Today is the anniversary of the finding of the precious relics of St Maximos the Greek – the New-Confessor – in the Trinity-St. Sergius Lavra in 1997.
The Canon from his feast day service, in January, is posted below, for anyone who wishes to honour St Maximos, by chanting it today.
The Canon to the Venerable Maximos the Greek, in Tone I
Ode I, Irmos: O ye people, let us all chant a hymn of victory unto Him Who delivered Israel from the bitter bondage of Pharaoh, and led them dry-shod in the depths of the sea, for He hath been glorified.
Venerable Father, Maximos, pray to God for us.
What tongue, O all-wondrous father, is able fittingly to hymn thy great corrections, sublime teaching, thy martyric suffering and long-suffering in prison and bonds?
Venerable Father, Maximos, pray to God for us.
What tongue, O all-wondrous father, is able fittingly to hymn thy great corrections, sublime teaching, thy martyric suffering and long-suffering in prison and bonds?
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
How shall we hymn and what shall we call thee, O all-valiant father? Prophet, in that thou didst easily foretell what we have come to know and recognise? Apostle, for by the teachings of divine Scriptures thou didst make steadfast the Christian Faith, which was shaken by contrary winds? Or teacher, for truly thou art an instructor no less than or inferior to the great œcumenical teachers.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O ye people, let us all hymn the holiness and glory of the all-pure and most hymned Mother of God, who is higher than the heavens and all the noetic hosts, and who bore Emmanuel in her all-pure womb, for she is holy and all-glorious!
Ode III, Irmos: Establish me, O Christ, upon the immovable rock of Thy commandments, and illumine me with the light of Thy countenance, for there is none as holy as Thee, Who lovest mankind.
Venerable Father, Maximos, pray to God for us.
In thy heart, O venerable Maximos, thou didst establish divine fear, having hated all carnal lusts; wherefore, as a simple child thou wast made wise, and thou didst hasten after the Lord.
Venerable Father, Maximos, pray to God for us.
Having the Lord Jesus Christ as thy confirmation, O venerable Maximos, to thy kinsmen, friends and acquaintance thou didst become like an unknown stranger, homeless, bereft of homeland and possessions, and misunderstood.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Anchoring thyself to the commandments of the Lord, through the bitterness of imprisonment thou didst become as one dead for a long time; yet thou didst make supplication in behalf of those of evil ways, saying: “O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of the living God, hold not to account for this sin those who slander me with lies!”
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Render us steadfast for thy laudation, O Virgin, and preserve us from harm and every wile of the evil one; and vouchsafe that we may stand at the right hand of thine only-begotten Son, to Whom is due all glory, honor and worship, unto the ages of ages.
Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy. Lord, have mercy.
Sessional hymn, Tone IV: Having adorned thy mind with the divinely inspired Scriptures, with watchful prayer and God-pleasing vigils thou didst confirm thy heart in the Lord by keeping His salvific commandments; wherefore, Athos and the people of Russia continually glorify thee, and the Monastery of Vatopedi crieth out with us: O all-wise Maximos, forsake us not who pray to thee!
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 beseech thee, O all-pure Mother of God Most High, only consolation of my soul, my hope, delight, divine protection, light, help and salvation: By thy supplications vouchsafe that I may hear the voice which calleth the blessed to enter the bridal-chamber of the Master.
Ode IV, Irmos: Great is the mystery of Thy dispensation, O Christ! For, foreseeing it with divine vision from above, Habbakuk cried out to Thee: Thou hast come for the salvation of Thy people, O Thou Who lovest mankind!
Venerable Father, Maximos, pray to God for us.
No secret false heretical teaching could stay concealed from thee, O venerable Maximos; but through the grace of the worshipful Holy Spirit they were all unmasked by thee.
Venerable Father, Maximos, pray to God for us.
Thou not only showed thyself to be a true and faithful champion of the mystical dogmas of the Orthodox Faith, but thou wast shown to be a finely honed scythe for the mowing down of all heresies under the sun.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Thou wast truly shown to be an initiate of the mysteries of the Holy Spirit, a lover of the life of heaven and a teacher of the law of the Lord, O all-wise Maximos.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Moses, who beheld God, was taught a great mystery when he saw the unburnt bush: the bush is the weakness of human nature, and the fire is the divinity of the only-begotten Son of God; for our God is a Fire which devoureth our sins, as the divine apostle saith.
Ode V, Irmos: Waking at dawn out of the night, we chant to Thee, O Christ, Who art consubstantial with the Father and art the Saviour of our souls: Grant peace to the world, O Thou Who lovest mankind!
Venerable Father, Maximos, pray to God for us.
The moon at night and the sun during the day enlighten and gladden all visible creation; and the manner of life and the wisdom of the saints enlighten and gladden the souls of all men who desire to be saved and come to a knowledge of the Truth. Thus also do the writings of the venerable Maximos the Greek sound forth like divinely blown trumpets.
Venerable Father, Maximos, pray to God for us.
When thou didst pray at night in thy prison-cell, by the providence of the divine and all-good Trinity the angel of the Lord heard thee, and said: “O elder, thanks to these torments thou shalt avoid eternal torments.”
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
At night, O all-wise Maximos, thou didst sing like a sweet-voiced and melodious nightingale: “Be not grieved, neither sorrowful nor downcast, O my beloved soul! Thou sufferest unjustly, yet thy reward will be great in the heavens!”
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Rising at dawn, we hymn thee, O Virgin, the daughter of the King, arrayed in golden vesture inwrought with many colors, the ladder which Jacob beheld, the mountain whereon God was well-pleased to dwell, for the Lord made His abode there to the end.
Ode VI, Irmos: Thou didst save the prophet from the sea monster, O Thou Who lovest mankind. Lead me up from the abyss of transgressions, I pray.
Venerable Father, Maximos, pray to God for us.
Like a prophet thou didst rebuke the people, O venerable Maximos, leading them to repentance, saying: “We have strayed, we strayed from the straight and unerring way of life which holy monks lead, and we mindlessly run after the honours of high positions.”
Venerable Father, Maximos, pray to God for us.
Thou wast shown to be a prophet of repentance, O venerable Maximos, acquiring watchfulness of soul through divine discourse, and leading up from the pit of the passions those benighted by sins.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
The writings of the prophets, which were uttered in secret, didst thou make plain, O all-wise Maximos; wherefore, all men ever pay great heed to thee.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
The prophets proclaimed thee beforehand, O pure Virgin, the apostles preached thee, all the saints called thee blessed, and we cry out with the archangel: Rejoice, O thou who art full of grace! The Lord is with 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 VIII: With divinely inspired writings and the preaching of theology didst thou denounce the vanity of the heretics, O thou who art most rich; and establishing them firmly in Orthodoxy, thou didst guide them to the path of true understanding. And like a divinely melodious harp thou didst delight and unceasingly gladden the minds of those who hearkened unto thee, O right wondrous Maximos. Wherefore, we beseech thee: Entreat Christ God, that He send down remission of sins upon those who with faith hymn thy most holy dormition, O Maximos our father.
Ikos: How can we hymn the all-valiant Maximos, the namesake of greatness, the beauteous crown of the venerable, the firm rule of athletes, the true humiliation of heretics, the unshakable pillar of the Church, the renowned instructor of the virginal and champion of honourable marriage, the all-wise sage of philosophers, the ever-flowing fountain of Truth, the boast of monks and true adornment of all men? Wherefore, we beseech thee, O right wondrous Maximos: Entreat Christ God, that He send down remission of sins upon those who with faith hymn thy most holy dormition, O Maximos our father.
Ode VII, Irmos: When the people were summoned with the sound of music to worship the image, the children of David, chanting the songs of Sion like their fathers, rejected the wicked edict of the tyrant and transformed the flame into dew, singing the hymn: O supremely exalted God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!
Venerable Father, Maximos, pray to God for us.
Giving utterance to a hymn of thanksgiving to the image of the providence of the all-holy Trinity, O venerable Maximos, thou didst summon us all to bless in purity the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the one God in three Hypostases.
Venerable Father, Maximos, pray to God for us.
O holy Maximos, thou wast shown to be a model of the endurance of evils, and of patience and prayer, and even more of hope, for God the Judge is just, mighty and long-suffering, and He will render unto each according to his deeds.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Thou didst acquire the image of sublime theology, O all-wise Maximos, that is the dogmas of the divine apostles and fathers, poured forth by the Holy Paraclete, whereby thou teachest us with thy divine wise writings.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
The image of thine all-pure birthgiving is ineffable and incomprehensible, O Virgin Mother; for thou didst become the dwelling-place of the preëternal and only-begotten Son of the Father, without being consumed by Him.
Ode VIII, Irmos: Hymn the Lord, Who preserved the children in the burning fiery furnace and descended unto them in the guise of an angel, and exalt Him supremely forever!
Venerable Father, Maximos, pray to God for us.
Thou didst desire the radiance of the flame of the divine Paraclete, O venerable Maximos; wherefore, with the most sweet light of doctrine and the fire of miracles thou didst drive away all the darkness of the demons.
Venerable Father, Maximos, pray to God for us.
Thou didst teach men to flee the flame of Gehenna, O venerable Maximos, calling upon them to embody the commandments of Christ in deed, and to shun malice, fornication, lying, pride, falsehood and the unjust theft of things which belong to others.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
As with flame thou didst burn up the ungodliness of heretics, O all-wise Maximos, making brilliant the divine confession of the unblemished Christian Faith.
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Moses the God-seer beheld thee in the fiery flame of the burning bush, O all-pure Virgin, and proclaimed thy seedless birthgiving; wherefore, free us from the carnal passions.
Ode IX, Irmos: Thee, the Mother of God, the radiant lamp, the all-wondrous glory more exalted than all creatures, do we magnify with hymns.
Venerable Father, Maximos, pray to God for us.
We know thee to be a radiant lamp, an excellent mind and an unshakable pillar; and we proclaim thee an instructor of monks and a denouncer of heresies.
Venerable Father, Maximos, pray to God for us.
Thou didst shine forth brilliantly from the noonday lands, O venerable Maximos, exhibiting a splendid manner of life, dispelling the darkness of evil, and shining forth in right pleasing supplication.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
As a torch of divine understanding, thou didst attain unto the knowledge of the Son of God, becoming a perfect man according to the measure of the stature of Christ; wherefore, we cry out to thee: Truly blessed art thou in all things, through the struggles, glory and grace which thou didst receive from on high!
Now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
In hymns we magnify aloud thee who art a radiant beacon amid the night of the passions, a shelter of goodness, and an unassailable defence against the assaults of the enemy.
Troparion, Tone VIII: Made brilliant by the radiance of the Spirit, through divine wisdom thou wast vouchsafed the intelligence of the rhetors, enlightening with the light of piety the hearts of men, which were darkened by ignorance; and thou wast shown to be a most splendid lamp of Orthodoxy, O venerable Maximus. Wherefore, having become a stranger and wanderer in thy zeal for Him Who seeth all things, thou wast a sojourner in the land of Russia, suffering imprisonment and incarceration at the command of the sovereign; yet thou art crowned by the right hand of the Most High, and workest all-glorious miracles. Be thou also a true mediator for us who honour thy holy memory with love.