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AT VESPERS At Lord, I have cried Prosomia. Tone 4. Rightly you practised unsullied virginity and were betrothed rejoicing to the Maker; you rejected passing pleasure, glorious Saint, and unflinchingly led the ascetic life; and having finished your course you were found worthy of the heavenly bridal chamber, where you implore that to those who honour you may be given grace and mercy. You slew your body by self-mastery, blessed Saint, and adorned and made ready your soul and perfected it as a dwelling for the Spirit; and you were mystically united to your Bridegroom and Creator. Intercede with him that those who celebrate with love your holy memory may be delivered from corruption and dangers. You transformed the beauty of your body, blessed and glorious Saint, to the highest rank, abandoning the passing world and making yourself lovely with the radiance of virtues; and you have been revealed as a resting-place and pleasure of the Lord. We hymn you, holy mother, with spiritual songs. Glory. Both now. Theotokion.As I sail by sea, travel by road, sleep by night, watch over me; give me the grace of a watchful mind, All-blameless, and grant that I may do the Lord’s will; that on the day of sentence I may find release from all that I have done in life, I who flee to your protection. Or Cross-Theotokion. When the Ewe-lamb, your Mother, saw you nailed to the Cross, Lord, she was struck with amazement, and cried out: What is this sight, my Son so greatly loved? Is this how the disobedient, lawless people repays your many wonders? But glory, Master, to your ineffable condescension! AT MATINS The Canon Ode 1. Tone 8. As you took hold of the unsullied and blessed life, O all-pure, as you stand with the ranks of Angels before the throne of Christ, grant me illumination that I may with joy sing the praise of your far-famed way of life. Abhorring the things of the world, All-revered, you loved every ascetic practice: first self-mastery, then meekness, austerity, prayers, tears and all-night standing before God. You quenched the blazing pleasures of the body with the dew of ascetic labours; therefore the sun of your dispassion dawned, the light of healings and the unfading radiance of the Spirit, noble Saint. Theotokion. Glorious things have been said of you, Mary Mother of God, who contained God the Word in your womb, while remaining pure; and so we all honour you, after God our protection. Ode 3. Fixed steadfastly with faith on the rays of the Lord, O Venerable, all-revered and wise in God, you besought with tears to achieve your desire; and so with joy you attained your hope. At the prayers of your Saint, O Word who love mankind, shine on my soul, darkened by wicked and harmful desires, and at the hour of the judgement free me from the darkness without light. As with sobriety of mind you pictured the beauties of heavenly things, you were in no way present to material thoughts, Mother, but lightened on wings of non-possession you became wholly raised from earth. Theotokion. Pure Mother of God, you have been revealed as higher than the Cherubim and Seraphim; for you alone received in your womb, O undefiled, God the uncontainable; and so all we believers with songs of praise call you blessed. Irmos. O Christ, who established the heavens in the beginning with understanding and founded the earth on the waters, establish me on the rock of your commandments; because none is holy but you, O only lover of mankind. Kathisma. Tone 4. You made your sacred robe radiant by ascetic toil and were offered as a gift to God incarnate, Venerable Mother, and inspired by God; while having received the grace of many kinds of healings, you abolish the haze of illnesses, blessed one, as you intercede that those who praise you may be saved. Theotokion. Speedily accept our supplications, all-blameless Sovereign Lady and bring them to your Son and God; abolish the difficulties of those who have recourse to you; tame the devices and cast down the arrogance of the godless who have taken arms against your servants, O all-pure. Or Cross-Theotokion. Speedily come to our help, before your servants are enslaved to foes who blaspheme you and threaten us, Christ our God; destroy by your Cross those who war against us; let them know how strong is the faith of the Orthodox, at the prayers of the Mother of God, only Lover of mankind. Ode 4. You journeyed by the narrow path, Venerable Saint; beyond nature you made your flesh wither by fasting; therefore the serried ranks of hostile demons were amazed at your unflinching endurance, the choirs of Angels applauded, as they raised hymns of glory to the God of all things. Venerable, all-holy Mother, implore the loving and compassionate Lord, whom you sought thirsting with tears and groans and a broken heart, to take pity on my wretched soul, which has slid down into depths of evils. You watered the furrows of your soul with the streams of your tears and truly sowed in them the seed of virtues; when you had worked it well, glorious Saint, by your ascetic toils, you reaped it and stored the fruits of its sheaves into secure barns, O all-revered. Theotokion. Bride without Bridegroom, you are the boast of the faithful, you are the protector, you are the refuge, wall and haven of Christians; for you bring supplications to your Son and save from dangers those who with faith and love know you, the pure Mother of God. Ode 5. What mortal tongue could tell, glorious Saint, your mode of living beyond admiration and your immaterial and blessed life, which, wondrously wounded with love for the Saviour, you lived out bravely and nobly to the end. Having drunk from the torrent of delight, all-glorious Saint, you have become a source, gushing forth the divine water of compunction; those who drink from it with joy praise the struggles of your toils, all-holy. Dreadfully crushed by the heavy burden of my iniquities I implore your compassion, O Lord, lighten the greatest toils, entreated by the more than infinite ascetic labour of your Saint. Theotokion. As you have a mother’s boldness towards your Son, O All-pure, do not neglect your natural care for us; for it is you alone whom we Christians bring before the Master as gracious propitiation. Ode 6. Having warded off the passions of the soul by the power of the Word, you put to rout all the regiments of the demons, magnifying your Bridegroom with fasts and prayers and tears. Having bravely endured ascetic toil beyond nature with fasts and prayers, and gained mastery of the passions, you have been adorned with the robe of dispassion and been named a fair bride of the Saviour. Attend to my prayer and hearken to my much afflicted soul; for see, my life has passed away in Hades; and grant me, O Christ, I implore, forgiveness of faults at the entreaties of your Saint. Theotokion. Put the stirrings of my flesh to death, O All-blameless, who gave birth to life, and change the tossing of the passions to calm; and become for me a helper, rescuing me from the dangers of life. Irmos. An abyss of sins and a tempest of faults troubles me, and forces me violently towards the depth of despair; but stretch out to me your mighty hand, as to Peter, and bring me up from the depth of corruption. Ode 7. You obtained an inclination that loved God and with a body you imitated Angels, ardently keeping vigil and fervently chanting: Blessed are you, Lord God, to the ages. Melting your body by self-mastery and every mortification, all-venerable Saint, you fervently cried aloud: Blessed are you, Lord God, to the ages. All your longing, venerable Saint, was directed to the Master alone, as in every way you sang his praise and cried aloud: Blessed are you, Lord God, to the ages. Theotokion. Abolishing the curse of Eve you made your dwelling in the all-blameless Virgin, pouring forth a fount of blessing for those who cry: Blessed, All-pure, is the fruit of your womb. Ode 8. Through self-mastery, glorious Saint, you purified yourself and received the bright rays of the Spirit, God who glorified you on earth and accepted your holy toils; to whom you also cried aloud: Priests, bless; people, highly exalt to all the ages. Making the lamp of your soul bright with the oil of godlike dispassion you reached the heavenly bridal chamber, glorious Saint, and together with the wise virgins you rejoice with the Bridegroom, Christ the Word, as you cry out, O blessed one: Priests, bless; people, highly exalt to all the ages. By ascetic toil, all-glorious one, you served God, totally quenching the burning coals of all the passions with the streams of your tears. Therefore I beg you, put out the flame of my passions by your prayers, that in faith and love I may glorify your memory, venerable Saint, to the ages. Theotokion. All-pure Mother of God, wipe away the wounds of my soul and the scars of sin, pure Maiden who bore God who is over all things. Therefore we the faithful glorify you as indeed Mother of God as we cry out: Priests, bless; people, highly exalt to all the ages. Irmos. The Chaldean tyrant in frenzy had the furnace heated seven times for those who honoured God; but when he saw they had been saved by a mightier power he cried aloud: The Creator and Redeemer, O Youths bless, you priests praise, you people highly exalt to all the ages. Ode 9. Greatly you longed in purity to see the spiritual beauty of the Bridegroom, and you cried to him, O holy one: Where do you rest? Where do you pasture? I will take my rest in you and I will delight in your goodness, as I magnify your loving kindness. You had understanding in your soul and humility and divine meekness, unadulterated faith and, with hope, love inspired, as you waited upon God with nightlong prayers and shone with the bright rays that come from him, blessed Saint. Already the gate of heaven was opened to you, blessed and all-glorious Saint, and you entered escorted by the godlike Angels; and you radiantly made your dwelling in the place of the commonwealth of the Saints, O holy one, as you glorify the Saviour with them all. Theotokion. Spare me, O Saviour, who were born and kept her who bore you incorrupt after child-bearing, when you take your throne to judge my works, overlooking my iniquities and my sins, as you are without sin, O Merciful One, good and the lover of mankind. Irmos. Every ear trembles at the ineffable condescension of God, how the Most High willingly came down even as far as a body, becoming man from a virgin womb; and so we the faithful magnify the immaculate Mother of God. At the Liturgy see, if you wish, the texts for July 26th. |
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