Also On The 1st Day Of The Month Of October

Commemoration Of The Holy Apostle

Ananias Of The Seventy

Commemoration Of Our Venerable Father

Romanus The Melodist

At Vespers

On “Lord, I have cried…”, 6 stichera: 3 for the apostle, in Tone IV: Spec. Mel.: “Called from on high…” —

When, at the behest of the Most High, Saul was blinded and stuck fast in darkness, he came unto thee, begging divine cleansing, O thou who hadst received divine illumination; then, as a wise hierarch, O most blessed one, thou didst make him a son by adoption through baptism, and he later caused the whole world to be adopted. Wherefore, we bless thee with him as an apostle of Christ. O divinely wise Ananias, pray ye, that we be saved!

Having all-gloriously learned things divine, thundering forth, O blessed one, thou didst rouse those sleeping in the graves of vanity, who then cast off mortality; and thou didst sound the clarion of the saving Word of God, Who dwelt among mortals and hath transformed those held fast in hades, whom thou madest precious vessels of Jesus the Master and Savior of our souls, Who hath slain death.

As a bearer of light, as preacher of God, as a divinely chosen witness to the sufferings of Christ, and a fellow heir and partaker of the glory which is to come, in that thou art with the Master, ever delighting in the effulgence which floweth forth from the never-waning Light, O divinely eloquent Ananias, by thy supplications deliver from dark misfortunes those who now celebrate thy splendid feast.

And 3 stichera of the venerable one, in Tone I: Spec. Mel.: “Joy of the ranks of heaven…” —

The melodious harp of the Spirit of God, the nightingale, the cicada singing hymns divine, the flute of the Church, setteth forth his melodious compositions before us all, and doth thereby gladden the divine wise.

The most radiant and luminous beacon, the sweet-sounding harp which hath as strings the right meaningful words of the Spirit, chanteth, manifestly teaching the ends of the earth, to glorify the one effulgence of the Godhead with never-ceasing hymnody.

Standing now before the Master of all, having acquired boldness before Him, O father, pray thou, that we who celebrate thy memory and thy splendid festival may be delivered from misfortunes and perils, O divinely blessed Romanus.

Glory…, of the apostle, the composition of Byzantius, in the same tone —

Instructed by a revelation from God, in that thou wast an eye-witness of the Word and an initiate the mysteries of His wonders, thou didst enlighten the Apostle Paul, the chosen vessel and great receptacle of the Spirit, as an apostle before the disciples and a faithful observer of the new covenant, O venerable one. Wherefore, emulating Christ thy Teacher, thou didst shed thy blood, O Ananias, hierarch of Christ, becoming a confessor by suffering martyrdom. And, having finished thy course and kept the Faith inviolate, thou dwellest now in the highest with the heavenly ministers of God. Pray thou, that our souls be saved.

Now & ever…: Theotokion, or this stavrotheotokion: Spec. Mel.: “O all-praised martyrs…” —

Standing at the Cross of thy Son and God, and beholding His long-suffering, O pure Mother, thou didst say: “Woe is me, O my Child most sweet! How is it that Thou sufferest unjustly, O Word of God, that Thou mayest save humanity?”

At the aposticha, the stichera from the Octoechos, and an additional sticheron for the apostle, in Tone IV —

Stichos: Their sound hath gone forth into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.

Covered with stones as with flowers, O Apostle Ananias, thou didst show thyself to be a receptacle of sufferings, and didst shed thy blood for Him Who of His own will suffered in the flesh for our sake. Wherefore, Damascus boasteth thy sacred festival today, and not it alone, but all the lands of the world as well; and, manifestly proclaiming thy miracles, it crieth aloud: Pray thou to God, that He grant us forgiveness of our offenses!

Glory…, of the venerable one, in Tone VI —

Thou didst show thyself to be a first-offering of the good works, a starting-point of salvation, O Romanus our father; for, composing angelic hymns, thou didst show thy life to be godly. Entreat Christ God, that He deliver from perils and tribulations those who hymn thee.

Now & ever…: Theotokion, or this stavrotheotokion: Spec. Mel.: “On the third day…” —

Seeing Thee crucified, O Christ, she who gave Thee birth cried out: “What is this strange mystery which I behold, O my Son? How is it that Thou diest, suspended in the flesh on the Tree, O Bestower of life?”

Troparion of the apostle, in Tone III —

O holy Apostle Ananias, entreat the merciful God, that He grant to our souls remission of ­transgressions.

Glory…, troparion of the venerable one, in Tone VIII —

In thee, O father, that which is fashioned according to the image of God was preserved; for, taking up thy cross, thou didst follow after Christ, and by thine example didst teach that the flesh is to be spurned as transitory, but that the soul must be cared for as a thing immortal. Wherefore, thy spirit rejoiceth with the angels, O venerable Romanus.

Now & ever…: Theotokion, or stavrotheotokion.

At Matins

One canon from the Octoechos, with 6 troparia; and two canons for the saints, with 8 troparia.

Ode I

Canon of the apostle, the acrostic whereof is: “Let the glory of Ananias be glorified”, the composition of John the monk, in Tone VIII —

Irmos: Having traversed the water as though it were dry land, and escaped the evil of Egypt, the Israelite cried aloud: Let us chant unto our Deliverer and God!

O all ye faithful, let us open mouths of praise, and let us make radiant our tongues in commemorating the archpastor Ananias; and with him let us chant unto our God.

The all-glorious Ananias leadeth the Church of Damascus to Christ, the all-pure Bridegroom, as an undefiled bride. With her let us chant aloud to our God.

Thou wast one of the first disciples, O Ananias; thou didst restore the sight of the new disciple who before was a persecutor; and thou dost sing: Let us chant unto our God!

Theotokion: The ranks of the angels and the generations of men unceasingly praise thee, O Mother who knewest not wedlock; for thou didst bear their Creator as a babe in thine arms.

Canon of the venerable one, in Tone VI —

Irmos: Traversing the deep on foot, as though it were dry land, and seeing the tyrant Pharaoh drowned, Israel cried aloud: Let us chant unto God a hymn of victory!

By thy supplications, O wise and godly Romanus, send down upon us radiant beams of light from the heavens, that we may praise thy sacred memory with hymns.

Offering thyself wholly unto Christ from thy youth, O Romanus, thou didst follow after Him, enlightening thy mind with luminous radiance from the heavens.

Adorned with the beauty of the all-accomplishing and holy Spirit, O wise Romanus, thou hast appeared to the ends of the earth like a luminous star resplendent in the radiance of the virtues.

Theotokion: From thee did He, Who is equally without beginning, the Word of God, issue forth in latter times, O Theotokos; and unto salvation hath He lifted up Adam, the first man.

Ode III

Canon of the Apostle

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.

Following the commands of thy Teacher, O apostle, thou becamest a high priest and a martyric victim.

By thy supplications, O Apostle Ananias, render the Deliverer well disposed to be merciful to those who hymn thee.

When He appeared to thee, His face wreathed in ineffable light, the Lord restrained all the savagery of the wild beast.

Theotokion: All of us Christians have acquired thee as our refuge and bulwark; and we glorify thee unceasingly, O thou who knewest not wedlock.

Canon of the Venerable One

Irmos: There is none as holy as Thee, O Lord my God, Who hast uplifted the horn of Thy faithful and established us on the rock of the confession of Thee, O Good One.

Full of the true knowledge of piety and pouring forth divine preaching, thy mind became the dwelling-place of the Holy Trinity, O wise Romanus.

Chanting divine hymns, thy precious tongue gushed forth torrents of streams, wisely explaining to us Christ’s ineffable nativity from the Virgin.

Behold, thou dost nurture our thoughts to repletion with wise teachings and beautiful hymns; and thou dost fill them with most divine sweetness, O Romanus of godly eloquence.

Theotokion: Thou art more exalted than all the armies of heaven, O Virgin; for thou didst conceive their Creator, the Son of God, in thy womb, and, even after giving birth, remainest ever virgin.

Kontakion of the venerable one, in Tone VIII —

Adorned from childhood with the godly virtues of the Spirit, O all-wise Romanus, thou wast an all-precious ornament of the Church of Christ; for thou hast adorned it with all-beauteous hymnody. Wherefore, we entreat thee: Grant thy divine gift unto those who desire it, that we may cry out to thee: Rejoice, O all-blessed father, thou beauty of the Church!

Sessional hymn of the apostle, in the same tone: Spec. Mel.: “Of the Wisdom…” —

Enlightened by the knowledge of God, O Ananias, thou wast a priest and martyr of Jesus and a divine apostle. And having immersed in water the former persecutor Saul, who had been blinded by God, through deifying instruction thou didst show him to be a great enlightener of our souls. Wherefore, we cry out to thee: Entreat Christ God, that He grant remission of sins unto those who honor thy holy memory with love.

Glory…: Sessional hymn of the venerable one, in Tone V: Spec. Mel.: “The Word Who with the Father and the Spirit is equally without beginning…” —

Planted like a tree by the rippling waters of fasting, O blessed father, through God’s labor thou didst produce the fruits of thy pangs, which in time thou didst manifestly present to the Husbandman and Creator. Wherefore, we hymn thy holy memory, honoring thee, O venerable Romanus.

Now & ever…: Theotokion —

O pure Ever-virgin, thou fervent and invincible intercessor, excellent and unashamed hope, rampart, protection and refuge of those who have recourse to thee: With the angels entreat thy Son and God, that He grant peace, salvation and great mercy to the world.

Stavrotheotokion —

Beholding Thee hanging of Thine own will upon the Cross between the thieves, O Christ, Thy Mother said, her womb rent with pain: “O my sinless Son, how is it that Thou hast been unjustly nailed to the Cross like a malefactor, since thou desirest to bring life to the human race, in that thou art compassionate?”

Ode IV

Canon of the Apostle

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

Instructed by Thee, O Christ, the ever-memorable Ananias vanquished death in martyrdom and received honors from Thee.

Thou wast a disciple of the persecuted Word, O ever-memorable Ananias, and the teacher of him who persecuted the pious.

To the sightless Saul the Lord revealed thee, who wast hiding, O Ananias, and He showed thee forth as the mediator of his healing.

Theotokion: O all-pure Virgin, entreat God, to Whom thou gavest birth, that He deliver all who hymn thee from every evil circumstance.

Canon of the Venerable One

Irmos: Christ is my power, my God and my Lord, the honored Church doth sing, crying out in godly manner with a pure mind, keeping festival in the Lord.

Thou wast a receptacle of the divine Spirit, O Romanus, and a fire-breathing mouth proclaiming divine hymns and delighting the souls of those who have recourse unto thee.

Thou wast like a heavenly harp and lyre, drawing every mind to thyself by thy narrative and thy beautiful hymns.

The grace of the all-accomplishing and all-holy Spirit wafted forth and dwelt in thy radiant soul, O all-praised one, and made thee a receptacle and wise herald of God.

Theotokion: The serpent exuded venom into the ears of our first mother; but thou, O pure one, hast shaken him off, having conceived Christ at the cry of the archangel and given birth unto Him.

Ode V

Canon of the Apostle

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.

He Who in His mercy rested within thee, in that thou wast a right manifest apostle, O blessed Ananias, showed thee to be a divine haven for the storm-tossed, an ever-flowing fountain, and the unapproachable Light made thee a beam of light for those in darkness.

He Who seeth things that are hidden and knoweth all things even before they come to pass revealed to thee the hidden sun who before was a persecutor, but then became an apostle of the truth which he had but a short time before sought to destroy.

Unfathomable is the goal of the attainment of thy dispensation; for thereby, O Savior, hath dread death been annihilated. Wherefore, Ananias, rejoicing, was slain for Thee as a victorious hierarch.

Theotokion: As thou hast maternal boldness before thy Son, O all-pure one, spurn not the thought of thy kinship with us, we pray; for thee alone do we Christians set before the Master, that He mercifully purify us.

Canon of the Venerable One

Irmos: With Thy divine light illumine the souls of those who with love rise at dawn unto Thee, I pray Thee, O Good One, that they may know Thee, O Word of God, to be the true God Who calleth all forth from the darkness of sin.

The grace of the Comforter, finding thee, O divinely wise Romanus, to be as a right magnificent sanctuary, a most pure vessel, made thee a temple adorned with light; and thou didst rejoice.

Appearing to thee at night, the Ever-virgin, who truly gave birth to the incarnate Son of God, illumined thy soul and filled thy mind with divine understanding.

Revealing thyself to all as truly most sweet through the writings of thy sacred words, O ever-memorable one, thou dost gladden all, illumining our mind and teaching the knowledge of the Savior unto all.

Theotokion: O pure, all-pure Mistress, who gavest birth to the Light, the eternal Word of the Father, by thy luminous supplications enlighten my mind and dispel the darkness of my soul.

Ode VI

Canon of the Apostle

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.

Accustomed to serving the living God, O most sacred Ananias, thou didst destroy the manifold malignity of the mindless ones, teaching all to worship the one Godhead in three Hypostases.

Taking the rudder of the Church in thy hands, thou didst steer toward Christ, the Helmsman, O apostle Ananias; and with the Spirit thou didst propel it like a divine ship.

O Master Who created the straight path, Thou didst command Thy glorious disciple to set out straightway to find the vessel of Thy most righteous election praying.

Theotokion: May we be delivered from grievous transgressions through thine entreaties, O pure Theotokos; and may we obtain the divine effulgence of the Son of God Who became ineffably incarnate through thee, O all-pure one.

Canon of the Venerable One

Irmos: Beholding the sea of life surging with the tempest of temptations, fleeing to Thy calm haven I cry unto Thee: Lead up my life from corruption, O greatly Merciful One!

Filled with enlightenment, and led by God up to the heights of the virtues, thou didst reject all earthly things, and becamest a heavenly pillar and beacon of piety.

Thou didst cause the desires of the flesh to wither away, didst adorn thy soul with the most radiant beams of purity, and hast arrayed thy lovely beauty in the magnificence of the virtues.

Hating transitory, vain, corrupt and fleeting pleasure, thou didst enter the temple of the ­Theotokos, and there didst sanctify thy mind, soul and body, O right glorious one.

Theotokion: Foreseeing with divine vision Thine all-immaculate nativity from the Virgin, which would take place splendidly on earth in latter times, O my Christ, all the prophets manifestly proclaimed it.

Kontakion of the apostle, in Tone II: Spec. Mel.: “In supplications…” —

O Ananias, helper most fervent in supplications, who art quick to hearken unto those who petition thee, accept our entreaty, and beg Christ to have mercy on us, for He alone doth rest in the saints.

Ikos: Illumining the darkness and blindness of my heart with the light of Thine effulgence, O my Christ, grant me discourse, that with a pure mind I may praise the divinely radiant virtues and sufferings of the blessed apostle; for Thou art the Wellspring of wisdom and the Bestower of good things, O greatly Compassionate One. Wherefore, having enlightened my tongue, accept this laudation in hymnody, O Thou Who alone dost rest in the saints.

Ode VII

Canon of the Apostle

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!

Let the divinely chosen flock wisely blow the clarion-voiced trumpet, sounding forth the sufferings of the shepherd Ananias, and crying out to Christ, his Chief Shepherd: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

Let the honored Church of Christ glorify thee, O Ananias, as the disciple of God, a faithful hierarch and a witness to the divine Passion, crying aloud: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

Concealing himself, not out of fear of death, but out of love for thy flock, seeing the wolf become as tame as a lamb, Ananias cried out: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

Theotokion: Thou didst reveal Thyself, O Christ, incarnate of the Virgin’s womb for our salvation. Wherefore, knowing Thy Mother to be the Theotokos, we cry out in Orthodox manner: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

Canon of the Venerable One

Irmos: The children in Babylon did not fear the flame of the furnace, but, cast into the midst of the fire, bedewed, they sang: Blessed art Thou, O Lord God of our fathers!

Thou didst have Mary the Theotokos as thy tutor, instructing and teaching thee, and commanding thee to chant: Blessed art Thou, O Lord God of our fathers!

Thou didst shine forth in the world like the most radiant sun, O divinely wise Romanus, radiantly illumining those who cry out with faith: Blessed art Thou, O Lord God of our fathers!

The sound of thy words hath filled the whole world and taught men to chant with beauty unto Christ: Blessed art Thou, O Lord God of our fathers!

Theotokion: Now do all the generations of men call thee blessed as thou didst foretell, O pure Theotokos; and with faith they render glory, crying: Blessed is the Fruit of thy womb, O all-pure one!

Ode VIII

Canon of the Apostle

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!

The glorious Ananias expected to hear something terrible of the predatory power of the destroyer of Thy flock, O Master, but when he heard of his indescribable transformation into a shepherd, he leapt for joy, crying: Ye children, bless; ye priests, hymn; ye people, exalt Him supremely for all ages!

Let thy most glorious and blessed city rejoice today and exult in the Spirit, having received thy goodly help, O glorious one; and, giving thanks to the Savior, let it cry: Ye children, bless; ye priests, hymn; ye people, exalt Him supremely for all ages!

At the command of the Bestower of light, O all-honored Ananias, thou didst preach to Saul the light-creating power of Him Whom he had seen; and thou didst restore his sight, touching him with thy healing hands, and didst remove the darts of the serpent as though they were scales, crying: Exalt Christ supremely forever!

Triadicon: The thrice-radiant Godhead, the single shining Effulgence which doth emanate from the one nature in three Hypostases — the unoriginate Father, the Word Who shareth the same nature as the Father, and the consubstantial Spirit Who reigneth with Them — do ye children, bless; ye priests, hymn; ye people, exalt supremely for all ages!

Theotokion: O most holy Mistress who savest those in need and intercedest fervently, take pity on all who grieve, save me and raise me up who have sorely fallen, extending to me a helping hand before the end, that the night of death not overtake me as I sleep, that I may glorify thee as is meet forever.

Canon of the Venerable One

Irmos: The blessed youths in Babylon, braving danger for the laws of their fathers, reviled the mindless command of the ruler, and, united by the fire which burned them not, they chanted a fitting hymn unto the Almighty: Hymn the Lord, ye works, and exalt Him supremely for all ages!

Rejecting all the beauty, sweetness and glory of the world, thou didst cause thy soul to soar aloft to the choirs on high, to the glories and splendors of heaven, to ineffable beauties, to the habitations of paradise, to the light of the Godhead, crying out, O wise one: Thee do we exalt supremely, O Christ, forever!

Set afire with divine desire, thou didst appoint ascents in thy heart and didst acquire an incorporeal life while yet in the flesh. And emulating the angelic ranks, O wise one, even while in the world thou didst love the hymnody of heaven, O Romanus, crying out with faith: Thee do we exalt supremely, O Christ, forever!

With the exalted tone of thy divine and most sweet discourses, O most blessed Romanus, thou dost gladden every thought of men, dost delight them as thou wert a server of rich foods, dost enlighten them with splendor, and teachest them to cry aloud: Hymn the Lord, ye works, and exalt Him supremely for all ages!

Theotokion: The most evil serpent, the slayer of man, deceiving me by offering to make me equal with God, carried me captive away from the sweetness of paradise. But the Master of nature, the Son of God, hath come forth, incarnate of the Virgin Mary, and restored me to the heights, deifying me. Him do we exalt supremely for all ages!

Ode IX

Canon of the Apostle

Irmos: With unceasing glorification we magnify thee, the Mother of the Most High, who knewest not wedlock, who didst truly give birth unto God the Word in manner past understanding, and art more highly exalted than the all-pure hosts.

Thou didst destroy the darkness of ignorance, O most lauded one, and didst shine forth upon Damascus the true light of the three Hypostases. As a loving father and a beloved archpastor, preserve it in the Orthodox Faith.

Celebrating this annual solemnity, come ye, and, shining radiantly with spiritual dignity, let us hymn the thrice radiant virtue of Ananias, the servant and preacher of the Trinity.

O how far above man is thy dignity, O blessed Ananias! For as a disciple thou wast beloved, as a pastor thou hast found rest, and as an athlete thou hast been glorified with Christ, adorned with crowns of martyrdom.

Theotokion: O all-pure, most immaculate vessel of sweet fragrance, entreat Christ, to Whom thou gavest birth, that He grant our Orthodox hierarchs victory over all heresy and deliver thy people from the yoke of slavery; for we magnify thee without ceasing.

Canon of the Venerable One

Irmos: Ineffable is the Offspring of the seedless conception, and incorrupt the Fruit of the Mother who knew not man; for the birthgiving of God restoreth nature. Wherefore, in Orthodox manner all of us, the generations of men, magnify thee as the divine Bride and Mother.

Thou hast joined the choirs of the incorporeal ones on high, O glorious one, where indescribable joy and everlasting delight abound, where the light of the Godhead and gladness abide, and where there is ineffable glory, O most blessed one.

Making thine abode with the righteous amid divine glory, thou dost look upon its ineffable beauty, thou beholdest never-ending delight, thou gazest upon the comeliness of heaven which are truly desirable, O wise and glorious Romanus, and seest the choirs of the patriarchs.

By thy supplications do thou deliver those who with faith celebrate thy radiant memory from misfortunes, from all harm and from the oppression of the alien, O divinely wise and most blessed Romanus, and vouchsafe that they may receive the glory of heaven and the kingdom on high.

Theotokion: The human race became subject to corruption and enslaved to sinful passions through the ancient fall of the first-created man, O Virgin Theotokos; but in His compassion the all-good God Who was born of thee hath restored him.

Exapostilarion from the Octoechos; Glory…: that of the apostle: Spec. Mel.: “Hearken, ye women…” —

Damascus, whose might thou hast extended through thy martyrdom, now boasteth in thee, O Ananias; for, as an excellent disciple of the persecuted Christ, thou didst teach the persecutor of Christ. Pray thou to Him in our behalf.

Now & ever…: Theotokion —

O thy mysteries! O thy wonders! How is it that even after giving birth thou hast remained a virgin, as thou wast before birthgiving? Truly ineffable are all thy mysteries, O blessed Mary, Virgin and Mother!

At the aposticha, the stichera from the Octoechos; and Glory…, of the apostle, the composition of Anatolius, in Tone VIII —

O Ananias, disciple of the Savior, glorious hierarch, glory of the martyrs, most radiant beacon, protector of our city: Pray thou earnestly, that Christ deliver thy flock from misfortunes and save our souls.

Now & ever…: Theotokion, or this stavrotheotokion: Spec. Mel.: “O all-glorious wonder…” —

Beholding Thee nailed to the Cross, O Jesus our Master, and accepting suffering of Thine own will, the Virgin, Thy Mother cried out: “Woe is me, O my sweet Child! How is it that Thou dost unjustly endure wounding, O Physician Who hast healed the infirmity of man and delivered all from corruption in Thy loving-kindness?”

At Liturgy

On the Beatitudes, 8 troparia: 4 from the Octoechos, and 4 from Ode III of the canon of the apostle.

Prokimenon, in Tone VIII —

Their sound hath gone forth into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world.

Stichos: The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament proclaimeth the work of His hands.

A Reading from the Acts of the Apostles,

§ 21, from the midpoint [Acts 9: 10-19]

In those days, there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision: “Ananias.” And he said: “Behold, I am here, Lord.” And the Lord said unto him: “Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth, and hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight.” Then Ananias answered: “Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to Thy saints at Jerusalem: and here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all who call on Thy name.” But the Lord said unto him: “Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto Me, to bear My name before the gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: for I will show him how great things he must suffer for My name’s sake.” And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said: “Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, Who appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Spirit.” And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized. And when he had received food, he was strengthened.

Alleluia, in Tone I —

Stichos: The heavens shall confess Thy wonders, O Lord, and Thy truth in the congregation of saints.

Stichos: God is glorified in the council of the saints.

Gospel according to Luke, §51 [10:16-21]

The Lord said to His disciples: “He who heareth you heareth Me; and he who despiseth you despiseth Me; and he who despiseth Me despiseth Him Who sent Me.” And the seventy returned again with joy, saying: “Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through Thy name.” And He said unto them: “I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall by any means hurt you. Notwithstanding, in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven.” In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said: “I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes; even so, Father; for so it seemed good in Thy sight.”

Communion Verse —

Their sound hath gone forth into all the earth, and their words aunto the ends of the world.