The spiritual beams of universal joy have dawned for the world, at your nativity, O all-pure, foreshadowing for all the Sun of glory, Christ God. For you have been declared the mediator of true gladness and grace.

This pre-festal glory of yours, O all-pure, announces in advance to all the peoples the fair deeds of your kindness; for you are for us the source of present gladness and the cause of the joy to come, and the enjoyment of divine delight.

The Maiden who contained God, the pure Mother of God, the glory of the Prophets and the daughter of David is being born today of Joachim and holy Anne, and she turns aside the curse of Adam, which was upon us, by her child-bearing.

Rejoice, company of mortals; rejoice, temple of the Lord; rejoice, holy mountain; rejoice, divine table; rejoice, lampstand all filled with light; rejoice, honoured glory of the orthodox; rejoice, Mary, Mother of Christ God; rejoice, all-blameless; rejoice, throne of fire; rejoice, tabernacle; rejoice, bush unconsumed by fire; rejoice, hope of all.

From Jesse’s root and from David’s loins Mary the child of God is being born for us today, and so the universe rejoices and is renewed; heaven rejoices together with the earth. Praise her families of the nations. Joachim rejoices and Anne keeps festival as she cries, ‘The barren gives birth to the Mother of God, the nourisher of our life’.

Born wondrously from barren birth pangs, you bore a Child beyond nature from virgin loins; for you appeared as a fair shoot and blossomed with life for the world. Therefore the Powers of heaven cry out to you Mother of God, ‘Glory, O honoured one, to your coming forth! Glory to your virginity! Glory to your child-bearing, alone all-immaculate!’

After the 2nd Reading from the Psalter, Kathisma.
Tone 5.

All things of heaven now rejoice, the human race with them keeps festival, and the Prophets mystically exult with them; for she whom they foresaw in types in ancient generations, bush and jar, cloud, gate and throne, and great mountain, is being born today.

Psalm 50 and the Canons of the Forefeast of the Mother of God and of the Saint.

In gladness let us today with joy sing the praise of the nativity of God’s Mother; for she also gave birth to joy for the inhabited world, abolishing the grief of our Foremother.

From a barren mother she who makes sin barren comes forth, whom the law foretold and the preaching of those inspired by God prophesied, the all-pure and all-blameless Lady.

You have become the temple and palace of the King, in which he who is beyond being made his dwelling and will make believers a habitation of the holy Trinity.

You have been declared loveliest of bridal chambers, highest throne of God, O Bride of God, in whom he dwelt in the flesh and rouses those who sit in the darkness of destruction to the light of knowledge by his goodness.

From the fruitless earth the fruitful earth is being born, whose fruit will be the husbandman of blessings and the life-bearing ear of corn which nourishes all by divine command.

Today the rod of virginity has sprouted, from which a flower will blossom, God our planter, who cuts away rotten shoots in his supreme goodness.

See, the unhewn mountain from a childless rock bears as its fruit the spiritual stone born from it, which will bring about the crushing of the all the wooden idols of the Boaster.

The outline sketches of the Law foreshadowed you, O Maiden; for outside nature’s laws you bore in your womb the Lawgiver who kept you, beyond reason, incorrupt and undefiled.

Saved through faith you have become, courageous Sozon, a saving haven for the storm-tossed by the providence of Christ God; for you pour forth rivers of healings for those who yearn, you end each day the burning heat of fevers. And so with faith we honour your godlike memory.

A Maiden higher than the Angels is being brought to birth on earth, beyond compare in holiness and purity, who will give birth to Christ, the purity, holiness and complete redemption of all.

Blessed has Anne’s womb become, for she has brought to birth her who will contain in her womb the blessed Word, who cannot be contained, and who grants rebirth to all believers.

Now the fog of wickedness begins to grow less; for the living cloud of the sun has dawned from barren loins, the All-blameless one. Her radiant birth let us now celebrate.

As a fruitful olive which blossomed from the root of Jesse, O Virgin, Anne made you blossom, whose blossom is the merciful Word, whose mercy and truth advance at all times.

Now the sealed volume is being brought to birth, which by nature’s law no mortal will read, kept as a dwelling for the Word, as the books of those inspired in spirit foretold.

The saving vine has been brought to birth today, which will flower with the pure cluster that pours out divine sweetness, from which all who mystically drink will gather divine and saving joy.

Angels, leap for joy, forming a choir with mankind. Today the Virgin, born from a barren womb, has made an to grief and is the harbinger of joy for those who keep the festival of her divine nativity.

The godly Prophet wrote of you, O Maiden, most clearly in prophecy as the new volume in which by the Father’s finger will be written the Word, who with loving-kindness inscribes in the book of life all those who obey his authority.

As we celebrate this divine and honoured feast of the Mother of God, come, godly-minded people, let us clap our hands as we glorify God who was born of her.

Today has been brought to birth the bridge which leads humanity to light, heavenly ladder, most manifest mountain of God, the Maiden Mother of God, who we call blessed.

Anne, the shell-fish, brings forth the purple which dyed the fleece of the embodying of the King to come. As is fitting let us sing her praise.

The source has now come forth from a tiny drop, the All-blameless who bore the abyss of salvation and will bring to an end the limitless streams of the cult of many gods.

You sprouted from a barren root and by your divine shoot beyond nature you cut off thorn of evil root and branch, O ever-blessed Maiden, Mother of God.

On the same day, Commemoration of the holy Apostles Evodos and Onesiphoros.

On the same day is celebrated the dormition of the Venerable Loukás of the Eparchy of Lykaonia, third Superior of the Monastery of the Saviour, called ‘Of the Deep Torrent’.

Joachim and Anne are blessed, having brought to birth the truly blessed, pure Mother of God, who bore the blessed Word, who makes all the faithful blessed.

As a precious gift your parents have gained you, O all-pure, who conceived God who has enriched with greater gifts those who cry: God of our fathers, blessed are you!

Your breasts, Anne called by God, are far better than wine, because with your good breasts you gave suck to the one who gave suck the Word supremely good, the giver of milk and nourisher of everything that has breath.

Leap, strike your harp and dance, David inspired by God; for see, the ark, which you foretold of old, has come forth from a barren womb, kept for the king and God of creation.

Let us raise our voice in songs of praise as we honour the divine nativity of her who by the Spirit gave a body to the Word beyond praise and godhead, and let us cry: You his works, praise the Lord and highly exalt him to all the ages.

Mountains, break out in gladness, Apostles and Martyrs, dance, Ascetics and Righteous now rejoice at the nativity today of the Mother of the Lord, as you cry out: Praise the Lord and highly exalt him to all the ages.

The fragrant apple has blossomed and the divine rose has been appeared and has today spread its fragrance to the ends of the earth and brought to an end the foul stench of our sin, the All-pure and the Mother of the Word. We highly exalt her to all the ages.

Human nature, barren of the honoured graces of the divine Spirit, rejoice today as you behold the Child of God brought to birth from a barren mother, and cry aloud: You his works, praise the Lord and highly exalt him to all the ages.

See, the holy place of God has been openly revealed; the glorious city of the King has been built high, the shining Paradise has radiantly flowered, the source of Paradise, and the dwelling of men with God.

The lamp has appeared today, and the golden lampstand, that displays the pre-eternal light which, having dwelt in her, will illumine all who are in the night of evils, bring to an end the gloom of the cult of many gods and truly through faith make all partakers in the day.

Today the earth dances, for it has seen brought to birth the fairest heaven of God. Having dwelt in it in the flesh he will make mortals mount beyond the heavens and in his goodness make them divine. As we sing his praise with faith we magnify him.

The beauteous pair, Anne and Joachim, have put forth the spotless heifer, from whom the fatted calf came forth and has been sacrificed for the world, taking away the faults of mankind, putting and end to sacrifices offered to the demons.

Pure Mother of God who bore the light, enlighten us, who in spirit keep the festival of your light-bearing nativity, and show us to be partakers of the light to come; and by your motherly entreaties grant us peace and rescue from dread troubles.

Today the joy of the whole inhabited world, the Mother of my Lord, is born from a barren womb.