Sunday, June 13, 2010

Selected hymns to St. Justin Popovich

  
Tomorrow is the first feastday following the canonization of St. Justin Popovich. The following is a beautiful hymn from the Greek service of the Saint written by Fr. Athanasios of Simonopetra along with my translation:

Ὅσιε Πάτερ θεοφόρε Ἰουστῖνε χριστοκάρδιε,



ἐκ Θεολόγου ἀπανθίσας τὸ ἐν πᾶσι μυστικόν,



ἐκ Παύλου τὸ φλογερὸν τῆς πρὸς Χριστὸν ἀγάπης,



ἐκ Βασιλείου τῶν λόγων καὶ ἔργων τὸ σαφές,



ἐκ Γρηγορίου τῆς Θεολογίας τὸ εὔχαρι καὶ ποιητικόν,



ἐκ Χρυσοστόμου τὴν ἀκοίμητον μέριμναν τῆς Ἐκκλησίας,



ἐκ Μαξίμου τὴν φιλόσοφον ὁμολογίαν,



ἐκ Δαμασκηνοῦ τῶν δογμάτων τὸ ἀναλυτικόν,



ἐκ Σάββα τὸ φιλόλαον τοῦ ποιμένος,



ἐκ Παλαμᾶ τὸ βάθος τῆς ἐν εὐχαῖς θαβωρείου ἡσυχίας,



ἐκ Σεραφεὶμ τὴν ἀδιάλειπτον ἐκζήτησιν τοῦ Παρακλήτου,



ἐδείχθης ἐν τοῖς ἐσχάτοις χρόνοις στύλος καὶ ἑδραίωμα Ὀρθοδοξίας



καὶ τοῦ κατὰ σάρκα εὐσεβοῦς Σερβικοῦ λαοῦ σου,



τῶν δὲ κατὰ πνεῦμα ἠγαπημένων τέκνων σου ἀπλανὴς καὶ φιλοστοργότατος πατὴρ καὶ ὁδηγός,



οὓς καὶ ἐν σώματι ἐν λόγοις ἐστήριξας



καὶ ἐξ οὐρανοῦ τὰ νῦν ἀοράτως ἐνισχύεις.



Πρέσβευε δεόμεθα σὺν τῷ ὁμοψύχῳ σου ἱεράρχῃ Νικολάῳ



ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν τῷ Θεανθρώπῳ Χριστῷ,



ὅπως γενώμεθα μιμηταί σου οἱ ἐκ πόθου τιμῶντες τὴν μνήμην σου.
  
     
(amateur translation)
 
O Righteous God-bearing Father Justin, O Christ-hearted one,
 
from the Theologian you collected the mystery in all things,
 
from Paul the fiery love towards Christ,
 
from Basil the wisdom of words and actions,
 
from Gregory the gracefulness of Theology and composition,
 
from Chrysostom the unsleeping care of the Church,
 
from Maximos the philosophical confession,
 
from the Damascene the analysis of dogmas,
 
from Sabba the love of the flock,
 
from Palamas the depth of Taborean hesychia in prayers,
 
from Seraphim the ceaseless entreaty of the Comforter,
 
you were shown in the last days as a pillar and support of Orthodoxy
 
and to your pious Serbian people according to the flesh,
 
the unerring and most-affectionate father and guide of your beloved spiritual children, whom you strengthened by your words while you were in the body,
 
and whom you now strengthen invisibly from heaven.
 
Intercede with your fellow-soul hierarch Nicholas
 
to the God-man Christ for us,
 
that we may become imitators of you, who out of fervor honor your memory.
 
For quotes from St. Justin Popovich on the Papacy and the Apostolicity of the Church, see: http://full-of-grace-and-truth.blogspot.com/2010/04/quotes-from-st-justin-popovich-on.html.
  
  

  
Apolytikion in Tone One
Let us honor with splendor the divinely inspired theologian, the wise Serb Justin, who by the scythe of the Holy Spirit hath thrashed the error of atheism and the insolence of the Latins, being a mystic of the God-man and lover of piety, crying out: Glory to Christ Who hath glorified thee, glory to Him Who hath crowned thee, glory to Him Who hath rendered thee a luminary to those who are in a state of darkness.

Kontakion in Tone One
We proclaim to the faithful the inexhaustible fount conveying the Orthodox doctrines, and an angel-like man full of divine zeal, the divine Justin, the offspring of the Serbs, who by his sound teachings and writings hath strengthened the faith of all in the Lord.
  
Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us! Amen!

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