Canon of the feast, with 8 troparia, including its irmos, in Tone VIII—

Exapostilarion—

Irmos: Tracing an upright line with his staff, Moses divided the Red Sea for Israel, which was travelling on foot; and striking it a transverse blow, he brought the waters together over the chariots of Pharaoh, thereby inscribing the invincible weapon of the Cross. Wherefore, let us hymn Christ our God, for He hath been glorified.

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

Sessional hymn of the saint, in Tone V: Spec. Mel.: “The Word Who with the Father is unoriginate…”—

Of old, Moses, standing between the priests, prefigured in himself the image of Christ’s most pure sufferings; for, forming a cross with his outstretched arms, he raised up victory, vanquishing the might of the tyrant Amalek. Wherefore, let us hymn Christ our God, for He hath been glorified.

Theotokion: The prophecies concerning thee have now been fulfilled, O Mistress Theotokos; for they spake with clarion voice of Him Whom thou didst contain within thy womb, Who doth exist in two perfect natures.

Irmos: Come, ye people, let us chant a hymn to Christ God, Who divided the sea and guided the people whom He had led forth from the bondage of Egypt, for He hath been glorified.

Kontakion of the feast, in Tone IV—

Glory…, Now & ever…: sessional hymn of the feast, in the same tone & melody—

Upon a pole did Moses set the cure of the deadly and venomous sting of the serpents, and the deliverance therefrom; for to the tree, in the image of the Cross, he bound a serpent which crawleth upon the ground, triumphing over the sinister bane therein. Wherefore, let us hymn Christ God, for He hath been glorified.

Theotokion: O Mary, thou golden censer, drive away the fœtid stench of my passions, and render me unshaken by the assaults of the deceitful adversary.

Irmos: The rod of Aaron is taken to be an image of the mystery, for by its budding forth it chose one priest over others; and for the Church, which before was barren, the Tree of the Cross hath now budded forth, for her might and confirmation.

The sky showed forth the victory of the Cross to the divinely wise Emperor Constantine, the pious ruler; and therein the audacity of the hostile foe was cast down, delusion was destroyed and the divine Faith spread to the ends of the earth. Wherefore let us hymn Christ our God, for He hath been glorified.

Theotokion: Of old, sacred voices proclaimed the profundity of thy birthgiving, O pure one, and we have now beheld the fulfillment thereof.

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.

Canon of the Saint, the acrostic whereof is: “By thy supplications, O blessed one, render Christ well-disposed to me”, the composition of Joseph, in Tone II—

Theotokion: Thou gavest birth to the preëternal Son as a little Babe, Who existeth in two activities of will, both of man and of God, O most immaculate one.

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

In that Christ hearkeneth to thy godly prayers, O divinely wise Eumenius, render Him kindly ­disposed toward those who praise thee with love, O blessed one.

Theotokion: The heavenly Rain descended upon thee, O Ever-virgin, and, watering the stony soil with the waters of the knowledge of God, He hath shown it to be greatly fertile.

Irmos: I have heard report of Thy dispensation, O Lord, and have glorified Thee Who alone lovest mankind.

Enamored from thy youth of humility, which accomplisheth lofty things, O venerable one, thou didst lay low the serpent and wast manifestly enriched with the gift of healing.

Theotokion: Thy womb was the habitation of the immaterial Light Who set ungodliness at nought with the splendors of divine knowledge, O all-pure Maiden Bride of God. To thee do we cry out, chanting: Blessed is the Fruit of thy womb!

Irmos: O thrice-blessed Tree, whereon Christ, our King and Lord, was crucified, and whereby he who beguiled mankind by the tree did fall, when God was nailed in the flesh, Who granteth peace to our souls!

Thou wast the particular instrument of the Spirit, through much fasting causing the wisdom of the flesh to become subject to thy soul, enslaving that which is worse to that which is higher.

Theotokion: The most sacred and honorable choir of the prophets wrote of thee beforehand as the ark, the unquarried mountain, the staff, and the portal through which the Most High passed, as is known, leaving thee shut again, O Virgin.

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.

The rough stone, struck, put forth water for a disobedient and hardhearted people, and showed forth the mystery of the divinely elect Church, whereof the Cross is the might and confirmation.

Theotokion: Thou dost bear Him Who upholdeth all things in His divine power, and dost feed at thy breast Him Who nourisheth every creature, O most pure one. The wonder of thee, which passeth understanding, amazeth angels and men, who ever hymn and bless thee with love.

Irmos: Stretching forth his arms in the form of the Cross in the belly of the sea monster, Jonah clearly prefigured the saving passion. And issuing forth after three days, he foreshadowed the transcendent resurrection of Christ God, Who was nailed in the flesh and hath enlightened the world by His rising on the third day.

When Christ’s all-pure side was pierced by the spear, blood and water flowed therefrom, renewing the covenant and washing sin away, for the Cross is the boast of the faithful, the might and confirmation of kings.

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!

Like a bee thou didst diligently make the rounds of the noetic flowers, O hierarch, gathering sweet honey and laying it up in the honey-combs of thy heart.

Irmos: The mad command of the ungodly tyrant, breathing forth threats and blasphemy hateful to God, cast the people into confusion. Yet the three youths feared not the fury of the wild beasts, nor the raging blaze; but in the midst of the fire, when the dew-bearing wind blew upon it, they sang: O all-hymned God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

Having made thy life and discourse pure by the salt of God, O glorious Eumenius, thou showest forth thy perfect grace and splendor.

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!

Adorned with the virtues, thou didst ascend on high and didst mount to the throne of the Most High, anointed with the myrrh of the divine Spirit; and thou art known to be the sweet fragrance of Christ.

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!

Illumined with divine light, thou dost enlighten us who hymn thine honored, glorious and holy repose with love, O most blessed and holy hierarch, father Eumenius, unceasingly praying for us all.

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!

Resplendent with Orthodox doctrines, O father Eumenius, thou didst set at nought all dark heresies; and having been shown to be a performer of miracles, thou didst become famous everywhere through the providence of God. Wherefore, with faith we honor thee as a hierarch and peer of the angels.

Irmos: O Theotokos, thou art a mystical garden of paradise, which, untilled, didst put forth Christ, by Whom the life-bearing Tree of the Cross was planted. Wherefore, worshipping it as it is now raised aloft, we magnify thee.

Enduring the Cross on the counsel of Thy will, thou hast freed men from corruption, O Savior. And we, the faithful, hymn and worship Thee, in that Thou hast enlightened us with the power of the Cross; and we all bless Thee as the Lord and Bestower of life, O Compassionate One Who lovest mankind.

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.

Of old, Moses transformed with a tree the bitter springs in the desert, showing forth the conversion of the gentiles to piety through the Cross.

Jordan, having hidden in its depths an axe-head, gave it forth again through the power of a stick, signifying the cutting off of deception by the Cross and baptism.

In a sacred manner did the people encamp in four divisions; and preceding in this fashion the tabernacle of the witness, they were glorified in the cross-like formation of their ranks.

Wondrously stretched forth, the Cross emitted rays like the sun’s, and the heavens declared the glory of our God.

Thou wast a dwelling-place of the Spirit, O hierarch, sojourning in the temples of God and adorning thyself with precious doctrines.

As a hierarch pleasing to God and prelate of Gortyna, O wise father, thou didst emit beams of miracles.

The great gaping maw of the serpent who assailed thee didst thou burn with the rays of thy prayers, O most sacred one.

O ever-hymned Tree, whereon Christ was stretched: the whirling sword which guarded Eden stood in awe of thee, O Cross, and the dread cherubim withdrew, when Christ was nailed to thee, Who granteth peace unto our souls.

The adverse powers of the netherworld are stricken with fear when the sign of the Cross is traced in the air in which they live, as are the generations of the earthborn and the heavenly, who bend the knee to Christ, Who granteth peace unto our souls.

Having shone forth a divine light and revealed itself in rays of incorruption unto the benighted gentiles astray in error, the divine Cross acquireth them for Christ Who was nailed thereto, and granteth peace unto our souls.

Thou didst possess understanding, having calmed thy mind and soul which were beset by the passions; wherefore, thou dost pacify the disputes of those who reigned piously and submitted well to thee.

Having gained the ear of kings, O faithful one, thou didst end their long-standing enmity, which engendereth destruction, and they came to love fraternal oneness of mind, O divinely wise Eumenius.

Arriving like a luminary, thou didst illumine Rome, working miracles and manifestly summoning those who were sunk in the abyss of the passions to the calm haven of healing, O blessed one.

Bent with age and weighed down with infirmity, Jacob drew himself up when he crossed his arms, showing forth the power of the life-bearing Cross; for God Who was nailed in the flesh hath set aright the obsolescence of the law of the Scripture which was written in shadows, and hath dispelled the soul-destroying disease of deception.

Divine Israel, laying his hands cross-wise upon the heads of the young, revealed that the people who hath the honor of being the elder is a slave to the law. Wherefore, when suspected of erring in so doing, he did not alter the life-bearing image, for, he said, protected by the Cross, the newly established people of Christ God surpass them.

Having Christ in thy heart as an active and inexhaustible treasure, O Eumenius, thou didst transform into gold the clay which the king gave to thee.

Thou hast sat upon a lofty seat, O father, sending down upon the Church words of peace from on high; and it now boasteth in thy summons.

Unsodden by sin, thou didst sail through the greatly painful storm of life and didst attain unto the havens where the assembly of the venerable rejoiceth.

O Thou Who wast lifted up willingly upon the Cross, bestow Thy compassions upon the new community called after Thee, O Christ God; gladden by Thy power Orthodox Christians, granting them victory over all adversaries. May they have as an ally the invincible trophy, the weapon of peace.

Ikos: He who was caught up to the third heaven of paradise and heard unspeakable and divine words which the human tongue cannot utter, what writeth he to the Galatians, which, as lovers of the Scriptures, ye have both read and come to understand?—God forbid, saith he, that I should glory, save only in the Cross of the Lord,—whereon having suffered He slew the passions. Let us all then firmly hold this boast, the Cross of the Lord; for this Wood is our salvation, the invincible trophy, the weapon of peace!

The first man, tasting of the tree, made his abode in corruption; for, having condemned himself by an inglorious rejection of life, he imparted a certain taint as a corruption to the whole race. But we mortals, gaining utterance through the tree of the Cross, cry out: O all-hymned God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

Disobedience violated the commandment of God, and the tree brought death to man by its being partaken of unseasonably, for, for the preservation of that which is most precious, the tree of life was forbidden; but God disclosed it to the hapless thief who cried out rightly: O all-hymned God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

Israel, foreseeing things to come, laid hold of the tip of Joseph’s staff, revealing beforehand that the most glorious Cross would seize the power of the kingdom, for it is the victorious boast of kings and a light for those who cry out with faith: O all-hymned God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

Besting deadly thoughts by zeal of soul, O venerable Eumenius, in profound old age thou didst make a journey to benefit those who with faith accepted thee as a sower of sacred and ­precious doctrines.

Having enjoyed thy goodly deeds, O father Eumenius, Rome sent thee to the Thebaïd as a lovely gift though thou wast loath to go. There thou didst restrain the affliction of drought by the rain of thy precious prayers, O venerable one.

Feeding at the breasts of abstinence, thou didst suck forth the milk of purity and didst reach the measure of maturity, attaining the heights of the virtues and shining forth more brightly than the sun with divine signs, upon those held fast by the night of the passions.

O hosts of heaven, chant ye to the exalted Tree which was drenched in the blood of God the Word incarnate, celebrating the restoration of those on earth. Ye people, worship the Cross of Christ, whereby the resurrection of the world is accomplished forever!

O ye mortal stewards of grace, in sacred manner raise on high with your hands the Cross whereon Christ God stood and the spear which pierced the body of God the Word, that all the nations may see the salvation which is of God, glorifying Him forever!

O faithful Christian kings, forechosen by divine decree, be ye glad! And having received from God the precious Cross, rejoice in it, the weapon of victory, for thereby tribes of warriors seeking courage are scattered abroad forever.

Having vanquished the enemy and finished the good race, in the most profound old age thou didst pass on to thy fathers, like a ripe grain of wheat, receiving thine end in a strange land.

The children of the Thebaïd, in nowise mindful of thy good works, generously dispatched thy sacred relics, which they held, to thy homeland and flock; and at their return they poured forth the grace of miracles.

Before, Raxus once held the precious and much-suffering body of Cyril, O wise one, and now it likewise hideth thine, thou having joined those who lived in the same wisdom, whom the heavenly homeland holdeth forever.

Let all the trees of the forests rejoice, for their nature hath been sanctified by Him Who planted them in the beginning—Christ Who was stretched out upon the Tree. Wherefore, worshipping it as it is now raised aloft, we magnify thee, O Theotokos.

A sacred horn hath been lifted up, the chief horn for all the divinely wise: the Cross, whereby all the horns of the sinful are noetically broken asunder. Wherefore, worshipping it as it is now raised aloft, we magnify thee, O Theotokos.

As a hierarch of Christ thou didst pass wondrously from power to power, O father, where the most sacred choirs, with all the heavenly hosts, minister unto the worshipful Trinity in fear, O most blessed Eumenius.

Quell thou the present tempest which assaileth thy homeland, moving the Godhead to mercy by thy supplications, O blessed one; stem the invasion of barbarians which oppresseth us, a trial brought by the devil, which impelleth us toward the abyss of destruction, O ever-memorable Eumenius.

Thy most sacred memory summoneth venerable pastors and pious people, bearing sanctification for all; and with the splendors of the grace with abideth in thee doth it richly illumine us who celebrate it, O most lauded Eumenius.

With splendors of bright radiance and divine desire the Cross of the Lord, which lieth before us, doth summon all to its elevation. Come ye all, and with joy, love and fear let us kiss it with faith and glorify the one Creator and Master!

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

At the aposticha, these stichera, in Tone II: Spec. Mel.: “O house of Ephratha…”—

With mystic hymns let us together hymn the Cross of the Lord, on which the Savior, the Resurrection of all, was crucified.

Stichos: Exalt ye the Lord our God, and worship the footstool of His feet, for it is holy.

Come, ye multitudes of monastics, and, assembling, let us hymn in manner divine the life-bearing Tree, whereon Christ was stretched out.

Stichos: God is our King before the ages, He hath wrought salvation in the midst of the earth.

O ye faithful, let us glorify the Cross of the Lord, whereon the blood of the Master was poured forth unto the deliverance of all.

Glory…, Now & ever…, in Tone IV—

O Cross, thou didst show forth thine image beforehand, radiant with the light of the stars, to the great and pious emperor as a token of victory. And his mother Helena, finding thee, revealed thee to the world. Today we, the choirs of the faithful, elevating thee, cry out: Illumine us with thy splendor, O life-bearing Cross! Sanctify us with thy might, O most precious Cross! And establish us in thine elevation, O thou who art wielded against the array of the enemy!