Ode 9. Who of those born of earth.

The appointed Exapostilarion of the Resurrection

See, O Christ, the affliction of my heart; see my turning back; see my tears, O Saviour, and do not despise me. But embrace me once again through your compassion and number me with the multitude of the saved, that with thanksgiving I may sing the praise of your mercies.

Like the Thief I cry to you, ‘Remember me’. Like the Tax Collector, with downcast eyes cast, I now beat my breast and say, ‘Be merciful’. Like the Profligate deliver me from all my evils, compassionate King of all, that I may sing the praise of your profound condescension.

Groan now, my soul, all-wretched, and cry aloud to Christ, ‘Lord, who for my sake willingly became poor, in my poverty I lack every good work. Make me rich with an abundance of fair things, as you alone are good and full of mercy’.

O Good One, the joy that you once created at the voluntary return of the Profligate, now create once again because of me, wretch though I am. Open wide your holy arms to me, that saved I may sing the praise of your profound condescension.

I pray you, Virgin, through your radiant intercessions enlighten the eyes of my mind darkened by wickedness and bring me to ways of repentance. So that, as is fitting, I may sing your praise, who beyond reason gave a body to the Word.

Who of those born of earth has heard the like? Or who has ever seen that a Virgin has been found to bear in her womb and give birth to a babe without pangs? Such is your wonder. And, Mary, pure Mother of God, we magnify you.

and the following of the Triodion.

By uselessly leaving home, wretch that I am, I wickedly wasted the wealth of grace that you gave me. And living like the Profligate I squandered my wealth deceitfully to demons. But now, as I return, accept me like the Profligate, merciful Father, and save me.

Another to the same melody.

I have squandered and spent all your wealth and have become the subject to evil demons, wretch that I am. But, most compassionate Saviour, take pity on the Profligate, cleanse me of filth and give me back again the first robe of your kingdom.

Holy Virgin Mother of God, the great boast of Martyrs, Prophets and Ascetics, gain the mercy of your Son and Lord for us your servants, when he sits to judge each according to their due.

At Lauds. Four stichera of the Resurrection from the Octoichos and one by Anatolios, and then the following three Idiomels of the Triodion.

Tone 2.

I bring you the words of the Profligate, Lord. I have sinned in your sight, O Good One. I have squandered the wealth of your gifts of grace. But receive me in repentance Saviour, and save me.

Arise, O Lord, my God, lift up your hand: do not forget your poor for ever. ****

Tone 4.

Like the Profligate Son I too have come to you, merciful Lord. I have squandered my whole livelihood in a foreign land; I have scattered the wealth which you gave me, Father. Receive me as I repent, O God, and have mercy on me.

I will give you thanks, O Lord, with my whole heart: I will tell of all your wonders. ****

Tone 8.

Like the Profligate I have wasted the riches of my Father’s substance; and having spent them all I am now destitute, dwelling in the land of the evil citizens. No longer can I bear to live among them, but turning back I cry to you, merciful Father, ‘I have sinned against heaven and before you, and I am not worthy to be called your son. Make me as one of your hired servants, O God, and have mercy on me’.

Loving Father, I have gone far from you, but do not forsake me, nor declare me unfitted for your Kingdom. The all-evil enemy has stripped me naked and taken all my wealth. I have squandered like the Profligate the graces given to my soul. But now I have arisen and returned, and I cry aloud to you, ‘Make me as one of your hired servants, you who for my sake stretched out your spotless hands on the Cross, to snatch me from the fearsome beast and to clothe me once again in the first robe, for you alone art full of mercy‘.

You are most blessed, Virgin Mother of God, for through him who took flesh from you, Hell has been taken captive, Adam recalled, the curse slain, Eve set free, death put to death, and we given life. Therefore in praise we cry: Blessed are you, Christ our God, who have been thus well-pleased, glory to you.

Great Doxology. the two Litanies, and the Dismissal. The usual Liti, at which we sing the Eothinon, and the Catecheses are read.

[1] This word *geosporo* is not attested in the lexica, though the meaning is obvious.

[2] The first sentence of this sticheron is not easy. The use of the preposition *eis*, ‘to’, with the passive of *pisteuo* is, so far as I can tell, unprecedented. The passive ‘To be entrusted with something’ would normally have the accusative of the thing entrusted. The Slavonic is equally odd. Bishop Kallistos takes the meaning to be ‘with’, which at least makes sense, and for the moment I follow him. It is unclear what the ‘sinless and living land is’. The latter adjective is not scriptural and the former only occurs twice, at Deuteronomy 29:18 and John 8:7; neither of which is of any help. The word ‘but’ in the first line is not in the Greek and there is a colon after ‘sin’. The latter would not make sense. It is simpler to take ‘having sown the ground with sin’ with what follows. In Slavonic ‘reaped’ and ‘piled’ are also participles, which all depend on ‘I was entrusted’ in the first clause. This is also very odd. As so often in these texts, one can ask to whom the ‘I’ refers. In one sense it clearly refers to the writer, and hence to the person praying, but if the opening phrase means ‘entrusted with’, there could also be a allusion to Adam. There is no obvious reference to the Profligate Son, except, perhaps, the use of the word ‘country’.

[3] The word *apolikmazo*  is not attested in the lexical, but again the meaning is obvious.

[4] The usual meaning is ‘pay’, used with reference to soldiers, but the word is connected with *sitos*, ‘corn’, and so the meaning must be the one proposed above.

[5] The Greek *basileia* means both ‘kingdom’ and ‘kingship’.

[6] See the note to the Liti of the previous Sunday.

[7] The only reference in Liddell and Scott is to Isaias 11:6, which is the only occurrence of the word in Scripture. The Septuagint has pointed up the reference to animals, since the Hebrew simply means ‘dwell with’.

[8] See the rubrics for the previous Sunday.