After the Introductory Psalm, we chant “Blessed is the man…”, the first antiphon.
O divinely wise father Timothy, by great abstinence and frequent prayer thou didst utterly allay the movements of the passions; and receiving the grace of dispassion, thou wast shown to be a receptacle of the divine Spirit. Wherefore, as thou livest even after death, O divinely blessed one, thou dost ever drive away evil spirits.
A Reading from Genesis
On “Lord, I have cried…”, 8 stichera: 3 in Tone I: Spec. Mel.: “O wondrous miracle!…”—
Troparion, in Tone III—
A Reading from the Book of Exodus
O wondrous miracle! A new wellspring of grace is revealed to us, pouring forth streams of healings in abundance and quenching the thirst of our souls: not brought forth from a rock with a staff, but brought down from heaven with prayer and unwavering faith. Wherefore, with thankful mouth we cry out to the Theotokos: Rejoice, O thou who art full of grace! The Lord is with thee, Who through thee granteth the world great mercy!
Troparion, in Tone IV—
A Reading from the Prophecy of Ezekiel
Angels and men, kings and hierarchs, monks and paupers, the healthy and the infirm, the elderly and children, every age and rank, every creature, doth glorify thy loving-kindness, crying: Rejoice, O thou who art full of grace! The Lord is with thee, Who through thee granteth the world great mercy!
Glory..., Now and ever..., Theotokion, in the same tone and melody—
Wondrous are thy mysteries, O Theotokos! For even though thou dwellest in glory in heaven, yet dost thou not forget us sinners on earth, and dost mercifully come hither, entering our homes with grace-shod feet, asking healing and joy for those in need. Wherefore, we cry out from the depths of our hearts: Rejoice, O thou who art full of grace! The Lord is with thee, Who through thee granteth the world great mercy!
And 2 stichera, idiomela, in Tone II—
Whither go these multitudes, departing from the cities and villages? Whither do they hasten? Is some feast being prepared, some banquet laid, and are the people being summoned to share therein? Truly, the banquet of faith hath been readied, and sumptuous gifts are being distributed! For, lo! the Queen and Mistress generously granteth all things to all the people through her newly-revealed icon. Wherefore, let us also hasten and diligently have recourse to her, that we may obtain great mercy.
The constant importunities of the widow prevailed upon the most unjust judge, as we read in the divine Gospels. And can our fervent supplication not then incline to mercy the most just Judge: the Father Who gave His own Son for the world, the Son Who suffered for the world, and the most Holy Spirit Who comforteth all creation? For did God not say Himself that He would defend His chosen people, who cry out to Him day and night, and who also fervently call upon His all-pure Mother, and bring her forth to make supplication to Him?
And 3 stichera in Tone VIII: Spec. Mel.: “O all-glorious wonder…”—
O the faith free from doubt! O the blessed tears! O the mighty supplications which bring down from heaven the grace through which those held fast by incurable affliction are rendered healthy in an instant! Wherefore, learn, O ye faithful, and fortify yourselves with hope, hastening zealously to the Theotokos.
O the incalculable mercy! O the priceless gifts freely given and received with faith, distributed by the mighty hand of the Queen of heaven and earth! Wherefore, come, all ye who are in need, and fall down sincerely before the Mistress, for no one departeth empty from her.
O most hymned Theotokos, thy divine ears are ever open to the supplications of the faithful, thine all-radiant eyes, which penetrate all the mysteries, behold our sorrows and weaknesses, thy grace-shod feet hasten to our aid, and thine all-pure hands mercifully stretch forth, giving every good thing to those in need, who glorify thee, O Mother of God.
Glory…, Now & ever…, in Tone III—
Why marvel ye, O physicians, shaking your heads? Did ye not abandon the suffering maiden as beyond hope? Did ye not forsake her, unable to bring her healing? Behold, she now standeth forth in full health, full of gladness and shining with joy! Be ye not astonished by this, but worship Christ! Knew ye not that of old He restored strength to the paralytic? He is the same, yesterday, today and forever! Wherefore, He now granteth healing thus in an instant unto those who ardently call upon Him. Did ye not know that He once obeyed His Mother in Cana of Galilee? And now He also hearkeneth to her entreaties. Wherefore, learn ye faith, glorify God with us, and hymn the Virgin Theotokos!
Entrance. Prokimenon of the day. 3 Readings:
Jacob went forth from the well of the oath, and departed unto Harran, and came to a certain place and slept there, for the sun had gone down; and he took one of the stones of the place, and put it at his head, and lay down to sleep in that place, and dreamed, and beheld a ladder fixed on the earth, whose top reached to heaven, and the angels of God ascended and descended on it. And the Lord stood upon it, and said, “I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac. Fear not; the land on which thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed. And thy seed shall be as the sand of the earth; and it shall spread abroad to the sea, and to the south, and to the north, and to the east; and in thee and in thy seed shall all the tribes of the earth be blessed. And behold, I am with thee to preserve thee continually in all the way wherein thou shalt go; and I will not desert thee, until I have done all that I have said to thee.” And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and said, “The Lord is in this place, and I knew it not!” And he was afraid, and said, “How fearful is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven!”
Moses came to Horeb, the mountain of God. And an angel of the Lord appeared to him in flaming fire out of a bush, and he saw that the bush was burning with fire, yet the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, “I will go near, and see this great sight, why the bush is not consumed.” And when the Lord saw that he drew nigh to see, the Lord called to him out of the bush, saying, “Moses, Moses!” And he said, “What is it?” And He said, “Draw not nigh hither: loose thy sandals from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.” And He said, “I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.” And Moses turned away his face, for he was afraid to gaze at God. And the Lord said to Moses, “I have surely seen the affliction of My people that is in Egypt, and I have heard their cry caused by their task-masters; for I know their affliction. And I have come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them out of that land, and to bring them into a good and wide land, into a land flowing with milk and honey.”
Thus saith the Lord: “It shall come to pass from the eighth day and onward, that the priests shall offer your wholeburnt-offerings on the altar, and your peace-offerings; and I will accept you,” saith the Lord. Then He brought me back by way of the outer gate of the sanctuary that looketh eastward; and it was shut. And the Lord said to me, “This gate shall be shut, it shall not be opened, and no one shall pass through it; for the Lord God of Israel shall enter by it, and it shall be shut. For the Prince, He shall sit in it, to eat bread before the Lord; He shall go in by the way of the porch of the gate, and shall go forth by the way of the same.” And He brought me in by the way of the gate that looketh northward, in front of the house; and I looked, and, behold! the house was full of the glory of the Lord.
At Litia, these stichera, in Tone I—
Come, ye faithful, and, forsaking the sin-loving streets, and fleeing the dwelling-places of vanity, let us seek out the ways of Christ and strive to travel by them; for thereon do we encounter the faces of the righteous, and most of all the Theotokos and Queen, who is higher in honor than all creation: for she is shown to be a good guide for all who seek salvation, leading them to the heavenly city. Wherefore, let us cry out fervently: Come forth to meet us, O Mistress, that we stray not from the path of truth and may be saved by thee!
Lo! the whole world lieth in conflict, the tumult of battle falleth not silent, the cruel foe launch themselves at us, arraying themselves against us at every hour, for the great apostle of the gentiles declareth: We wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against spiritual wickedness in high places, who day and night strive to destroy us. Wherefore, we are exposed to their deadly missiles and wounds without number. Yet do thou, O our mighty commander, stand forth, imparting strength to us against them, healing our wounds and wielding the sword of the Spirit for us in thy hands, showing us to be victors over sin and all our adversaries through the grace of thy Son.
In Tone II: Thou openest the doors of God’s loving-kindness with but the key of thy maternal mediation, O blessed Theotokos, and we draw forth grace in abundance. Wherefore, giving thanks, we cry out continually: Thou art all our joy, all our delight, O pure Virgin, our merciful helper!
In Tone VI: The oil of mercy, perfuming the whole world, poureth forth abundantly from the icon of the Mistress, bearing divine healing; wherefore, let us cleanse the vessels of our souls, that it may richly be poured into them, easing our sores, healing our wounds, lightening, curing, and anointing with joy, that with contrite heart we may hymn the most merciful Queen.
Glory…, Now & ever…, in Tone VII—
O blessed Theotokos, hope of the world, all-radiant beauty, ineffable love! Behold, the peoples, tribes and nations cry out to thee, and tens of thousands stretch forth their hands, offering up supplications which it is impossible to count: yet thou hearest them all, and grantest to each according to his faith. Wherefore, falling down before thee, we pray: Protect, defend and deliver from misfortunes and suffering us who confess thee in Orthodox manner.
At the aposticha, these stichera, in Tone II: Spec. Mel.: “O house of Ephratha…”—
O Word of God, grant me hallowed discourse, give wings to my thoughts and set my heart afire, that I may hymn Thy Virgin Mother!
Stichos: Hearken, O daughter, and see, and incline thine ear.
We are not worthy to offer praise to thee, O most pure Theotokos; yet if we remain silent, the very stones will cry out.
Stichos: The rich among the people shall entreat thy countenance.
Let the unbelievers’ mouths be stopped who say that there are no miracles! For, lo! the most holy one hath again put them to shame, healing an incurable ailment.
Glory…, Now & ever…, in Tone V—
The mother of the maiden who received healing crieth out: “All ye mothers, listen and take heart! For, lo! the all-pure Theotokos hath shown me mercy, as her Son once did, and hath healed my daughter in an instant! Wherefore, haste ye also with zeal to the all-merciful one, that she may also heal and save your children, protecting them from all misfortunes!”
O most hymned Theotokos, hope of the world, grant unto us in abundance gifts of grace from the inexhaustible wellspring of thy wonder-working icon, that we may cry out in thanksgiving: Rejoice, O most merciful Queen and Mother of Christians!
On “Lord, I have cried...,” 6 stichera: 3 stichera for the venerable one, in Tone VIII, Spec. Mel: “O most glorious wonder...”—
O divinely wise father Timothy, thou wast a true emulator of Abraham, everywhere healing those who have recourse unto thee. In thy pangs thou didst acquire the strength of Job; and, possessing the meekness of David, thou didst live on earth a life equal to that of the angels, and hast received thine ultimate desire, praying for us all.
O divinely wise father Timothy, a model of chastity, an example of abstinence, an image of piety, and a wellspring of compunction, an unshakable foundation of Orthodoxy, an ever-flowing stream of healings, a never-setting sun, a child of divine grace, and the adornment of monastics wast thou shown to be, O all-honored one.
And 3 stichera for the holy hierarch, in the same Tone, Spec. Mel: “What shall we call you...”—
Possessed of a heavenly life, thou wast truly ordained by God to serve as a priest, and with a pure mind thou didst offer up the services unto Him. Misfortunes and suffering didst thou endure, O blessed one, for the sake of the divine preaching and the steadfast truth which thou didst confirm by thy words, manifestly denouncing the mindless ones.
With the word of thy sacred discourse thou didst manifestly set afire the tinder of the blasphemy of the ungodly Arius, who did not comprehend that the Father and the Son are called equal in honor by nature, O most sacred Eustace; and thou didst enlighten the hearts of the faithful and didst keep with truth those who with faith celebrate thy memory.
Wielding the staff of thy words, O most sacred shepherd, therewith thou didst preserve the rational flock of God unharmed by all manner of wolves. Wherefore, the good Shepherd hath led thee into the fold of heaven, where the souls of the elect and righteous fathers are, O God-bearing and all-blessed Eustace.
To whom hast thou likened thyself, O wretched soul, who in no wise risest to repentance, and fearest not the fire which awaiteth the evil? Arise, and call upon her who alone is quick to help, and cry aloud: O Virgin Mother, entreat thy Son and our God to deliver me from the snare of the deceiver!
Or this Stavrotheotokion, in the same melody—
The ewe-lamb, when she beheld the Lamb stretched out of His own will upon the tree of the Cross, cried out, maternally in pain, with lamentation: “What is this strange sight, O my Son? How is it that Thou diest, O Long-suffering One, Who as Lord grantest life unto all, bestowing resurrection upon mortals? I glorify Thy great condescension, O my God!”
O God of our fathers, Who ever dealest with us according to Thy gentleness, withdraw not Thy mercy from us, but by their entreaties govern our life in peace.
Translated by Isaac Lambertsen. Edition menaion.en.lambertsen.