After the Introductory Psalm, we chant “Blessed is the man…”, the first antiphon.
A Reading from Proverbs
On “Lord, I have cried, 8 stichera: 4 in Tone VI: Spec. Mel.: “Having set all aside…”—
Now & ever…: Theotokion, in the same tone—
Troparion, in Tone I —
After the Introductory Psalm, we chant “Blessed is the man…”, the first antiphon.
A Reading from Proverbs
Let us hymn John, the holy hierarch of Christ, the advocate given us by God, who, applying himself to unceasing prayer, and strengthened by the serving of the Liturgy and communion of the most holy Mysteries, went forth bravely to his labor, hastening to the homes of the suffering and to those treated in hospitals. Wherefore, revealed as sanctified and merciful, he was vouchsafed from on high the gifts of healing and clairvoyance; and now in heaven, he prayeth with boldness for the salvation of our souls. Twice
Now & ever…: Theotokion —
A Reading from the Wisdom of Solomon
Let us hymn John, the holy hierarch of Christ, the loving healer of children and babes, the wise and steadfast counselor of adults, who gave mothers word of their children, and bestowed blessing upon those being baptized and married, the most faithful advocate for those on the verge of the life to come, the lover of the majesty and order of the divine services, a pastor and archpastor who went forth before the sheep given him by God; and let us cry out to him: O blessed wonderworker John, pray for us who honor thee with love!
Join chorus, ye East and West, ye North and South, celebrating the memory of the holy hierarch and wonderworker. Rejoice, O heavens, receiving the new angel, the divinely inspired man of prayer and unmercenary pastor, the gracious healer, prophet and herald, John, our merciful helper, a mighty surety for us at the judgment.
And 4 stichera, in Tone III—
Living in holiness and righteousness on earth, and tending well the flock of Christ, thou didst put of the old man, and didst repel the assaults of the enemy by tireless vigil, great asceticism and ardent love for the Lord, which do thou now offer upon for us also, O father John. Twice
How can we not marvel at thy sleepless vigilance, and how can we not hymn thine ascetic life? For in the midst of the world which lieth in evil didst thou struggle, emulating the desert-dwellers of old. Wherefore, thou didst acquire true love for the Lord, wherewith do thou cover us who honor thy memory.
O good minister of the Gospel of Christ, who girded thyself about with the truth of Orthodoxy, with the sling of thy words thou didst drive away the ravening wolves who do not confess Christ to be the true Wisdom of God, and others who seek after alien wisdom. Wherefore, O blessed and divinely wise John, wise unto salvation do thou make us who with splendor honor thy most beautiful memory.
Glory…, in Tone VI—
Having assembled today, let us hymn the man of God, the most elect archpastor, the luminary of the Russian diaspora, the teacher of divers nations, the sojourner amid this transitory world, the heir to the transcendent kingdom of heaven, John, the beloved hierarch; and let us cry out to him: Ever entreat the Lord for the salvation of our souls.
Now & ever…: Dogmaticon of the tone of the week.
Entrance. Prokimenon of the day. Three readings:
The memory of the just is praised, and the blessing of the Lord is upon his head. Blessed is the man who hath found wisdom, and the mortal who knoweth prudence. For it is better to traffic for her, than for treasures of gold and silver. And she is more valuable than precious stones: no precious thing is equal to her in value. For length of existence and years of life are in her right hand; and in her left hand are wealth and glory: out of her mouth righteousness proceedeth, and she carrieth law and mercy upon her tongue. Hearken to me, O children, for I will speak solemn truths. Blessed is the man who shall keep my ways; for my outgoings are the outgoings of life, and in them is prepared favor from the Lord. Ye, O men, do I exhort; and utter my voice to the sons of men. I, wisdom, have built up; upon counsel, knowledge and understanding have I called. Counsel and safety are mine; prudence is mine, and strength is mine. I love those that love me; they that seek me shall find grace. O ye simple, understand subtlety, and ye that are untaught, imbibe knowledge. Hearken unto me again; for I will speak solemn truths. For my throat shall meditate truth; and false lips are an abomination before me. All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing in them wrong or perverse. They are all evident to those that understand, and right to those that find knowledge. For I will instruct you in truth, that your hope may be in the Lord, and ye may be filled with the Spirit.
The mouth of the righteous droppeth wisdom: but the tongue of the unjust shall perish. The lips of just men drop grace: but the mouth of the ungodly is perverse. False balances are an abomination before the Lord: but a just weight is acceptable unto Him. Wherever pride entereth, there will also disgrace: but the mouth of the humble doth meditate wisdom. The integrity of the upright shall guide them, but the overthrow of the rebellious shall spoil them. Possessions shall not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness will deliver from death. When a just man dieth, he leaveth regret: but the destruction of the ungodly is speedy and causeth joy. Righteousness traceth out blameless paths: but ungodliness encountereth unjust dealing. The righteousness of upright men delivereth them: but transgressors are caught in their own destruction. At the death of a just man his hope doth not perish: but the boast of the ungodly perisheth. A righteous man escapeth from a snare, and the ungodly man is delivered up in his place. In the mouth of ungodly men is a snare for citizens: but the understanding of righteous men is prosperous. In the prosperity of righteous men a city prospereth, but at the destruction of the wicked there is exultation. At the blessing of the upright a city shall be exalted, but by the mouths of ungodly men it is overthrown. A man void of understanding sneereth at his fellow citizens: but a sensible man is quiet.
Though the righteous be prevented with death, yet shall he be in rest. For honorable age is not that which standeth in length of time, nor that is measured by number of years. But wisdom is the gray hair unto men, and an unspotted life is old age. He pleased God, and was beloved of Him; so that, living among sinners, he was translated. Yea, speedily was he taken away, lest that wickedness should alter his understanding, or deceit beguile his soul. For the bewitching of naughtiness doth obscure things that are honest; and the wandering of lust doth undermine the simple mind. He, being made perfect in a short time, fulfilled a long time; for his soul pleased the Lord: therefore hasted He to take him away from among the wicked. This the people saw, and understood not, neither laid they up this in their minds: that His grace and mercy is with His saints, and that He doth visit His chosen.
At Litia, the sticheron of the temple, and these stichera of the holy hierarch—
In Tone VI: When thou wast yet a child, thou wast moved by the words of Christ, wherewith the Lord summoned the first apostles, saying: “Come, follow Me, and I will make you fishers of men.” But heeding these divine words, O John of humble mind, thou didst in nowise imagine thyself to be chosen like the heralds of God and martyrs of times past . Yet, knowing thee, Christ Himself glorified thee. May thy crowning be for us a call to unfeigned repentance, unto the salvation of our souls.
In Tone I: In thy fiery love thou didst fittingly emulate the incorporeal hosts who unceasingly praise God, O ever-vigilant and venerable John; wherefore, thou hast joined their choirs.
O father John, great wonderworker, we praise thee, the grace-filled apostle of times devoid of grace, the all-wise imitator of the fools for Christ, and the great-minded emulator of the ascetics.
Glory…, in the same tone: Unceasingly dost thou offer hymnody and confession to God the Master Who is wondrous in His saints, Who is known in three Persons and is proclaimed to be in a single Essence, Who raised up a temple for Himself in thy soul and illumined thee with His eternal light, and through thee doth enlighten us.
Rejoice, O all-pure Virgin! Rejoice, O Bride of God! Rejoice, refuge of the faithful! Rejoice, unceasing hymn of holy hierarchs! Rejoice, thou who didst enable thy favored one, the blessed John, to erect thy temples! And accepting his entreaties, save those who piously hymn thee.
On “Lord, I have cried…”, 8 stichera, in Tone I: Spec. Mel.: “O most lauded martyrs…” —
O most wise and lauded Jude, thy sound hath gone forth into all the ends of the earth like lightning, guiding to the never-waning Light those who have been benighted by the deception of ungodliness; and, shining now therewith, ask thou great mercy for our souls. Thrice
O wondrous Jude, as the chariot of Christ thou didst bring down the arrogance of idolatry and mystically, by divine discourse, madest captivity captive unto life incorruptible, O glorious one. Delighting now therein, ask peace and great mercy for our souls. Thrice
O Jude, apostle of Christ, thou wast a disciple of our incarnate God, by Whom thou wast truly sent like a sheep among wolves, discourse by thy discourse away from impiety and towards piety and a godly understanding of the Holy Trinity. Wherefore, we praise thee. Twice
Glory…, in Tone VIII —
Thou didst manifestly receive the grace of the divine Spirit, O apostle Jude, as a member of the sacred choir of the apostles. Wherefore, when the fiery breath was borne down from heaven, thou didst utterly consume the thorns of paganism, breathing forth with a tongue of fire. O preacher, entreat Christ God, that our souls be saved.
Now & ever…: Dogmaticon, in the same tone:
In His love for mankind, the King of heaven appeared on earth and dwelt among men; for He Who received flesh from the pure Virgin and came forth from her having received human nature, is the only Son of God, two in nature but not hypostasis. Therefore, proclaiming Him to be truly perfect God and perfect man, we confess Christ our God. Him do thou beseech, O Mother unwedded, that our souls find mercy!
Entrance. Prokimenon of the day. Three Readings:
A Reading from the General Epistle of Jude [Jude 1-10]
Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to those who are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called: Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied. Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the Faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in unawares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and denying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ. I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed those who believed not. And the angels who kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, He hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire. Likewise also these filthy dreamers defile the flesh, despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities. Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said: “The Lord rebuke thee.” But these speak evil of those things which they know not: but what they know naturally, as brute beasts, in those things they corrupt themselves.
A Reading from the General Epistle of Jude [Jude 11-16]
Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain, and ran greedily after the error of Balaam for reward, and perished in the gainsaying of Core. These are spots in your feasts of charity, when they feast with you, feeding themselves without fear: clouds they are without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, without fruit, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever. And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying: “Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all who are ungodly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him. These are murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lusts; and their mouth speaketh great swelling words, having men’s persons in admiration because of advantage.”
A Reading from the General Epistle of Jude [Jude 17-25]
Beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; how that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit. But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy Faith, praying in the Holy Spirit, keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And of some have compassion, making a difference: and others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh. Now unto Him Who is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of His glory with exceeding joy, to the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.
At the aposticha, these stichera, in Tone IV: Spec. Mel.: “Thou hast given a sign…” —
O apostle, thou didst receive invincible authority and power over the demons and the ability to drive away the princes of darkness by the name of Christ; and thou didst traverse the earth, shedding rays of light like the sun; and, teaching all the nations, thou didst preach the first coming of Christ the Savior, O glorious one.
Stichos: Their sound hath gone forth into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.
Emulating the primal Goodness, the natural and all-divine Life, thou wast a man good in essence, O Jude, who art called the brother of the Lord; and thou didst show thyself to be a true disciple of Christ by the grace of thy character and the beauty of thy demeanor.
Stichos: The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament proclaimeth the work of His hands.
An instrument well-tuned by the hand of God, O apostle Jude, thou wast entrusted with the task of summoning the nations, and, guiding them to the knowledge of Christ by thy words and deeds, thou didst enlighten them all to confess the true divinity of Jesus, the Savior of our souls.
Glory…, in Tone II —
Full of divine zeal, O right wondrous apostle Jude, with fervor thou wast zealous for God Almighty, and He showed thee forth as full of divine miracles; for, possessed of a strange zeal, thou didst obtain a pious demeanor through divine activity. Wherefore, exalted, and dwelling with the angels on high, O thou who beholdest God, pray to the Word, Christ our God, that He grant us great mercy.
O new wonder greater than all the wonders of the past! For who hath ever known a mother to give birth without having known a man, and to bear on her arm Him Who sustaineth all creation? Yet it was the will of God to be born. O all-pure one, who bore Him in thine arms as an infant and hast maternal boldness before Him: cease not to pray in behalf of those who honor thee, that He have compassion and save our souls.
Knowing thee to be the kinsman of Christ and a steadfast martyr, O Jude, with sanctity we praise thee who trampled falsehood underfoot and preserved the Faith. Wherefore, celebrating thy most holy memory today, through thy supplications we receive remission of sins.
Translated by Isaac Lambertsen. Edition menaion.en.lambertsen.