St. Seraphim of Sarov & Forefeast
of Theophany
Beatitude
Verses, on 8: Forefeast 4, from ode 3; Saint 4, from Ode 6
1 &
2. “The Christ hath appeared!” the Forerunner
crieth out, “And He cometh up to the
streams of the Jordan! Let us make haste to greet Him, enlightened
by pure thoughts!”
3. O my God, Thou deliverance of all, having
clothed Thyself in mine abundant poverty,
Thou approachest to be baptized, seeking me who have strayed
from the right path.
4. Let earth and heaven now join chorus, for the
Benefactor of all is baptized,
submerging the multitude of our countless
transgressions in the waters.
5. We are all full of sin, but thy
supplications, O venerable Seraphim, ascend unto the
Lord like fragrant
incense. And we now pray thee: Still
thou the raging tempest of
ungodliness in the land of Russia, and ask of the Lord
salvation for our souls.
6. Truly blessed wast thou, O venerable
Seraphim, having acquired riches through
poverty, and through tears, joy – which thou didst
abundantly bestow upon those who
came to thee.
And now thou dost emit rays of miracles and healest all that have
recourse
unto thee with faith.
7. Having dug with thine own hands a well in the
wilderness, O venerable one, thou
didst give drink unto the thirsty that came unto
thee. And now thou healest the diseases
of the sick with the water therefrom. Truly, the Master hath shown thee forth unto
all as
a miraculous intercessor and wonderworker, O
venerable one.
8. We confess thee to be the Mother of God
indeed, the true Theotokos, for by thy
birthgiving have we been delivered from the curse of
corruption, through the loving-
kindness of God, Who loveth mankind, and have been
called to life incorruptible.
Troparia & Kontakia
Tone
4: Make ready O Zebulon, /
and
prepare thyself, O Naphtali. /
O
River Jordan, stand /
and
leap for joy at receiving the Lord Who cometh to be baptized. /
Rejoice,
O Adam, with our first mother, /
hide not yourselves as in paradise of old. /
For
seeing us naked, He hath appeared, /
that He may clothe us with our first garment. //
Christ
hath appeared wishing to renew the whole of creation.
Tone 4: From thy youth thou didst
love Christ, O blessed one, /
and ardently desiring to work for Him alone /
thou didst struggle in the wilderness with constant
prayer and labor; /
and having acquired love for Christ with compunction of
heart, /
thou didst prove to be the beloved favorite of the
Mother of God. /
Wherefore,
we cry to thee: //
Save
us by thy prayers, O Seraphim, our holy father.
Glory…
Tone 2: Having left the beauty of the
world /
and what is corrupt in it, O Saint, /
thou didst settle in Sarov Monastery. /
And having lived there an angelic life,
/
thou wast for many the way of salvation. /
Wherefore, Christ hath glorified thee, O
Father Seraphim, /
and hath enriched thee with the gift of healing and miracles. /
And so we cry to thee: //
Rejoice, O Seraphim, our holy father.
Both now… Tone 4: In the streams of the Jordan
today /
the
Lord cried to John: /
Be
not afraid to baptize Me, /
for,
I am come to save Adam, //
the
first-fashioned man.
The Epistle
Reader:
The Prokimenon in the 7th
Tone: Precious in the sight of
the Lord is the death of His saints
Choir: Precious
in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints
Reader: What
shall I render unto the Lord for all that He hath rendered unto me?
Choir: Precious
in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints
Reader: Precious
in the sight of the Lord.
Choir: Is the death of His saints
Reader: The Reading is from the Epistle of the Holy Apostle Paul
to the Galatians:
[Gal. 5:22-6:2 (§213)]
Reader: Alleluia in the 8th
Tone.
Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Reader: Blessed is the
man that feareth the Lord; in His commandments shall he greatly
delight.
Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Reader: His seed shall
be mighty upon the earth.
Choir: Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Gospel [Luke 6:17-23 (§24)]
Communion Verse: In everlasting remembrance shall the righteous be; he shall not be
afraid of
evil tidings. Alleluia,
Alleluia, Alleluia!