Menaion of the Orthodox Church

The 11th Day of the Month of May

Commemoration of the Holy Methodius & Cyril, Equals of the Apostles

At Great Vespers

After the Introductory Psalm, we chant “Blessed is the man…”, the first antiphon.

On “Lord, I have cried…”, 8 stichera: 3 from the Pentecostarion, and 5 for the saints, in Tone II, Special Melody: “With what wreaths of praise…”

With what wreaths of praise shall we crown the divinely wise teachers who illumined with the light of the Gospel the Slavic nations who sat in the darkness of ignorance and the shadow of death? By them have we been grafted onto the right fruitful root of Orthodoxy like a wild olive-tree, and have received from Christ God peace and great mercy. Twice

With what hymns of praise shall we bless the divinely wise teachers: Methodius, the lover of the wilderness, who was enriched with the fruits of the Spirit during his solitary sojourn, and Cyril of golden eloquence, who through his love of philosophy acquired higher wisdom and put to shame the vain belief of the foolish Moslem sages? For their sake hath Christ our God granted us great mercy.

With what beauties of hymnody shall we praise the divinely wise teachers: Methodius, who for love of Christ spurned all the beauties of the world and fought mightily for the King of heaven in the angelic habit, and Cyril, who from childhood chose wisdom as his companion and increased the talants given him by God unto His glory? Having come, through them, to know the one God, the ever-existing Trinitythe Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit,we have received great mercy from Christ God.

With what spiritual hymns shall we magnify you, O all-blessed teachers, who struggled apostolicly for the salvation of the Slavic peoples and labored well in their enlightenment with the light of the knowledge of God, by whom the closed gates thereto Were opened to us when ye devised the Slavonic alphabet? Entering therein, we come to understand the mystery of the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ, and receive from Christ God peace and great mercy.

Glory…, in Tone VI

Come, ye who love the feasts of the Church, and with songs of praise let us hymn the peers of the apostles, the adornment of hierarchs, the enlighteners and fervent helpers of the Slavic peoples, saying: Rejoice, O Cyril, golden clarion of theology, who didst explain the mystery of the Holy Trinity by comparing God to the sun, and thereby closed the blasphemous mouths of the Moslems! And rejoice with him, O Methodius, who struggled with him in oneness of mind, aiding him with prayers and signs! And now, O most blessed fathers, never cease to pray to Christ God for us who magnify you with faith and love.

Now and ever…: doxasticon from the Pentecostarion.

Entrance. Prokimenon of the day. Three readings:

A Reading from Proverbs

The memory of the just is praised, and the blessing of the Lord is upon his head. Blessed is the man who hath found wisdom, and the mortal who knoweth prudence. For it is better to traffic for her, than for treasures of gold and silver. And she is more valuable than precious stones: no precious thing is equal to her in value. For length of existence and years of life are in her right hand; and in her left hand are wealth and glory: out of her mouth righteousness proceedeth, and she carrieth law and mercy upon her tongue. Hearken to me, O children, for I will speak solemn truths. Blessed is the man who shall keep my ways; for my outgoings are the outgoings of life, and in them is prepared favor from the Lord. Ye, O men, do I exhort; and utter my voice to the sons of men. I, wisdom, have built up; upon counsel, knowledge and understanding have I called. Counsel and safety are mine; prudence is mine, and strength is mine. I love those that love me; they that seek me shall find grace. O ye simple, understand subtlety, and ye that are untaught, imbibe knowledge. Hearken unto me again; for I will speak solemn truths. For my throat shall meditate truth; and false lips are an abomination before me. All the words of my mouth are in righteousness; there is nothing in them wrong or perverse. They are all evident to those that understand, and right to those that find knowledge. For I will instruct you in truth, that your hope may be in the Lord, and ye may be filled with the Spirit.

A Reading from Proverbs

The mouth of the righteous droppeth wisdom: but the tongue of the unjust shall perish. The lips of just men drop grace: but the mouth of the ungodly is perverse. False balances are an abomination before the Lord: but a just weight is acceptable unto Him. Wherever pride entereth, there will also disgrace: but the mouth of the humble doth meditate wisdom. The integrity of the upright shall guide them, but the overthrow of the rebellious shall spoil them. Possessions shall not profit in the day of wrath, but righteousness will deliver from death. When a just man dieth, he leaveth regret: but the destruction of the ungodly is speedy and causeth joy. Righteousness traceth out blameless paths: but ungodliness encountereth unjust dealing. The righteousness of upright men delivereth them: but transgressors are caught in their own destruction. At the death of a just man his hope doth not perish: but the boast of the ungodly perisheth. A righteous man escapeth from a snare, and the ungodly man is delivered up in his place. In the mouth of ungodly men is a snare for citizens: but the understanding of righteous men is prosperous. In the prosperity of righteous men a city prospereth, but at the destruction of the wicked there is exultation. At the blessing of the upright a city shall be exalted, but by the mouths of ungodly men it is overthrown. A man void of understanding sneereth at his fellow citizens: but a sensible man is quiet.

A Reading from the Wisdom of Solomon

Though the righteous be prevented with death, yet shall he be in rest. For honorable age is not that which standeth in length of time, nor that is measured by number of years. But wisdom is the gray hair unto men, and an unspotted life is old age. He pleased God, and was beloved of Him; so that, living among sinners, he was translated. Yea, speedily was he taken away, lest that wickedness should alter his understanding, or deceit beguile his soul. For the bewitching of naughtiness doth obscure things that are honest; and the wandering of lust doth undermine the simple mind. He, being made perfect in a short time, fulfilled a long time; for his soul pleased the Lord: therefore hasted He to take him away from among the wicked. This the people saw, and understood not, neither laid they up this in their minds: that His grace and mercy is with His saints, and that He doth visit His chosen.

At the Aposticha, these stichera, in Tone VIII

Ye shone forth in the firmament of the Church like the stars of heaven in the radiance of your life, O teachers, ye peers of the apostles, and, ensnaring many nations for Christ in the net of your teachings, ye hastened to the unapproachable light, where, dwelling now with the angels, ye make supplication for us who celebrate your sacred memory in the Lord.

Stichos: Thy priests shall be clothed with righteousness, and Thy righteous shall rejoice.

Come, ye who love the feasts of the Church, let us magnify the teachers who were the peers of the apostles, the glory of the Slavs; for having been freed from the deception of the demons by them, we have received the light of the glad tidings of Christ and have come to know the preëternal Word Who hath delivered us from the darkness of sin.

Stichos: The mouth of the righteous shall meditate wisdom and his tongue shall speak of judgment.

O divinely wise Cyril and God-loving Methodius, apostles and first teachers of the Slavs, helpers of the faithful and lovers of piety, melodious instruments of the Holy Spirit, who now have great boldness before Christ, the Chief Shepherd: pray for us who celebrate your honored memory, that He may lead our life up from corruption, in that He is greatly merciful.

Glory…, in the same tone

Rejoice, O sacred twain who have illumined us with the light of the knowledge of God: Cyril, thou life-bearing wellspring of spiritual wisdom, who gavest drink to the Slavic peoples who were perishing of thirst, and Methodius, the pure abode of prayer. Pray ye earnestly to Christ, before Whom ye stand in glory, that, with you, we also may magnify and exalt Him supremely for all ages.

Now and ever…: doxasticon from the Pentecostarion.

Troparion, in Tone IV

In that ye share the ways of the apostles, O divinely wise Cyril and Methodius, ye teachers of the Slavic lands, entreat the Master of all, that He confirm all the Slavic nations in Orthodoxy and oneness of mind, grant peace to the world and save our souls.

Glory…, Now and ever…: Troparion from the Pentecostarion.

At Matins

At “God is the Lord…”, the Troparion from the Pentecostarion, twice; Glory…, that of the saints; Now and ever…: that from the Pentecostarion.

After the first chanting of the Psalter, this Sessional hymn, in Tone III

Standing now in unapproachable light before the life-creating Trinity, Whom the angelic hosts unceasingly glorify, and Whom ye proclaimed aloud among the nations, pray ye earnestly, O Cyril and Methodius, that He deliver from eternal damnation and grant remission of debts to those who honor your memory with love. Twice

Glory…, Now and ever…: Sessional hymn from the Pentecostarion.

After the second chanting of the Psalter, this Sessional hymn, in Tone V

Let the generations of the Slavs rejoice today, celebrating the sacred memory of the divinely wise teachers with splendor; for through them did the divine liturgy and all the services of the Church begin to be celebrated for us in our native tongue, and thereby an inexhaustible well of water pouring forth unto eternal life hath been given us, drinking from which we never cease to magnify you, O Cyril and Methodius. Rejoicing in the glory of the saints, pray ye earnestly, that our souls be saved. Twice

Glory…, Now and ever…: Sessional hymn from the Pentecostarion.

Polyeleos, and this magnification

We magnify you, O holy Methodius and Cyril, ye peers of the apostles, who illumined all the Slavic lands with your teachings and led them to Christ.

Selected Psalm verses

A The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament proclaimeth the work of His hands. [Ps. 18: 2]

B The heavens shall confess Thy wonders, O Lord. [Ps. 88: 6]

A In the stead of thy fathers, sons are born to thee. [Ps. 44: 17]

B The God of gods, the Lord, hath spoken, and He hath called the earth. [Ps. 49: 1]

A From the rising of the sun unto the going down of the same, the name of the Lord is to be praised. [Ps. 112: 3]

B Thy lightnings have shone forth throughout the world. [Ps. 96: 4]

A The heavens declared His righteousness. [Ps. 96: 6]

B And all the peoples saw His glory. [Ps. 96: 6]

A The princes of Judah are their rulers. [Ps. 67: 28]

B God is King over the nations. [Ps. 46: 9]

A God is glorified in the council of the saints. [Ps. 88: 8]

B Great and terrible is He toward all who are round about Him. [Ps. 88: 8]

A Say among the nations that the Lord is King. [Ps. 95: 10]

B Declare among the heathen His glory, and among all peoples His wonders. [Ps. 95: 3]

A Their sound hath gone forth into all the earth. [Ps. 18: 5]

B Their words unto the ends of the world. [Ps. 18: 5]

A He hath subdued peoples under us, and nations under our feet. [Ps. 46: 4]

B Great is our God, and great is His strength, and of His understanding there is no measure. [Ps. 146: 5]

A He will give power and strength unto His people. Blessed be God. [Ps. 67: 36]

Glory…, Now and ever…

Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia, Glory to Thee, O God! Thrice

After the Polyeleos, this Sessional hymn, in Tone IV

Come ye, and with praises let us honor aloud our enlighteners, for with the manna of their divinely wise teaching they fed the Slavic peoples who were perishing out of hunger for the word of God, and illumined them, as with the rays of the sun, by translating the Gospel of the son of thunder into their native tongue. And, having received effulgence therefrom, we cry out in thanksgiving: Rejoice, O ever-glorious Cyril and Methodius! Twice

Glory…, Now and ever…: Sessional hymn from the Pentecostarion.

Song of Ascents, the first antiphon of Tone IV

Prokimenon, in Tone IV

Thy priests shall be clothed with righteousness, and Thy righteous shall rejoice.

Stichos: Hear this, all ye nations; give ear, all ye that inhabit the world.

Let every breath praise the Lord.

Gospel according to John, §35

from the midpoint [Jn. 10: 1-9]

The Lord said to the Jews that came to Him: Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold, but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber. But he that entereth in by the door is the shepherd of the sheep. To him the porter openeth; and the sheep hear his voice: and he calleth his own sheep by name, and leadeth them out. And when he putteth forth his own sheep, he goeth before them, and the sheep follow him: for they know his voice. And a stranger will they not follow, but will flee from him; for they know not the voice of strangers. This parable spake Jesus unto them; but they understood not what things they were which he spake unto them. Then said Jesus unto them again, Verily, verily, I say unto you, I am the door of the sheep. All that ever came before me are thieves and robbers: but the sheep did not hear them. I am the door: by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and go in and out, and find pasture.

After Psalm 50, this sticheron, in Tone VI

Canon from the Pentecostarion, with 6 Troparia, including the irmos; and that of the saints, with 6 Troparia, in Tone III

Ode I

Irmos: He Who of old gathered the waters into one at His divine behest, and parted the sea for the people of Israel, is our God and is most glorious. To Him let us chant, for He hath been glorified!

At a loss how to traverse the waters of life’s tumult, O venerable Methodius, thou didst abandon all the beauties of this world and, fighting the invisible foe in the angelic habit, thou didst serve the one God, joyously singing: to Him alone let us chant, for He hath been glorified!

Thou wast shown to be a chosen vessel from thine infancy, O blessed Cyril, in nowise desiring to receive milk from a stranger’s breasts, thereby showing that thy mind would not be deceived by a strange doctrine, but would be illumined by the teaching of the holy Orthodox Church, and that thou thyself wouldst become the teacher and enlightener of many.

Bedewed by the waters of your teachings, even to this day the Slavic lands bring forth fruit right pleasing unto Christ the Master; wherefore, the Holy Church doth bless you, crying aloud: Deliver us from tribulations, for ye have been glorified!

Theotokion: The waters of sin have entered in unto my soul, O Mistress, and I am sunk in the mire of the passions. To thee do I flee, O most immaculate one: still thou the turmoil of impure thoughts and grant me peace of mind.

Ode III

Irmos: O Most High, Thou Ruler of all, Who out of non-existence hast brought all things, which are fashioned by Thy Word and made perfect by the Spirit: Confirm me in Thy love!

O venerable Methodius, hearing with the ear of thy heart: “He who would come after Me, let him take up his cross and follow after Me,” thou didst follow Christ, shouldering the cross of the monastic life. Him do thou entreat, that in His love He establish me, who am cold.

He Who of old showed Jacob, in a dream, a ladder which extended up into the heavens, O holy Cyril, when thou wast a boy also in a wondrous dream betrothed thee to a maiden more lovely than all others, Sophia by name. And, behold! the wisdom which sitteth at His throne hath established thee in the love of the Most High.

He Who hath brought all things out of non-existence, O right wondrous fathers, sanctified you for Himself as chosen vessels from your mother’s womb, that ye might bring His name before the nations. Wherefore, celebrating your honored memory, we entreat you, O Cyril and Methodius, to establish your wavering mind in the confession of the right Faith.

Theotokion: O pure one, who hast given peace to the world and given birth to the Origin of tranquility, still the waves of my passions and establish me upon the rock of dispassion.

Kontakion & ikos from the Pentecostarion.

Sessional hymn of the saints, in Tone IV

Thou didst liken the holy consubstantial Trinity to the sun, O divinely inspired Cyril, declaring that the visible, created sun in the sky is an image of the Holy Trinity, saying: “The solar disc is an image of God the Father, Who hath neither beginning nor end; and as a ray of light issueth forth from the solar disc, illumining the earth, so is the Son, the Effulgence of the Father, begotten of God the Father; and the warmth which giveth life to the whole world, and with the ray is poured forth from the same disc, is an image of the Holy Spirit, Who proceedeth from the same Father.” Heeding thy wondrous teaching, we also worship the one God in Trinity, blessing thy memory, O right wondrous one. Twice

Glory…, Now and ever…: Sessional hymn from the Pentecostarion.

Ode IV

Irmos: Thou hast shown us constant love, O Lord, for Thou didst give Thine only-begotten Son over to death for us. Wherefore, in thanksgiving we cry to Thee: Glory to Thy power, O Lord!

Thou didst set the keeping of the commandments as thy corner-stone, O venerable Methodius, and building the house of thy soul thereon thou didst make it a habitation of the Holy Spirit. And I, who am the abode of sin, fall down before thee, O most blessed one: cleanse me with the dew of thy prayers, that I may cry out in thanksgiving: Glory to Thy power, O Lord!

“Grant that I may understand what is pleasing unto Thee, O Master!”, thou didst cry out, O blessed Cyril, when thou wast given over to study with the young emperor; wherefore, in addition to outward philosophy, thou didst receive the wisdom of the Spirit and the fear of God from on high, and didst regard earthly wisdom as nought, crying: Glory to Thy power, O Lord!

Thou didst set love for thy Creator like a seal upon thy heart, O most blessed Cyril; wherefore, thou didst reject an earthly betrothal and the glory of this world, and, escaping like a bird from the hunters’ snares, thou didst attain unto the calm haven of monastics and wast clothed in the robe of joy, chanting with Methodius: Glory to Thy power, O Lord!

Theotokion: Setting mine iniquities and injustices before me, I see that they have multiplied more than the sands of the sea. To thee do I flee, O most immaculate one: heal the sores of my soul, that in thanksgiving I may cry out to Him Who was born of thee: Glory to Thy power, O Lord!

Ode V

Irmos: In a vision Isaiah beheld God exalted upon a throne borne aloft by angels of glory, and he cried: O accursed am I, for I have beheld beforehand the incarnate God, the unwaning Light, Who reigneth with peace!

Thou didst flower like a fragrant lily in the wilderness, O venerable Methodius, adorning thy soul with prayer, vigils and fasting; and, having lived angelically upon the earth, with the angels thou dost now contemplate in splendor the never-waning Light Who reigneth with peace.

Praying in the wilderness to Him Who is upborne by the angels of glory, O Cyril, thou wast prevailed upon to return to the Imperial City and adorned with priestly rank, that thou mightest show the way of salvation to men, illumining them with the light of doctrine and offering up the unbloody sacrifice to the never-waning Light Who reigneth with peace, for all.

Thou wast shown to be an inexhaustible well of wisdom, O God-bearing Cyril, when thou wast sent by the emperor to dispute with the Saracens, who blaspheme the all-holy Trinity; and they were unable to drown in the turgid waters of their false religion thee who art illumined from on high by the never-waning Light.

Theotokion: How can I fail to fear the dread felling, since I am a barren tree, wretch that I am? Make haste quickly to her who is full of grace, O my soul; for if she will not help thee, thou wilt never behold the never-waning Light Who reigneth with peace!

Ode VI

Irmos: The uttermost abyss of sins hath engulfed me, and my spirit doth perish. But, stretching forth Thine upraised arm, O Master, save me as Thou didst Peter, O Helmsman!

“Our God is like the deep of the sea, unfathomable by the mind and indescribable in words,” thou didst say to the Moslems who disputed with thee, O all-wise Cyril; “and some who attempt to sail across this deep in the leaky boats of their own intellect are drowned, falling into errors and heresies, while others are buffeted by incomprehension and doubt, knowing not how to chant: O Helmsman, save us, as Thou didst Peter!”

Sunk deep in the abyss of their false understandings, the Moslems secretly offered thee deadly poison. But He Who said: “If ye drink anything deadly, it will not harm you”, preserved thee whole and returned thee with honor to the Imperial City. And, fittingly blessed by the emperor and patriarch, thou wast supremely exalted, crying: “O Helmsman, Thou hast saved me as Thou didst Peter!”

The Holy Spirit once said to the disciples: “Separate for Me Barnabas and Saul for the task to which I have called them,” the enlightenment of the nations who are perishing in the abyss of ignorance of God; and He likewise commanded that ye be sent to the lands of the Slavs, O venerable fathers. And, illumined by the light of your teaching, people who sat in darkness and the shadow of death have cried out: “O Helmsman, Thou hast saved us as Thou didst Peter!”

Theotokion: The uttermost abyss of sins hath encompassed me, and, beset with trembling and terrified of utter drowning, I offer thee entreaty, O all-immaculate one: Have mercy upon my passion-plagued soul! Stretch forth thy hands, in that thou art good, and as Thy Son saved Peter, so do thou save me, O thou who dost steer my soul.

Kontakion, in Tone III

Let us honor our two sacred enlighteners, who poured forth upon us a spring of divine knowledge through their translation of the divine Scriptures. Drawing forth abundantly therefrom to this very day, we bless you, O Cyril and Methodius, who stand before the throne of the Most High and fervently pray for our souls.

Ikos: Come, ye faithful, let us praise our God-bearing fathers Methodius and Cyril, the preachers of piety who shone forth in virtue, the true pillars and foundation of the Church, the divine clarions of Christian dogmas; for having driven the darkness of unbelief away from us and burned up the impieties of heresy with the fire of the Spirit, by their translation of the Scriptures they transformed the Slavic race from wild olive-trees into a fruitful grove, through divine baptism have brought them into the Christian Faith, and have filled the whole world with a multitude of miracles; wherefore, they stand, crowned, before God Almighty. And we cry out to them: O divine fathers, peers of the apostles, entreat Christ, that He grant all the Slavic peoples steadfastness in Orthodoxy and oneness of mind, bring peace to the world, and save Thou our souls.

Ode VII

Irmos: The three children would not bow down before the golden image, the object of the Persians’ worship, but chanted in the midst of the furnace: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

Abiding alone in solitude before, O Methodius, thou didst make thy soul like a divinely planted garden; but later, undertaking the apostolic preaching with the divinely wise Cyril, thou didst labor in the lands of the Slavs, where, unburnt by the fire of impiety like the youths in the furnace, ye chanted: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

Thou didst best the Jews and Saracens in argument, O all-wise Cyril, and didst enlighten the land of the Khazars with holy baptism, freeing a multitude of captives, and didst transform brackish water in an arid wilderness into potable water; and, saved by thee, the people chanted: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

O venerable fathers, ye were vessels chosen to bear the name of the Lord before the nations; wherefore, the Slavic peoples desired to be illumined by the light of your doctrine. And ye deemed it better to exchange the sweetness of solitude for apostolic labor, that ye might win a great many for Christ; and together with them ye chant: O God of our fathers, blessed art Thou!

Theotokion: I am a vessel full of the passions, O all-holy Virgin Theotokos, and fear ultimate death and the threat of the fire. But do thou save me who am perishing, O all-pure one, and gird my spirit about with strength, that, bursting the bonds of sin, I may chant in thanksgiving: Blessed art thou who gavest birth to Him Who hath delivered the captives!

Ode VIII

Irmos: With immaterial flame the God-seeing children caused the flame of the material fire to die out, and they chanted: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!

Continually illumined by the immaterial fire of grace, thou didst receive the rank of priest, O blessed Cyril; and with the aid of the Holy Spirit, thou didst devise an alphabet for the Slavs, that the people, enlightened by the translation of divinely inspired books into their native speech, might chant: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!

O most lauded fathers, ye first thundered out the chief heading of our Faith, the unearthly words of the son of thunder: “In the beginning was the Word”, and then the melodious Psalter, wherewith the Holy Church crieth out in gladness: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!

Ye have enriched us with an immaterial treasure, O right wondrous fathers, for thanks to you the divine liturgy began to be celebrated in the Slavonic language; and partaking of this grace to this day, we bless you, chanting: Bless the Lord, all ye works of the Lord!

Theotokion: The fire of temptations and evil perils hath surrounded me. To thee do I flee, O Virgin Theotokos. Disdain not the supplications of thy servant, O pure one, but deliver me from the cruel ones who beset me, that, uttering blessing, I may bless thee and exalt thy name supremely forever.

Ode IX

Irmos: Thee, the unconsumed bush, the holy Virgin, the Mother of the Light, the Theotokos, the hope of us all, do we magnify!

Who can praise thee fittingly, O most glorious Methodius? And who can reckon the labors thou didst apostolicly undertake for the salvation of an erring people, O Cyril? We who have been taught by you to glorify God Most High in our native tongue magnify you in oneness of mind.

When thou hadst completed thy work and finished the race, O blessed Cyril, thou didst receive word of thy repose from on high, and, accepting it joyfully, thou didst chant: “My spirit was glad because of them that said unto me, Let us go into the courts of the Lord!” And yearning for the heavens, thou wast borne aloft in soul, where with the hosts of heaven thou dost continually magnify the consubstantial Trinity.

Receiving the episcopacy of the Church of Moravia, O venerable Methodius, in proclaiming the Holy Faith thou didst undertake many labors and struggles, and didst endure many tribulations and persecutions; and, rejoicing now in the highest with the holy Cyril, pray for us, that we may continually magnify you as our helpers and mediators.

Theotokion: O thou who art more exalted than the angels and more honorable than the cherubim, we pray thee: through the intercession of the holy Cyril and Methodius have pity on our lowliness, lead us up from the depths of sin, and deliver us from everlasting damnation, that with them we may magnify thee, the Theotokos and Mother of the Light, and our hope.

Exapostilarion

Celebrating your memory with splendor, O holy teachers, we entreat you most earnestly: establish on the rock of the confession of Christ the nations which ye enriched with the treasure of the glad tidings, and preserve our life in peace.

Glory…, Now and ever…: exapostilarion from the Pentecostarion.

On the Praises, 6 stichera: 3 from the Pentecostarion, and 3 for the saints, in Tone IV, Special Melody: “As one valiant among the martyrs…”

O divinely wise Cyril and Methodius, following in the steps of the apostles, with oneness of mind ye labored to search out the lost; and like fleet-winged eagles ye soared above the Slavic lands, and, having illumined them with the light of the knowledge of God, ye brought them to Jesus Who loveth mankind, the Savior of our souls.

O God-bearing fathers, husbandmen of the vineyard of Christ, planters of piety: after diligent search ye found the Slavic peoples like a lost coin; and, rejoicing with the angels, Jesus Who loveth mankind, the Savior of our souls, hath taken it into the treasury of everlasting life.

O champions of the Holy Trinity, guides of the lost, who bested the blasphemy of Islam and put to shame the impiety of the Jews: the Church which ye acquired through your God-pleasing labors and your sweat, do ye strive to preserve unharmed by the assaults of the enemy and well-pleasing to Jesus Who loveth mankind, the Savior of our souls.

Glory…, in Tone VI

O ye people, piously celebrating the memory of our enlighteners, let us cry out in thanksgiving: Rejoice, all-radiant beacons who have illumined the Slavic lands with the light of the knowledge of God! Rejoice, ye good shepherds, who have gathered together the reason-endowed sheep who were scattered amid the thickets of unbelief, and have brought them to Christ, the Chief Shepherd. Magnifying Him, we call you blessed.

Now and ever…: doxasticon from the Pentecostarion. Great Doxology. Litanies. Dismissal.

At Divine Liturgy

On the Beatitudes, 8 Troparia: 4 from the appointed ode of the canon from the Pentecostarion; and 4 from Ode VI of the canon of the saints.

Prokimenon, in Tone VII

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.

Stichos: What shall I render unto the Lord for all that He hath rendered unto me?

Epistle to the Hebrews, §318 [7: 26-8: 2]

Brethren: Such a high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens; who needeth not daily, as those high priests, to offer up sacrifice, first for his own sins, and then for the people: for this he did once, when he offered up himself. For the law maketh men high priests which have infirmity; but the word of the oath, which was since the law, maketh the Son, who is consecrated for evermore. Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such a high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens; a minister of the sanctuary, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man.

Alleluia, in Tone II

Stichos: Thy priests shall be clothed with righteousness, and Thy righteous shall rejoice.

Stichos: For the Lord hath elected Sion, He hath chosen her to be a habitation for Himself.

Gospel according to Matthew, §11 [5: 14-19]

The Lord said to His disciples: Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hid. Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house. Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven. Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven.

Communion Verse

In everlasting remembrance shall the righteous be; he shall not be afraid of evil tidings.