St. John the Russian - Commemorated May 27 (source)
Please note that the meter of this translation is not set to match the original music.
Akathist to St. John the Russian, the New Confessor and Wonderworker,
whose incorrupt Holy Relic is treasured in Neo Prokopion, Evia
Written by Nun Isidora Agierotheitissa
Kontakion in the Plagal of the Fourth
Tone
The perfect pinnacle of confession, and
the divine example of humility, you willingly were steadfast amidst
the bitterness, and your flesh shone forth with incorruption, let us
honor John whose name is great, singing to him: Rejoice, O boast of the
Russians.
You lived the life of the bodiless on
earth in your physical flesh, O John, (3) and imitating the ranks of
the Bodiless Angels, God Who fashioned you glorified you in wondrous
and divine works. Therefore, you hear from those who are amazed by
you such words as these:
Rejoice, the precious icon of piety,
Rejoice, rich support of the holy faith.
Rejoice, perfect one in godly struggles,
Rejoice, privileged one serving uplifted
things.
Rejoice, the fair pinnacle of all the
Righteous ones,
Rejoice, the sacred radiance of the
confessors.
Rejoice, the most-precious joy of the
Church,
Rejoice, the most-prided offspring of
noble Russia.
Rejoice, lamp of the radiance of the
saints,
Rejoice, treasury of incorrupt and sacred
gifts.
Rejoice, O boast of the Russians.
Barbarians faced your nation in battle,
and took you hostage, O all-blessed one, thus bringing you to Asia
Minor, where you were sold to a terrible boss, while you totally
submitted to him in slavery in your incomparable steadfastness, O
Father. And being obedient to him as a humble slave, O John, to God,
the guide of all things, you offered the hymn, chanting endlessly: Alleluia.
You willed to imitate Christ, and to
suffer the divine Passion, therefore, you endured every insult, O
John, in your gladsome and undoubting heart. And you drank their
every ridicule and bitterness as a pleasant drink. Therefore, you
ever gladden those you cry out to you words like these:
Rejoice, true steward of the God of all,
Rejoice, deferential servant of a vicious
boss.
Rejoice, you who endured unspeakable
evils,
Rejoice, you who were enriched with
heavenly rewards.
Rejoice, you who endured the bitter yoke
of slavery,
Rejoice, you who bore the Lord's yoke with
joy.
Rejoice, divine mirror of mystical rays,
Rejoice, sacred treasury of God-given
gifts.
Rejoice, anointer of the unspeakable
mystagogy,
Rejoice, shining pearl of the Church.
Rejoice, lamp that shines upon the hearts
of the faithful,
Rejoice, sun that speaks of the unwaning Christ.
Rejoice, O boast of the Russians.
In the rich home in which you served, a
dinner was served, and through the grace of your Lord, you worked a
great miracle through your piercing prayer, O Father. And from afar,
O John, you sent food to your slave master in his own dish, thus
granting him joy. While to God, Who dwells in the highest, you
granted joy, as your burning heart chanted the hymn: Alleluia.
Having the most-pure fear of the Lord
in your holy heart, O Father, as David the Prophet, you were enriched
with perfect love. And through the spring of love, you approached God
perfectly, and you meditated upon the law mindfully, O all-precious
John, and called upon His name ceaselessly from the mouth of your
heart. Therefore with incomparable care, you hearken upon us who call
upon you ceaselessly:
Rejoice, the most-faithful worshipper of
the God of all,
Rejoice, the bloodless Martyr of the
Master of all.
Rejoice, you who were enriched with the
great forbearance of Job,
Rejoice, you who unflinchingly gave a good
witness.
Rejoice, you who traveled the straight
path of turmoils,
Rejoice, you who bent the neck of your
soul to Christ.
Rejoice, treasury of graces, full of
divine fragrance,
Rejoice, river of wonders, and inheritance
of fragrance.
Rejoice, the wealth of the Greeks, the
incorruptible treasure,
Rejoice, perfect sharer of the mystical
Table.
Rejoice, O boast of the Russians.
With the immense warmth of your fervor,
O John, you followed Christ willingly, and you did not at all deny
His holy and all-powerful name, O blessed one. You suffered many
pains, but you were as a diamond amidst turmoils, that beautifies the
Church of Christ. With the fiery rays of the confession which you
gave before the godless rulers with a piercing voice, O Father, you
ceaselessly spoke of God, and chanted the thrice-holy hymn, chanting
in thanksgiving: Alleluia.
From Russia, O Father, you were
transported to the holy land of Asia Minor as a slave. And by your
righteous pains you cultivated the land, and harvested the fruit of
the faith, offering it to God Who cultivated you. Through freedom in
soul, you served Him, O Righteous John, and kept your mind free,
giving glory to Him instead as is right. Therefore, for those who bless
you, grant a godly mind and a pure heart, as we cry out to you with
loud voices like this:
Rejoice, you who worked the mystical
vineyard,
Rejoice, you who fed upon the grapes of
your athletic pains.
Rejoice, for with precious tears you
watered your pillow,
Rejoice, for with divine rejoicing you
bestow harmony.
Rejoice, you who received a great talent
from the hand of God,
Rejoice, you who greatly increased the
portion given to you.
Rejoice, you who received the holy seed
within the field of your heart,
Rejoice, you who bore fruit through the
good word of your confession.
Rejoice, the good servant of every virtue,
Rejoice, the prudent disciple of the
Master of all.
Rejoice, the boast of the Church and root
of beautiful fruit,
Rejoice, the glory of the Righteous, and
wonder of the Angels.
Rejoice, O boast of the Russians.
Willingly doing the will of the Lord,
you eagerly served, O sacred John, and with your humble mindset you
followed the commandments. Therefore, you rejoiced as you accepted
the yoke of slavery for the love which He offered to us, as He took
on the form of a servant in His great goodness. With utter desire in
heart, and a joyous voice, you offered to Him the hymn and ode as is
proper: Alleluia.
In your endurance, you dwelt within a
dark stable with the horses, while in your heart you mystically
beheld the light of Christ, and you hymned the Giver-of-light in
truth, keeping the lamp of your soul lit through the illuminating
rays of your all-holy prayers. I entreat you to drive away the
darkness from my irrational soul, that I may rationally offer you
this light-bearing ode, saying fervently these words in thanksgiving:
Rejoice, healer adorned with the beauty of
confession,
Rejoice, steadfast and divine pinnacle of
good struggles.
Rejoice, the most-joyous treasury of the
spotless faith,
Rejoice, spotless treasury of joyous
graces.
Rejoice, you who freely give from the
treasury of the Saints,
Rejoice, you who strengthen the souls with
precious wealth.
Rejoice, spring which brings the fragrant
message of dispassion,
Rejoice, well that waters with the
refreshment of the spirit.
Rejoice, for you wore the tattered garment
of the flesh in humility, O Father,
Rejoice, for you gladden the soul with
songs from above.
Rejoice, the perfect companion of
servants,
Rejoice, the faithful servant of the
divine will.
Rejoice, O boast of the Russians.
Though you lived under the dominion of
deceived ones, you who trample upon the enemy, you preserved your
heart, O wondrous John, and you founded a great tower of the strength
of God in the house of your soul that was unassailable to all, in
which you loudly spoke of God's greatness. Loudly speak to my mouth,
through the boldness of your prayers, that I might totally resist the
strength of the deceiver, and offer to the all-powerful God, along
with the Angels, the hymn: Alleluia.
Shining with the beauty of your soul
more than corruptible gold, you beautify the Church of Christ, O
John, and with the golden rays of your holy deeds, you shine upon all
of us with the beauty of the Master. Illumine the garment of my soul,
which is soiled by the passions, through your bold intercessions, I
entreat you, that I might hymn your fervent help, as is needful, and
with all joy, ceaselessly saying to you words such as these:
Rejoice, container of healings, and river
of wonders,
Rejoice, the most-speedy physician of
incurable diseases.
Rejoice, you who exalted God through your
wondrous works,
Rejoice, you who trampled upon the enemy
through your unspeakable groans.
Rejoice, you who imitated well the
endurance of Job,
Rejoice, for as another Lazarus, you
persevered in poverty.
Rejoice, you who inherited well the wealth
of Eden,
Rejoice, you who wisely found the great
treasure.
Rejoice, for your flesh did not taste of
corruption in death,
Rejoice, you who partake of the grace of
incorruption upon the earth.
Rejoice, you who offer to God prayers of
intercession,
Rejoice, protector of all the faithful,
full of sympathy.
Rejoice, O boast of the Russians.
The precious members of your flesh, O
Champion, bore the sacred marks of your confession, as you withstood
many evils with your unswayable mind, and suffered hunger, and the
bitterness of insults, which you drank as a river, and joyous food,
from the eternal city of Eden, O John, in which dwell the choirs of
the Righteous, and the sacred ranks of the Martyrs, and the cities of
the divine confessors, as you chant ceaselessly unto God in Trinity
the gladsome hymn in joy: Alleluia.
Dwelling in the divine house of the
radiant and glorious trophy-bearer George in Asia Minor, you
supplicated all day, and prayed all night, thus pleasing the Master
of all, O John. Therefore, may you ever look graciously upon us who
hymn you, granting remission of sins to our souls, and deep peace and
transformation of the passions, that out of gratefulness we might cry
to you in truth:
Rejoice, fund of prayer, and rule of
continence,
Rejoice, river of love, and icon of
gladsomeness.
Rejoice, for you imitated the heavenly
ranks of the Cherubim,
Rejoice, for you illuminated the sacred
ranks of the Righteous.
Rejoice, house of purity, and robe of
cleanliness,
Rejoice, the highest imitator of the
divine life.
Rejoice, you who took refuge in the divine
church of Saint George,
Rejoice, for you pray with him to God, O
Father.
Rejoice, you who accepted the passion of
the Martyrs in the flesh,
Rejoice, you who joined with all those who
confess God.
Rejoice, Christ's teacher of humility for
us,
Rejoice, for you properly reached the
height of dispassion.
Rejoice, O boast of the Russians.
You lived your life on earth as a
stranger, but grew closer to Christ, Who estranged Himself for us on
earth, that we might become friends and close to God, delivering us
from our former disobedience, and making us sharers in the eternal
joy, and that we be found in light. May your light-bearing prayers, O
servant of the light, grant us every grace, O sacred John, that we be
delivered from the darkness, and chant unto the Worker-of-light and
Master of all, the great ode and never-silent hymn: Alleluia.
With your whole mind, O Father, you
unwaveringly followed the Lord of all, Whom you desired from
childhood, and Whose army you were numbered in out of obedience,
inscribing His laws upon the tablets of your heart, and keeping them
with exactness as a good servant, and from Whom you received divine grace as the
reward for your efforts, and your face shone as did the Law-giver
Moses. Therefore, do not cease to intercede for us, O good John, and
make us worthy to keep the holy commandments, that we might be found
in the radiant bridal chamber, and ever chant to you these good words:
Rejoice, perfect mystagogue of divine
visions,
Rejoice, precious diner from the radiant
Table.
Rejoice, friend of the Master and beloved
son,
Rejoice, protector of the faithful, and
sacred guide of brides.
Rejoice, you who glorified the immortal
God below,
Rejoice, you who trampled upon the
powerless enemy.
Rejoice, you who wondrously were true to
your Christian name,
Rejoice, stream of wonders, and river of
healings.
Rejoice, the joyfulness of the Russians
and the sweetness of the Greeks,
Rejoice, the lamp of Evia and the
adornment of the Church.
Rejoice, the holy shield of confessors,
Rejoice, the purity and gladness of the
Athletes of the Lord.
Rejoice, O boast of the Russians.
Every painful notion you endured with
joy, as you were shown to be a tower of strength against every enemy,
O John, utterly revealing their machinations, and receiving the crown
from the hand of Him Who works all things. Through your prayers, O
Father, make us worthy to be victorious over [the enemy's]
machinations, and to raise up the trophies of godly victory in
strength, and strength of life, that we might all cry out the
victorious ode: Alleluia.
The Russian people take refuge in your
holy memory, and skip and magnify God, O John, for He gave you to
them as an all-holy root. Asia Minor also dances in glory, for you
blessed her through your pains and holy struggles. And Evia also
sings, and the noble island rejoices, being joyously enriched with
your wondrous body, which transforms corruption, and turns beyond,
calling the Greeks, and every city and people that bears the name of
Christ to cry out to you these words graciously:
Rejoice, you who drank insults as sweet
water,
Rejoice, you who took reproach as joyous
food.
Rejoice, you who bore the marks of the
Lord in your flesh,
Rejoice, you who bear the seal of
incorruption in it.
Rejoice, for you offered yourself to the
King of all,
Rejoice, for you ever stand before His
throne in heaven.
Rejoice, you who in slavery were proven as
gold,
Rejoice, you who are full of gold, and
shine upon the earth.
Rejoice, you who quenched the fire of the
furnace through your pains,
Rejoice, you who saved your flesh from
corruption in the flames.
Rejoice, you who saved the disciple from
terrible danger,
Rejoice, you who fill every heart with
wonder.
Rejoice, O boast of the Russians.
We venerate your incorrupt body in
piety, O John, and we bless the immortal God, Who delivered every
race of man from death, and through His Third-day Resurrection,
resurrected us. We sing to Him in joyous voices faithfully, praising
the strength of His wonders, the multitude of His miracles, and we
cry from our hearts, with the Angelic choirs, the joyous hymn and
cherubic ode: Alleluia.
Foreseeing your blessed repose, O John,
you sought to partake of the Spotless Mysteries, that you might be
born into the life of eternal communion. These were brought to you by
a priest in an apple, hidden as a treasure from the faithless
enemies. Having received the Mysteries within your soul, O Father,
you gave your soul to God. We ever glorify Him, as the Author of our
life, and we all say these to you from our heart, ceaselessly:
Rejoice, the most-precious temple of
divine gifts,
Rejoice, the most-radiant container of
precious virtues.
Rejoice, you who bear the good news of
your calling from above,
Rejoice, you who enrich with the fragrance
of the Holy Spirit.
Rejoice, you who founded within the zeal
and steadfastness of the Martyrs,
Rejoice, for having them in mind, you
imitated their life.
Rejoice, you who who copied the lives of
all the Righteous Ones.
Rejoice, you who reached the hymnody of
the Angelic ranks.
Rejoice, you who remained for many years
in the dark stable,
Rejoice, you who ever dwell in the
pastures of light.
Rejoice, you who adorn the Church of
Christ,
Rejoice, you who beautify the holy island
of Evia.
Rejoice, O boast of the Russians.
Having burned up every evil material within yourself,
you were offered to the Church as an all-fragrant harbor, gladdening
the faithful with the grandeur of virtues. Therefore, at your holy
memory, O John, we weave godly crowns with flowers, out of debt, and
rightly engrave a hymn, honoring you from our soul, for the Lord
also, in great joy, placed a crown upon your head, O Father, and we
chant together: Alleluia.
Beholding light from your grave as a
pillar of fire, you told to those there clearly, O John, of your life
full of light which you struggled in on earth, and the boldness which
you were eternally enriched with by the Father of Lights. As you
never leave His hand, we entreat you to extend your hand, that we be
delivered from the darkness, and walk in the light of the
commandments, as your servants ceaselessly hymn the Giver-of-light
and Savior, the Redeemer Jesus, and ceaselessly say to you with one
voice:
Rejoice, lamp of the Light that drives away
the darkness of passions,
Rejoice, for you lit within your soul a
lamp with the light of the virtues.
Rejoice, you who gladden the hearts of the
faithful with your light,
Rejoice, you who make joyous the holy
Church with your beauty.
Rejoice, man of godly and holy desires,
Rejoice, divine lover of sacred
commandments.
Rejoice, you who adorn the firmament
above,
Rejoice, you who strengthen the souls of
all through the wood of the Cross.
Rejoice, spring of divine things, and
life-giving waters,
Rejoice, infinite stream of unspeakable
wonders.
Rejoice, tree that bears the fruit of
Paradise,
Rejoice, flower that carries the fragrance
of the Comforter.
Rejoice, O boast of the Russians.
Rejoicing that your time of bitter
slavery had come to an end, your holy soul passed to the hand of God,
and inherited joy in truth, O John, as you ever rejoice together with
the choirs of the Angels. Let us all hail you, speaking to the
Athlete of the Lord, celebrating his radiant memory with fervor, and
embracing his sacred body with faith. And the choir claps on earth in
harmony, while those in the heavens cry out the ode, to God in the
highest, ever chanting to Him: Alleluia.
Truly surpassing the sands of the sea, O Father, are the multitude of your wonders, which you pour upon
the faithful, who out of debt approach your sacred church, and
entreat your intercessions, O sacred John, that we be delivered from
sicknesses and from the assaults of the passions, as we cry out
willingly with a glad heart:
Rejoice, healer of sicknesses, and
driver-out of demons,
Rejoice, fountain of wonders, and
mixing-bowel of blessing.
Rejoice, you who shine as a star with the
Three-rays of light,
Rejoice, you who dissipate the
soul-corrupting mist of the passions.
Rejoice, you grant to all the true wealth
of the Master,
Rejoice, you who pour forth incorruptible
treasure for the faithful.
Rejoice, divine harbor which grants
salvation to souls,
Rejoice, you who befriend us with the
Prince of peace.
Rejoice, you who truly bring forth strange
wonders,
Rejoice, for your flesh was wondrously
estranged from corruption.
Rejoice, pillar of Russia and treasure
of Greece,
Rejoice, unsleeping protector of the whole
world.
Rejoice, O boast of the Russians.
O All-holy Father, the height of divine
confessors, and newly-illumined star, O John, (3) you who received the
experience of the Martyrs in your precious body, and the sweat of the
Righteous, and willingly endured toils, and received a crown upon
your head from your beloved Master, and were honored by incorruption
of your holy flesh: grant us the honor of incorruption in the
heavens, through your prayers and uplifted hands, that we find the
glory of eternal life, with all those who have been saved. To the
Lord, Whom you stand before, we offer the ode, crying out with the
Bodiless ones ceaselessly: Alleluia.
For the life of St. John the Russian, see: http://full-of-grace-and-truth.blogspot.com/2009/05/st-john-russian-new-confessor.html.
The holy, incorrupt and wonderworking Relic of St. John the Russian (https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDUfzz1RXhx9DKiR0OhysAtDMaAKJrxRBtT5UeMrKXqXsY67qR7_sKU6MtEuOKJU6ZOJALAbdE4bH_8cMn6ZOTvSpbxuEMKjLDPI8ioyhAJbYFQ0FaOmpIfa9iJakH6uAiZHOtWhWQtJI/s1600/sf-ioan-rusul-insula-evia.jpg)
Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us! Amen!
