Ode III

Irmos: O Lord, establish the Church which Thou hast acquired by the power of Thy Cross, whereby Thou didst vanquish the enemy and hast enlightened the whole world.

Kontakion of the holy hierarch, in Tone V—

Sessional hymn of the Deposition; then, Glory…, that of the holy hierarch,, in Tone VIII: Spec. Mel.: “Of the Wisdom…”—

S enan, thy tutor in faith and piety, sent thee to Segenius to train as a champion in the contest against all manner of temptations; and, strengthened by the supplications of both preceptors, O Aidan, thou didst vanquish the hordes of Satan.

Theotokion: T enderly didst thou feed thine own Creator at thy breast, O Virgin Mother; wherefore, He Whom thou didst cradle in thine all-pure arms took thy pristine soul into His own hands when it departed thine immaculate body.

Now & ever…: Sessional hymn of the Deposition, again.

C alled to the episcopate because of thine exceeding great discretion, thou didst tend the sheep and lambs of thy flock for Christ, the Chief Shepherd, Who hath crowned thee gloriously with an unfading wreath.

O the grace which filled thee, body and soul, O wondrous Aidan! For, sensing the power of the Almighty working in thee, the waves of the sea stilled their raging when oil thou didst provide was poured forth thereon.

With great pastoral prudence, O holy hierarch Aidan, thou didst feed the lambs of thy new flock with the milk of piety; and when they were replete with such wholesome spiritual sustenance, thou gavest them the solid provender of Orthodox doctrine, thereby confirming their souls in godly reverence and true devotion.

Ikos: Arise and praise Aidan, O Northumbria! O Holy Isle of Lindisfarne, rejoice and be glad! Ye kings and princes, lords and commons, lift up your voices in jubilation! For the blessed hierarch ever imparteth to your land the mercy and favor of the Most High, shedding the rays thereof upon your cities, villages and towns. Wherefore, let the streams of the River Humber carry his fame to all the world, and let York, Durham and Bamburgh declare his glory to all Christendom, that every nation may glorify God, Who is wondrous in His saints, that He may confirm our souls in godly reverence and true devotion.

Well didst thou heed the words of David the Psalmist, O Aidan, for thou didst take care not to be as the horse or as the mule which have no understanding, whose jaws must be held with bit and bridle; wherefore, when a costly steed was bestowed upon thee by the pious king, thou didst straightway give it away to a pauper, reproving the sovereign when he protested thy liberality, for the poor in Christ, who are always with us, are higher in value than all the horses of this world.