Canon of the Feast

Exapostilarion: Spec. Mel.: “Hearken, ye women…”—

Irmos: O Theotokos, thou living and abundant fountain: in thy divine glory establish those who hymn thee and spiritually form themselves into a choir; and vouchsafe unto them crowns of glory.

Kontakion of the saints, in Tone II: Spec. Mel.: “Seeking the highest…”—

Thou Who hast upheld all things by Thy word hast hearkened to the prayer of the righteous ones. Wherefore, Thou hast loosed the infirmity of the barren woman, in that Thou art compassionate, and hast given them her who is the cause of joy.

Sessional hymn of the apostle, in Tone VIII: Spec. Mel.: “Of the Wisdom…”—

Theotokion: Having been shown to be pure and all-incorrupt, O Virgin, thou didst receive in thy womb God the Word Who hath cleansed our nature, which had been defiled by our fall into sin.

Receiving the pure and undefiled one, who is more splendid than all creation, the animate bridal chamber of God, the beautiful Temple and chamber doth today appear as that which adorneth the bride for her wedding.

Irmos: Establish us in thee, O Lord Who hast slain sin by the Tree, and plant the fear of Thee in the hearts of us who hymn Thee.

Kontakion of the feast, in Tone IV: Spec. Mel.: “Having been lifted up…”—

Glory…, Now & ever…: Sessional hymn of the feast, in the same tone: Spec. Mel.: “That which was mystically commanded…”—

Theotokion: I hymn thee, O truly most hymned one, who supernaturally gavest birth to the all-hymned Word of God, and I pray: In that thou art good, O Bride of God, heal thou the infirmities of my lowly soul.

David, preceding the chorus, doth leap and dance with us, and declareth thee, O all-pure one, the queen adorned, who standeth in the Temple before our King and God, O most pure one.

Irmos: Perceiving the inscrutable counsel of God—the Incarnation of Thee, the Most High, from the Virgin—the Prophet Habbakuk cried aloud: Glory to Thy power, O Lord!

Theotokion: O Mistress, save us who are tempest-tossed by the cruel billows of temptations, the audacious assaults of barbarians and the attacks of the cruel demons.

From her, from whom transgressions went forth among the human race, hath her correction and incorruption blossomed forth, the Theotokos, who is led today into the house of God.

Irmos: I hymn Thee, O Lord, for I heard report of Thee, and I was afraid; for Thou comest to me, seeking me who have strayed. Wherefore, I glorify Thy great condescension toward me, O greatly Merciful One.

Theotokion: The Word was incarnate in thy womb and became known as a man in His compassion, that He might deify man, O most immaculate Maiden.

The angelic armies and a multitude of all men leap for joy, and they advance as lamp-bearers before thy countenance, proclaiming thy majesty in the house of God.

Irmos: All things are filled with awe at thy divine glory; for thou, O Virgin who hast not known wedlock, didst contain within thy womb Him Who is God over all, and gavest birth to the timeless Son, granting peace unto all who hymn thee.

Theotokion: O Virgin, thou art the strength of the lowly, the radiant lamp, the divine table, the impassable gate, the throne and palace of God, the staff of Aaron and the golden jar bearing Christ, the Manna of life.

Preaching the sufferings and resurrection of Christ, O right glorious Philemon, thou didst raise men up from the grave of unbelief and mortality.

Irmos: O Lord, Bestower of light and Creator of the ages: guide us in the light of Thy commandments, for we know none other God than Thee.

Theotokion: Thy womb hath truly been shown to us as a new garden of paradise, O pure Theotokos, producing the Tree of life, and it hath led back into paradise those who died through the fruit of the tree, giving them life.

With sacred hymnody let us praise the godly Onesimus and Philemon, Apphia and Archippus, the stars who illumine the ends of the earth.

Irmos: Celebrating this divine and most honored festival of the Mother of God, come, ye divinely wise, let us clap our hands and glorify God Who was born of her.

Theotokion: O most immaculate one, thou bearest Him Who holdeth all things, and dost feed the Nurturer, in nowise experiencing the usual manner of giving birth. Past understanding is thy wonder, which striketh with awe both angels and men, who know thee to be the only Virgin Mother of God.

Having purified the eyes of your mind, ye received divine vision and have raised erring hearts up to knowledge, O most sacred ones.

Irmos: Whirled about in the abyss of sin, I call upon the unfathomable abyss of Thy loving-kindness: Lead me up from corruption, O God!

Let us praise the apostles of Christ—the glorious Philemon, the sacred Archippus, Onesimus, Mark and Apollos, and with them the most wise Apphi—as most radiant stars illumining the ends of the earth; and let us cry out: Pray ye unceasingly in behalf of us all!

Irmos: The divinely wise youths worshipped not a creation rather than the Creator, but, manfully trampling the threat of the fire underfoot, they rejoice, chanting: Blessed art Thou, the all-hymned God of our fathers!

Cultivating stony hearts with the plough of Thy discourse, O sacred husbandman, thou didst prepare them for divine knowledge, and, casting down the temples of the idols, O blessed one, thou didst erect churches to the glory of thy Creator. Wherefore, assembling, we who are illumined in sacred manner glorify thy holy memory, O Philemon, and cry out to thee together: Entreat Christ God, that He grant remission of sins unto those who honor thy holy memory with love.

Irmos: When the golden image was worshipped on the plain of Dura, Thy three youths spurned the ungodly command, and, cast into the midst of the fire, bedewed, they sang: Blessed art Thou, O God of our fathers!

Let David the psalmist rejoice, and let Joachim and Anna join chorus, for the radiant Mary, the divine lamp, issued forth from them like a holy fruit, and she rejoiceth, entering the temple. Beholding her, the son of Barachiah blessed her, and, rejoicing, cried out: “Rejoice, O wonder of the universe!”

Irmos: Hearken, O pure Virgin Maiden! Let Gabriel give utterance unto the true and ancient counsel of the Most High: “Make ready to receive God, for through thee hath the Infinite One come to dwell with men!” Wherefore, rejoicing, I cry out: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!

The Temple of God, receiving today the portal through whom none may pass, hath ceased to perform any service of the Law, crying: Truly truth hath appeared to those who are on earth!

Irmos: God, Who descended into the fiery furnace for the Hebrew children and transformed the flame into dew, hymn ye as Lord, O ye works, and exalt Him supremely for all ages!

The mountain overshadowed, which Habbakuk beheld of old, prefigured her who hath made her abode in the inaccessible chambers of the Temple, flourishing with virtues, for she doth cover the ends of the earth therewith.

Irmos: May the hands of the profane in nowise touch the Theotokos, the animate ark of God; but let the lips of the faithful, unceasingly chanting the cry of the angel, joyfully cry out: Truly thou art more highly exalted than all, O pure Virgin!

All the earth hath seen most glorious things, things strange and marvelous; for the Virgin, receiving food from an angel, doth receive tokens of God’s dispensation.

Irmos: O ye faithful, with hymns let us magnify in oneness of mind the Word of God, Who from God came in His ineffable wisdom to renew Adam who had grievously fallen into corruption, and Who became ineffably incarnate of the holy Virgin for our sake.

Revealed as temple and palace and animate heaven, O divine bride of the King, thou art brought today to the Temple of the Law to be kept for Him, O all-pure one.

With the Cross as mast and sail, thou didst pass over the cruel abyss of the temptations of life without foundering, O blessed one, directing many of those at sea to the harbor of salvation through grace divine.

The godly city of Colossæ manifestly setteth forth radiant luminaries: the sacred Archippus, Philemon and Apphia, and the glorious Onesimus, who enlighten the ends of the world.

A divine river arose in thy heart, O thou of godly eloquence, and hath stopped the rivers and torrents of ungodliness; and through grace thou hast given drink to souls parched by the burning heat of ignorance, O glorious one.

The all-pure Virgin, the glorious sanctity and sacred offering which is brought today to the Temple of God, is preserved as a habitation for our one God, the King of all, as He Himself doth know.

Zachariah, beholding once the beauty of thy soul, cried out in faith: Thou art the deliverance, thou art the joy of all, thou art our restoration, through whom the Uncontainable One shall appear unto me contained.

O, thy wonders which pass understanding, O all-pure one! Strange is thy birthgiving; strange is the manner of thy growth; strange also, most glorious and unutterable by men, are all thy wonders, O Bride of God.

A most radiant lamp, O Bride of God, thou hast shone forth today in the house of the Lord and dost illumine us with the precious gifts of thy wonders, O pure and all-hymned Theotokos.

Seeing those ailing with the wounds of evil deeds, O glorious Philemon, by thine active discourse thou didst heal betimes those cruelly sick with the madness of idolatry.

As a sure guide, O Philemon, thou didst point out the paths of salvation to those grievously lost, and didst wondrously lead them to love Christ, the only Way.

Today the honored Church of Christ in Colossæ doth sing the splendid festival of the godly Archippus, honoring also the divinely eloquent Philemon.

Desiring to make His salvation known to the gentiles, the Lord hath now taken from among men her who hath not known wedlock, as a sign of reconciliation and renewal.

As a house of grace, wherein treasures of the ineffable dispensation of God are laid up, O most pure one, thou didst share in unfading delight in the Temple.

Receiving thee as a royal diadem, O Bride of God, the Temple hath been made splendid and hath mounted to higher things, beholding in thee the fulfillment of the prophecies.

Thou hast been shown to be a heaven proclaiming to all the saving glory of Him Who glorified thee and numbered thee among His seventy apostles, O martyr most rich.

Having become a stranger to thy native land, with thy strange discourse thou didst pursue those who had become estranged from God, O hierarch Philemon, and didst show them to be inhabitants of Sion.

Shining with sacred virtues, and pleasing God splendidly, thou didst hasten to the heavens, where thou dost dance with the angels, O Apphia.

The most pure temple of the Savior, the precious bridal chamber and Virgin, the sacred treasury of the glory of God, is on this day brought into the house of the Lord, bringing with her the grace that is in the divine Spirit. To her do the angels of God chant the hymn: She is the heavenly tabernacle!

Ikos: Beholding the grace of the ineffable and divine mysteries of God made plainly manifest in and filling the Virgin, I rejoice; yet I know not how to understand this strange and ineffable image. How hath the pure one alone been shown to be above all creation, visible and noetic? Wherefore, desiring to praise her, I am greatly in awe in mind and word; yet, making bold, I proclaim and magnify her, saying: She is the heavenly tabernacle!

Lo, today a joyous spring hath burst forth upon the ends of the earth, enlightening our souls, thoughts and minds with grace: the festival of the Theotokos. Let us mystically hold feast this day!

Let all things—heaven and earth, the ranks of angels and the multitude of men—bear gifts today unto the Queen and Mother of God; and let them cry out: Our joy and deliverance is brought to the Temple!

The Scriptures have come to pass, the Law hath faded like a shadow, and rays of grace have shone forth upon thee who hast entered into the Temple of God, O pure Virgin Mother, wherein thou art blessed.

Heaven and earth and the netherworld are subject to thine Offspring as Creator and God, O most pure one, and every nation of mortals doth confess that the Lord and Savior of our souls hath appeared.

Beautiful were thy precious feet, O Philemon, which meekly trod the paths of the Gospel, announcing sacred peace to all those who do battle, and hindering the assaults of the demons.

The profound darkness of the Gazans was dispelled by the light of thy words, in that thou art a most sacred performer of sacred deeds, O apostle, and among them thou wast most excellent, shepherding them all and teaching them to chant: Blessed is the God of our fathers!

The city of Gaza shared in thy first goodly labors, for thou wast the first bishop thereof, a saving hierarch, O Philemon; and as a sacred herald thou didst command them to cry out: Blessed is the God of our fathers!

Loving Christ Who loved mortals in His compassion, O Philemon, through love thou didst transform hate-filled enemies into loving friends who chanted unto God: Blessed is the God of our fathers!

Anna, once, leading the all-pure temple to the house of God, faithfully said unto the priest, crying aloud: Now accept thou this child, given me by God; lead her into the Temple of the Creator; and, rejoicing, chant unto Him: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!

And Zachariah then, beholding them in the Spirit, said unto Anna: Thou dost bring hither the true Mother of Life, whom the prophets of God have clearly foretold as the Theotokos! How, therefore, can the Temple hold her? Wherefore, marvelling, I cry out: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!

The handmaid of God have I been, answered Anna unto him, and I call upon Him with faith and prayer to accept the fruit of my birth-pangs, that, having received this child, I might bring her who was born unto Him Who bestowed her. Wherefore, I cry aloud: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!

Truly this is a matter of the Law, the priest said to her, and strange doth this thing seem unto me, beholding her who doth most gloriously surpass the holy ones in grace led into the house of God. Wherefore, rejoicing, I cry out: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!

Bearing the word in thy heart like a splendid lamp alight, O glorious one, thou didst raise up to the daylight of the knowledge of God those who before were like lamps extinguished and lay in the utter darkness of ignorance.

Thy sacred departure unto God was made magnificent by the sacred presence of the apostles and the incorporeal intelligences, whose life thou didst live on earth, as an initiate of the sacred mysteries, O divinely eloquent Philemon.

Manifestly exuding the sweet-smelling myrrh of sacred miracles, O blessed and wise Philemon, thou didst perfume the minds and thoughts of the pious and didst dispel the fœtid passions of those who exalt Christ supremely.

Like radiant stars ever shining in the firmament of the Church, the wondrous Archippus, Apphia, Philemon and Onesimus illumine our souls.

O pure Theotokos, as thou hast the most radiant beauty of purity of soul and art full of the grace of God from heaven, with the eternal light thou dost ever enlighten those who cry out with joy: Truly thou art more highly exalted than all, O pure Virgin!

Thy wonder doth surpass the power of words, O pure Theotokos, for in thee I perceive a body impervious to the movement of sin. Wherefore, thankfully I cry out to thee: Truly thou art more highly exalted than all, O pure Virgin!

Most gloriously did the Law prefigure thee, O pure one, as the tabernacle, the divine jar, the awesome ark, the veil, the staff, the inviolable temple and portal of God. Wherefore, all these things teach us to cry to thee: Truly thou art more highly exalted than all, O pure Virgin!

In hymnody David cried out to thee prophetically, calling thee the daughter of the King in the comeliness of thy virtues, beholding thee standing, elaborately adorned, at the right hand of God. Wherefore, in prophecy he cried out: Truly thou art more highly exalted than all, O pure Virgin!

Deified by divine communion, shining with ineffable light and ever filled with spiritual joy, O Philemon, thou dwellest fittingly in the heavens with the most sacred choir of the sacred apostles.

Wondrous is thy character, comely and beautiful thy life, and all-glorious was thy repose, O blessed apostle, as the radiant day whereon, forsaking that which is on earth, thou hast ascended in gladness to the circles of heaven.

Today the whole Church of Christ is glad, spiritually ordaining festive joy at thy memorial, for thou hast preserved it unshaken by thy right pleasing supplications to God the Savior, O most sacred Philemon.

The shrine of thy relics exudeth drops of healing upon those who approach it in sanctity, O blessed Apostle Philemon: it banisheth illnesses and doth hallow the souls of all who ever celebrate thy divine memory.

With faith let us praise the divine Maiden Mary, whom the company of the prophets of old proclaimed to be the jar, the staff, the tablet and the unquarried mountain; for she is led today into the Holy of holies to be raised for the Lord.

Glory…, Now & ever…: The foregoing is repeated.