Canon to St. Sergius.
In Tone VIII
ODE I
Irmos: The wonderworking staff of
Moses, * striking and dividing the sea in the figure of a Cross, * once drowned
Pharaoh the pursuing charioteer, * while it saved the fleeing people of Israel
* as they marched on foot, * singing a song unto God.
Refrain: O holy Father Sergius
pray to God for us.
Emulating Christ who humbled Himself for
our sakes, even taking the form of a servant, thou didst love humility and,
mortifying the soul, destroyed the passions. By copious vigil and prayer, thou
hast ascended the mountain of freedom from passion, O Sergius full of riches.
Refrain: O holy Father Sergius
pray to God for us.
Adorning thy soul with streams of tears as
a lamp is adorned with light, thou hast offered up thyself as another Isaac, O
Saint, and hast sacrificed thine heart unto God.
Refrain: O holy Father Sergius
pray to God for us.
O most blessed Sergius, who from thy
mother's womb hast shown thyself by thy threefold cry to be a servant
Trinitarion and who, illuminated by the light of the threefold Sun, dashed the
armies of devils like unto one destroying a spider's web!
Theotokion: Thou hast given birth outside the
laws of nature to the Giver of the law. He Who was both God and man. As He is
good, do thou who art all undefiled entreat Him to look away from or iniquities
as we for ever cry aloud: ‘Let us sing to the Lord for He hath greatly been
glorified’
ODE III
Refrain: O holy Father Sergius
pray to God for us.
In thyself, as an example of good things
to thy disciples, thou hast drawn to salvation many souls who, separated from
worIdly passions, found their comfort in the joy of paradise.
Refrain: O holy Father Sergius
pray to God for us.
O blessed Saint, thou hast flowered like a
fruitful olive-tree in the house of God, anointing with oil the souls of those
who sing thy praises with love, O Sergius, and who cry aloud to Christ with
faith: 'There is none holy save Thee, Who lovest mankind.'
Refrain: O holy Father Sergius
pray to God for us.
O blessed Saint, by watchful vigils thou
didst put to sleep the soul-corrupting passions: and therefore, O Divinely-wise
Sergius, hast thou ascended to dwell in the heavenly chambers, having received
the grace of healing.
Theotokion: O
Theotokos , thou appearest higher the cherubim and seraphim, for Thou art
undefiled, and thou alone hast received in thy womb the uncontainable God.
Wherefore we the faithful bless thee, who art pure, in song.
ODE IV
Irmos: Thou, O Lord, art my strength and
Thou art my power, * Thou art my God and Thou art my joy, * Thou who, while
never leaving the bosom of Thy Father, visited our poverty. * Therefore with
the Prophet Abakum I cry to Thee, * ‘Glory to Thy power, O Lover of mankind!’
Refrain: O holy Father Sergius
pray to God for us.
O Father, thou art a temple of the
all-holy Spirit, a river full of living waters, an unshaken foundation of the
Church, the confirmation of those living the monastic life, wherefore O Father
Sergius, thou art rightly called a wonderment.
Refrain: O holy Father Sergius
pray to God for us.
O glorious Sergius thou, as also did the
Prophet David, anointed thy bed each day with streams of tears, until thou
didst dry up completely the depth of passion; wherefore we reverence thine ever
honored and holy memory.
Refrain: O holy Father Sergius
pray to God for us.
O Saint Sergius, it was vouchsafed unto
thee to see Christ face to face, not 'through a glass darkly', but with the
glass truly abolished; and this also parted thee from this world sending thee
aloft to thy beloved Desire.
Theotokion: By the
prayers of her that bore Thee, grant us O God, as Thou alone art without sin,
the cleansing of our transgressions committed in ignorance and grant unto Thy
world peace.
ODE V
Irmos: O Light that never sets, * why hast
Thou rejected me from Thy presence, * and why has the alien darkness surrounded
me, the coward that I am? * But do Thou I implore Thee direct my ways * and
turn me back towards the light of Thy commandments.
Refrain: O holy Father Sergius
pray to God for us.
O wise Saint, thou didst dwell without
wavering in acts of asceticism and up unto thine own departure these practices
thou didst thus firmly adhere to, whereby incorruptible bliss hath plainly been
vouchsafed unto thee.
Refrain: O holy Father Sergius
pray to God for us.
Possessed of a mind sharpened to listen to
God, thou didst subdue the soul-destroying passions and reaped fruitful
sheaves, feeding those who praise thee, O Sergius, Saint and Father.
Refrain: O holy Father Sergius
pray to God for us.
Bright has been thy life, O Saint Sergius,
and known unto all the ends of the earth, filled with divine beauty, with
prayer and fasting and love towards Christ Who loveth mankind.
Theotokion: Having
thee as wall, and watched over by thy protection, we bless thee exulting in thy
divine glory: For thou, O all-pure one, pourest forth gladness and rejoicing
upon our souls.
ODE VI
Irmos: Cleanse me O Savior, * for my
iniquities are many; * and bring me up, I beg Thee, from the depths of evils *
for unto Thee have I cried * harken unto me, O God of my salvation.
Refrain: O holy Father Sergius
pray to God for us.
Pray the Deliverer without ceasing to
grant the remission of sins unto those who celebrate thy holy memorial, O
blessed Father, that they may receive the heavenly Kingdom, where the voices of
those that keep festival make all men glad.
Refrain: O holy Father Sergius
pray to God for us.
Made strong in Christ, thou, O Sergius,
hast torn to pieces with thy steadfast mind all the craftiness of the evil one
as though it were a web and thou hast shown thyself, O Sergius, to the world as
a most radiant light.
Refrain: O holy Father Sergius
pray to God for us.
Shining with the divine light, and now
living with the angels in heaven, do thou ever remember those who honor thy
memorial with faith, O Saint Sergius of memory eternal.
Theotokion: In truth
thou hast raised on high the fallen nature of man, for thou hast borne in thy
womb without seed, O Mother of God, Him Who unchanged is the visible Son, the
divine image of the Father and His equal.
Kontakion, In
Tone VIII:
Smitten with the love of Christ thou, O
Saint, * hast followed Him without looking back, * hating all the pleasures of
the flesh * and shining like the sun upon the land of thy birth: * wherefore
Christ hath enriched thee with the gift of working miracles. * Remember us who
honor thy radiant memory that we may call to thee: * Rejoice! O Sergius thou
Divinely-wise one.
Ikos:
Having heard the sound of the Gospel, thou
didst set aside, O Father, all the wisdom of the flesh, and counted as dust
wealth and glory, fighting against the passions as one without flesh, thou hast
been vouchsafed the honor of standing with the choir of bodiless angels.
Receiving the gift of understanding which thou dost grant to those who sing
unto thee thusly: Rejoice! O Sergius, saint and bearer of God; thou heavenly
man and earthly angel: Rejoice! thou dwelling-place of the Holy Spirit;
Rejoice! thou who by prayer hast received a gift bestowed by God; Rejoice! For
before thy birth, thou didst cry out glorifying the Holy Trinity Who glorified
thee in this life and after death. Rejoice! Pillar of chastity by whom every
passion hath been vanquished. Rejoice! For from thine early childhood thou
didst follow Christ. Rejoice! Intercessor for the salvation of those that run
to thee; Rejoice! pride of the land of thy birth. Rejoice! thou who adorned
with prophecy foretold the future as though it were today. Rejoice! for by thy
prayers the adversaries are conquered. Rejoice! pride and confirmation of truly
believing people. Through thy prayers keep us unharmed by the enemy that we may
cry to thee: Rejoice! O Sergius, Divinely-wise one.
ODE VII
Irmos: The fire in Babylon once stood
in awe of God’s descent. * And so the Youths in the furnace, * dancing with
joyful steps as in a meadow, * sang, ‘Blessed art Thou the God of our Fathers!’
Refrain: O holy Father Sergius
pray to God for us.
In the furnace of flaming temptations
divine grace bedewed thee, O Saint, and it showed thee to be full of light in
thy desire for the Trinity, and crying aloud: Blessed art Thou, O God of our
Fathers.
Refrain: O holy Father Sergius
pray to God for us.
O glorious Sergius, despising the
world, thou didst live as an Angel on earth and thereby vouchsafed a place in
the angelic choir. Wherefore we venerate thee with faith, O thou who art worthy
to be called a wonderment.
Refrain: O holy Father Sergius
pray to God for us.
O Saint, wise in God, travelling unto
the calm haven, thou didst shun the sea-wanderings of this world, being a
saving pilot for those sailing the rough seas of this life and who cry aloud:
blessed art Thou, O God of our Fathers.
Theotokion: O Virgin, a rod has sprung
forth from the root of Jesse, an all-blessed Fruit, that bears a Flower of
salvation for those who cry aloud with faith to thy Son: blessed art Thou, O
God of our Fathers.
ODE VIII
Irmos: In his wrath the Chaldean
Tyrant made the furnace blaze, * with heat fanned sevenfold for the servants of
God; * but when he perceived that they had been saved by a greater power * he
cried aloud to the Creator and Deliverer, * ‘O ye Youths bless, O ye priests praise,
* O ye people, highly exalt Him unto all the ages’.
Refrain: O holy Father Sergius
pray to God for us.
O most blessed Sergius, thy light
bearing feast hath filled with joy and spiritual gladness, with fragrance and
enlightenment, those who have thee as their defender and as their rule of
monastics.
Refrain: O holy Father Sergius
pray to God for us.
Thou didst ascend upwards to God with
unceasing prayer and from there enlightened by the radiance of the threefold
sun, established a stronghold of struggle against the enemy. Thou didst lead
companies of monks towards a new life, crying aloud to Christ: bless Him, O ye
children, praise Him, O ye priests, O ye people exalt Him above all for ever.
Refrain: O holy Father Sergius
pray to God for us.
O Sergius, strong in fasting, never
slothful in prayer, on earth thou didst shown patience in temptation, crying:
bless Him, O ye children, praise Him O ye priests, O ye people exalt Him above
all for ever.
Theotokion: O all-pure Mother of our God,
cleanse the sinful sores and temptations of my soul steeping them in the waters
that flow in copious streams from the side of thine Offspring: for I cry unto
thee and take refuge in thee, and call upon thee, who art full of the grace of
God.
ODE IX
Irmos: Heaven stood amazed and the
ends of the earth astounded: * for God hath appeared to mankind in bodily form,
* and thy womb hath become far wider than the heavens. * Wherefore, O Theotokos
, * the ranks of Angels and of humans magnify thee.
Refrain: O holy Father Sergius
pray to God for us.
Thou, filled with the manifestation of
spiritual radiance, hast appeared as a lamp lighting front afar, and shining
the light of reason upon us, thou hast shown thyself to be the habitation of
the most divine Trinity.
Refrain: O holy Father Sergius
pray to God for us.
Christ gave thee, wise Sergius, to the
land of Russia, a great teacher indeed who directed the land of his birth in
the right direction, pouring forth teachings sweeter than honey from which as
from a vessel we faithful draw.
Refrain: O holy Father Sergius
pray to God for us.
Having conquered the soul-destroying
passions, thou, as a true shepherd, hast tended the reasonable flock of Christ,
ever reading it with the grace of the Spirit as with flowers from paradise.
Theotokion: O thou who hast
found favor, we sing thy praises in psalms and with voices that are never still
we cry aloud: Thou hast poured forth joy for all.
Troparion, In
Tone IV:
As a virtuous ascetic athlete, and true
warrior of Christ our God * fighting fiercely the good fight against the
passions during this earthly life, * laboring in song, vigil and fasting thou
wast an example to thy disciples. * Wherefore, the Holy Spirit made His abode
in thee * Whose activity adorned thee with radiant beauty: * Since thou hast great
boldness towards the Holy Trinity * remember thy flock wisely gathered by thee
* and forget not as thou didst promise to visit thy children, O holy Father
Sergius.
Kontakion, In
Tone VIII:
Smitten with the love of Christ thou, O
Saint, * hast followed Him without looking back, * hating all the pleasures of
the flesh * and shining like the sun upon the land of thy birth: * wherefore
Christ hath enriched thee with the gift of working miracles. * Remember us who
honor thy radiant memory that we may call to thee: * Rejoice! O Sergius thou
Divinely-wise one.
 |
CONVERSATION