The 17th Day of the MONTH OF APRIL
Commemoration of the Holy Hieromartyr Symeon,
Bishop of Persia
Commemoration of Our Father Among the Saints,
Acacius, Bishop of Melitene
AT VESPERS
On “Lord, I have cried…”, 6 stichera: 3 of the hieromartyr, in Tone IV: Spec. Mel.: “Thou hast given a sign…”—
More radiantly luminous than the sun, thy memory hath shone forth upon the faithful, enlightening creation of divine splendors, O most blessed Symeon, and dispelling the gloom of the passions and the darkness of the demons. Wherefore, we call thee blessed and prayerfully hymn thee as a beacon for the whole world and a fervent intercessor.
O wise martyr, having acquired heavenly things through the things of earth, and permanent things through that which is transitory, rejoicing, thou didst receive incorrupt glory through corruptible things, and patiently, through tortures and wounds for the Word of God, thou didst obtain crowns and the kingdom, wherein, rejoicing, O glorious one, with those who suffered with thee, pray thou for all who praise thee with faith.
The shafts of thy words wounded the assemblies of the iniquitous, O martyr Symeon; for which cause the clouds of heaven lifted up their voice and the choirs of the incorporeal ones came together in joy, marveling at the patience of thy struggles. Wherefore, rejoicing, we honor with faith thy holy repose, glorifying the Savior.
And 3 stichera of the holy hierarch, in Tone VIII: Spec. Mel.: “O all-glorious wonder…”—
As a right acceptable hierarch, thou beholdest the noetic tabernacles and hast been vouchsafed to see never-waning and heavenly sights, arrayed in holiness, clad in righteousness and magnificence; and, face to face, O blessed one, thou beholdest the beauty of noetic things.
O venerable father Acacius, furnishing thy mind with wings to fly to God with faith, thou didst disdain the disorderly state of the world and, taking up thy cross, thou didst follow after Him Who beholdeth all things, enslaving to thy mind the intemperance of thy body through feats of asceticism, by the power of the divine Spirit.
Shown to be a partisan of the godly Council, preëminent with Cyril, O Acacius, thou didst commit the wicked Nestorius to damnation, denouncing his mindlessness, O blessed one, and putting his vanity to shame with spiritual discourse. Wherefore, every soul calleth thee blessed, celebrating with faith thy divine memory.
Glory…, Now & ever…: Theotokion, in the same tone & melody—
Save me, O all-pure Mistress, who ineffably gavest birth to Christ the Savior, for thee alone have I acquired as an intercessor, mine insuperable rampart, my protection and joy, the divine consolation of my soul. Wherefore, deliver me from the worm that sleepeth not and from everlasting fire, O Mother of Christ God.
Stavrotheotokion—
Beholding Thee crucified upon the Cross, O Jesus, accepting suffering willingly, Thy Virgin Mother cried out: “Woe is me, O Master, my sweet Child! How is it that Thou dost unjustly endure wounds, O Physician Who hast healed the weakness of men and delivered all from corruption by Thy loving-kindness?”
AT MATINS
Canon from the Pentecostarion, with 6 troparia, including the irmos; and two canons for the saints, with 8 troparia.
Ode I
Canon of the hieromartyr, the acrostic whereof is: “With hymnody I crown thee, the blessed Symeon”, the composition of Joseph, in Tone V—
Irmos: Bringing battles to nought with His upraised arm, Christ hath overthrown horse and rider in the Red Sea, and hath saved Israel, who chanteth a hymn of victory.
Arrayed in a crown of incorruption, and standing before the throne of the Lord, O blessed one, by thy supplications ever save those who with faith honor thy holy suffering.
Thou wast shown to be a precious vessel of the divine Spirit, O God-bearing and blessed Symeon, and having been anointed therefrom thou didst shepherd the rich with the staff of divine teachings by the water of understanding.
Thou didst stop the flow of falsehood with the divine torrents of thy sweet discourse and the drops of thy blood, O wise and glorious hierarch; wherefore, we hymn thee with faith.
Theotokion: Thou bearest in thine arms Him Who holdeth all things, O Virgin, and thou feedest with milk, as if He were an infant, the Giver of milk. Wherefore, beseech Him that He take pity upon all thy people who hymn thee with faith.
Canon of the holy hierarch, the composition of Joseph, in Tone VIII—
Irmos: That which had been hewn down cut through the undivided, and the sun saw land which it had not seen before; the water engulfed the cruel enemy, and Israel traversed the impassable, and chanted the hymn: Let us sing to the Lord, for gloriously is He glorified!
Vanquish all the malice of the serpent, in that thou didst live in innocence of soul, O wise Acacius: rescue me from malice and deadly passions, and enrich me with good examples, that I may praise thee who fought the good fight.
All-splendid Melitene produced thee as a comely offshoot, O great Acacius, bringing forth sweet fruits which delight the hearts of the faithful more than honey, and dispelling the soul-corrupting bitterness of the passions with divine grace, O venerable one.
The offspring of thy parents, like the sacred Samuel thou wast offered to God, given over to Him from earliest infancy to be reared in the house of sanctity and to minister to God Almighty Who hath illumined thy soul with divine actions.
Theotokion: O all-hymned and pure one, who ineffably gavest flesh unto God and with Him hast reconciled us who have fallen away, by the suffering of thy Son heal, I pray thee, the passions of my heart, and save me who ever chant: Gloriously hath He been glorified!
Ode III
Canon of the Hieromartyr
Irmos: O Christ Who by Thy command fixed the earth upon naught and suspended its weight unsupported: establish Thou Thy Church upon the immovable rock of Thy commandments, O Thou Who alone art good and lovest mankind.
Beautifully accomplishing the movements of thy soul, and treading the path which leadeth to God, thou didst avoid all the trackless wastes of the evil one, and wast taken up to the portal of life, of everlasting rest.
Withdrawing thy thoughts from carnal passions, O father, thou didst offer up unbloody sacrifices to the Word Who was sacrificed for our sake; and proclaiming His divine incarnation which passeth recounting, thou wast slain like an innocent lamb.
Having passed thy life in holiness, O thou who art most rich, thou hast now made thine abode with the saints, having illumined thy soul and sufferings and shone forth more brightly than the sun, O blessed one, becoming a child of the Light.
Theotokion: Thou hast freed us from the curse of our first parents, having given flesh to the Word Who hath crowned all with blessings, O pure and ever blessed one, thou adornment of passion-bearers and cleansing of the sinful.
Canon of the Holy Hierarch
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.
Thou didst submit to the law of the Author of life, O venerable one, and with all thy soul didst hate all deadly iniquity.
O wise one, the Holy Spirit ordained as a priest thee, who had become radiant through thy spiritual activities.
O wise one, like a river thy tongue hath poured forth doctrine which drieth up the turbulent torrent of falsehood with divine power.
Theotokion: O pure one, thou impassable gate, open unto me the doors of repentance and guide me to the right paths.
Sessional hymn of the hieromartyr, in Tone I: Spec. Mel.: “Thy tomb, O Savior…”—
Like the sun hath the holy memory of thee and those who suffered with thee shone forth upon us, O wise hierarch Symeon, illumining the faithful; and celebrating it today, we cry aloud: O passion-bearers, in our behalf entreat Him Who alone loveth mankind.
Glory…: Sessional hymn of the holy hierarch, in Tone III: Spec. Mel.: “Of the divine Faith…”—
Adorned with confession, O God-bearer, rejoicing, thou didst receive the crown of victory from the Lord for thine abstinence; and thou didst denounce all the vainglory of heresies with thy divine precepts. O venerable father, entreat Christ God, that He grant us great mercy.
Now & ever…: Theotokion—
Without separating Himself from the divine Essence when He took flesh in thy womb, the one Lord remained God though He became man; and even after thy birthgiving He preserved thee, His Virgin Mother, as immaculate as thou wast before giving birth. Him do thou earnestly beseech, that He grant us great mercy.
Stavrotheotokion—
The unblemished Ewe-lamb of the Word, the incorrupt Virgin Mother, beholding Him Who sprang forth from her without pain suspended upon the Cross, cried out, lamenting maternally: “Woe is me, O my Child! How is it that Thou dost suffer willingly, desiring to deliver man from the indignity of the passions?”
Ode IV
Canon of the Hieromartyr
Irmos: Perceiving Thy divine condescension prophetically, O Christ, Habbakuk cried out to Thee with trembling: Thou art come for the salvation of Thy people, to save Thine anointed ones!
Led forth, bound, thou didst loose the tangled webs of the evil one, O initiate of sacred mysteries who art most rich; and having suffered valiantly, thou didst receive crowns of incorruption.
With the darts of thy words, O hieromartyr Symeon, thou didst wound the assemblies of the iniquitous, and with the fire of thy blood thou didst consume the falsehood of polytheism.
Let us form choirs, blessing the God-bearing Symeon and the glorious Ananius, and the martyrs who, like them, suffered manfully.
Theotokion: The Sun of righteousness, shining forth from thee in manner past understanding, hath illumined the whole world, O divinely joyous maiden, and brought an end to the winter of falsehood.
Canon of the Hierarch
Irmos: I have heard, O Lord, the mystery of Thy dispensation; I have understood Thy works, and have glorified Thy divinity.
Thou wast an emulator of the divine apostles, O father Acacius; for thou wast enriched with their authority to bind and to loose.
Thou wast an instrument of the Spirit, sounding forth the doctrines of salvation, O father, and destroying the mad deception of the mindless Nestorius.
By thine all-radiant prayer thou gavest rain to the earth, O blessed father, and didst water the furrows thereof which had long been dry.
Thy cheeks which wafted forth the precepts of God upon the faithful and dispelled fœtid falsehood, have been adorned, O venerable one.
Theotokion: Enliven me who am slain, and quickly turn me back who am lost, in that thou art the unerring path and guide of all, O Mistress.
Ode V
Canon of the Hieromartyr
Irmos: O Thou Who art clothed in light as with a garment: I rise at dawn unto Thee, and to Thee do I cry: enlighten Thou my gloom-enshrouded soul, O Christ, in that Thou alone art compassionate!
As thou hast been shown by thy suffering to be the pillar and ground of the Church of God, O all-blessed one, by thy mediations preserve it unbowed and unshaken forever.
With hymns we bless thy life, thy persecutions and opposition, for which thou wast vouchsafed a blessed end, O Symeon most rich.
As a shepherd anointed with divine myrrh, O blessed one, thou wast slain for thy flock like an excellent lamb, and thou hast gladdened the firstborn of the Church.
Theotokion: O Mistress, at the hour of judgment let me find thee rescuing me from condemnation and let me be delivered, faithfully glorifying thee, from the torments which await me.
Canon of the Holy Hierarch
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.
Thy life was shown to be wonderful, for, replete with the gifts of the divine Spirit, by thy supplication thou didst stop the uncontrollable onrushing of the river, O holy hierarch Acacius, setting a rock to mark its limit.
Among the Council thou wast, with the divine Cyril, a godly champion of the sacred precepts of the fathers, O blessed one, confessing the pure Virgin to be the Mother of God and vanquishing the deceitful Nestorius.
Thy discourse was recognized by the people of Melitene to be sweeter than honey, delighting their souls with sacred confessions and revealing the bitterness of sin, O right wondrous father Acacius.
Theotokion: The Transcendent One, Who alone loveth mankind, without in anywise leaving the bosom of the Father, was seen to be held as a babe in thy womb, O Virgin, clothing Himself in my great poverty through the richness of His loving-kindness.
Ode VI
Canon of the Hieromartyr
Irmos: O Christ Master, still Thou the sea of the passions which rageth with a soul-destroying tempest, and lead me up from corruption, in that Thou art compassionate.
Thou hast been shown to be full of divine consolation, O blessed Symeon, having received thine end by the sword with the holy martyrs who suffered splendidly.
Young men and elders, monks and priests, moved to fight the good fight for Christ, were slaughtered like lambs.
Having lived a blessed life, ye received a blessed end from Christ, and, rejoicing, ye met your end by the sword.
Theotokion: The Creator shone forth from thee, O all-holy one, and with the radiance of divine understanding hath illumined those who are in the night of ignorance.
Canon of the Holy Hierarch
Irmos: Cleanse me, O Savior, for many are my transgressions; and lead me up from the abyss of evils, I pray, for to Thee have I cried, and Thou hast hearkened to me, O God of my salvation.
Thou didst erect an honored temple to the pure Mother of God, O sacred Acacius, having first made thyself a temple of His Spirit; and when thou didst consecrate it, thou didst show forth a river of miracles.
Thou didst utter holy cries to thy flock, sounding far more melodious than the lark, O Acacius; and having received the law of thy tongue, they preserved it unadulterated.
When the emperor beheld thee approaching like a servant, he fulfilled thy petitions; for he recognized thee as a right wondrous favorite of the heavenly King, O God-bearing father.
Theotokion: By thy mercy, O pure one, heal, I pray, the flights of my mind and the uprisings of my heart, and from besetting sin deliver me who with faith call thee blessed.
Kontakion & Ikos from the Pentecostarion.
Ode VII
Canon of the Hieromartyr
Irmos: The supremely exalted Lord of our fathers quenched the flame and bedewed the children, who sang together: Blessed art Thou, O God!
Showing forth a beacon of understanding, thou wast recognized as a light for those who sleep in the darkness of ignorance, O venerable one, and, suffering all-gloriously, didst dispel the darkness of those who worshipped fire.
Thou wast shown to be the leader among the company of martyrs, O God-bearing Symeon, and, meeting thine end with them through the sword, thou didst cry: Blessed art Thou, O God!
Let us honor the assembly of the many martyrs honorably gathered together from divers cities: the sacred performers of the mysteries of God and the God-bearing monks.
Theotokion: Heal thou the sufferings of my heart, O all-immaculate one, put an end to the stormy turmoil of my mind, and save me who chant: Blessed art Thou, O God!
Canon of the Holy Hierarch
Irmos: Once, in Babylon, the youths who had come forth from Judæa trod down the flame of the furnace with their faith in the Trinity, chanting: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!
Adorned with perfect mercy, thou wast kind to the poor, O father, and wast known to be health for all the sick and a mediator for those who chant: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!
Beholding gad-flies afflicting the sick, O father Acacius, thou didst drive them away, and didst command them never to plague them again, chanting: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!
Like a ripe cluster of grapes, thou hast poured forth upon us the wine of understanding, which gladdeneth men’s hearts with great understanding, commanding us to cry: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!
Theotokion: All of us, thy servants, O thou who art full of the grace of God, ever hymn thee as the cause of our salvation, and we bless thee with faith, saying: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!
Ode VIII
Canon of the Hieromartyr
Irmos: The children, forming a universal chorus in the furnace, chanted to Thee, the Creator of all: Hymn the Lord, all ye works, and exalt Him supremely for all ages!
Showing thyself to be a noetic coal, O all-blessed Symeon, thou didst not worship fire, but, consuming the bitter tinder of polytheism, O venerable one, thou didst pass over to never-waning radiance.
Heal thou our infirmities, O martyr, drive away the gloom of our hearts, and by thy mediations before the Master of all show us to be partakers of life everlasting.
We hymn the assembly of godly, the honored army of the hundred, of which the valiant Symeon was captain, as the shepherd and great pillar of the Church.
Theotokion: The bush which was seen to be unconsumed showed forth thy precious birthgiving, O all-holy one; for, having received the divine Fire in thy womb, thou wast in nowise consumed. Wherefore, we hymn thee.
Canon of the Holy Hierarch
Irmos: Trampling down the fire and flame in the furnace, the divinely eloquent youths did chant: Bless the Lord, O ye works of the Lord!
With the choirs on high and all the saints, O father, entreat the all-holy Lord, that He sanctify and save us.
With thy quiet voice thou didst rebuke the frogs, which were croaking loudly, that they not lift up their voices, and didst show them to remain mute, O Acacius.
Having written discourses against Nestorius who uttered foolishness, O blessed one, thou didst establish the Church like a precious stone upon the rock of the unadulterated Faith.
Triadicon: With the heavenly ranks let us cry out with faith to the Trinity: Holy, Holy, Holy are the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit!
Theotokion: As thou art a well-spring of incorruption, O Maiden, vouchsafe thy healing unto me who have grown corrupt through the manifold inundations of sin.
Ode IX
Canon of the Hieromartyr
Irmos: Rejoice, O Isaiah! The Virgin hath conceived in her womb and borne a Son, Immanuel, both God and man. Orient is His name; and, magnifying Him, we call the Virgin blessed.
Thou didst offer thyself to the King of all as pleasing incense, as a sacred immolation, as an acceptable and all-comely sacrifice, as myrrh, and an oblation, as a fragrant rose, O right wondrous and holy hierarch.
As the confirmation of all the faithful, O holy hierarch, thou wast slaughtered like a lamb, and hast passed over to the noetic kingdom, where thou standest before the King and God of all, shining with divine glory, O blessed one.
The holy memory of thee and those who were martyred with thee hath shone forth upon us today like a great sun, O wise Symeon. With them ask that Christ grant us grace, mercy and deliverance from offenses.
Theotokion: O all-pure Mother of God, with radiant effulgence illumine my mind which is stuck fast in the darkness of grievous ignorance, that, having obtained divine enlightenment, I may declare thy mighty works, O Ever-virgin.
Canon of the Holy Hierarch
Irmos: Thou didst transcend the laws of nature, conceiving the Creator and Lord, and didst become a portal of salvation for the world. Wherefore, we magnify thee unceasingly, O Theotokos.
By thy mighty supplication, O father, thou didst open the rainless skies, and didst compel a rock to pour forth water all-gloriously, unto the glory of the Savior Who glorified thee, O Acacius.
Like a great sun thou didst shine forth from Melitene in the splendor of thy discourses, emitting the effulgence of miracles and illumining those who piously call thee blessed, O Acacius.
Adorned with the wisdom of discourses and the radiance of many healings, O Acacius, and shining with the beauties of thy hierarchal rank, thou didst pass from the things of this earth to heavenly delight.
Today thy divine memory summoneth those on earth to hymn thy pangs, thy struggles and corrections, O all-blessed Acacius, enlightener of our hearts.
Theotokion: Thou wast truly shown to be the dwelling-place of the beauteous Light Who hath illumined all things, O most hymned Virgin; wherefore, enlighten me who am benighted by wickedness, that I may magnify thee with faith.