At Matins

Hymns of Ascent, the First Antiphon of Tone IV.

Glory..., Now and ever..., of the feast—

After the first chanting of the Psalter, this Sessional hymn, in Tone I—

Aflame with divine desire, O venerable ones, ye cried out to Christ as in the psalm: “What have we in heaven save Thee, O God, Thou for Whom we most long, object of our desires? And apart from Thee what have we desired upon earth? We have disdained all earthly things, all corruptible things have we considered but dung, that we might acquire Thee alone, love Thee with all our soul, and serve only Thee!” By their prayers, O Lord, Who lovest mankind, fill our souls with Thy love and save us, in that Thou art compassionate. twice

Or this Theotokion, in the same tone—

At “God is the Lord…”, the troparion of the feast, twice; Glory…, that of the saints; Now & ever…, that of the feast, once.

Glory..., Now and ever..., of the feast—

After the second chanting of the Psalter, this Sessional hymn, in Tone V—

Cry aloud, O David! What hath God sworn unto thee? “That which He hath sworn unto me,” saith he, “hath already been fulfilled! Of the fruit of my loins He hath given me the Virgin, from whom Christ the Creator hath been born: the new Adam, the King Who sitteth on my throne! And He Whose kingdom is invisible reigneth today! A barren woman giveth birth to the Theotokos, the nurturer of our Life!”

Or this Theotokion, in the same tone—

Canon of the feast (as printed in the previous service for this day), with six troparia, including its irmos; and that of the venerable ones, with eight troparia, in Tone IV—

Glory..., Now and ever..., of the feast, or this ­Theotokion, in the same tone—

After the Polyeleos, this Sessional hymn, in Tone IV—

As the most pure temple of the heavenly King wast thou, O all-pure one; and as thou hast maternal boldness before Him, beseech Him to make haste to cleanse our souls from the multitude of our transgressions, and to make of us honored temples to be a dwelling-place for Himself, in His love for mankind. For we are His creations. And though we sin, yet do we not lose hope that we shall be saved, having thee, O Mistress, as a fervent intercessor for us before Him.

At “God is the Lord…”, the troparion of the feast, twice; Glory…, the troparion of the venerable one; Now & ever…, the troparion of the feast, again.

Reading from the Gospel

After the first chanting of the Psalter, this sessional hymn, in Tone I: Spec. Mel.: “When the stone had been sealed…”—

Not the outside of the cup and platter were the venerable ones taught to clean by the words of Christ, but the inner man from sinful passions; for out of the heart do evil thoughts proceed. Wherefore, acquiring purity of heart in quietude, through the exercise of the virtues and by the action of grace, they were revealed as precious vessels of the Holy Spirit. And now, standing before Christ, they send down the inexhaustible grace of healings upon us from on high, and upon all who faithfully honor their radiant memory. twice

After the second chanting of the Psalter, this sessional hymn, in Tone IV: Spec. Mel.: “Thou hast ­appeared…”—

Today is Mary, the divine Maiden, born for us of the root of Jesse and the loins of David. All things rejoice with joy and are renewed. Rejoice together, O heaven and earth! Praise her, ye people of our native land! Joachim maketh merry, and Anna keepeth festival, crying aloud: A barren woman giveth birth to the Theotokos, the nourisher of our Life!

O all-immaculate Virgin, noetic ray which shone forth Christ, the uncreated Sun, upon the world! Stretch forth thy maternal hands in supplication to Him, as thy Son, that He shine upon us sinners with the unwaning light of grace; that, having set aside the works of darkness, we may make our souls to shine with the oil of good works and may be worthy to enter into the bridal chamber with the wise virgins, magnifying thee, O Mistress, for all ages.

Polyeleos, and this magnification—

We bless you, O venerable fathers Sergius and Herman, and we honor your holy memory, O instructors of monks and conversers with the angels.

Selected Psalm verses—

A With patience I waited patiently for the Lord, and He was attentive unto me, and He hearkened unto my supplication. [Ps. 39: 2]

B He set my feet upon a rock, and He ordered my steps aright. [Ps. 39: 3]

A Lo, I have fled afar off and have dwelt in the wilderness. [Ps. 54: 8]

B I am become like a pelican of the wilderness. [Ps. 101: 7]

A I have watched, and am like a sparrow that sitteth alone upon the housetop. [Ps. 101: 8]

B My knees are grown weak through fasting. [Ps. 108: 24]

A And my flesh is changed for want of oil. [Ps. 108: 24]

B With tears will I water my couch. [Ps. 6: 4]

A For many dogs have encircled me, the congregation of evil doers hath surrounded me. [Ps. 21: 17]

B They have bent their bow, a bitter thing. [Ps. 63: 4]

A That they may shoot in secret at the blameless man. [Ps. 63: 4]

B I beheld the Lord ever before me, for He is at my right hand, that I may not be shaken. [Ps. 15: 8]

A All the nations compassed me round about, and by the name of the Lord I warded them off. [Ps. 117: 10]

B Blessed be the Lord Who hath not given us to be a prey to their teeth. [Ps. 123: 6]

A Let all Thy works, O Lord, give praise to Thee. [Ps. 144: 10]

B And let the righteous ones bless Thee. [Ps. 144: 10]

A Know also that the Lord hath made wondrous His righteous one. [Ps. 4: 4]

B He hath labored forever, and shall live to the end. [Ps. 48: 9-10]

A The Lord preserveth the souls of His saints. [Ps. 96: 10]

B The saints shall boast in glory and shall rejoice upon their beds. [Ps. 149: 5]

A Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints. [Ps. 115: 6]

B Chant unto the Lord, O ye saints of His, and give thanks at the remembrance of His holiness. [Ps. 29: 5]

Glory…, Now & ever…

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Glory to Thee, O God! Thrice

Praising the name of the Lord in His divine temple, let us also praise His faithful servants, our all-praised fathers Sergius and Herman, who praised God in their souls and bodies, and with the light of the virtues shone forth as newly revealed stars in the land of Karelia. Wherefore, God hath glorified them in the Kingdom of heaven and hath shown them forth as our helpers who ever pray for our souls. twice

The fulfillment of thy words is seen, O Mistress; for, lo! all generations call thee blessed, and we, thy servants, ever supremely exalt thy name after that of God, and cry out: Rejoice, joy of those who are born on earth! Rejoice, boast of virgins! Rejoice, calm haven for those who are bestormed by the passions! Rejoice, refuge and salvation for the despairing! Rejoice, helper and protection for the faithful! Rejoice, O Mary Theotokos, who alone art blessed among women, who hast given birth to the Life of all!

Prokimenon, in Tone IV—

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.

Stichos: What shall I render unto the Lord for all that He hath rendered unto me?

“Let every breath praise the Lord”

according to St. Matthew (11:27-30).

The Lord said to His disciples: All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light.

After Psalm 50, this sticheron, in Tone VI—

The radiant commemoration of the fathers, like a high-sounding trumpet, doth summon multitudes of the faithful from all nations, and the sound of noetic instruments doth rouse them to praise. Let us therefore praise and exalt in hymns the authors of our joy, our all-praised fathers Sergius and Herman, who now invisibly celebrate and rejoice in spirit with us, and ask of Christ gifts of grace, that He have compassion upon all that celebrate their most honored memory as is meet.

Having been all-gloriously born of a barren womb, thou didst give birth from thy virginal womb in manner past nature; for, manifest as a comely stock, thou didst put forth Life for the world. Wherefore, the hosts of heaven cry out to thee, O Theotokos: Glory to thine issuing forth, O pure one! Glory to thy nativity! Glory to thy virginity, O Mother who knewest not wedlock!

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

Beams of the universal joy of thy nativity have shone forth upon the land, O Mary, Virgin Mother, and have illumined the minds of those who hymn thee with love.

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