St Poemen the Great: Life and Canon

Posted on September 8, 2025September 8, 2025 by Father Mark

September 9 / August 27

Saint Poemen the Great was born about the year 340 in Egypt. He went to one of the Egyptian monasteries with his two brothers, Anoub and Paisius, and all three received monastic tonsure. The brothers were such strict ascetics that when their mother came to the monastery to see her children, they did not come out to her from their cells. The mother stood there for a long time and wept. Then Saint Poemen said to her through the closed door of the cell, “Do you wish to see us now, or in the future life?” Saint Poemen promised that if she would endure the sorrow of not seeing her children in this life, then surely she would see them in the next. The mother was humbled and returned home.

Fame of Saint Poemen’s deeds and virtues spread throughout the land. Once, the governor of the district wanted to see him. Saint Poemen, shunning fame, thought to himself, “If dignitaries start coming to me and show me respect, then many other people will also start coming to me and disturb my quiet, and I shall be deprived of the grace of humility, which I have acquired only with the help of God.” So he refused to see the governor, asking him not to come.

For many of the monks, Saint Poemen was a spiritual guide and instructor. They wrote down his answers to serve for the edification of others besides themselves. A certain monk asked, “If I see my brother sinning, should I conceal his fault?” The Elder answered, “If we reproach the sins of brothers, then God will reproach our sins. If you see a brother sinning, do not believe your eyes. Know that your own sin is like a beam of wood, but the sin of your brother is like a splinter (Mt. 7:3-5), and then you will not enter into distress or temptation.”

Another monk said to the saint, “I have sinned grievously and I want to spend three years at repentance. Is that enough time?” The Elder replied, “That is a long time.” The monk continued to ask how long the saint wished him to repent. Perhaps only a year? Saint Poemen said, “That is a long time.” The other brethren asked, “Should he repent for forty days?” The Elder answered, “I think that if a man repents from the depths of his heart and has a firm intention not to return to the sin, then God will accept three days of repentance.”

When asked how to get rid of persistent evil thoughts, the saint replied, “This is like a man who has fire on his left side, and a vessel full of water on his right side. If he starts burning from the fire, he takes water from the vessel and extinguishes the fire. The fire represents the evil thoughts placed in the heart of man by the Enemy of our salvation, which can enkindle sinful desires within man like a spark in a hut. The water is the force of prayer which impels a man toward God.”

Saint Poemen was strict in his fasting and sometimes would not partake of food for a week or more. He advised others to eat every day, but without eating their fill. Abba Poemen heard of a certain monk who went for a week without eating, but had lost his temper. The saint lamented that the monk was able to fast for an entire week, but was unable to abstain from anger for even a single day.

To the question of whether it is better to speak or be silent, the Elder said, “Whoever speaks on account of God, does well, and whoever is silent on account of God, that one also does well.”

He also said, “If man seems to be silent, but his heart condemns others, then he is always speaking. There may be a man who talks all day long, but he is actually silent, because he says nothing unprofitable.”

The saint said, “It is useful to observe three things: to fear God, to pray often, and to do good for one’s neighbor.”

“Wickedness never eradicates wickedness. If someone does evil to you, do good to them, and your goodness will conquer their wickedness.”

Once, after Saint Poemen and his disciples arrived at the monastery of Scetis, he learned that the Elder living there was annoyed at his arrival and was also jealous of him, because monks were leaving the Elder to see Abba Poemen.

In order to console the hermit, the saint went to him with his brethren, taking food with them as a present. The Elder refused to receive them, however. Then Saint Poemen said, “We shall not depart from here until we are permitted to see the holy Elder.” He remained standing at the door of the cell in the heat. Seeing Saint Poemen’s humility and patience, the Elder received him graciously and said, “Not only is what I have heard about you true, but I see that your works are a hundred times greater.”

He possessed such great humility that he often sighed and said, “I shall be cast down to that place where Satan was cast down!”

Once, a monk from another country came to the saint to receive his guidance. He began to speak about sublime matters difficult to grasp. The saint turned away from him and was silent. They explained to the bewildered monk that the saint did not like to speak of lofty matters. Then the monk began to ask him about the struggle with passions of soul. The saint turned to him with a joyful face, “Now you have spoken well, and I will answer.” For a long while he provided instruction on how one ought to struggle with the passions and conquer them.

Saint Poemen died at age 110, about the year 450. Soon after his death, he was acknowledged as a saint pleasing to God. He was called “the Great” as a sign of his great humility, uprightness, ascetic struggles, and self-denying service to God.

Source: https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2022/08/27/102404-venerable-pimen-the-great

The Canon to St Poemen the Great, the composition of Theophanes, 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 Poemen, pray to God for us.

Warmed by the fervor of the Comforter, O father, thy heart hath melted the ice of the demons and the winter of the passions.

Venerable Father Poemen, pray to God for us.

Setting the tinder of the passions afire with the burning coal of God, thou becamest a beacon of discernment and fiery dispassion, O blessed one.

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

Bearing thy cross upon thy shoulders, O father, thou didst follow after Him Who calleth with love, and didst become a beacon for monks.

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

The all-divine Word, Who in His goodness desired to become incarnate of thy womb, O pure Virgin Mother, saveth the whole of me.

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 Poemen, pray to God for us.

The angels marvelled at thy standing all night; for thou didst have them as fellow laborers in thy prayers to God.

Venerable Father Poemen, pray to God for us.

Thou didst strip the blindness of the passions from the eyes of thy mind; wherefore, in pure manner thou hast beheld the Invisible One.

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

Nurtured on abstinence as with milk, O venerable Pœmen, thou didst mount the heights of the virtues to perfect dispassion.

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

Having thee as my helper, O pure one, I fear not the assaults of the enemy; yea, having thee as mine intercessor, I vanquish their hosts.

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

Sessional Hymn, Tone III, Spec. Mel. “Of the divine Faith…”: Tended by the Lord, thou wast shown to be His meek sheep, overcoming the adverse wolves, O blessed one; and having completed thy divine contest, thou madest thine abode in the fold of heaven, O venerable one. Earnestly entreat Christ God, that He grant us great mercy.

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

Theotokion: The one Lord, Who preserved thee, His Mother, a Virgin undefiled after thy birthgiving, as thou wast before giving birth, remained God without separating Himself from His divine nature while He took flesh in thy womb, becoming man. Him do thou earnestly entreat, that He grant us great mercy.

Stavrotheotokion (replaces the Theotokion on Wednesday and Friday): The unblemished ewe-lamb of the Word, the incorrupt Virgin Mother, beholding Him Who sprang forth from her without pain suspended on the Cross, cried out, maternally lamenting: “Woe is me, O my Child! How is it that Thou sufferest of Thine own will, desiring to deliver man from the infamy of the passions?”

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 Poemen, pray to God for us.

Thou wast an unflawed mirror receiving the brilliance of the Spirit, and the receptacle of the divine ascents, O God-bearer.

Venerable Father Poemen, pray to God for us.

Thou wast shown to be a lofty tree watered with tears, adorned with abstinence and laden with divine fruits, O father.

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

With the pangs of abstinence thou didst work the field of thy mind, and didst raise as thy crop the grain-laden wheat of the virtues and the grace of miracles.

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

O Bride of God, vessel of virginity and habitation of the infinite Essence: enlighten my darkened soul.

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 Poemen, pray to God for us.

Having borne the heat of the day, O glorious and venerable one, thou wast accounted worthy of the joy of thy Lord.

Venerable Father Poemen, pray to God for us.

Thou didst bud forth the sweet smelling lily of the valley of abstinence, rendering the ends of the earth fragrant with exhalations of the knowledge of God.

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

Fortifying with humility, O father, thou didst cast down to the ground the serpent who greatly boasted in the beginning.

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

We hymn thee, O Theotokos, as a Virgin after giving birth; for thou gavest birth for the world unto the Word in the flesh.

Ode VI, Irmos: Grant me a robe of light, O Thou Who coverest Thyself with light as with a garment, O most merciful Christ our God.

Venerable Father Poemen, pray to God for us.

Having mortified the assaults of the body with many struggles, thou didst depart for immortal life, O right wondrous Pœmen.

Venerable Father Poemen, pray to God for us.

Ever acquiring abstinence, prayer and love unfeigned, O venerable one, thou wast shown to be an unflawed mirror of God.

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

Living in impassable deserts, thou didst strip thyself bare of vain passions and becamest a citizen of heaven.

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

O thou who alone gavest birth in the flesh unto the Word at the word of the Archangel, deliver our souls, we pray thee, from the snares of the enemy.

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 the holy memory of thy splendid struggles hath dawned, O father, gladdening the souls of the pious, O divinely wise Pœmen, our venerable father.

Ikos: Hating soul-corrupting pleasures and the tumult of the world with all thy soul, and desiring Christ, taking His Cross on thy shoulders, thou didst follow after Him with steadfast desire; and having struggled in abstinence, fasting, tears and unceasing prayer, thou didst acquire an immaterial life. Wherefore, the Savior hath given thee the kingdom of heaven, counting thee worthy of the never-waning light and unapproachable radiance, O divinely wise Pœmen, our venerable father.

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 Poemen, pray to God for us.

Passing thy time in divine visions and illumining thyself with immaterial splendors, thou hast truly been shown to be forever a child of the day and the light of those who are in darkness, O God-bearer.

Venerable Father Poemen, pray to God for us.

Taken up to the heights of dispassion in the flesh, emulating the angels, thou becamest an heir to paradise, O blessed one, crying out: Blessed art Thou, O God!

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

Shining with the splendor of dispassion, thou didst cast the temptations of the demons into darkness. From their many afflictions deliver those who cry out, O venerable one: Blessed art Thou, O God!

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

Behold, in the Spirit the great Isaiah said of the Virgin that she would conceive God in her womb and give birth unto Him. Chanting, let us say unto Him: Blessed art Thou, O God!

Ode VIII, Irmos: The unoriginate King of glory, before Whom the hosts of heaven tremble, hymn, ye priests, and exalt supremely for all ages!

Venerable Father Poemen, pray to God for us.

Having kept the lamp of thy soul lit with the oil of thy struggles without slumbering, thou didst enter into the incorrupt bridal chamber with joy, and livest forever.

Venerable Father Poemen, pray to God for us.

The pillars of thy soul were not shaken by the winds of unclean spirits; for thou wast established upon the rock of the Faith, O most blessed God-bearer.

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

Thou didst shed the abominable robe of the passions and didst clothe thyself in the comely raiment of divine dispassion, reigning with Christ.

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

O ye people, let us hymn her who alone hath been preserved a Virgin after giving birth, in that she is the honored and all-exalted throne of God Most High.

Ode IX, Irmos: Every ear trembleth to hear of the ineffable condescension of God, for the Most High willingly came down even to the flesh, becoming man through the Virgin’s womb. Wherefore we, the faithful, magnify the all-pure Theotokos.

Venerable Father Poemen, pray to God for us.

Thou didst set like a star, away from the world, yet hast shone forth in Christ, the truly noetic Sun of righteousness, O blessed one; and thy brilliant virtues, which remove the darkness from souls, thou hast left to the faithful as radiance.

Venerable Father Poemen, pray to God for us.

Precious in the sight of God was thy death, O glorious one; for thou didst live venerably on earth, keeping His commandments and precepts inviolate, O Pœmen. Wherefore, the never-waning Light hath shone forth upon thee, in that thou art a righteous man.

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

Delighting in divine beauty, deified by partaking thereof, and standing now, illumined, before the great Light, O father, with extreme desire thou didst most clearly draw nigh thereto. O Pœmen, remember those who honor thee and keep thy memory.

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

O Bride of God, thou alone among women didst abolish the curse of the first-created, having given birth unto the Uncircumscribed One circumscribed in the flesh; and thou, O undefiled one, hast renewed the laws of nature which were set aside in the beginning, and hast brought them together by thine all-glorious mediation.

Troparion, 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 labors fruitful an hundredfold, and becamest a beacon for the whole world, resplendent with miracles. O Pœmen our father, entreat Christ God, that our souls be saved.

The Canon to St Parasceve of Rome

Posted on August 8, 2025August 8, 2025 by Father Mark

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 Great-Martyr, Parasceve, pray to God for us.

O most praised and glorious martyr Parasceva, pray that, by thy petitions to the Lord, grace may be granted us who hymn thy radiant memory.

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

Thinking to break the power of thine endurance, O martyr, with threats the governor commanded thee to worship graven images; yet by thy wise words thou didst set his audacity at nought.

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

Casting down the wiles of the enemy with the weapon of the Cross, thou wast shown to be the beauty of the martyrs, and thou didst preach the pious Faith, as a martyr vanquishing the cruelty of the rulers.

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

The Word was born of thine all-pure blood, O Mistress, receiving animate flesh; and with divine power He hath restored us who fell through the venom of the deceiver.

Ode III, Irmos: Thy Church rejoiceth in Thee, O Christ, crying aloud: Thou art my strength, O Lord, my refuge and my consolation!

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

The divine Spirit made steadfast what was weak and showed the divine radiance of thy soul to be most splendid.

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

Strengthened by the power of Christ, O martyr of Christ, like the hardest of diamonds thou didst endure pitiless lashings with leather cords.

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

With love for God, in the arena thou didst steadfastly endure the flogging of thy body with scorpions and countless other beatings.

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

Thou alone, O Mother of God, wast the bestower of heavenly blessings upon those on earth; wherefore, we say to thee: Rejoice!

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

Kontakion, Tone VIII: Come, ye faithful, and let us melodiously sing a hymn to the passion-bearer Parasceva, for she shineth forth miracles in the world, dispelling the darkness of deception and granting abundant grace to the faithful who chant: Rejoice, O much suffering martyr!

Sessional Hymn, Tone V: Having consecrated thyself for Christ from earliest childhood, thou didst please Him, the Savior of all, as a martyr; and steadfastly trampling the audacity of the tyrants underfoot, thou didst endure sufferings with manliness. Wherefore, Christ, crowning thee, led thee into the heavenly bridal-chamber of glory. O right wondrous Parasceva, entreat Christ God, that He grant us remission of 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: All of us, the generation of men, call thee, the Virgin, blessed, who alone among women gavest birth unto God in the flesh without seed; for the fire of the Godhead dwelt within thee, and with milk thou didst nurture the Creator and Lord as a babe. Wherefore, we, the race of angels and men, glorify thine all-holy birthgiving as is meet, and cry out to thee together: Entreat Christ God, that He grant remission of offenses unto those who with faith worship thine all-holy birthgiving!

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 Great-Martyr, Parasceve, pray to God for us.

Having received healings, gifts and visions, O glorious one, thou dost ever pour forth streams of grace upon those who honor thee with faith and have recourse to thy temple.

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

Truly lacking any blemish and defilement, but having acquired sanctification of body, thou didst behold the angels, and with them didst cry out: Glory to Thy power, O Lord!

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

How fearful was the sign of the dread day, when the suffering of the Savior was depicted in thy womanly body, and thou didst behold the Cross, the reed, the crown [of thorns] and the sponge.

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

Thou didst conceive without knowing wedlock, O Virgin, and even after giving birth thou wast shown to be virgin still. Wherefore, with unceasing voices and unwavering faith we cry out to thee: Rejoice, O Mistress!

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 Great-Martyr, Parasceve, pray to God for us.

Thou didst struggle, O honorable one, and before the tribunal didst intellectually best the all-wise rhetors of the tyrant, preaching Christ.

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

Possessed of a steadfast mind, with unwavering thought thou didst put to shame all the worship of the idols by thine understanding of the Scriptures.

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

Joining chorus with the divinely wise virgins, thou wast vouchsafed a noetic bed and bridal-chamber, O glorious Parasceva.

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

O Bride of God, we find thee to be an unbreakable sword against the enemy, for we have acquired thee as our anchor and hope of 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 Great-Martyr, Parasceve, pray to God for us.

The great slab of rock which was set upon thy breast and the nails which pierced thy hands did the Lord speedily remove with His divine hand and the coming of His angel, O glorious martyr.

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

We glorify thee as a new protomartyr Thecla, for thou didst preach to all, didst enlighten many with the divine word, and didst lead unbelievers to the divine Faith.

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

Thy mellifluous mouth opened, boldly teaching the knowledge unto all, O treasury of divine dogmas, Parasceva, adornment of the martyrs.

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

Theotokion: O wonder stranger than all other wonders! For the Virgin, conceiving in her womb Him Who encompasseth all things, without knowing man, was not restricted.

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…”: Finding thy temple to be a source of spiritual healing, O most honored one, therein all the faithful honor thee aloud, O glorious and venerable martyr Parasceva.

Ikos: The Bridegroom, summoning thee as His bride, adorned thee with the crown of immortality, O divinely wise and most praised Parasceva, and hath numbered thee among the honorable martyrs who have received their crowns. Rejoicing with them, be thou mindful of those who celebrate thy holy feast and come together in thy temple; for standing forth now therein, with all our soul we offer thee hymns, O glorious and venerable martyr Parasceva.

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 Great-Martyr, Parasceve, pray to God for us.

Preserved by the Lord before the tribunal of the ungodly, O martyr, thou didst firmly strengthen thy hands; and consumed by the flame, then thou didst sing, saying: Blessed art Thou, O my God and Lord!

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

The burning fire in no-wise consumed thee, but burned up the ungodly, O maiden; and Christ preserved thee unharmed, as of old with His mighty hand He preserved the fearless youths in the midst of the thunderous fire.

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

“Let the demonic idols and gods perish, who did not fashion the whole earth and heaven with wisdom!”, thou didst cry. “Christ the Lord is the Creator of all things!”, thou didst proclaim.

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

Theotokion: Rejoice, O sanctified and divine habitation of the Most High! For through thee, O Theotokos, hath joy been granted 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 Great-Martyr, Parasceve, pray to God for us.

Thou didst show them to be not gods, but lying demonic apparitions, O martyr, and didst in every way trample them underfoot and didst utterly destroy them, unceasingly crying out in gladness unto Christ: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!

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

When the temple of the idols quaked on earth at thy coming, O honored one, Apollo fell and the idols were pierced through by the power of the precious Cross wherewith thou wast mystically protected; and with great boldness thou didst cry out: All ye works, bless ye the Lord!

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

Wounded by Thy beauty and love, O Christ, the pure Parasceva endured the burning of the fire, crying out: Suffering steadfastly now in the fragrance of Thy divine myrrh, I run unceasingly after Thee, glorifying Thy divine name.

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

the Mother of God. Thou wast the abode of the Godhead, O all-pure one, yet wast not consumed by the fire of the unapproachable Light. Wherefore, we all glorify thee, 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 Great-Martyr, Parasceve, pray to God for us.

Thou didst spurn this fleeting and transitory life, O divinely wise martyr, having beheld the inconceivable beauty of thy Bridegroom, and been manifestly tortured for Him. Wherefore, thou didst receive an imperishable crown, O good virgin.

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

Having heard the voice of God answering the pleas of thy heart from heaven, O Parasceva, thou didst vigilantly finish the race, O honored martyr, fleeing to Him when thy precious head was cut off.

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

Entreat Christ, O Parasceva, that He grant victory over the enemy, remission of sins, and deliverance from misfortunes unto all who with most fervent faith come to thy divine temple.

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

Thou wast shown to surpass the cherubim and to be more exalted than the heavens, O pure Virgin Mary, having given birth to the Angel of great Counsel, the coming Judge of all, Who with the Father is equally without beginning.

Troparion, Tone I: Possessed of a readiness in accord with thy name, O namesake thereof, thou didst choose as a companion a faith equal to thy name, O victorious Parasceva; wherefore, thou pourest forth healings, and prayest for our souls.

Homily For the Feast of the Royal Martyrs: 17 July 2025

Posted on July 19, 2025July 19, 2025 by Father Mark

I am grateful to Vladyka for the invitation to preach in the cathedral on the altar-feast of the lower church, and the first anniversary of Father Mark the Younger’s priestly ordination.

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

Dear brothers and sisters,

It is a great joy for us to gather together in this holy temple, whose dedication honours the Royal Martyrs, and as we celebrate their sacred memory, we look beyond the horror and violence of their martyrdom to appreciate the priceless treasure that God has granted to the whole Orthodox people by calling the Imperial Family to enter the mystery of Golgotha, and to drink from the cup of suffering and martyrdom, as they were conformed to the image of the Saviour, as we heard in the Apostol reading from St Paul’s letter to the Romans:

“We know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to His purpose. For whom He did foreknow, He also did predestine to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren.” (Romans 8: 29-30)

As God lovers, the Lord called the Royal-Martyrs “according to His purpose”, and in their suffering for that Divine purpose – contrary to the wisdom of the world – they were conformed to the image of Christ, the Suffering Servant and Man of Sorrows, Who pured Himself out for His people, until He was without beauty or comeliness, as foreseen by the holy prophet, Isaiah.

In the Gospel for the feast, we heard,

“If the world hates you, ye know that it hated me before it hated you. If ye were of the world, the world would love his own: but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you.” (John 15:18-20)

The world vision, according to Lenin and the Bolsheviks, was at odds of the world represented by the Royal Martyrs: of Christian Monarchy defending and promoting the Christian Faith and the Church; of society built upon the precepts of the Gospel and the Law of God; of national life shaped by the Church, its Divine Services, and Christian Tradition shaped by the rhythms and celebrations of the fasts and feasts, and the seasons of the liturgical year.

As a visible embodiment of Orthodox authority and Orthodox Sacred Tradition, itself, Christian governance and sacred-monarchy, the Royal Martyrs were an impossible threat to the Marxist-Leninist vision, and had to be destroyed as much by propoganda lies, deception, as by the demonic, frenzied and hate-filled violence which brought their earthoy lives to their bloody end.

But, because the lives of the Royal Martyrs were based on eternal, heavenly truths, on the truth of faith, and were filled with the Light of Christ, their place in the life of the former empire and their love for their people could not be extinguished – even if their people had betrayed and forsaken them.

The lies, propaganda, obscene and solacious stories banded about in American and British newspapers, and the Russian proletarian press on the eve of the revolution seem infantile, two-dimensional and flimsy compared to the innumerable miracles through which God has glorified the Royal Martyrs since their martyrdom.

In the 1990’s, after a cross had been set up on the site of the Ipatiev House, it was illumined by a heavenly light, as the clouds opened and rotated above the Cross, and no snow fell within the large circle of light which fell upon the ground around the site of the martyrdom.

In the same decade, a former guard of the “Museum of the Workers’ Revenge” in the Ipatiev House signed an affidavit describing how she would hear beautiful church-singing from the basement room of execution, and that light shone from beneath the door during the night.

On November 7 1997, the anniversary of the Revolution, an icon of the Tsar-Martyr began to weep myrrh, and the following May, during a procession to mark the Tsar’s birthday, another icon began to weep myrrh during a procession.

Through the prayers of the Royal Martyrs, the godless have been brought to Faith; hardened hearts have been softened; the young have been delivered from depression, despair and lives heading towards self-destruction; addicts have been delivered from alcohol and drugs; childless women have been granted children; students have received help in studies; soldiers and refugees have been delivered from capture, death and great dangers; families have been reconciled and healed; the sick and infirm have been made whole.

For Orthodox Christians the resultant false ‘histories’ and mythologies necessary to dehumanise the Royal Martyrs, to justify unspeakable violence, and to desensitise the Russian people and the wider world to the horrors of the Ipatiev House and the Four Brothers Mine are an irrelevance and distraction from the glorious works of grace wrought by God through His saints.

We encounter the sanctity, rightness, and righteousness of the Royal Martyrs through their miracles, and to those of Faith, the lies and salacious stories bandied in the newspapers in America, Britain, and the Russia ‘proletarian-press’ on the eve of the revolution, seem two-dimensional, flimsy and ridiculous compared to the miracles through which Almighty God has glorified the Royal-Martyrs ever since their martyrdom.

To return to the Apostol, “…whom He called, them He also justified: and whom He justified, them He also glorified”– and despite the lies the world invented and wrote about them, God has glorified the Royal Martyrs through countless miracles and outpourings of grace, and raised them up not only as exemplars of Christian living, endurance and Christ-like humility – but as powerful intercessor for the Church of Christ.

Reassured by the love of God through their deep, profound faith and their relationship with Him, the Royal Martyrs truly reflect the words of the Apostol: “Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.” (Romans 8:35)

In 1917, the Empress-Martyr wrote,

“Everything can be endured if you feel His (God’s) presence and love and if you believe in Him steadfastly in everything…

One must ever thank God for all that He gives, and even if He took it away, then perhaps, when one endures without a murmur, all will be even brighter. One must always hope…

If we, as Christian people can reflect the inspiring spiritual fortitude, constant hope in God and immense faith, refusing to lose our trust in His love, then that Divine love will flow into the workd through us, with a joy the shocks and challenges evil, violence, and cruelty with the Mind of Christ, so that we can join the Apostle Paul, with the Royal Martyrs and all the saints in confessing “that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.” (Romans 8:39)

Emulating the Royal Martyrs in faith, in life, and in death, let us put aside earthly cares, knowing that all things are in the hands of God, and that whatever may happen to us in life, His love remains immeasurable and immovable; His inscrutable will always seeks what is needful for us in the eternal scheme of His providence and wisdom, rather than according to the fickle standards and measures of success in the world

In all things, He seeks our transformation, through the restoration of His image and likeness, calling us to be with Him in the endless glory of life of the age to come- together with the Royal Martyrs and all of His saints.

Let us hasten to the Royal Martyrs, seeking their help and intercession, but more than that, let us emulate their faith, love, courage and immovable trust in God in our own lives.

May they intercede for us!

Amen.

The Canon to Saints Constantine and Helena

Posted on June 3, 2025June 4, 2025 by Father Mark

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.

+

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.

St Macarius the Great of Egypt

Posted on June 3, 2025June 3, 2025 by Father Mark

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

Posted on April 2, 2025June 3, 2025 by Father Mark

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.

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.

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.

People: Amen.

The Canon to St Benedict

Posted on March 27, 2025March 27, 2025 by Father Mark

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.

The Feast and Canon of St Gerasimos of Jordan

Posted on March 17, 2025March 17, 2025 by Father Mark

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.

The Orthodox Church in America

3/2/2017

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 →

The Canon to St Brigid of Kildare

Posted on February 14, 2025February 14, 2025 by Father Mark

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 Holy Wonder-Workers & Unmercenary Physicians Cyrus & John

Posted on February 12, 2025February 12, 2025 by Father Mark

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.

Source: https://www.oca.org/saints/lives/2020/01/31/100380-holy-wonderworkers-and-unmercenaries-cyrus-and-john-and-those-wi

The Canon, 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 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.

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!

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.

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

+

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this:

Share this: