After the Introductory Psalm, we chant “Blessed is the man…”, the first antiphon.
A Reading from Proverbs
On “Lord, I have cried…”, 8 stichera: 3 from the Pentecostarion, and 5 of the hieromartyr, in Tone V—
Troparion, in Tone IV—
After the Introductory Psalm, we chant “Blessed is the man…”, the first antiphon.
A Reading from Proverbs
The city of Astrakhan rejoiceth on the day of thy festival, O divinely blessed and holy hierarch Joseph, our fervent advocate and intercessor before the Lord. Twice
A Reading from the Wisdom of Solomon
Come, ye faithful, and in psalms and hymns let us bless the holy hierarch Joseph; for he hath been shown to be a lamp of the right and pure Faith, and, having loved the Lord and his people with all his heart, undaunted by death he laid down his life for his sheep, and now prayeth to the Lord, that He grant us peace and great mercy.
A Reading from Proverbs
O divinely wise and holy hierarch Joseph, thou divinely radiant beacon of the city of Astrakhan and all the lands beyond the Volga: illumined by rays of the love of Christ, thou wast shown to be a diligent advocate, a comforter of the sorrowful and a speedy helper in time of need. And now, pray thou unto the Lord, that He grant us peace and great mercy.
A Reading from Proverbs
O holy hierarch Joseph, thou wast a faithful servant of God, sharing the starvation of thy flock, earnestly praying for victory over the enemy, and exhorting rebels to submit to God and the lawful authorities; wherefore, thou didst accept death, O blessed martyr, laying down thy life for thy sheep. And now pray thou unto the Lord, that He grant us peace and great mercy.
A Reading from the Wisdom of Solomon
Glory…, in Tone I—
O divinely blessed and holy hierarch Joseph, those on earth and those in heaven rejoice on the day of thy festival, the choir of hierarchs and martyrs who stand with thee before the consubstantial Trinity are glad, and the city of Astrakhan holdeth splendid festival and crieth out with faith: Rejoice, O holy hierarch Joseph, our fervent advocate and intercessor before the Lord!
Now & ever…, from the Pentecostarion.
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 this sticheron of the hieromartyr, in Tone VI—
O martyred hierarch Joseph, when thou wast cast down from the rampart of the city, staining the earth with thy blood, the land of Astrakhan bitterly lamented, crying aloud: “My sun hath grown dark, hiding its spiritual light!” But now it rejoiceth and doth celebrate with splendor, for thou hast been revealed to it as a wondrous worker of miracles, a fervent advocate, and with supplication it hasteneth to thee, its intercessor; for thou pourest forth the grace of healings and illuminest the path which leadeth from the darkness of sin to the never-waning Light.
Glory…, Now & ever…, from the Pentecostarion.
On “Lord, I have cried…”, 8 stichera: 3 from the Pentecostarion, and 5 for the saints, in Tone II: Spec. Mel.: “With what wreaths of praise…”—
With what wreaths of praise shall we crown the divinely wise teachers who illumined with the light of the Gospel the Slavic nations who sat in the darkness of ignorance and the shadow of death? By them have we been grafted onto the right fruitful root of Orthodoxy like a wild olive-tree, and have received from Christ God peace and great mercy. Twice
With what hymns of praise shall we bless the divinely wise teachers: Methodius, the lover of the wilderness, who was enriched with the fruits of the Spirit during his solitary sojourn, and Cyril of golden eloquence, who through his love of philosophy acquired higher wisdom and put to shame the vain belief of the foolish Moslem sages? For their sake hath Christ our God granted us great mercy.
With what beauties of hymnody shall we praise the divinely wise teachers: Methodius, who for love of Christ spurned all the beauties of the world and fought mightily for the King of heaven in the angelic habit, and Cyril, who from childhood chose wisdom as his companion and increased the talants given him by God unto His glory? Having come, through them, to know the one God, the ever-existing Trinity—the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit—,we have received great mercy from Christ God.
With what spiritual hymns shall we magnify you, O all-blessed teachers, who struggled apostolicly for the salvation of the Slavic peoples and labored well in their enlightenment with the light of the knowledge of God, by whom the closed gates thereto Were opened to us when ye devised the Slavonic alphabet? Entering therein, we come to understand the mystery of the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ, and receive from Christ God peace and great mercy.
Glory…, in Tone VI—
Come, ye who love the feasts of the Church, and with songs of praise let us hymn the peers of the apostles, the adornment of hierarchs, the enlighteners and fervent helpers of the Slavic peoples, saying: Rejoice, O Cyril, golden clarion of theology, who didst explain the mystery of the Holy Trinity by comparing God to the sun, and thereby closed the blasphemous mouths of the Moslems! And rejoice with him, O Methodius, who struggled with him in oneness of mind, aiding him with prayers and signs! And now, O most blessed fathers, never cease to pray to Christ God for us who magnify you with faith and love.
Now & ever…: doxasticon from the Pentecostarion.
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.
On “Lord, I have cried…”, these stichera, in Tone IV: Spec. Mel.: “As one valiant among the martyrs…”—
Thou didst shine forth from the West * like the radiant sun, * illumining the whole world with the lightning-flashes of thy suffering, O divinely wise one who art most rich, thou adornment of athletes, splendor of priests, peer of the holy angels, who hast destroyed the might of falsehood, O divinely blessed Mocius.
Heated by piety, honed by suffering, and tempered with courage, O glorious Mocius, thou becamest a sword forged in heaven, utterly destroying the hordes of the enemy. * Wherefore, we celebrate today thy radiant, luminous and holy memory, O glory and boast of the martyrs.
Crushed by the wheels of torture, burned with fire, cast to the wild beasts, punished with banishment, and beheaded by the sword, O blessed one, thou didst not deny Christ, nor didst thou sacrifice to the idols. Wherefore, thou hast received crowns of victory and hast been numbered among the choirs of the incorporeal beings, where thou prayest for the whole world.
Glory…, Now & ever…, from the Pentecostarion.
As thou didst share in the ways of the apostles and didst occupy their throne, thou didst find thine activity to be a way to the vision of God, O divinely inspired one. Wherefore, ordering the word of truth, thou didst suffer for the Faith even to the shedding of thy blood. O hieromartyr Mocius, entreat Christ God, that our souls be saved.
Translated by Isaac Lambertsen. Edition menaion.en.lambertsen.