|
|
|
SEPTEMBER HAVING THIRTY DAYS ON THE 1ST OF THE MONTH Beginning of the Indiction, that is of the New Year; and commemoration of our Venerable Father Symeon the Stylite and Archimandrite; the assembly of the most holy Mother of God of the Miasini; commemoration of the Holy Martyr Aithalas; of the forty Holy Women and of the deacon Ammoun, their teacher; of the Holy Martyrs Kallisti, Evodos and Hermogenes, sister and brothers; commemoration of Jesus son of Navi; and anniversary of the great fire. AT VESPERS We recite the 1st Section of Blessed is the man. At Lord, I have cried we insert 10 Stichera, and we sing 3 Prosomia of the Indiction, 3 of the Saint and a further 4, Idiomels, of the Saint.Of the Indiction. Tone 1. Joy of the heavenly hosts. Having learned to pray in his own words from Christ’s divine teaching, let us cry out each day to the Creator: Our Father, who dwell in heaven, give us our daily bread, overlooking our faults. As the limbs of the Hebrews who truly disobeyed you, the Master of all, were once fittingly strewn across the desert, so now too, O Christ, as the Psalm says, scatter the bones of the impious and unbelieving Hagarenes at the mouth of Hell. Christ God, who once on Mount Sinai wrote the tables of the law, now too, according to the flesh, in the city of Nazareth yourself took the book of the prophet to read; and having closed it began to teach the peoples that the Scripture had been fulfilled in you. Stichera of the Saint. Venerable Father, you found a fair ladder, by which you went up on high, the ladder which Elias found as a chariot of fire. He though did not leave his mount to others, but you keep your pillar even after death. Man of heaven, angel of earth, unsleeping beacon of the inhabited world, Venerable Symeon, intercede that our souls may be saved. Venerable Father, if the pillar could speak it would not cease crying out your toils, your hardships, your laments. Though it supported, it was itself supported, nourished like a tree with your tears. Angels were amazed, mortals marvelled, demons cowered at your endurance. Venerable Symeon, intercede that our souls may be saved. Venerable Father, by the power of the divine Spirit, imitating your Master, you went up onto a pillar as onto a cross. He though wiped out the record of all, while you abolished the uprising of the passions; he like a sheep, you like a victim; he on a cross, you on the pillar. Venerable Symeon, intercede that our souls may be saved Others, Idiomels, of the Saint. Tone 2. A good fruit sprouted from a good root, Symeon, holy from infancy, nurtured on grace rather than milk, and, having raised his body on a rock and his mind yet higher towards God, with virtues he built a habitation in the air, and walking on high with the divine Powers he became a dwelling place of Christ, who is God and the Saviour of our souls. The same tone. Your memorial, Venerable Father Symeon, and the meekness of your heart, blessed servant, endure for ever; for though you have passed over from us, good shepherd, you have not passed from us in spirit as you stand near God in love and dance with the Angels in heaven. With them intercede that our souls may be saved. The same. By Kyprianos. The casket of your relics, all-praised Father, is a source of healings; and your holy soul, united with the Angels, fittingly rejoices. Therefore, as you have boldness towards the Lord, Venerable Saint, and dance with the Bodiless ones in heaven, implore him that our souls may be saved. The same. By Germanos. You loved the highest philosophy, O God-bearer, and you dwelt outside the world, living above visible things; and you were revealed as a godly, untarnished mirror of God; and being ever one with Light, you gained more light and clearly met a blessed end. Intercede for our souls, wise Symeon. Glory. Tone 6. By Germanos.Divine grace hovered over the casket of your relics, hallowed Symeon; therefore we too run to the sweet fragrance of your wonders, drawing out healing of diseases. But Venerable Father, intercede with Christ God on behalf of our souls. Both now. The same. By Byzantios.One with the Holy Spirit, O Word and Son without beginning, co-maker of all and co-creator of all things visible and invisible, bless the crown of the year, guarding in peace the multitudes of the Orthodox, at the prayers of the Mother of God and of all the Saints. Entrance, O joyful light, Prokeimenon of the Day and the Readings.The reading is from the prophecy of Isaias. T he Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me. He has sent me to preach good tidings to the poor, to heal the broken-hearted, to proclaim forgiveness to prisoners and sight to the blind; to declare an acceptable year of the Lord, and a day of recompense for our God; to comfort all who mourn, that there may be given to those who mourn Sion, glory instead of ashes; an anointing of joy for those who mourn, clothing of glory instead of a spirit of despondency; and they will be called a generation of righteousness, a plant of the Lord for glory. And they will rebuild everlasting deserts, those formerly quite deserted; they will raise up and renew deserted cities, deserted from generation to generation. And strangers will come shepherding your flocks, and foreigners will be your ploughmen and your vinedressers. But you will be called Priests of the Lord, ministers of our God. You will be told, ‘Devour the strength of nations’, and in their wealth you will be marvelled at; instead of your double shame and instead of humiliation their portion will rejoice. Therefore they will inherit their land a second time, and everlasting joy shall be upon their head. For I am the Lord, who love righteousness and hate robberies from injustice; and I shall give their calf to the righteous, and I shall make an everlasting covenant with them. And their seed will be known among the nations, and their offspring in the midst of the peoples. And the one who sees them will recognise them, because they are a seed blessed to the ages by God, and with joy they will rejoice in the Lord.The Reading is from Leviticus. T he Lord spoke to the children of Israel saying: If you walk in my ordinances and keep my commandments and do them, I will give you rain in its season and the earth will give its produce and the trees of the plains their fruit. And your threshing time will overtake the vintage, and the vintage will overtake the sowing. And you will eat your bread to the full and dwell in safety on your land. And no one shall make you afraid; and I will destroy the evil wild beasts from your lands, and war shall not pass through your land. And enemies will fall before you. And five of you will pursue a hundred and a hundred of you will pursue tens of thousands. And I will look upon you and bless you and make you increase and multiply and I will establish my covenant with you. And you will eat what is old and very old, and bring out the old to make way for the new. And I will set my tabernacle among you and my soul shall not abhor you; and I will walk among you; and I will be your God and you shall be my people. But if you will not listen to me, nor observe these ordinances of mine, but disobey them, and if your soul loathes my judgements, so that you do not keep all my commandments, I in turn will do thus to you: I will bring distress upon you, and you will sow your seed in vain and your enemies will devour your labours. And I will set my face against you and you will fall before your foes and they will pursue you and you will flee though no one pursues you; and I will smash the arrogance of your pride. And I will make the heaven like iron for you and your earth like solid bronze. And your strength will be in vain and your land will not give its fruit, and the trees of the field will not give their fruit. And I will send the wild beasts of the earth against you, and they will consume your cattle, and the sword will come against you and make you few in number. And your land will be desert and your farms will be desert; because you have walked against me crookedly, and I will walk against you with crooked rage, says the Lord God, the Holy One of Israel.The reading is from the Wisdom of Solomon. A just man, even if he die early, will be at rest; for an honoured old age is not so because of length of time, nor is it measured by the number of years. Understanding is men’s true grey hairs, and a ripe old age is a spotless life. Being pleasing to God, he was loved; and while living among sinners, he was taken away. He was snatched away lest wickedness alter his understanding, or trickery deceive his soul. For the witchery of evil dims the good, and the waywardness of desire undermines an innocent mind. Made perfect in a short time, he fulfilled long years; for his soul was pleasing to the Lord; therefore he hurried him from the midst of evil. But the peoples have seen and not understood, nor laid such a thing to heart: that grace and mercy are with his holy ones, and his presence with his chosen ones.At the Aposticha. Idiomel Stichera of the Indiction. By Monk John. Tone 1. The entrance of the year is here, summoning all the shining ones to honour it, Kallisti, Evodos and Hermogenes, brethren and champions; Symeon the equal of the angels; Jesus son of Navi; the Seven Youths of Ephesus, and the choir of Holy Women, beacon of forty fires. As we celebrate their memories together, lovers of festivals, let us eagerly cry out: O Lord, bless the works of your hands, and grant that we may pass profitably through the course of the year. The same tone. Verse 1: A hymn is due to you, O God, in Sion, and vows shall be paid you in Jerusalem.By the same. Christ our God, who created all things with wisdom and brought them from non-being into being, bless the crown of the year and preserve our city unbesieged; make glad our faithful Sovereigns by your power, giving them victories against enemies, through the Mother of God granting the world your great mercy. Tone 2. Verse 2: We shall be filled with the good things of your house: holy is your temple, wonderful in righteousness.By Kyprianos. Wonderful are you, O God, and wonderful are your works, and your ways are unsearchable; for you are the Wisdom of God and perfect substance and power, co-operation like him without beginning and without end; therefore by your all-powerful authority you came inexpressibly, unchanged in your Godhead, from a Mother who did not know man, to visit the world, seeking the creature you had beautified, setting bounds and times, O Unchangeable, for our salvation. Therefore we cry out to you: Loving Lord, glory to you! The same. Verse 3: You will bless the crown of the year with your goodness, and our fields will be filled with fatness. By Monk John. You who created all things with wisdom, Word of the Father before the ages, and established the whole creation by your all-powerful word, bless the crown of the year with your goodness, and overthrow heresies, through the Mother of God, for you are good and love mankind. Glory. Tone 5. Venerable Father.Venerable Father, you found a fair ladder, by which you went up on high, the ladder which Elias found as a chariot of fire. He though did not leave his mount to others, but you keep your pillar even after death. Man of heaven, angel of earth, unsleeping beacon of the inhabited world, Venerable Symeon, intercede that our souls may be saved. Both now. The same. By Monk John.You, O King, Who Are and who abide even to ages without end, accept the supplication of sinners who beg salvation; and grant, O Lover of mankind, abundance to your land, giving it temperate weather; as once with David, fight alongside our faithful King against godless barbarians, for they have entered your tabernacles and defiled your all-holy place, O Saviour. But grant victories, Christ God, at the intercession of the Mother of God; for you are the victory and boast of the Orthodox. Apolytikion of the Indiction. Tone 2. Fashioner of all creation, who fix times and seasons by your own authority, bless the crown of the year with your goodness, Lord, preserving the Kings and your city in peace, at the prayers of the Mother of God, and save us. Glory. Of the Saint. Tone 1.You became a pillar of endurance, Venerable Father, rivalling the forefathers: Job in sufferings and Joseph in trials, and, while still in the body, the life of the Bodiless Powers. Our Venerable Father Symeon, intercede with Christ God that our souls may be saved. Both now. Of the Mother of God. Tone 7.Hail full of grace, Virgin Mother of God, harbour and protection of the human race; for from you the Redeemer of the world became incarnate; for you alone are Mother and Virgin, ever blessed and glorified. Intercede with Christ God to grant peace to the whole inhabited world. And Dismissal. |
|
All texts and
translations on this page are copyright to This page was last updated on 10 February 2001 |