Also On The 8th Day Of The Month Of October

The Holy And Venerable Thaïs

At Vespers

On “Lord, I have cried...”, these stichera in Tone VIII: Spec. Mel.: “O most glorious wonder....” —

O most glorious wonder: A corrupt root hath put forth a fertile shoot, a befouled spring is filled with living water, darkness is illumined, a harlot becometh chaste, she who before lived in luxury hath exhausted herself by fasting, and a doorless cell doth open the gates of heaven; and entering therein, O Thais, thou art met with joy by the choirs of the righteous.

O most glorious wonder! Fearing the everlasting fire, she casteth her treasures into the fire, enflamed with the fire of love divine, and loudly confesseth her sins, and maketh haste secretly to serve God, crying out: “Accept me, O venerable Paphnutius! Lead me forth from this sin-loving world, uniting me to Christ in purity!”

“How shall I, who am filled with sins, flee from God Who seeth all things, Who perceiveth all secrets?” Thais cried aloud. “For I know Him to be the Judge and the Sentencer, yet I know Him also to love of mankind; wherefore, trusting in His mercy, and washing away the filth of my heart with tears, I commit my life into His hands.”

Glory..., in Tone VI —

“O God, Who hast created me,” the holy Thais fervently cried out, “loose Thou the chains of mine offenses, as of old thou didst loose those of the harlot. And if I cannot clasp Thy most pure feet, yet make I haste to embrace Thy mercy. I bedew the ground with my tears, that I may hear within my soul Thy blessed voice say: ‘Thy sins are remitted thee.’”

At the aposticha, Glory...., in Tone II —

The fiery grace of the Spirit doth gloriously transfigure the soul of the sinful one, the sinful possessions are cast into the fire, and our hearts are enflamed, beholding the salvation of mankind.

At Matins

Canon of the venerable Thais, the acrostic whereof is: “Marvelling at the life of Thais, I sing praise to God”, the composition of Valeria, in Tone VIII —

Ode I

Irmos: Let us chant unto the Lord, Who led His people through the Red Sea, for He alone hath gloriously been glorified.

Who shall describe the abyss of Thy judgments, O Lord, for Thou dost bring low and lead up, dost humble and exalt, and hast made a sinful woman white as snow, O Thou Who lovest mankind.

Instead of a fierce lioness bedeviled by the passions, thou didst lead a meek ewe-lamb to the Lord, O father Paphnutius, glorifying His loving-kindness.

He Who led Israel forth out of Egypt called thee forth, O Thais, from the land of sin, and enabled to dwell in the wilderness of the passions thee who didst chant Miriam’s hymn of praise.

Theotokion: O all-immaculate Theotokos, thou surety of sinners and restoration of the fallen, lead us up out of the pit of our transgressions, inclining the loving-kindness of thy Son toward us.

Ode III

Irmos: O Christ, Who in the beginning established the heavens in wisdom and founded the earth upon the waters, make me steadfast upon the rock of Thy commandments; for none is holy as Thee, O Thou Who lovest mankind.

Joachim and Anna have been called the ancestors of God, and the parents of the Forerunner and the mother of Samuel are blessed; multitudes of saints have sprung forth from a sacred root; but in Thais is a most glorious wonder made manifest, for from a root of corruption we behold holy fruit emerge.

The springs of impure passions more bitter than Marah didst thou dry up with thy fiery repentance, O venerable one, washing thy soul with streams of tears, drinking of the living water of prayer which springeth up unto life everlasting, and being not filled to satiety therewith.

Utterly despising thy life of sin, aflame with divine desire, and wedded to Christ at the first hour, O Thais, thou didst cry out to the Savior: “Make me steadfast in Thy love!”

Theotokion: Possessed of a wealth of loving-kindness, O all-hymned Theotokos and Mother of Christians, deliver from misfortune those who hope in thee, overlooking our offenses. Protect, help and save us.

Sessional hymn, in Tone III —

“O Thou Who hast thrown wide the gates of repentance, shut not the gates of Thy loving-kindness against me, that from this doorless cell I may enter into Thy most radiant chamber, O Savior,” the blessed Thais prayed, knocking at the gates of paradise.

Glory…, Now & ever…: Theotokion —

Without separating Himself from the divine Essence, becoming incarnate in thy womb, God became man yet remained God, the one Lord, preserving thee, the Virgin Mother, as immaculate after giving birth as thou wast before birthgiving. Him do thou earnestly entreat, that He grant us great mercy.

Stavrotheotokion —

Beholding Thee hanging dead upon the Tree, O Christ, Thy pure Mother who knew not wedlock said, lamenting maternally: “How hath the iniquitous and ungrateful assembly of the Jews rewarded Thee, having enjoyed Thy many and great gifts, O my Son? I hymn Thy divine condescension!”

Ode IV

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

“How can I hide my deeds from God Who seest all that is secret, for I know Him to be the Judge, the Pronouncer of sentence?” thou didst cry out to the venerable Paphnutius, O Thais.

“I have surpassed the impiety of Jezebel in my deeds,” Thais cried out, weeping; “yet grant me, O my Judge and God, the fervor of Elijah, that I may slay the passions and consume my sins with the fire of repentance!”

“As Thou didst not destroy her who was beset by sins, so accept me now who acknowledge Thee,” Thais cried out to Christ, “for Thou art my Lord God and my strength.”

Theotokion: Woe is me, who have sinned more than all other men! Woe is me, who have been subject to vanity! No repentance have I, neither compunction; yet do thou thyself, O Mistress, grant that I may offer such to thee.

Ode V

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.

“What shall I give as ransom for my soul?” the holy Thais reasoned to herself, “for it doth in nowise profit me if, gaining the whole world, I lose my soul. Wherefore, all earthly things I cast to the ground, and corruptible things I consign to the fire, that I may inherit blessed and everlasting life.”

“O ye who with me committed iniquity, come now, and behold your gifts devoured by the fire!” thou didst cry, O blessed Thais, burning thy treasures in the streets of the city and loudly confessing thy sins.

“I consign this gold, silver and fine linen to the fire, that I may be delivered from the everlasting fire,” Thais cried aloud to God in repentance, “but cleanse Thou and renew me with the fire of Thy divine Spirit, consuming the reproach of my sins.”

Theotokion: With love do we approach thee, O Virgin, crying out in compunction: O Mistress, O Mistress, save us! O Queen of Heaven, redeem us, for we know none other helper than thee, and we call upon thy name without ceasing!

Ode VI

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.

“As Jonah from the belly of the whale and Daniel from the lions’ den hast Thou led me up out of the depths of sin, O Savior of the world,” the venerable Thais exclaimed, pouring forth tears of gratitude.

“O Thou Who didst appear to Saul who was persecuting Thee, Who justified the humble-minded publican, and forgave the penitent harlot her sins, wash away my countless offenses,” Thais fervently prayed.

“O God Who hast created me, have mercy on me!” the blessed Thais cried out, ever facing the East, fulfilling the command of the venerable Paphnutius; for he said to her: “It is not meet for thee to utter the name of Christ with thine impure lips, nor to lift up thy defiled hands.”

Theotokion: The raging storm of temptations and the threefold waves of misfortune do thou still, O pure Virgin Theotokos, with the mere utterance of thine intercession before Him Who commandest the winds and the seas.

Kontakion, in Tone II —

Let us praise the blessed Thais, the right fruitful scion of a corrupt root, the sweet stream which arose from a salty source, the image of repentance and model of patience, once a vessel of sin, but now the chosen vessel of grace; and let us cry aloud to her: Entreat Christ God that our souls may be saved, O venerable one!

Ikos: Hearkening to Christ the Master, Who proclaimeth: “Because thou art neither cold nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth,” let us fear such indifference, O brethren; and thus let us acquire, as much as possible, a heart enflamed; for once He showed forth a tormentor to be the apostle to the gentiles, and a harlot to be a model of chastity, who forthwith burned up her sins with fiery repentance. Wherefore, let us cry out to her: Entreat Christ God, O venerable Thais, that our souls may be saved!

Ode VII

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!

Beholding a soberminded harlot who served God day and night, and marvelling at her struggle, let us cry out in compunction to Christ our Savior: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

Having committed thy corruptible treasures to material fire and utterly consumed thy passions and sins with the fire of repentance, to the divine Spirit Who bedewed thy soul thou didst cry out, O Thais: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

“Make Thou my sins as white as wool; cleanse Thou my leprous soul!” I cry to Thee with Thais, O blessed God of our fathers.

Theotokion: Deprive us not of thy consolation, O divine joy of the world, for on thee alone have we placed all our hope, O Mary, blessed Theotokos.

Ode VIII

Irmos: The King of heaven, Whom the hosts of angels hymn, praise and exalt ye supremely for all ages!

Emulating the cherubim and seraphim, and trusting in God’s mercy, day and night the venerable Thais hymned God.

Joyously Thais crieth out: “Him Who hath washed away my transgressions shall I hymn and supremely exalt unto the ages!”

If once thou didst abide in the den of the passions, O Thais, yet was thy soul preserved like Daniel in the lions’ den, and lo! thou dost now glorify God with the angels in Heaven.

Theotokion: Wounded with divine love for thee, O Virgin, we in no wise know peace, yet do we supremely exalt thee without ceasing.

Ode IX

Irmos: Saved by thee, O pure Virgin, we confess thee to be in truth the Theotokos, magnifying thee with the incorporeal choirs.

Thou didst astonish the world, O venerable one, with thy life, equal to that of the angels; wherefore, thou hast passed from thy narrow and doorless cell to the bridal chamber of Christ, all adorned, wherein thou dost now magnify God.

Thy manifold sins are forgiven, O Thais, for thou didst love much, offering all-cleansing tears of repentance to Christ; and blessing thee for His sake, we magnify the mercy of God.

Teach us thy fiery repentance, O Thais, bride of Christ, that after our repose, passing through the toll-gates like lightning, we may magnify God in the sweetness of paradise.

Theotokion: O Jesus, accept Thine all-immaculate Mother, whom Thou hast exalted above all creation, and who doth ever pray for us, that we may magnify Thee with thankful heart and mouth.