Canon of the Venerable Martyr

Irmos: Thou art the confirmation of those who have recourse to Thee, O Lord; Thou art the light of the benighted; and my spirit doth hymn Thee.

Kontakion of the venerable martyr, in Tone III, Spec. Mel: “Today the Virgin...” —

Thou didst embrace all-night vigil, unceasing prayer, avoidance of any passionate attachment, love unfeigned and perfect faith.

Glory..., Sessional hymn of the venerable one, in Tone I, Spec. Mel: “Thy tomb, O Savior...” —

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

Theotokion: With the fire of thy prayers consume thou the tinder of my sins, O Mother of the Light, bringing me the divine dew of remission.

Thou didst stand before the tribunal of the tyrant, preaching Christ, the Word of God, the Maker and Master of all, O glorious one.

Irmos: O Lord, Fashioner of the vault of heaven and Creator of the Church: establish me in Thy love, O Summit of desire, confirmation of the faithful, Who alone lovest mankind.

Kontakion of the venerable one, in Tone III, Spec. Mel: “Today the Virgin...” —

Theotokion: In thee, O most holy one, the Cause of all made His abode as He desired, in His surpassing loving-kindness; and He hath sanctified human nature which in the beginning fell headlong through transgression.

When thou wast given over to be a spectacle, O glorious one, the beauty of thy heart revealed thee to those who looked on as most comely.

Irmos: I have heard, O Lord, the mystery of Thy dispensation; I have understood Thy works, and have glorified Thy divinity.

Now & ever…: Theotokion —

Christ gave thee inexhaustible riches of healing, O maiden, for thou didst willingly love His poverty.

Irmos: Same as the foregoing.

Theotokion: Even after giving birth thou didst remain a pure virgin, as thou wast before giving birth; for thou didst bear a young Babe Who is known to exist from before the ages.

Desiring the End of all desire in every way, O God-bearer, thou didst transcend the world and the flesh. Wherefore, thou hast received surpassing glory and everlasting delight, O father.

Irmos: Waking at dawn, we cry to Thee: Save us, O Lord! For Thou art our God, and we know none other than Thee.

Theotokion: O Theotokos, Mother and ever-Virgin, by thine entreaty deliver me who am stuck fast in despondency and now am drowning in sin.

A living temple of the all-accomplishing Spirit wast thou shown to be, O venerable father, having shut thy body up in a hut. Wherefore, deified in sacred manner, thou wast resplendent with rays of the virtues, O blessed Abramius.

Irmos: Wherefore hast Thou turned Thy face from me, O Light never-waning? And why hath a strange darkness covered me, wretch that I am? But turn me, and guide my steps to the light of Thy commandments, I pray.

Theotokion: We hymn thee, O all-hymned Mistress Theotokos, for thou gavest birth in the flesh unto the all-hymned God, O all-pure one.

By the husbandry of pangs thou didst harvest the ripe grain of the virtues an hundredfold, wherewith those who celebrate thine honored repose with reverence are fed.

Irmos: Grant me a robe of light, O Thou Who coverest Thyself with light as with a garment, O most merciful Christ our God.

Theotokion: Enlightened by the divine Spirit, O all-pure one, with sacred voices the hallowed ­prophets proclaimed thee beforehand to be the Virgin Maiden from whom God the Word became incarnate in His infinite loving-kindness, in manner beyond cause and understanding.

Cleansed by the waters of virginity, O venerable Anastasia, and crowned with the blood of martyrdom, thou grantest healing of infirmities and salvation unto those who are in need, and who have recourse unto thee with their whole heart; for Christ granteth might to thee, pouring forth ever-flowing grace.

Irmos: I pour forth my prayer unto the Lord, and to Him do I declare my grief; for my soul is full of evil and my life hath drawn nigh unto hell, and like Jonah I pray: Lead me up from corruption, O God!

Theotokion: Having given birth unto God Who loveth mankind, O right loving Mistress, entreat Him, that we be delivered from the fire of Gehenna.

With the dew of asceticism thou didst quench the flame of the passions in thy youth, and with the fire of thy blood thou didst reduce all delusion to ashes. And thou didst bring thy precious virginity and valiant suffering to the Word, thy Bridegroom, as a dowry. Wherefore, into the bridal chamber of glory did He lead thee who wast splendidly courageous and didst trample the serpent underfoot, O much-suffering Anastasia. Entreat Christ God, that He grant remission of sins unto those who honor thy holy memory with love.

Irmos: In the furnace the Hebrew children boldly trod the flame underfoot and transformed the fire into dew, crying out: Blessed art Thou, O Lord God, forever!

Theotokion: Through thy mediation, O Mother of God, raise me up who am heavy with the slumber of despondency, and grant that I may not sleep the sleep of death, O Virgin, for I hold thee to be the intercessor and guide of my life.

Emulating Abraham of old, O father Abramius, thou didst depart from thy kinsmen in the flesh, submitting to the calling of our God. Wherefore, having fasted, thou didst show thy soul to be more brilliant than the rays of the sun, O divinely wise and most blessed one.

Irmos: Same as the foregoing.

Theotokion: Having clad Himself in all of man save sin, the Undefiled One issued forth from thy womb as a mortal, O pure one. Him do thou entreat, that He save those who honor thee with faith.

To the path of repentance guide us who have ever strayed into the trackless wastes of evil and have driven away the all-good Lord, O blessed Mary who knewest not wedlock, thou refuge of the desperate and dwelling place of God.

Irmos: Madly did the Chaldæan tyrant heat the furnace sevenfold for the pious ones; but, beholding them saved by a higher Power, he cried out to the Creator and Deliverer: Ye children, bless; ye priests, hymn; ye people, exalt Him supremely for all ages!

Theotokion: Thou alone, O Virgin, gavest birth to One of the Trinity, Who is perceived in two natures and one hypostasis. To Him do we chant: Blessed art Thou, O Lord God, forever!

Or this Stavrotheotokion —

Irmos: Becoming vanquishers of the tyrant and the flame by Thy grace, taking exceeding care to keep Thy commandments, the children cried out: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!

Theotokion: The virgin Anastasia, desiring thee, the pure and unblemished one, kept her body and soul untainted, by patience reducing to ashes the burning of the passions; and having borne the trials of many torments, she now danceth with thee in the mansions of heaven, making merry for ever.

The unblemished Ewe-lamb, beholding the Lamb and Shepherd hanging dead upon the Tree, exclaimed, weeping and crying out maternally: “How can I bear Thy condescension, which is past recounting, and Thy voluntary suffering, O my Son and all-good God?”

Irmos: Heaven was stricken with awe, and the ends of the earth were amazed, that God hath appeared in the flesh, and that thy womb became more spacious than the heavens. Wherefore, the ranks of men and angels magnify thee as the Theotokos.

Theotokion: Thou hast been shown to be the all-holy housing of the Stream of life, and drinking therefrom, we who have been dead inherit life, crying out: Bless the Lord, ye works, and exalt Him above all for ever!

The most iniquitous condemned thee, who from thy youth didst bear the most easy yoke of Christ, O martyr, to bear also a yoke of iron.

Irmos: Saved by thee, O pure Virgin, we confess thee to be in truth the Theotokos, magnifying thee with the incorporeal choirs.

Theotokion: Thy martyr, O Lord, adorned with rays of virginity and wearing the purple vesture of the blood of her torment, in that she knew Thee to have taken flesh of a woman, hath been gloriously brought before Thee, our God Who reignest over creation, in the train of Thy Mother.

With the drops of thy blood thou didst quench the burning coals of polytheism; and with the rays of thy miracles thou didst utterly consume the tinder of the passions.

Theotokion: O right loving Virgin, bless thou my soul which hath been afflicted by sin, and cause me to share in the good things of heaven.

Though he stripped thy body naked, the most wicked one could not strip thee of grace; and he became the cause of thy receiving a most wonderfully woven seamless garment from on high.

Having washed away defilement of soul with the streams of thy tears, thou wast shown to be a divine and honorable habitation of the Spirit, O most blessed father.

As a most true favorite of God, O venerable Abramius, thou didst receive the grace to heal sufferings and to expel unclean spirits.

Thou wast shown to be unconsumed by the material fire, O martyr Anastasia, for the fire of the heart of divine love bedewed thee.

Adorned by blows to thy face, O martyr, thou didst ward off the vile ignorance of the enemy.

Stretched out on the tree, O divinely wise Anastasia, with love thou didst emulate the divine suffering of thy Bridegroom.

Like a fruitful branch didst thou put forth the grapes of the divine virtues, O father Abramius, pouring forth the wine of compunction, dispelling the drunkenness of the passions from men’s souls, and making glad the hearts of the faithful.

Divers temptations did the most wicked serpent raise against thee, O God-bearing father, but thou didst slay him with the sword of the Cross; and by righteous judgment thou didst receive from God a crown of victory, O divinely wise Abramius.

Having become through faith a house of the sanctity of the divine Spirit, O father, thou didst erect a sacred house; and having with thine instructions converted the unhallowed council from unholy deception, thou didst consecrate them all to God.

Wracked with wounds, thy body revealed to Christ our God the uprightness of thy conscience, O athlete.

Thou wast suspended aloft, O right laudable martyr, enduring wounds and preserving thy nobility of soul unharmed.

Lifting thine eyes unto Christ thy Bridegroom, thou didst endure the removal of teeth, hands and feet, O much-suffering martyr.

Finding thee to be a beacon guiding them straight to the paths of life, O God-bearing Abramius, those who were in the darkness of delusion put away the darkness of ignorance and were then revealed as luminous by the divine Faith.

Having vigilantly entreated God, thou sentest the enlightenment of salvation upon those who were stuck fast in the night of the madness of idolatry, O divinely wise Abramius; and through grace thou didst show them all to be children of the light and the day.

Having peacefully reached end of thy life amid a life of threefold tumult, O most blessed Abramius, with godly hopes thou didst pass on and attain unto the calm haven of the heavenly kingdom and divine splendor.

On earth thou wast shown to be an angel in the flesh, and through fasting thou becamest like a planted tree, thriving on the water of asceticism, and washing defilement away with the torrents of thy tears. Wherefore, thou hast been revealed as a divine dwelling of the Spirit, O Abramius.

Ikos: Having spurned corruptible things, thou didst receive incorruptible beauty; and disdaining the pleasures of the flesh, thou didst come to love purity from thy childhood, O wise one. Wherefore, fleeing a worldly bridal chamber, and rejecting a noble spouse and thy parents, thou didst manifestly desire the one, loving God, truly loving Him with all thy soul and heart, O father; for which cause thou hast been revealed as a divine dwelling place of virginity and of purity of spirit, O Abramius.

With the virgins thou dost exult where is the sound of the voices of those who keep festival, O athlete, chanting to God the Creator: Blessed art Thou, O Lord God, forever!

Beholding thy limbs broken and enduring the uprooting of thy nails, thou didst offer thyself to God as a sacrifice, chanting: Blessed art Thou, O Lord God, forever!

Thou wast shown to be like a vine, thy hands and feet pruned like branches, O divinely wise one, pouring forth for us the noetic wine which consoleth our hearts and dispelleth the drunkenness of the passions.

That thou mightest receive the kingdom on high and ineffable glory, O wise one, as one intelligent and knowledgeable thou didst wisely despise downtrodden and corruptible glory.

When the wicked wolf deceitfully tore thy ewe-lamb away, O wise one, thou didst break his jaws; and as a most excellent shepherd thou didst restore her to life.

Obeying the Master’s laws, thou didst seek that which had gone astray, and, having found it, like a shepherd thou didst take it upon thy shoulders, and didst lead it into the fold of repentance.

Having prevailed like a youth, O most laudable athlete, thou didst win a victory over deception; for thou didst endure the cutting away of hands and feet and the removal of thy breasts and teeth, chanting with joy, O martyr: O ye people, exalt Christ above all for ever!

Resplendent as the sun in the radiance of virginity, with the beauty of torment thou didst shine forth and didst illumine the world with the brilliant effulgence of thine endurance, O athlete, crying out: Ye children, bless; ye priests, hymn; ye people, exalt Christ above all for ever!

By thine entreaties, O bride of God, cleanse thou my soul, which hath been defiled by the passions and darkened by the assaults of the serpent of evil, and with thy radiant overshadowing, O martyr Anastasia, illumine it, that I may cry out: Ye priests, hymn; ye people, exalt Christ above all for ever!

The serpent malefactor cast thy pure dove down into the pit of perdition; but thou didst most wisely bring her out, O father, chanting: Bless the Lord, ye works, and exalt Him above all for ever!

As thou didst go about in this life, O father Abramius, so after thine end thou hast been shown by the divine grace of the Spirit to be a physician of the sick, chanting: Bless the Lord, ye works, and exalt Him above all for ever!

Shining forth in guilelessness, righteousness, chastity and faith, O blessed and venerable one, thou wast reckoned among the angels, chanting: Bless the Lord, ye works, and exalt Him above all for ever!

Thou wast suspended upon a tree, bringing to mind the blessed suffering of the Word of God, and thou didst endure the cutting off of thy hands and feet, the uprooting of thy teeth, and the severing of thy tongue and breasts, O pure Anastasia, glory of monastics and adornment of martyrs.

Like a bride wast thou adorned with comeliness, having betrothed thyself to the Bridegroom by sufferings well accomplished, and as one chosen thou makest merry within His splendid chambers, bearing the lamp of virginity. And now thou reignest forever in splendor with Him Who liveth, O Anastasia.

Thy pangs let fall a sweetness which taketh away the bitterness of sin, and thy shrine poureth forth rivers of healings and drowneth all sufferings and cruel afflictions, unto the glory of the Savior Who glorifieth thee as is meet, O honored Anastasia.

Strengthened by Thy Cross, O almighty Christ, women have become brave and have manfully crushed the head of the most subtle foe, O Word of God. And having received a dwelling place of joy in paradise, they have attained wondrous deification, hymning Thee.

O God-bearing father, because of thy hope thou wast counted worthy to behold things which have been longed for from of old, which eye hath not seen, nor ear heard.

Thou hast appeared shining and comely with divine rays of the virtues, O Abramius, and, rejoicing, thou standest before the comely Master.

Thou hast joined thyself to the choirs of the venerable; and having received deification with them, O venerable one, pray thou that we all may be saved.

Honoring thy life and thy sacred repose, O Abramius, the Church doth joyfully establish a day of gladness.