the nature of things, and have described their Creator unto all, as is meet.
Hierarchs of Christ, pray to God for us.
With their wise doctrinal discourses and skills the godly healers of men’s souls sweetened that which is bitter and astringent for the salvation of cures. O all ye pious, adorned, find ye delight and be saved!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
All discourse falleth silent when the divine preachers utter divine things. The New Testament prevaileth over the Old, presenting as precious tablets those who set forth the laws therein, with whom the whole concourse of the faithful are reckoned.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
The immortal Being passed over mortality to holiness, and the Virgin Maiden hath surpassed the incorporeal angels, for she gave birth to God, the King of the angels, upon Whom they are unable to gaze.
Ode VI, Irmos: Whirled about in the abyss of sin, I call upon the unfathomable abyss of Thy loving-kindness: Lead me up from corruption, O God!
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Knowing thee to be a haven of salvation, sailing the deep of this grief-laden life, I call upon thee, O Mistress: Be thou the pilot of my soul!
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Wretch that I am, I have fallen away from a pure life; yet lead me up, O blessed and all-pure one, uniting me to thy Son’s precepts.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Vouchsafe unto me thy mercy, O Theotokos who gavest birth to the all-merciful Word Who by His own blood hath delivered men from corruption.
Irmos:The great abyss of sin encompasseth me, and, emulating the prophet, I cry to thee: Lead me up from corruption, O Lord!
Hierarchs of Christ, pray to God for us.
Together, O ye three, bless the properties of God: the unbegottenness of the Father, the generation of the Word and the procession of the Spirit Himself.
Hierarchs of Christ, pray to God for us.
Today hath salvation, radiantly manifest, come to this house; for Christ, honouring His own name, is present in the midst of the two or three gathered together.
Hierarchs of Christ, pray to God for us.
Immeasurably distant from the heights of heaven is the abyss of the earth; yet divine desire hath borne the saints from the earth higher than the heavens.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
The three divine preachers, having thee as a new wellspring and source of mysteries, O Virgin, adopt a novel manner of speech with new sources.
Irmos:Cleanse me, O Saviour, for many are my transgressions; and lead me up from the abyss of evils, I pray, for to Thee have I cried, and Thou hast hearkened to me, O God of my salvation.
Hierarchs of Christ, pray to God for us.
We have learned to theologise concerning the only Trinity, and have agreed to hymn the threefold Unity: we have been taught by the fathers to worship the single Essence in three Hypostases.
Hierarchs of Christ, pray to God for us.
The Word, Who is without beginning, and the Spirit of God, existed in the beginning with the Father: the all-unoriginate God is a simple, consubstantial, co-essential Godhead, as the divine preachers say.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
I shall unite and separate those things that are separated through unity; I think of the One as indivisible, and consider It Three; and I accept the three God-bearing teachers who have admonished me thus to believe.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
The Son of the Father and the Mother, Who was without mother before assuming the flesh and was without father after His incarnation, saith these things, all of which pass understanding: for all-glorious wonders befit God.
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. “The steadfast…”: The sacred heralds of divine proclamation, the foremost among the teachers, hast Thou received, O Lord, into the enjoyment of Thy good things and into rest; for Thou hast accepted their labours and death as surpassing any whole burnt offering, O Thou Who alone dost glorify Thy saints.
Ikos:Who can open his lips and move his tongue to breathe forth fire with the power of the Word and the Spirit? Yet say but the word, and I will make bold to speak; for these three have transcended all human nature in their many and great gifts, their activity and vision, surpassing both in splendour. Wherefore, Thou hast vouchsafed unto men such great gifts, in that they are Thy faithful servants, O Thou Who alone dost glorify Thy saints.
Ode VII, Irmos: When the golden image was worshipped on the plain of Dura, Thy three youths spurned the ungodly command, and, cast into the midst of the fire, bedewed, they sang: Blessed art Thou, O God of our fathers!
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
He Who was incarnate of thee and was nailed to the Cross, O Theotokos, hath rent asunder Adam’s record. Him do thou now beseech, O most immaculate one, that they be delivered from all misfortunes who cry aloud: Blessed art Thou, O God of our fathers!
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
O Mistress, thou art the good hope and helper of the faithful; and now we entreat thee to grant an abyss of sympathy to all who trust in thee and cry to thy Son: Blessed art Thou, O God of our fathers!
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Though arrayed at baptism in the beauteous raiment of the commandments of the Saviour, I have defiled it through slothfulness, wretch that I am; and now I flee to thee, O Virgin, begging that through thee I be clothed again in the robe of gladness.
Irmos: The command of the iniquitous tyrant, opposed to God, raised up a lofty flame; but Christ, Who is blessed and all-glorious, spread a spiritual dew upon the pious youths.
Hierarchs of Christ, pray to God for us.
The former inconstant audacity of heresies is vanquished and doth retreat, O blessed one, and every debased teaching is shown to be like wax melting in the presence of fire, struck down by your fiery proclamation.
Hierarchs of Christ, pray to God for us.
They turned away from the false myths of the Greeks and chose persuasion alone to establish their authority among men; and these three, having established the truth therewith, thus triumph over the whole assembly of the faithful with their discourses, and exhort them.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
In thee hath every prophecy come to rest and reached its end, amazing those who say: From thee, O pure one, do the wonders of prophecies pour forth most radiantly, showing those who utter them to be wise.
Irmos:Once, in Babylon, the fire stood in awe of the condescension of God; wherefore, the youths, dancing with joyous step in the furnace, as in a meadow, chanted: Blessed art Thou, O God of our fathers!
Hierarchs of Christ, pray to God for us.
The divinely eloquent ones were pillars of virtue and wisdom, whether they kept silent or spake, whether they watched or listened, commanding us by their words and deeds to cry: Blessed is the God of our fathers!
Hierarchs of Christ, pray to God for us.
Receiving your divine voices which thunder forth upon us all-wondrously from on high, and your exhortations which are like flashes of lightning, O divinely wise ones; we therefore chant with you: Blessed is the God of our fathers!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Stones shall be launched from the stone-bows of their tongues, crushing those corrupted by false doctrines, if any among the blasphemers dare refuse to exclaim: Blessed is the God of our fathers!
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
He Who buildeth with the elements, and transformeth nature as He desireth, made His abode within thee and left thee a virgin even after thou gavest birth, O Mary Theotokos. To Him do we now cry out with thee, O most immaculate one: Blessed is the God of our fathers!
Ode VIII, Irmos: God, Who descended into the fiery furnace for the Hebrew children and transformed the flame into dew, hymn ye as Lord, O ye works, and exalt Him supremely for all ages!
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Having through faith acquired thee as a steadfast pillar and foundation of strength, as a protector and intercessor, O all-pure one, we are now saved; and we hymn and supremely exalt thine Offspring for all ages.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
O Theotokos, we know thee to be a clear wellspring of immortality, for thou gavest birth to the Word of the immortal Father, Who delivereth from death all who exalt Him supremely forever.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Thou dost ever pour forth a stream of healings upon us, the faithful; and receiving now its abundant grace, we hymn thine Offspring, O all-pure one, and exalt Him supremely for all ages.
Irmos: Same as that of the preceding canon.
Hierarchs of Christ, pray to God for us.
We reverently ponder and glorify with equal honour the one Essence, the infinitely powerful Unity and Trinity, Who ordereth all these things with more exalted words; for thus have the three God-Bearers taught us to worship, and with them we bow down before the Trinity forever.
Hierarchs of Christ, pray to God for us.
The three divine preachers have united themselves, joining together to form a trinity, and preserving themselves inseparable by their divine nature; and they have thus received a single, indivisible glory, which summoneth to a single laudation those who exalt it supremely forever.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
O Virgin, the Benefactor, accepting what is ours, and giving us what is His own, did not suffer, but merely created; for though He is the Creator, He doth not ordain corruption; and though He suffered of His own will, through His suffering He setteth men loose from the passions, as the three fathers mystically teach us.
Irmos: Madly did the Chaldæan tyrant heat the furnace sevenfold for the pious ones; but, beholding them saved by a higher Power, he cried out to the Creator and Deliverer: Ye children, bless; ye priests, hymn; ye people, exalt Him supremely for all ages!
Hierarchs of Christ, pray to God for us.
Having united them in a unity of equal honour, lest the man who rendereth them praise distinguish between them, God esteemeth them equal in their gifts, that He might vouchsafe them to chant equal hymns, singing: Ye children, bless; ye priests, hymn; ye people, exalt Him supremely for all ages!
Hierarchs of Christ, pray to God for us.
The mighty and invincible champions of the Godhead, the true allies of the Truth, having tested well the depths of the Spirit, set forth their divine understandings concerning God, and teach us to chant: Ye people, exalt Christ supremely for all ages!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
From heaven two magnificent luminaries enlighten the earth one after the other according to their preëminence; but three all-great luminaries illumine the whole world more brightly, chanting together: Ye people, exalt Christ supremely for all ages!
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
For our sake God deigned to become incarnate and undergo His honoured sufferings, for our sake He dwelt among men; and though He had not tasted of death and was free of the passions, through union with mortal flesh He also partook of suffering and death. With His Mother let us exalt Christ supremely forever!
At Ode IX, we do not sing the Magnificat, but chant instead the refrain:
Magnify, O my soul, the all-pure Virgin Theotokos, who is more honourable than the armies of heaven!
And thereafter we chant the irmos. And we chant this same refrain before each of the troparia of the canon of the Theotokos.
Irmos:O ye faithful, with hymns let us magnify in oneness of mind the Word of God, Who from God came in His ineffable wisdom to renew Adam who had grievously fallen into corruption, and Who became ineffably incarnate of the holy Virgin for our sake.
Magnify, O my soul, the all-pure Virgin Theotokos, who is more honourable than the armies of heaven!
O divinely blessed Maiden, I earnestly place all my hope on thee. Save me, O Mother of the true Life, and pray that I, who magnify thee faithfully and lovingly with hymns, may enjoy everlasting delight, O pure one.
Magnify, O my soul, the all-pure Virgin Theotokos, who is more honourable than the armies of heaven!
O Virgin who hast been shown to be the portal of divine Light, with the immaterial radiance of thy light illumine the darkness of my soul; and pray thou, O pure one, that I who magnify thee faithfully and lovingly with hymns may be delivered from eternal fire.
Magnify, O my soul, the all-pure Virgin Theotokos, who is more honourable than the armies of heaven!
The Son, Who was begotten from within the Father before time began, made His abode within thy womb; He became perfect man, O Mother of God, and hath shown thee to be a wellspring of gifts for us who faithfully do homage to thine ineffable birthgiving.
Irmos: God the Lord, the Son of the unoriginate Father, hath revealed Himself to us incarnate of the Virgin, to enlighten those in darkness and to gather the dispersed. Wherefore, we magnify the all-hymned Theotokos.
Each troparion of the canons of the hierarchs is preceded by its own refrain:
Magnify, O my soul, the three great luminaries among the hierarchs!
Lo! your crop, the flock for which ye endured the greatest of pangs, having assembled and received you three together, hath your most sweet union as their common boast.
Magnify, O my soul, the three luminaries of the Church of Christ!
Grace wielded not a two-edged sword, but one with three edges against the foe: a single blade forged in heaven and sharpened with threefold might, which ever fighteth for the one thrice-radiant Godhead.
Magnify, O my soul, those who illumine the Church of Christ!
Your residence was in the heavens, O all-glorious ones, with those bearing flesh eternally undefiled; and dwelling most perfectly now among them, entreat those who are most high, that they take thought and pray for us who abide yet on earth.
Magnify, O my soul, the all-pure Virgin Theotokos, who is more honourable than the armies of heaven.
The breadth of thy mighty deeds confineth me, O Mistress, giving me close-reasoned discourse, and all-gloriously I am at a loss because of thy magnificence. Wherefore, we glorify Him Who hath thus magnified thee.
Irmos: Heaven was stricken with awe, and the ends of the earth were amazed, that God hath appeared in the flesh, and that thy womb became more spacious than the heavens. Wherefore, the ranks of men and angels magnify thee as the Theotokos.
Magnify, O my soul, the three pastors of the all-holy Trinity!
A threefold virtue hath been exalted and hath filled all things with glory, shining forth upon us another thrice-radiant ray as its own effulgence: the initiates of the mysteries of heaven, by whom we are guided in piety to the divine vision thereof.
Magnify, O my soul, the three great luminaries of the triple Sun!
There is no repetition in these three, for each of them beareth the seniority: none is first, but there is a surpassing equality of honour; and they all-joyously credit the victory to each other, for the audacity of jealousy, which corrupteth oneness of mind, hath no place in them.
Magnify, O my soul, the might of the indivisible Godhead in three Hypostases!
The piety of the fathers, having shown forth its own firstborn sons, through them begetteth faithful and blameless children of the light, who are made perfect by the Spirit Who spake life in them; and it asketh them to preserve, inviolate to the end, the peace which it inherited from them.
Magnify, O my soul, the all-pure Virgin Theotokos, who is more honourable than the armies of heaven!
Through the revelation of the Father, the foremost of wise hierarchs proclaimed thy Son to be the Son of the living God, O Mother of God, receiving knowledge of the mystery not from flesh and blood; wherefore, glorifying thee, the Virgin, he magnified thee as Mother and Theotokos.
Troparion, Tone IV: In that ye share in the ways of the apostles, O teachers of the whole world, entreat the Master of all, that He grant peace to the world and great mercy to our souls.
After the holy hieromartyr Ignatius was thrown to the lions in the year 107 on the orders of the emperor Trajan, Christians gathered up his bones and preserved them at Rome.
Later, in the year 108, the saint’s relics were collected and buried outside the gate of Daphne at Antioch. A second transfer, to the city of Antioch itself, took place in the year 438. After the capture of Antioch by the Persians, the relics of the Hieromartyr Ignatius were returned to Rome and placed into the church of the holy Hieromartyr Clement in the year 540 (in 637, according to other sources).
Saint Ignatius introduced antiphonal singing into Church services. He has left us seven archpastoral epistles in which he provided instructions on faith, love and good works. He also urged his flock to preserve the unity of the faith and to beware of heretics. He encouraged people to honor and obey their bishops, “We should regard the bishop as we would the Lord Himself.” (To the Ephesians 6)
In his Letter to Polycarp, Saint Ignatius writes: “Listen to the bishop, if you want God to listen to you… let your baptism be your shield, your faith a helmet, your charity a spear, your patience, like full armour.” (Compare Eph. 6:14-17 and the Wisdom of Solomon 5:17-20. Also The Ladder 4:2)
The Canon of the Saint, the acrostic whereof is: “In songs do I hymn Ignatius, the star of the East”, the composition of Theophanes, in Tone IV
Ode I, Irmos: Having traversed the depths of the Red Sea with dryshod feet, Israel of old vanquished the might of Amalek in the wilderness by Moses’ arms stretched out in the form of the Cross.
Holy Hieromartyr, Ignatius, pray to God for us.
Guiding my life to virtue, O God-bearer Ignatius, illumine me with the light of the grace which shineth in thee, and by thy supplications set at naught the tumult of the passions.
Holy Hieromartyr, Ignatius, pray to God for us.
Thou wast like most fertile soil, increasing its seed a hundredfold at the harvest, O God-bearer Ignatius, for Christ Who watereth souls with the rain of the Spirit.
Holy Hieromartyr, Ignatius, pray to God for us.
The Master and God of all, perceiving with the power of His foreknowledge the nobility of thy soul, O God-bearer Ignatius, illumined thee with the divinely splendid radiance of grace.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Illumined by the rays of the noetic Sun, O most wise one, thou didst hasten in splendor from the East like the material sun, casting light upon the darkness of the West by thy preaching.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O most pure Bride of God, thou gavest birth to One of the all-divine Trinity Who through thee revealed Himself as like us in the flesh, as the Father willed and with the coöperation of the most Holy Spirit.
Ode III, Irmos: Thy Church rejoiceth in Thee, O Christ, crying aloud: Thou art my strength, O Lord, my refuge and my consolation!
Holy Hieromartyr, Ignatius, pray to God for us.
Heal thou my mind which hath been afflicted with grievous carnal passions, O ever-memorable Ignatius, martyr of Christ.
Holy Hieromartyr, Ignatius, pray to God for us.
Knowing well that thou wast of one mind with the apostles, Christ appointed thee as a teacher shining with divine light upon all the Churches.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Having beheld the Bestower of life slain for thy sake, O Ignatius, with love thou didst hasten to endure death for His sake.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Cleansed by the Spirit beforehand, O pure one, thou gavest birth to the Word of the Father, for the benefit of rational nature.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Sessional hymn, Tone III, Spec. Mel. “Of the divine Faith…”: Illumined by the divine Spirit, with pastoral boldness and great wisdom thou didst put to shame the savagery of the tyrants; and, drawing thyself across the chasm of falsehood, O venerable father, thou didst reach the divine haven. Entreat Christ God, that He grant us great mercy. (Twice)
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: Without separating Himself from the divine Essence when He took flesh in thy womb, the one Lord remained God though He became man; and even after thy birthgiving He preserved thee, His Virgin Mother, as immaculate as thou wast before giving birth. Him do thou earnestly beseech, that He grant us great mercy.
Stavrotheotokion (replaces the Theotokion of Wednesday 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, lamenting maternally: “Woe is me, O my Child! How is it that Thou dost suffer willingly, desiring to deliver man from the indignity of the passions?”
Ode IV, Irmos: Beholding Thee lifted up upon the Cross, O Sun of righteousness, the Church stood rooted in place, crying out as is meet: Glory to Thy power, O Lord!
Holy Hieromartyr, Ignatius, pray to God for us.
Fittingly called God-bearer, in that thou didst clothe thyself with life in Christ, thou dost radiantly anoint all to receive crowns through desire, O confirmation of martyrs.
Holy Hieromartyr, Ignatius, pray to God for us.
Thou wast animated by the power of Him Who for thy sake was nailed to the Cross, O God-bearer Ignatius; for thou didst permit the wild beasts to separate thee from the world, enabling thee to go to Him Whom thou didst desire with love.
Holy Hieromartyr, Ignatius, pray to God for us.
Desiring the beauties of the Master, and loving Him with unwavering devotion, O God-bearing martyr Ignatius, thou didst diligently emulate His sufferings.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Adorned with the purple robe of thy blood and the oil of thy priestly anointing, O holy hierarch, initiate of the mysteries of God, thou shinest forth with joy, crying unto Christ: Glory to Thy power, O Lord!
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
He Who by His divine power created all things out of nothing, O Mother of God, was born of thee, illumining the world with the radiant beams of divinity and the splendour of divine knowledge.
Ode V, Irmos: Thou hast come, O my Lord, as a light into the world: a holy light turning from the darkness of ignorance those who hymn Thee with faith.
Holy Hieromartyr, Ignatius, pray to God for us.
Beholding Christ now face to face, no longer as though reflected in a mirror, O Ignatius, thou hast truly united thyself to Him Who loveth thee.
Holy Hieromartyr, Ignatius, pray to God for us.
Thou hast truly drawn forth enlightenment from the wellspring of the Bestower of light, O Ignatius; for Christ, holding thee in His all-pure hands, did hallow thee.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Acquiring a mind illumined by the Spirit of God, O Ignatius, thou sendest forth the divinely inscribed laws of grace like tablets.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
From on high the angel joyously let his cry ring forth unto thee, O Theotokos, announcing to thee the ineffable conception of the Master.
Ode VI, Irmos: I will sacrifice to Thee with a voice of praise, O Lord, the Church crieth unto Thee, cleansed of the blood of demons by the blood which, for mercy’s sake, flowed from Thy side.
Holy Hieromartyr, Ignatius, pray to God for us.
Possessed of the hypostatic Wisdom of God, thou didst set at naught the dogmas of the wisdom of the Greeks, O initiate of sacred mysteries, and with a great noise thou didst consign to oblivion all memory of their falsehood.
Holy Hieromartyr, Ignatius, pray to God for us.
Cease thou never to pray for those who celebrate thy memory, O most blessed one, that they be delivered from most grievous temptations and misfortunes, in that thou art a right acceptable priest.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Excelling in courage and wisdom, O venerable and God-bearing martyr, thou wast shown to be adorned with the beauty of righteousness and chastity and surrounded by the virtues.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Finding thee alone like an all-pure rose, a lily of the valley, in the midst of thorns, O Mother of God, the Bridegroom and Word issued forth from thy womb.
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 IV, Spec. Mel. “Thou hast appeared today…”: Thou didst shine forth from the East today, illumining all creation with thy doctrines, O God-bearing and divine Ignatius, and art adorned with martyrdom.
Ikos:Sanctifying Jeremiah from his mother’s womb and, as the Omniscient One, knowing beforehand when he would be born and that he would be a habitation of His Holy Spirit, God straightway filled him with life from his youth and sent him, as His prophet and herald, to proclaim His holy coming to all on earth. And when God Himself was born of the Virgin and went forth to preach, He found the God-bearing and divine Ignatius to be a disciple worthy of His grace from infancy.
Ode VII, Irmos: The children of Abraham in the Persian furnace, afire with love of piety more than with the flame, cried out: Blessed art Thou in the temple of Thy glory, O Lord!
Holy Hieromartyr, Ignatius, pray to God for us.
Adorned with the divine myrrh of the priesthood, O venerable one, and with the blood of thy martyrdom, in both thou didst shine forth, crying: Blessed art Thou in the temple of Thy glory, O Lord!
Holy Hieromartyr, Ignatius, pray to God for us.
Having enlightened the whole world with thy laws, with the Bread of heaven thou didst feed the faithful who cry out to thy Master: Blessed art Thou in the temple of Thy glory, O Lord!
Holy Hieromartyr, Ignatius, pray to God for us.
Illumined with radiant beams and shining with the splendor of the effulgence of the Origin of light, thou didst receive heavenly delight, rejoicing, O God-bearer, thou boast of martyrs.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
As thou didst say, O ever all-memorable martyr, thou wast ground as the grain of God by the teeth of wild beasts, and becamest a most pure bread for Him Who nurtureth all things in His divine goodness.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Rejoice, O sanctified and divine habitation of the Most High; for through thee, O Theotokos, hath joy been given to those who cry: Blessed art thou among women, O most immaculate Mistress!
Ode VIII, Irmos: Stretching forth his hands, Daniel shut the lions’ mouths in the pit; and the young lovers of piety, girded about with virtue, quenched the power of the fire, crying out: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!
Holy Hieromartyr, Ignatius, pray to God for us.
Standing before the tribunal, O wise and holy one, with purity of mind thou didst theologise concerning the uncreated Trinity; and, undaunted before the thrones of the savage tyrants, with noetic splendour thou didst cry out: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!
Holy Hieromartyr, Ignatius, pray to God for us.
Rationally governing thy mind with divine dogmas, O blessed Ignatius, with torrents of wisdom thou didst utterly drown the wicked demon-tyrant, the prince of deception, crying out: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!
Holy Hieromartyr, Ignatius, pray to God for us.
Shining with the boundless light of the Godhead, O invincible martyr, thou didst dispel the unstable darkness of ungodliness, sending forth radiant epistles to those who chant: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Thou didst not fear the savagery and rapacity of the wild beasts, O godly Ignatius; for the power of the Most High Who shone forth from the Virgin arrayed thee in the armour of the Cross as thou didst chant: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Thou, alone among all generations, O all-pure Virgin, wast shown to be the Mother of God; and thou wast a dwelling-place of the Godhead, O most immaculate one, unburnt by the fire of the unapproachable Light. Wherefore, we all call thee blessed, O Mary Bride of God.
Ode IX, Irmos: Christ, the Chief Cornerstone uncut by human hands, Who united the two disparate natures, was cut from thee, the unquarried mountain, O Virgin. Wherefore, in gladness we magnify thee, O Theotokos.
Holy Hieromartyr, Ignatius, pray to God for us.
Most divine love, holding thy soul fast, O blessed one, burned up all the material griefs of the world with immaterial fire, and presented thee as crowned to the Summit of all desires.
Holy Hieromartyr, Ignatius, pray to God for us.
Thou didst hasten to the most calm and radiant haven, O God-bearer, escaping the raging of both savage and rational beasts as though they were a tempest of threefold waves; and now thou art transported in ecstasy, receiving everlasting delight.
Holy Hieromartyr, Ignatius, pray to God for us.
Adorned with an ornate crown, O initiate of the sacred mysteries, thou dost excel; for in thee the glory of the priesthood and martyrdom are conjoined, and as one who shareth in both thou hast been glorified by thy Master.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
As one of manifest sanctity, possessing boldness before thy Master and God, O Ignatius, pray thou, that those who with faith celebrate thy memory be delivered now from temptations.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Quench thou the flame of my passions with the shining dew of thy prayer, O most pure one, in that thou didst receive the divine Fire in thy womb without being consumed; for thee do I have as the hope of my salvation, O Bride of God.
Troparion, Tone IV: As thou didst share in the ways of the apostles and didst occupy their throne, thou didst find thine activity to be a passage to divine vision, O divinely inspired one. Wherefore, ordering the word of truth, thou didst suffer for the Faith even to the shedding of thy blood, O hieromartyr Ignatius. Entreat Christ God, that our souls be saved.
Prayer: O great hierarch, Ignatius the God-Bearer! We bow down before thee and beg thee: look upon us, sinners, who resort to thine intercession! Beseech the Lord to forgive us all our sins. As thou didst lay down thy soul as a martyr for the faith, grant us also courage to imitate thee in all things. Nothing in life could separate thee from thy love for the Lord: neither flattering promises, nor prohibitions, nor threats, nor the worst of torments. Thou didst joyfully appear before the beasts of fierce death, and, like an angel, thou wast in the abodes of our Heavenly Father, and thy prayer is greatly powerful before the Lord. Be, then, O holy God-Pleaser, an advocate before the Lord, asking for us a prosperous and peaceful life, health, and salvation, and in all prosperity, and victory over our enemies, that He, the Merciful One, may overshadow us with His grace and protect us in all ways with His holy angels. Help us by thy holy prayers to Almighty God, to deliver us from hunger, earthquake, drought, lack of rain and deadly diseases. Be a quick helper for us in every sorrow, especially at the hour of our death; appear to us as a bright protector and intercessor and beg the Lord to favour all of us, who now fervently pray to thee, who hast received the Kingdom of Heaven after a Christian death; for all the saints together with thee eternally glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Canon of the venerable one, the acrostic whereof is: “I honour Ephraim, the noetic Euphrates”, the composition of Theophanes, in Tone VI:
Ode 1, Irmos: When Israel walked on foot in the sea as on dry land, * on seeing their pursuer Pharaoh drowned, * they cried: * Let us sing to God * a song of victory.
Venerable Father, Ephraim, pray to God for us.
With the Euphrates-like flood of thy supplications water thou my soul, which hath become dry with the burning heat of the passions, and inspire discourse within me who praise thy festival, O all-blessed one.
Venerable Father, Ephraim, pray to God for us.
Shining forth noetic light, thou didst show thyself to be a radiant sun, O Ephraim, illumining all the fullness of the faithful with brilliant virtues and teachings.
Venerable Father, Ephraim, pray to God for us.
Extinguishing the flame of the passions with the streams of tears, O divinely blessed Ephraim, thou wast a precious vessel of the Holy Spirit, pouring forth wellsprings of doctrines.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Having received the incorrupt Word in thy womb, thou hast given birth to Him Who delivereth from corruption those who ever worship Him, O pure Mother and Virgin, who art truly the portal of Life.
Canon of the venerable one, the composition of Gerasimus of the Little Skete of Saint Anna, in Tone VIII:
Another Irmos: The wonderworking staff of Moses, * striking and dividing the sea in the figure of a cross, * once drowned Pharaoh the pursuing charioteer, * while it saved the fleeing people of Israel * as they fled on foot, * chanting a hymn unto God.
Venerable Father, Isaac, pray to God for us.
Give strength and words to my lips, O Word of God and God, that I may hymn the venerable Isaac, who hath radiantly glorified Thee with a perfect life and instructed the ranks of monastics with divinely inspired discourse.
Venerable Father, Isaac, pray to God for us.
Having from thy youth hated all carnal luxury, O blessed Isaac, and been wounded by divine love, thou didst take the Cross of the Lord upon thy shoulders, and with thy brother didst choose a life of asceticism.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Borne aloft by the love of Christ the Bestower of life, O venerable one, thou didst soar to the heavenly life, and through ascetic labours wast shown to be a stranger and sojourner on the earth, O most blessed father Isaac.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Without knowing wedlock, thou didst conceive God Who for our sake didst become immutably incarnate as we are, through thy pure blood, O most pure Mary Theotokos. Wherefore, deliver us from changing to the worse.
Ode 3, Irmos: There is none as holy as Thou, * O Lord my God, * who hast exalted the horn of The faithful O good One, * and strengthened us upon the rock * of Thy confession.
Venerable Father, Ephraim, pray to God for us.
Having purified thyself of the mire of the passions, thou didst reveal thyself to be a true receptacle of the virtues and a vessel containing the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Venerable Father, Ephraim, pray to God for us.
In nowise giving slumber to thine eyes, thou didst show thyself to be a temple of the Holy Trinity and a treasury of wisdom, enriching the world with the golden rays of teachings, O blessed one.
Venerable Father, Ephraim, pray to God for us.
The honoured Church of Christ doth recognize thee as a golden-streamed Euphrates, flowing with torrents of wise doctrines and watering all creation.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Incarnate of thy precious blood, One of the Holy Trinity divinely issued forth in two natures, saving by grace the children of Adam, O all-pure one.
Another Irmos: O Lord, Creator of the vault of Heaven * and Builder of the Church, * do Thou strengthen me in Thy love, O Summit of desire, * O Support of the faithful, * O only Lover of mankind.
Venerable Father, Isaac, pray to God for us.
In that thou didst rid thy heart of the bonds of the passions, thou wast shown to be a receptacle of dispassion and a vessel fit for the effulgence of spiritual life, O blessed Isaac, dweller with the angels.
Venerable Father, Isaac, pray to God for us.
Full of the graces of heaven, O venerable one, who didst emulate the angels in thy conduct, at all times pouring forth from thy mouth a discourse of salvation, as it were the sweetness of incorruption.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Putting off the burden of the flesh, O father, thou didst elect to make thine abode in the wilderness, uniting thyself unto God with great stillness, prayer and fasting. Wherefore, thou didst become the dwelling-place of the divine Spirit.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O all-hymned Maiden who hast given birth unto God and destroyed the ancient sin, by thy grace do thou restore my mind, which hath been marred by the decadence of the passions which sorely afflict me.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Kontakion of St Ephraim, in Tone II, Spec. Mel “Seeking the highest …”: Ever looking forward to the hour of judgment, * thou didst bitterly lament, O Ephraim; * and though a lover of stillness * thou wast also a teacher of activity, O venerable one. ** Wherefore, O universal father, thou dost motivate the slothful to repentance.
Ikos: Do thou let but a drop of the waters of thy grace bedew my soul, purifying it of every unclean defilement, that cleansed, it may complete the remaining time of life zealous in all things profitable, and partake of the divine sweetness which thou didst enjoy, for thou dost quench the thirst of all who burn with passions, inspiring the slothful to repentance by thy discourses.
Sedalion of St Ephraim, in Tone V, Spec. Mel “The Word Who is co-unoriginate …”: O ye faithful, on the day of his commemoration let us hymn the treasury of the wisdom of the mysteries of Christ, the cup of divine compunction, for in accordance with his name the godly Ephraim doth ever gladden the hearts of the faithful with divine discourses, as a performer and initiate of the mysteries of the revelations of the Lord.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Sedalion, in Tone IV, Spec. Mel., “Go thou quickly before …”: As a divinely radiant lamp of stillness thou shinest the never-waning light of a virtuous life upon the ends of the earth, O wise one; wherefore, we, the choirs of monastics, hymn thee as a divine luminary, O God-bearer Isaac, and we study thy radiant discourses with love.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Theotokion in Tone IV: O pure Virgin Mother, unceasingly beseech Christ our God, Who in His ineffable tender compassion didst become incarnate of thee, that He grant us forgiveness of sins, O Maiden, and deliverance from the grievous woes of life; for unto thee, O Mother of God, do we have recourse in faith.
Ode 4, Irmos: Christ is my power, * my God and my Lord, * the holy Church divinely singeth, * crying with a pure mind, * keeping festival in the Lord.
Venerable Father, Ephraim, pray to God for us.
The power of thy words hath passed through the whole world, O blessed one, driving away the blindness of men’s souls by the exalted radiance of humility.
Venerable Father, Ephraim, pray to God for us.
Thou didst render thy life blameless, cleansing thyself with tears, O right wondrous and divinely revealed one, and by thy wise discourses hast described to all the coming of the Judge.
Venerable Father, Ephraim, pray to God for us.
Having beheld the most glorious height of thy humility, the Lord gave thee exalted discourse, whereby the grievous uprisings of heresies have been humbled.
Venerable Father, Ephraim, pray to God for us.
Strengthened by the grace of the Almighty, thou didst array thyself against the princes of the demons, O father, and having vanquished them, fervently pray on behalf of us who praise thee.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Let us bless the Virgin as a divine temple, as a holy mountain, as a wellspring of incorruption, as the one who alone was the chosen of God our Creator.
Another Irmos: Thou, O Lord, art my strength and Thou art my power, * Thou art my God and Thou art my joy, * Thou Who, while never leaving the bosom of Thy Father, * hast visited our poverty. * Therefore with the Prophet Habbakuk I cry unto Thee, * ‘Glory to Thy power, O Lover of mankind!’
Venerable Father, Isaac, pray to God for us.
Irrigated with the streams of thy sacred teachings, O wise Isaac, multitudes of monastics splendidly produce abundant fruit: the purity of abstinence, prayerful contemplation, and the grace of dispassion, chanting: Glory to Thy power, O Lover of mankind!
Venerable Father, Isaac, pray to God for us.
With thy whole mind conversing and uniting thyself with the one God, the sight of Whom is beyond comprehension, O venerable one, thou wast filled past understanding with enlightenment, and wast shown to be a light-bearer, a tower of stillness and a most radiant beacon for monastics.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Living in the flesh like an incorporeal being, thou didst serve God in stillness, O God-bearer Isaac, and wast granted many graces by Christ, of which do thou grant, if only a small portion, unto me who doth cry aloud: Glory to Thy power, O Lover of mankind!
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O Theotokos, having given birth unto God in the flesh, without seed, without corruption, in a manner beyond understanding and comprehension, thou hast annulled the condemnation of Eve, at the hour of my judgment do thou also free me from the dread sentence.
Ode 5, Irmos: Illumine with Thy divine light, I pray, O Good One, * the souls of those who with love rise early to pray to Thee, * that they may know Thee, O Word of God, * as the true God, * Who recalleth us from the darkness of sin.
Venerable Father, Ephraim, pray to God for us.
With torrents of tears, O father, thou didst utterly dry up the depths of pleasures; and with the outpourings of thy doctrines thou hast staunched the torrents of heresies, O blessed one.
Venerable Father, Ephraim, pray to God for us.
Thy mind, illumined by seeking God, O father Ephraim, began to take pleasure in the full vision of God, receiving immaterial revelation as if a mirror of the divine Spirit.
Venerable Father, Ephraim, pray to God for us.
Thou didst truly become a temple imbued with the Trinity, adorned with grace and the radiance of pure virtues, and the fullness of teaching, O father.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Eating of the tree in Eden through the wicked treachery of the serpent I was revealed to be mortal; but thou, having given birth to Christ, the Bestower of life, hast brought me to life, O thou who alone art full of God’s grace.
Another Irmos: O Light never-waning, * why hast Thou turned Thy face from me * and why has the alien darkness surrounded me, * wretched though I be? * But do Thou guide my steps I implore Thee * and turn me back towards the light of Thy commandments.
Venerable Father, Isaac, pray to God for us.
Lifting thy mind to the undefiled good, O saint of Christ, thou didst reveal thyself by thy way of life, to be alien to the things that are in the world, O Isaac, teaching all to disdain that which is corruptible, and in nowise to desire those things that are temporal.
Venerable Father, Isaac, pray to God for us.
Thou wast shown to be a scribe and model of the angelic life, O divinely wise Isaac; wherefore, the grace of the Spirit hath revealed thee to be a divine pastor and a God-bearing hierarch of the Church of Christ.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Having been inducted into the divine mysteries because of the purity of thy way of life, O God-bearer, thou didst attain to yet greater deeds, O divine Isaac, archpastor of Nineveh, explaining the words of the Gospel to all, and cleansing the wounds of their souls.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Slain by the deception and delusion of the serpent, O most pure one, I flee unto thee who hast given birth to eternal Life. Enliven my mind by thy vivifying help, and guide me to a blameless life.
Ode 6, Irmos: Beholding the sea of life surging the flood of temptations, * I run to calm haven, and cry to Thee: * Raise up my life from corruption, * O Most Merciful One.
Venerable Father, Ephraim, pray to God for us.
Setting thy foundation not on sands, but on the inviolate Faith, O God-bearer, thou didst remain undaunted by all the assaults of the enemy, guided by the hand of the Invincible One.
Venerable Father, Ephraim, pray to God for us.
Thy tongue was truly like the pen of a swiftly-writing scribe, showing forth a most pious intellect and tracing the law of the Spirit upon the tablets of our hearts, O father.
Venerable Father, Ephraim, pray to God for us.
Those who navigate the calm expanse of thy dogmas, O divinely wise Ephraim, are delivered from the soul-destroying billows of the abyss and, awakened, are saved by faith from the storm of heresies.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Incarnate, He Who as God is above all noetic beings and visible creatures, issued forth from thy womb, preserving thee incorrupt as thou wast before birthgiving, O Virgin Mother.
Another Irmos: Cleanse me, O Saviour, * 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.
Venerable Father, Isaac, pray to God for us.
Thou didst brighten thy hierarchal vestments through strict observance of the commandments of God, O divinely-inspired Isaac; wherefore, the Saviour hath received thee as one of His own.
Venerable Father, Isaac, pray to God for us.
Directing thy life towards the uttermost Judge, thou didst show thyself to be a true and venerable hierarch, O Isaac, revealing the commandments of the laws of grace unto all.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Adorned with the spiritual wisdom which cometh from doing good works, thou wast revealed to be a pious teacher of monastics, O Isaac, guiding them to perfection by thine instructions and deeds.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O most pure one, who hast given birth in the flesh to the transcendent God, from the fall hast thou raised the nature of mortals to the heights of their former nobility; wherefore, we glorify thee.
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 St Isaac, in Tone VIII, Spec. Mel, “To thee, the champion leader…”: By thine angelic way of life thou wast shown to be a divine instrument of the Comforter, * and a model for monastics in all things, O blessed Isaac. * As the habitation of divine grace, ask thou grace and heavenly light for us ** who cry out to thee: Rejoice, O divinely wise father!
Ikos: Thou wast revealed to be an angel in the flesh in thine ascetic labours, O Godbearing Isaac, and by thine angelic voice hast thou set before us the words of salvation, whereby guided to a higher life, we cry out to thee: Rejoice, star coming forth from Syria; rejoice, lamp of stillness! Rejoice, thou who art more sublime than earthly thoughts; Rejoice, partaker of heavenly enlightenment! Rejoice, divinely inscribed pillar of hesychasts; Rejoice, mouth flowing with the honey of spiritual teachings! Rejoice, for thou wast filled with God-given wisdom; Rejoice, for thou deliverest from the evil of the passions! Rejoice, most fervent of the servants of Christ; Rejoice, our godly teacher! Rejoice, wise God-bearer Isaac; Rejoice, our instructor, guided by God! Rejoice, O divinely wise father!
Ode 7, Irmos: An Angel made the furnace bedew the holy Children. * But the command of God consumed the Chaldeans * and prevailed upon the tyrant to cry: * O God of our fathers, Blessed art Thou.
Venerable Father, Ephraim, pray to God for us.
Thou wast shown to be a most excellent giver of laws for monastics, O most honoured one, rescuing them from all the machinations of the enemy. Wherefore, O blessed one, they honour thine honoured and sacred memory on earth.
Venerable Father, Ephraim, pray to God for us.
Thou wast shown to be a most excellent giver of laws for monastics, O most honoured one, rescuing them from all the machinations of the enemy. Wherefore, O blessed one, they honour thine honoured and sacred memory on earth.
Venerable Father, Ephraim, pray to God for us.
Thou wast an excellent instrument of the Spirit, ever sounding forth thine inspirations and playing the saving hymn of repentance for us who hymn thee, O ever-memorable one.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Thy conception was beyond description, O Bride of God, for thou hast given birth to the Word of God Who hath delivered all mankind from irrationality granting them the words to cry: O God of our fathers, Blessed art Thou!
Another Irmos: Once in Babylon the fire stood in awe * of God’s condescension; * for which sake the youths in the furnace, * dancing with joyous steps as in a meadow, chanted: * O God of our fathers, Blessed art Thou!
Venerable Father, Isaac, pray to God for us.
Having shone forth like a most radiant sun among the choirs of monastics, O father, thou dost illumine with the radiance of thine instructions, as with beams of light, all who cry out with faith: Blessed is the God of our fathers!
Venerable Father, Isaac, pray to God for us.
O father, the honourable choirs of monastics know thee to be a divinely-wise describer and guide to the higher life, and as is fitting, celebrate thy memory, O wise father Isaac, thou rule of hesychasts.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Caught up by the Spirit to the vision of the mystical mysteries of a higher glory, which passeth understanding, and deified by partaking thereof, thou didst cry aloud: Blessed is the God of our fathers!
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
With the rich streams of thy mercy purify my heart, which hath been defiled by the passions of the enemy, O Maiden; and dispel the darkness of my mind, that I may gaze upon the Light which shone forth from thee.
Ode 8, Irmos: Thou didst make flame bedew the holy children, * and didst burn the sacrifice of a righteous man with water. * For Thou alone, O Christ, dost do all as Thou willest, * Thee do we exalt throughout all ages.
Venerable Father, Ephraim, pray to God for us.
Thou wast shown to be like another sun, O blessed one, and, emitting the beams of thy teachings upon the ends of the earth, thou hast driven away the lightless gloom of all sin with the light of repentance.
Venerable Father, Ephraim, pray to God for us.
Surrounded by the streams of divine dogmas, thou didst flow forth like another river from Eden, watering the face of the earth, O wondrous one, inundating the tares of ungodliness.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Confessing thee to be the true Theotokos, like the angel we cry out to thee with faith: Rejoice! For thou alone hast given birth to Joy on earth, O ever joyous and blessed one.
Another Irmos: In his wrath the Chaldean Tyrant made the furnace blaze, * with heat fanned sevenfold for the servants of God; * but when he perceived that they had been saved by a greater power * he cried aloud to the Creator and Redeemer; * ‘ye children bless, ye priests praise, * ye people, supremely exalt Him throughout all ages’.
Venerable Father, Isaac, pray to God for us.
Thou didst live an angelic life, O most blessed Isaac, and through stillness and the mortification of the passions didst bring forth the first-fruits of the life to come. And now thou dost cry aloud with the angels in the highest: Ye, children, bless! Ye priests, hymn! Ye people, supremely exalt Christ forever!
Venerable Father, Isaac, pray to God for us.
Offering up most earnest prayers and supplications, thou didst unite thyself unto God through purity of mind, and wast shown to be blessed and full of divine grace while yet amid the threefold waves of the flesh. And now in the highest, freed from material things, thou dost manifestly enjoy things ineffable.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Having been sacredly arrayed in the vesture of a bishop, O God-bearer, by thy venerable labours and virtuous struggles thou hast rendered it yet more splendid. And now, O Isaac, with the holy hierarchs and the choirs of the venerable thou dost offer up the mystical sacrifice of immaterial praise unto the Lord.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Preserving the seal of thy virginity intact after birthgiving, thou gavest suck to the Lord to Whom thou hadst given birth, bearing him as a babe, O Virgin Sovereign Lady, Mary Theotokos. Him do thou beseech, that He grant the cleansing of offences unto those who hymn thine ineffable glory.
Ode 9, Irmos: It is impossible for mankind to see God * upon Whom the orders of Angels dare not gaze; * but through thee, O all-pure one, * did the Word Incarnate become a man * and with the Heavenly Hosts * Him we magnify and thee we call blessed.
Venerable Father, Ephraim, pray to God for us.
Wounded by the love of the Almighty O venerable one, thou didst reach the end of thy life, lamenting and crying out with fear: “Assuage my passing with the waves of thy grace, O Saviour, richly preserving me therewith in the life to come!”
Venerable Father, Ephraim, pray to God for us.
Thy sweet discourse was replete with compunction and full of enlightenment for those who have recourse to thee, O right wondrous God-bearer Ephraim; and thy life was blameless, adorned and illumined with all manner of divinely radiant virtues.
Venerable Father, Ephraim, pray to God for us.
Thou wast a temple of the Spirit, a river full of life-giving waters, the unshakable foundation of the Church, the confirmation of monastics, and an ever-flowing stream of divine compunction, O right wondrous Ephraim.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
The mind of man cannot understand the mystery of thy birthgiving which passeth understanding, O Virgin; for, making His abode within thy womb, God did not violate the seal of thy virginity, as He, Who is unapproachable alone knoweth.
Another Irmos: Heaven was stricken with awe, * and the ends of the earth were filled with amazement, * for God hath appeared in the flesh, * and thy womb was rendered more spacious than the heavens. * Wherefore, the ranks of men and of angels * magnify thee as the Theotokos.
Venerable Father, Isaac, pray to God for us.
Let Isaac, great among the venerable ascetics, the scion of Syria, the God-bearing initiate of the life which is in Christ, the most excellent recorder of the mysteries and the enlightener of monastics, be worthily hymned as one who entreateth God, for he prayeth that great mercy be granted unto us.
Venerable Father, Isaac, pray to God for us.
Thou didst engage in the pious struggle of holy ascesis, O venerable one, and thereby didst piously learn the mysteries of all the wisdom of asceticism, that wisely teaching us to avoid the sophistries of the enemy, we may live virtuously, O Godbearer.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Thou hast passed over to the true glory, whose revelation thou didst acquire beforehand; and face to face thou dost gaze upon the effulgence of Christ which is beyond comprehension, O Isaac, adornment of the venerable. Cease not to pray for us who praise thee with love.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O unwedded Virgin Mother who ineffably gavest birth to God in the flesh, deliver me from diseases of the flesh, redeem my greatly sinful soul from grievous insensitivity, and illumine my mind with the light of repentance, that I may hymn thee, O greatly hymned one.
Troparion of St Ephraim, in Tone VIII: With the streams of thy tears thou didst irrigate the barren desert, * and with sighs from the depths of thy soul thou didst render thy labours fruitful an hundredfold, * and didst become a beacon for the whole world, resplendent with miracles. ** O Ephraim our father, entreat Christ God, that our souls be saved.
Troparion of St Isaac, in Tone V: Illumined by rays of the virtues, * O God-bearer Isaac, * in spirit thou wast shown to be a most radiant beacon * of the life which is in Christ; * and by thy divinely inspired teachings, O father, * thou dost guide safely to the way of salvation * those who bless thee ** as a godly servant of Christ.
Canon of the venerable one, the acrostic whereof is: “I honour Ephraim, the noetic Euphrates”, the composition of Theophanes, in Tone VI: