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| Saint John Chrysostom, ArchBishop of Constantinople |
Beginning prayers
Through the prayers of our holy Fathers, Lord
Jesus Christ our God, have mercy upon us and save us! Amen!
Glory
to thee, our God, glory to thee!
O heavenly King, O
Comforter, the Spirit of truth, who art in all places and fillest all things;
Treasury of good things and Giver of life: Come and dwell in us and cleanse us
from every stain, and save our souls, O gracious Lord!
Holy
God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal: have mercy on us! (Thrice)
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: now
and ever and unto ages of ages! Amen!
All-holy Trinity, have
mercy on us! Lord, cleanse us from our sins! Master, pardon our iniquities!
Holy God, visit and heal our infirmities for thy Name's sake!
Lord,
have mercy! (Thrice)
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit: now
and ever, and unto ages of ages! Amen!
Our Father, who art in
heaven, 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
trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us; and lead us not into
temptation, but deliver us from evil!
Through the prayers of
our holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy upon us and save us!
Amen!
The
Creed
I believe in one God, the
Father Almighty,
Maker of heaven and earth, and of all things visible and invisible;
And in one Lord Jesus
Christ, the Son of God, the Only-begotten,
Begotten of the Father before all worlds, Light of Light, Very God of Very God,
Begotten, not made; of one essence with the Father, by whom all things were
made:
Who for us men and for
our salvation came down from heaven,
And was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and was made man;
And was crucified also
for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered and was buried;
And the third day He rose again, according to the Scriptures;
And ascended into heaven,
and sitteth at the right hand of the Father;
And He shall come again with glory to judge the quick and the dead,
Whose kingdom shall have no end.
And I believe in the Holy
Spirit, the Lord, and Giver of Life,
Who proceedeth from the Father,
Who with the Father and the Son together is worshipped and glorified,
Who spake by the Prophets;
And I believe in One Holy
Catholic and Apostolic Church.
I acknowledge one Baptism
for the remission of sins.
I look for the Resurrection of the dead.
And the Life of the world to come.
Amen!
Lord, have mercy! (12 times)
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and
to the Holy Spirit: now and ever and unto ages of ages! Amen!
O Come, let us Worship and bow down before our King
and God!
O Come, let us worship and bow down before Christ, our
King and God!
O Come, let us worship and bow down to 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 judgement 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.
Apolytikion of Saint Great Martyr Menas
(Tone 4):
With great valor of soul, you did strive in martyrdom,
and having fought the good fight, O divine Great Martyr Menas, from Heaven you
have received the gift of miracles; for God has shown You to the world as a
worker of great signs, and He made you our protector and a swift help in
afflictions and ever-vigilant defense from harm.
Alleluia, Alleluia,
Alleluia! Glory to Thee, o Lord! (Thrice)
Lord, have mercy! (3 times)
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and
to the Holy Spirit: now and ever and unto ages of ages! Amen!
PSALM 50
Have
mercy upon me, O God, according to Your lovingkindness; according to the
multitude of Your tender mercies, blot out my transgressions.
Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
For I acknowledge my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
Against You, You only, have I sinned, and done this evil in Your sight that You
may be found just when You speak, and blameless when You judge.
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, and in sin my mother conceived me.
Behold, You desire truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part You will
make me to know wisdom.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than
snow.
Make me to hear joy and gladness, that the bones which You have broken may
rejoice.
Hide Your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me.
Do not cast me away from Your presence, and do not take Your Holy Spirit from
me.
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, and uphold me with Your generous
Spirit.
Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, and sinners shall be converted to
You.
Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation, and my tongue
shall sing aloud of Your righteousness.
O Lord, open my lips, and my mouth shall show forth Your praise.
For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in
burnt offering.
The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, a broken and a contrite heart ––
these, O God, You will not despise,
Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion; build the walls of Jerusalem.
Then You shall be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, with burnt
offering and whole burnt offering; then they shall offer bulls on Your altar.
Kontakion I
O John, chosen leader of the Church of Christ and teacher of golden
eloquence, having adornedthyself from thy youth with the virtues, thou didst
labor well, and having endured persecution for thename of Christ, thou didst
reach the end of thy life in exile. For which cause thou hast receivedtwofold
glorification in the heavens, O thou who wisely established the rites of the
Church. Wherefore, with compunction we honor thee, crying aloud: Rejoice,
O, John Chrysostom, thou greatand Holy Hierarch!
Ikos I
Angelic in image, in the flesh thou didst live like one of the
incorporeal ones, O John; undertakingmany labors for the salvation of thy
brethren, thou didst glorify the heavenly Father with good works. Wherefore, we
say to thee:
Rejoice, adornment of the Orthodox Church;
Rejoice, blessed child of eminent parents!
Rejoice, thou who from childhood wast filled by thy mother with love for
the word of God;
Rejoice, thou who from thy youth didst make thy mind subject to the yoke
of Christ!
Rejoice, thou who didst diligently serve God;
Rejoice, teacher of the whole world!
Rejoice, instructor in prayer for Christians of all times;
Rejoice, thou who didst restore the monastic life in the Imperial City!
Rejoice, thou who enlightened the Goths and the Scythians;
Rejoice, lover of righteousness strengthened by God!
Rejoice, thou who hast entered into the joy of thy Lord;
Rejoice, ardent intercessor for us!
Rejoice, O, John Chrysostom, thou greatand Holy Hierarch!
Kontakion II
Seeing the pure life of thy parents Secundus and Anthusa, Christ was
pleased to glorify thee, O John,and gave thee to them for a consolation, that
the faithful, mindful of thy virtues, may exalt supremelythe righteous couple
who brought thee forth, and, emulating them, may chant unto God: Alleluia!
Ikos II
Having made thy mind wise in learning, and having been raised from
infancy in heartfelt piety, OJohn, thou wast a joy and comfort to thy mother
when she was left bereft of husband and daughter. Wherefore, we offer thee such
praises as these:
Rejoice, star of morality for the young;
Rejoice, joy to thy guardian angel!
Rejoice, for thou didst never cause him grief;
Rejoice, thou who didst love thy friends!
Rejoice, thou who didst excel in learning and didst thereby astonish the
wise of this world;
Rejoice, for, while yet a student, thou didst admonish Anthimius, the
blasphemer of God, andput him to shame!
Rejoice, thou who didst behold the bitter tears of those who thronged
the courts;
Rejoice, thou who didst avoid those who committed iniquities!
Rejoice, thou who didst seek the path of saving innocence;
Rejoice, thou who didst retire to the wilderness after thy mother's
repose!
Rejoice, thou who there didst fervently pray to God for thy departed
parents;
Rejoice, for they, joining chorus with our heavenly Mistress and the
saints today, are glorifiedand praised by mortals!
Rejoice, O, John Chrysostom, thou greatand Holy Hierarch!
Kontakion III
Like thy namesake, the Forerunner, in the wilderness thou didst acquire
the strength to labor forChrist in word and deed, O John; for there, having
mortified thy carnal passions by fasting, thoudidst furnish thy spirit with
wings through prayer, and like a warrior thou didst array thyself in thefull
armor of God to do battle against the prince of the aerial powers, chanting
with hope to ourmighty God: Alleluia!
Ikos III
Wearing a hair-shirt and leathern belt about thy loins, O emulator of
the baptizer of Christ, thou didsteat herbs in the wilderness, O John; from
whence, full of power, thou didst issue forth as a man. Wherefore, we cry out
to thee:
Rejoice, thou who wast like unto the Prophet Elijah in abstinence;
Rejoice, emulator of the poverty of Christ!
Rejoice, thou who fortified the weakness of thy body with chastity;
Rejoice, thou who dispelled despondency with the contemplation of God!
Rejoice, thou who kept thy heart undefiled by recalling the omniscience
of God;
Rejoice, thou who puttest the wiles of the demons to shame by thy vigils
of prayer!
Rejoice, thou who thyself overcamest temptations and later taught others
to do so;
Rejoice, wise strengthener of those who struggle in spiritual activity!
Rejoice, thou who restrained thy friend Theodore from falling into sin;
Rejoice, thou who made thy friend, the Bishop Basil, firm in his
ministry!
Rejoice, thou who showest thyself to be a calm haven for those driven
from the world;
Rejoice, defender of the monastic life!
Rejoice, O, John Chrysostom, thou greatand Holy Hierarch!
Kontakion IV
Thou didst weather a new storm of temptations, O John, when thou didst
dwell alone in a cave; and,having departed from the desert for Antioch because
of illness, thou wast ordained deacon by theholy Meletius and didst commit
thyself zealously to care for the poor. Seeing this, the faithfuljoyously
chanted to God: Alleluia!
Ikos IV
Hearing words of praise from the faithful concerning thee, the holy
Flavian called down the graceof the priesthood upon thee as one worthy, O John.
Wherefore, the people of Antioch rejoiced and,justly honoring thy labors, they
magnified thee thus:
Rejoice, thou who declined all care for thyself;
Rejoice, protection of the poor!
Rejoice, loving haven for the orphaned;
Rejoice, assuager of sorrows!
Rejoice, thou who grieved over the people's ignorance;
Rejoice, thou who with melodious voice didst bless the virginal life!
Rejoice, thou who enlightened many of the Jews;
Rejoice, thou who with Orthodox doctrine didst catechize those who
sought salvation!
Rejoice, thou who didst not disgrace this teaching by thy manner of
life;
Rejoice, beacon of piety!
Rejoice, thou who sharest the ways of the apostles;
Rejoice, for the lot of the pastoral care of souls was rightly given to
thee!
Rejoice, O, John Chrysostom, thou greatand Holy Hierarch!
Kontakion V
Cherishing the divinely shed Blood of the eternal redemptive death when
thou didst receive thepriestly rank, with vigilance thou didst perform well the
work of an evangelist, reproving, forbidding,entreating with all
long-suffering, teaching, and chanting unto God: Alleluia!
Ikos V
Seeing the disorders in the city and grieving over them, thou didst
permit thyself no rest, O John.Catechizing the unbelieving with the Gospel,
sanctifying the faithful with the sacraments of theChurch and teaching them the
mysteries of the Faith, as is meet thou didst acquire the name
"GoldenMouth," hearing from all such things as these:
Rejoice, good shepherd;
Rejoice, thou who didst beget many children for the Church of Christ
through holy baptism!
Rejoice, thou who gavest them the seal of the gift of the Holy Spirit
through anointing withchrism;
Rejoice, thou who didst stand with compunction before the most holy
table!
Rejoice, thou who didst nurture thy children with the food of
incorruption;
Rejoice, thou who didst cleanse men's hearts with repentance!
Rejoice, thou who didst unite spouses together in the Lord;
Rejoice, thou who didst heal by anointing with oil!
Rejoice, true interpreter of the word of God;
Rejoice, mighty denouncer of the heresies!
Rejoice, deep well of true theology;
Rejoice, for thou didst win the hearts of thy flock, which was full of
love for thee!
Rejoice, O, John Chrysostom, thou greatand Holy Hierarch!
Kontakion VI
Thou didst show thyself to be above all a preacher of repentance, O
John, when the people ofAntioch, having cast down the statue of the emperor,
deservedly incurred his wrath. Assuring themof the lovingkindness of God, by
thy discourse thou didst induce everyone to amend their lives, thatthey might
chant unto God with a pure heart: Alleluia!
Ikos VI
Antioch shone with joy when, having wept over its iniquities, it
received the emperor's forgiveness. Yet it was soon cast into the darkness of
sorrow, being forced to part with thee; for thou wast calledto become
archbishop of the Imperial City, O John. Wherefore, we cry to thee:
Rejoice, thou who, like Isaiah, wast afflicted with pain by the tribulations
of thy native city;
Rejoice, thou who, like Jeremiah, didst lament the evil ways of the
people!
Rejoice, thou who, like Ezekiel, didst call the iniquitous to change
their ways;
Rejoice, lightning-flash who brought pridefulness low!
Rejoice, thunder-clap who struck with terror those who lived
iniquitously;
Rejoice, denouncer of avarice!
Rejoice, thou who showed the perniciousness of vainglory;
Rejoice, thou who put to shame the vile polytheism of the Greeks!
Rejoice, thou who calmed troubled hearts;
Rejoice, assistant of Bishop Flavian, the righteous elder!
Rejoice, thou who with the desert-dwellers moved the emperor's stewards
to mercy;
Rejoice, peer of Jonah who saved Nineveh!
Rejoice, O, John Chrysostom, thou greatand Holy Hierarch!
Kontakion VII
Desiring to adorn fittingly the Church of Constantinople as a bride of
Christ, O John, thou didstendue everything with splendor. With all-night vigils
thou didst lure the faithful away from theassemblies of the Arians and didst
wisely establish the rite of the divine liturgy, pouring forth prayerslike
sweet-smelling myrrh; and edified thereby, we chant to God concerning thee: Alleluia!
Ikos VII
A new sign of the mercy of God hath been manifest in thee, O holy
hierarch; for through thysupplications the faithful of all times, conversing
with God, are made wise unto salvation. Accept,therefore, from us such praises
as these:
Rejoice, thou who, like David, hast enriched the Church of God with the
words of thy prayers;
Rejoice, thou who, like James the Brother of God, didst establish the
rite of the divine liturgy!
Rejoice, thou who didst emulate the great Basil therein;
Rejoice, receptacle of the Holy Spirit!
Rejoice, for through thee did the Holy Spirit write words of salvation;
Rejoice, for, rising from sleep, we give thanks to the Father with thy
prayers!
Rejoice, for, going to sleep, we ask of the Holy Spirit remission of
offenses with thy words;
Rejoice, for we entreat the Son of God through thy mouth, that we may
receive communion ofthe divine Mysteries without condemnation!
Rejoice, O servant of God who inviteth the down-trodden to the banquet
of Christ;
Rejoice, preacher of Him Who was crucified on the Cross for the life and
salvation of the world!
Rejoice, for in thy words were the mysteries of the Faith arrayed, as
with raiment of gold;
Rejoice, composer of hymns and wondrous orator!
Rejoice, O, John Chrysostom, thou greatand Holy Hierarch!
Kontakion VIII
As a sojourner in this earthly vale, thou didst show thyself to be a
model of humility, abstinence andpurity, O John, by thy life in the Imperial
City; for thou didst restore and erect monasteries in thatplace, and didst
provide blameless virgins with rules for the monastic life. And perfumed
therebylike incense of sweet savor, the great hymn hath been borne up unto God:
Alleluia!
Ikos VIII
Laboring for Christ with all thy soul, thou didst not wish to please
men, O John; forbidding thepractice of setting forth banquets for the
prominent, thou didst increase in number the meals servedto the poor, and founding
hostels and free hospitals for the infirm, thou didst move them to chant
tothee:
Rejoice, emulator of Nicholas, the holy hierarch of Myra in Lycia;
Rejoice, thou who hast won the heights through humility!
Rejoice, thou who hast acquired riches through poverty;
Rejoice, thou who in those virtues wast a model for monks!
Rejoice, feeder of the hungry;
Rejoice, thou who like Abraham didst show hospitality to strangers!
Rejoice, shelter of homeless orphans;
Rejoice, thou who didst care for the helpless elderly!
Rejoice, thou who didst distribute thine own funds to the poor;
Rejoice, for thou didst show thyself as a comforting angel for everyone
in tribulation!
Rejoice, thou who didst turn the hands of the rich to works of charity;
Rejoice, for the Mother of God rejoiced at the depth of thy
lovingkindness!
Rejoice, O, John Chrysostom, thou greatand Holy Hierarch!
Kontakion IX
Desiring to save every nation, O John, thou didst send from
Constantinople preachers of the Gospelto the Scythians, the ancestors of the
Slavs; and in thy city thou didst erect a church dedicated to theApostle Paul
for the Goths, that, having repudiated the heresy of Arius, they too might
chant untoGod with Orthodox lips: Alleluia!
Ikos IX
Having sent Orthodox preachers to the unbelievers, O John, thou thyself
didst visit the Churches inAsia; and reproving the negligent and praising the
diligent, thou didst set them in order with pastoral care. Wherefore, we
glorify thee:
Rejoice, beacon of Orthodoxy;
Rejoice, good shepherd who didst take care over the lost sheep!
Rejoice, for today thy name is glorified in the land of the Scythians;
Rejoice, for there churches of God are raised up in thy name!
Rejoice, thou who didst share the ministry of the apostles;
Rejoice, thou who didst tend the flock of God according to the words of
the Apostle Peter!
Rejoice, thou who didst visit it, not under compulsion, but willingly
and mindful of God;
Rejoice, steadfast uprooter of bribery!
Rejoice, impartial observer of the canons of the Church;
Rejoice, thou who didst justly drive out slothful servants!
Rejoice, for those laboring for the good were praised and strengthened
by thee;
Rejoice, skillful helmsman of the Church!
Rejoice, O, John Chrysostom, thou greatand Holy Hierarch!
Kontakion X
Thou didst not cease to minister to the salvation of thy flock, O John,
when thou didst return fromAsia to the Imperial City. And when thou didst
fearlessly begin to denounce the immoral life of theempress and the nobles,
thou didst accept many tribulations; for those who were reproved by thee,unable
to close thy righteous mouth, laid secret plans to destroy thee who cryest out
to God in purity: Alleluia!
Ikos X
Thou wast shown to be a bulwark for monks who are persecuted unjustly, O
John; for which causethe great malice harbored by thine enemies was laid bare.
For the deceitful Theophilus and theempress impiously slandered thee at the
council and had thee deposed, putting out of mind the worksthou hadst wrought
for the good of the realm. But we recall them with gratitude, saying:
Rejoice, thou who didst show wondrous love for thine earthly homeland;
Rejoice, thou who didst deliver the Imperial City from the invasion of
barbarians!
Rejoice, thou who didst subdue Ga•nas, the dread leader of the Goths;
Rejoice, thou who didst preserve the alms given to the Church by
emperors of old!
Rejoice, thou who didst not permit the mighty Eutropius to violate the
Church's sanctuary;
Rejoice, thou who in the same sanctuary didst afterwards save Eutropius
himself when he fledarrest!
Rejoice, thou who didst meekly endure the injustice of the council for
harboring the monks ofNitria;
Rejoice, for the words of the Scriptures, "Love is
long-suffering", were justified in thee!
Rejoice, thou who didst forbid thy friends to take up arms in thy defense;
Rejoice, thou who didst not raise the sword against thine enemies!
Rejoice, thou who submitted to the authorities and therefore didst place
thyself in the hands ofthe soldiers at night;
Rejoice, thou who wast banished from thy native land for righteousness'
sake!
Rejoice, O, John Chrysostom, thou greatand Holy Hierarch!
Kontakion XI
The lamentation of thy flock was quickly turned into joyous hymnody, O
valiant athlete; for whenthou wast being led away into exile, claps of thunder
suddenly smote the air, lightning flashed forth,the winds shrieked and the
earth quaked. And seeing these things and trembling, the empressrepented and
had thee brought back with honor, humbly crying out to God: Alleluia!
Ikos XI
The hatred of the empress for thee, the radiant beacon of Orthodoxy, was
soon redoubled when thoudidst reprove her for setting up a statue of herself
near the church; wherefore, deposed a second time,thou wast exiled to Cucusus,
a remote and tiny village, O John. Wherefore, accept from us suchpraises as
these:
Rejoice, thou who didst shoulder the yoke of God from thy youth, in
accordance with the wordsof Jeremiah;
Rejoice, thou who didst apply the spiritual plough to work the land, as
Christ hath said!
Rejoice, thou who didst not turn back before the end;
Rejoice, thou who didst thunder forth against the immoral empress!
Rejoice, thou who wast hated by her, as the Baptist was hated by
Herodias;
Rejoice, thou who wast saved from murderers by an invisible angel!
Rejoice, thou who wast preserved in thy residence by the love of thy
flock;
Rejoice, thou who wast taken into custody by the henchmen of thine
unjust judges!
Rejoice, thou who didst go into exile with humility and without
complaint;
Rejoice, thou whose loss was lamented by the faithful!
Rejoice, thou who wast wounded and afflicted for the sake of the
crucified Lord;
Rejoice, for the martyrs and the forerunner joined chorus in the heavens
because of thy patience!
Rejoice, O, John Chrysostom, thou greatand Holy Hierarch!
Kontakion XII
The grace of God preserved thee in exile, O John; for there, like the
holy Paul in chains, thou didstproclaim the Gospel to the Phœnicians and the
Persians, and didst comfort the faithful with letters. And thus thou didst
shepherd the Church even unto the day whereon thy golden mouth uttered itsfinal
words: "Glory to God for all things!", and thy soul was borne aloft
by holy angels, who criedout as is meet: Alleluia!
Ikos XII
Chanting with joy, the faithful bore thy holy relics into the Imperial
City, O John, from whence thyglory hath gone forth unto the uttermost ends of
the earth and hath gone out to the whole world,teaching all to sing to thee
thus:
Rejoice, O sojourner who hast entered the heavenly homeland;
Rejoice, thou who wast provisioned for thy journey with the prayers of
all the Churches!
Rejoice, thou who finished thy race in Comana, on the way to far-off
Pityus;
Rejoice, for the hieromartyr Basiliscus foretold thine end to thee!
Rejoice, thou who didst hear from him: "Brother, tomorrow we shall
be together!";
Rejoice, thou who didst fortify thyself for the ascent into paradise by
partaking of the HolyMysteries!
Rejoice, for thy soul peacefully departed thine exhausted body;
Rejoice, for corruption did not touch thy bones!
Rejoice, for in these churches is the unbloody sacrifice offered up
today;
Rejoice, dweller in the heights of heaven who art illumined with the
never-fading light!
Rejoice, for, appearing with Saints Basil the Great and Gregory the
Theologian, with them thouhast taught all to praise thee;
Rejoice, glory of the Church Universal!
Rejoice, O, John Chrysostom, thou greatand Holy Hierarch!
Kontakion XIII (this Kontakion is said thrice):
O great and holy hierarch John Chrysostom: look down from the heights of
heaven upon us who aredowncast, and, accepting this praise which is offered to
thee with our love, entreat the Lord God, thatHe pour out upon us His grace
which healeth the afflicted, that He strengthen the Orthodox, and leadback to
the bosom of the Church those who have fallen away from it, fulfilling that
which is lackingby His own compassion; and that He vouchsafe that all, with
thee and all the saints, may chant toHim forever: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!
Ikos I and Kontakion
I are repeated:
Ikos I
Angelic in image, in the flesh thou didst live like one of the
incorporeal ones, O John; undertakingmany labors for the salvation of thy
brethren, thou didst glorify the heavenly Father with good works. Wherefore, we
say to thee:
Rejoice, adornment of the Orthodox Church;
Rejoice, blessed child of eminent parents!
Rejoice, thou who from childhood wast filled by thy mother with love for
the word of God;
Rejoice, thou who from thy youth didst make thy mind subject to the yoke
of Christ!
Rejoice, thou who didst diligently serve God;
Rejoice, teacher of the whole world!
Rejoice, instructor in prayer for Christians of all times;
Rejoice, thou who didst restore the monastic life in the Imperial City!
Rejoice, thou who enlightened the Goths and the Scythians;
Rejoice, lover of righteousness strengthened by God!
Rejoice, thou who hast entered into the joy of thy Lord;
Rejoice, ardent intercessor for us!
Rejoice, O, John Chrysostom, thou greatand Holy Hierarch!
Kontakion I
O John, chosen leader of the Church of Christ and teacher of golden
eloquence, having adornedthyself from thy youth with the virtues, thou didst
labor well, and having endured persecution for thename of Christ, thou didst
reach the end of thy life in exile. For which cause thou hast receivedtwofold
glorification in the heavens, O thou who wisely established the rites of the
Church. Wherefore, with compunction we honor thee, crying aloud: Rejoice,
O, John Chrysostom, thou greatand Holy Hierarch!
PRAYER TO OUR FATHER,
AMONG THE SAINTS, JOHN CHRYSOSTOM, ARCHBISHOP OF CONSTANTINOPLE
O great and holy hierarch John Chrysostom, thou didst receivemany and divers gifts from the Lord, and like a good and faithfulservant thou hast increased well the talants given thee; wherefore,thou wast truly a teacher of the whole world, for people of every ageand every calling were taught by thee. Thou art a model of obediencefor children, a beacon of chastity for the youth, an instructor inindustrious labor for men, a teacher of guilelessness for the old, a ruleof abstinence for monks, a guide inspired by God for those who pray,an enlightener of the mind for those seeking wisdom, an inexhaustiblewell-spring of the words of life for right eloquent orators, a star oflovingkindness for the charitable, an image of wise rule for those whogovern, an inspiration to boldness for lovers of justice, an instructorin patience for those persecuted for righteousness' sake: thou wastmade all things to all men, that thou mightest by all means save some. For all of them thou didst acquire the love which is the bond ofperfection, and thereby, as with divine power, thou didst join togetherall spiritual gifts in thy one person; and the same love, whichreconcileth those things which are separated, thou didst preach to allthe faithful in thine interpretation of the words of the apostles. Butwe sinners, each possessed of his own gift, do not possess oneness ofspirit in the bond of peace, for we are become vainglorious,provoking one another, envying one another. For this cause, the giftsdistributed amongst us are not unto peace and salvation, but untoenmity and our condemnation. Wherefore, though buffeted bydisunity, we fall down before thee, O holy hierarch of God, and incontrition of heart we ask: through thy supplications drive from ourhearts all the pride and jealousy which divide us, that the body of theChurch may consist of many members, that, as thou hast said in thyprayer, we may love one another and with oneness of mind mayconfess the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, the Trinityconsubstantial and indivisible, now and ever, and unto the ages ofages. Amen!
Through the
prayers of our holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy upon us and
save us! Amen!
Bibliographical
sources :
- https://www.lwctt.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/st_john_chrysostom.jpg;
- http://chrysostom1600.org/index.php/akathist/;
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