Presanctified Liturgy:
Friday in the 4th Week
St. Theophanes the Confessor
of Sigriane
Tone
7:
My
soul’s dignity I have enslaved to the passions; /
I
am become like the beasts, /
and
have no power to lift mine eyes to Thee, Most High. /
But
with my head bowed like the publican, /
I
pray to Thee, O Christ, and cry aloud: //
God
be merciful to me and save me.
Twice
Tone
7:
Glory
be to Thee, O Christ our God, /
boast
of the apostles, joy of the martyrs, //
whose
preaching was the consubstantial Trinity.
O
holy martyrs, /
who
have fought the good fight and received your crowns, //
pray
to the Lord for mercy on our souls.
Despising
every earthly thing, O holy martyrs, /
and
bravely preaching Christ in the arena, /
ye
received from Him the due reward for all your sufferings. /
Since
He is almighty God /
and
ye have boldness in His presence, /
to
you we run for help; /
we
entreat you, pray to Him //
for
the salvation of our souls.
O
martyrs worthy of all praise, /
sheep
of Christ’s spiritual flock, /
ye
are a living offering /
and
a sacrifice acceptable and pleasing to the Lord. /
Earth
did not cover you, but heaven has received you. /
Ye
have become companions of the angels: /
we
entreat you, pray with them to God our Savior, /
that
peace be given to the world, //
and
salvation to our souls.
Tone
8 (Special Melody: “O most glorious wonder…”):
O
divinely wise father Theophanes, /
called
the namesake of the Theophany of Christ, /
thou
didst follow in His life-bearing steps, /
and
didst forsake all the beauties of life, /
directing
thy gaze towards Him /
Whom
thou didst desire, O thou of great renown, /
being
deified by beauty /
and
divine inclinations towards Him //
and
excellent perfections. Twice
O
divinely wise father Theophanes, /
abiding
in affliction of flesh, /
thou
didst steadfastly endure bitter exiles, /
taking
no pity on thy body, /
for
the sake of the precious icons, O all-praised one, /
banished
by the wrath of Leo; /
and
mocking him thou didst make foolish /
his
counsels and his vain thoughts //
and
his pernicious mind.
Truly
the Bestower of good things /
hath
richly granted /
to
thee rewards for thy pangs: /
to
expel demons and to heal afflictions, /
imparting
power, O most blessed one, /
and
vouchsafing thee ineffable joys /
where
the angelic ranks hold chorus, /
gazing
continually //
upon
the countenance of the Almighty.
Glory…
Tone 7:
O
Life-giver and Savior, /
give
rest to our brethren /
whom
Thou hast taken from this temporary life, /
for
unto Thee they cry: //
O
Lord, glory to Thee.
Both
now… Tone 7:
Thou hast been known to have
become a Mother /
in supernatural manner, O
Theotokos, /
and hast remained a Virgin /
in manner past recounting and
understanding; /
and no tongue can describe
the wonder of thy birthgiving. /
For as thy conceiving is
all-glorious, /
so is the manner of thy
birthgiving beyond comprehension; /
for where God so willeth, the order of nature is over-ruled. /
Wherefore, knowing thee to be
the Mother of God, /
we all earnestly entreat
thee: //
Pray thou that our souls be
saved!
Tone
4: O
Shepherd of Israel, attend, * Thou that leadest
Joseph like a sheep.
Stichos:
Thou
that sittest on the cherubim, manifest Thyself.
Lesson:
Genesis 12:1-7
Tone
4: Rejoice
* in God our helper.