Ode IX

Exapostilarion —

Irmos: Let every mortal leap for joy, enlightened by the Spirit; and let the nature of the incorporeal intelligences keep festival, honoring the sacred feast of the Mother of God, and let them cry aloud: Rejoice, O most blessed Theotokos, pure Ever-virgin!

Glory, in Tone IV —

On the Praises, four stichera, in Tone IV —

Theotokion: From thy light-bearing womb, O Mistress, thou hast shone forth upon us the Light, the Fashioner of the sun and the stars and all creation. Him do thou earnestly beseech, that He enlighten those who hymn thee.

Rejoice, O lamp who bore the never-waning Light and who in thy birth-giving hast destroyed the darkness of polytheism and delivered thy people from the abyss of hades! Rejoice, O Theotokos Directress, mediatress of all good things!

Exapostilarion —

Irmos: Same as that of the preceding canon.

Let us glorify the joyous Theotokos, O ye faithful, for we ever have her holy and blessed name upon our lips more than any other, unceasingly fleeing to her all-pure and healing icon; for thereby do we find all things good and profitable on earth, and we are delivered from the snares of the demons in the air. Yea, as the Mother who gave birth to the Creator of all, she saveth our souls from misfortunes. Twice

Theotokion —

Rejoice, O earth from whence the Ear of heavenly grain hath budded forth for the faithful; and deliver the whole world from soul-destroying famine, O noetic and animate one! Rejoice, O vine who gavest birth to the Cluster of life, O pure Theotokos Directress!

Irmos: Christ, the Chief Cornerstone uncut by human hands, Who united the two disparate natures, was cut from thee, the unquarried mountain, O Virgin. Wherefore, in gladness we magnify thee, O Theotokos.

Everlastingly may the assembly of the impious lament, who do not confess thee to be the Theotokos pure in thy birthgiving, and do not bow down before thine all-pure icon. But we, thy faithful people, rejoicing, confess thee to be the true Theotokos and Virgin, in that thou didst truly give birth unto Christ our God in the flesh, hast trampled the corruption of Adam underfoot, hast cleansed the whole world of sin, hast granted never-ending life and opened the gates of paradise to the faithful through thy divine Offspring. Him do thou entreat, that we who hymn thy mystery with faith may be saved.

Now & ever…: Theotokion, or this stavrotheotokion: Spec. Mel.: “As one valiant among the martyrs…” —

Rejoice, most comely paradise of mystic flowers! Rejoice, Virgin Mother, O Theotokos who by purity hast most strangely vanquished the understanding of the invisible foe! Rejoice, O Maiden, rejoice, O Directress, thou universal wonder and report!

Let all the multitude of the pious be glad and rejoice with ineffable joy; and, falling down, let them all do homage and reverence the Mother of God with fear, giving thanks to her after God, in that she is the mediatress of such great blessings. The angels desire to gaze upon those things which Christ our God hath given to the faithful through the Theotokos, for He hath an abundance of compassions and great and all-rich mercy.

By thine aid, keep thou the remaining time of our life untouched by harm, O Virgin Maiden, and count us worthy to receive a good end, for we hymn thee and cry aloud: Rejoice, O most blessed and pure Theotokos and Directress!

Glory…, Now & ever…, in Tone VIII —

Second Canon

Thy holy icon, which depicteth thy form, O Virgin Theotokos, is by thy grace an all-bounteous fountain which poureth forth its waters for all the earth and enlighteneth the whole world with the effulgent radiance of the Holy Spirit. For thou didst ineffably give birth in the flesh to God the Word, hearing such things as these from the Archangel Gabriel: Rejoice, O thou who art full of grace, the Lord is with thee, and the Holy Spirit overshadoweth thee at thy conceiving! And thus didst thou say to the first icon depicting thee, when thou didst gaze upon it: My grace is with it! And thy word was fulfilled in the power of the icon. Divine grace, transcending every image, voice, power, deed and mind, abiding with it forever, unceasingly worketh signs and wonders, and giveth spiritually profitable healing to all who approach it with faith, through thine unceasing divine, maternal supplications to God.

Thee, the steadfast helper of the human race, O Theotokos Mary, did the choir of the prophets foretell in many and divers ways, as the holy tabernacle more spacious than the heavens, the tablet divinely inscribed, the bush unconsumed by the Fire, the portal through which God passeth, the mountain and the ladder, the bridge and the rod which blossomed forth. And we truly magnify thee as the Theotokos.

On the Praises, 4 stichera —

The mystery of the depth of thy birthgiving moveth the mind of the angels to awe, O Virgin, and thine all-pure icon driveth the demons away, darkeneth the countenances of the ungodly, and putteth them to shame. For they cannot bear to look upon its power, and they flee and vanish away. And we lovingly bow down and venerate it, and magnify thee as the Theotokos.

The composition of Byzantius, in Tone II: As one proceeding unto God, O passion-bearer, and possessing boldness before Him, ever standing before His throne in divinely excellent paths, in the divine works of those who are well-pleasing to Him and bless Him: Pray for all, that they may progress therein.

As a constant intercessor before the King Most High, in that thou art possessed of undaunted boldness, establish thou the life of the Orthodox in peace profound, exalt our right-believing hierarchs, and ever grant unto thy servants all things profitable, that we may magnify thee as the Theotokos.

The composition of Germanus, in Tone III: Struggling in the age of thy youth, like the most divine Paul, thou didst receive a divine gift from on high; and with the Cross as thy weapon thou didst cast down the audacity of the cruel foe. O passion-bearer Procopius, boast of the martyrs, pray to the Lord for us, that He save our souls.

O most merciful helper of Christians, the mind of men or angels cannot hymn thee as is meet, for thou art more honorable than all creation, more glorious than all things of heaven and earth; for thou gavest birth unto the Creator and God of all. O Mistress, mercifully accept the hymn which we have composed for thee from the depths of our heart, and ever save us, for on thee have we set our hope.

The composition of Cyprian, in Tone IV: Laudation is offered up to God by lips of clay on the divine day of thy commemoration, O much-suffering Procopius; for thou didst show thyself to be an excellent warrior of the word of Faith, vanquishing the faces of the idols in thy labors. And now thou hast been made brilliant by the light of the Trinity, illumining our minds by thy supplications.

Let the all-hymned Mother of God be honored, who gave birth unto Christ our God, our Life, for she is the opening of the gates of paradise, the cleansing of the whole world, the restoration to life. He is the One of Whom the prophets spake, and we worship Him as our God, the Savior of our souls. Twice

In Tone V: Arrayed today in thy might, O martyr of Christ, the Church rejoiceth; and, rendering thee honor, it right laudably crieth out thy most excellent memorial as is meet: Rejoice, thou who didst emulate Paul and, taking up the Cross of Christ, didst crush the snares of the alien! Rejoice, O much-suffering Procopius, thou boast of the martyrs and dominion of kings! Cease not to pray for us to the Lord, in that thou hast boldness, O adornment of athletes!

Glory…, Now & ever… —

The Church of God, having adorned itself in the robe of thy martyrdom empurpled with thy blood, emitteth sun-like rays, O much-suffering Procopius; for having armed thyself with the Cross, and valiantly desiring to follow Christ in death, thou didst take thy stand against the array of the alien, and, putting to shame the plots of the iniquitous, thou wast shown to be a victorious warrior of Christ. Wherefore, we entreat thee: As thou hast boldness before Him, O adornment of the martyrs, pray that our souls be saved.

Come ye with purity, O ye faithful, and let us exalt the wondrous icon of the all-pure Mother of our God and Christ, the divine Infant Savior. For, having given birth to Him and borne Him in her arms, and possessing boldness before Him, she prayeth unceasingly for us, and bestoweth upon her servants rich mercies.

Beholding Christ, Who loveth mankind, crucified, His side pierced by a spear, the all-pure one cried out, weeping: “What is this, O my Son? How have the thankless people rewarded Thee for the good things Thou didst do for them? And dost Thou hasten to leave me childless, O most Beloved? I marvel, O Compassionate One, at Thy voluntary crucifixion!”

Great Doxology. Troparion. Litanies. Dismissal. First Hour.

When thou didst receive the end thou didst desire, thou didst most wisely bow thy head before God; and, struck by the sword, thou didst mount thy blood as it were a chariot and didst hasten to Him, O martyr.

As a wellspring of miracles, thou pourest forth rivers of healings, and thou puttest an end to the flame of the passions and drownest hordes of the demons by the almighty divine power of the Spirit, O right wondrous one.

O Procopius, by thy sacred entreaties to God the Creator, save those who joyously keep thy most holy memory from every threat, every illness and every misfortune.

Like Paul, thy calling was from heaven, O Procopius, and progressing thereto, in accordance with thy name, thou didst lead choirs of martyrs to the Lord, and with them prayest for those who praise thee.

O Ever-virgin Virgin Mother, who gavest birth to the Light from the unbegotten Light, cease thou never to guide those who hymn thee by thy tireless supplications to the never-waning Light.