Sunday of Orthodoxy (1st of Lent) «Σαρκὸς τὸ ἐκτύπωμα, ἀναστηλοῦντές σου Κύριε, σχετικῶς ἀσπαζόμεθα, τὸ μέγα μυστήριον, τῆς Οἰκονομίας, τῆς σῆς ἐκδηλοῦντες· οὐ γὰρ δοκήσει, ὡς φασίν, οἱ θεομάχοι παῖδες τοῦ Μάνεντος, ἡμῖν ὤφθης φιλάνθρωπε, ἀλλ' ἀληθείᾳ καὶ φύσει σαρκός, δι' αὐτοῦ ἀναγόμενοι, πρὸς σὸν πόθον καὶ ἔρωτα» “Restoring to the churches the depiction of Your flesh, O Lord, we ascribe to it an honour that is relative, and so express the great mystery of Your Dispensation. For You have not appeared to us, O Lover of Humans, merely in outward appearance as say the followers of Mani, who are [...]

Oikos of Christmas Day «Τὴν Ἐδὲμ Βηθλεὲμ ἤνοιξε, δεῦτε ἴδωμεν· τὴν τρυφὴν ἐν κρυφῇ εὕρομεν, δεῦτε λάβωμεν, τὰ τοῦ Παραδείσου ἔνδον τοῦ Σπηλαίου. Ἐκεῖ ἐφάνη ῥίζα ἀπότιστος, βλαστάνουσα ἄφεσιν· ἐκεῖ εὑρέθη φρέαρ ἀνώρυκτον, οὗ πιεῖν Δαυῒδ πρὶν ἐπεθύμησεν· ἐκεῖ Παρθένος τεκοῦσα βρέφος, τὴν δίψαν ἔπαυσεν εὐθύς, τὴν τοῦ Ἀδὰμ καὶ τοῦ Δαυΐδ· διὰ τοῦτο πρὸς τοῦτο ἐπειχθῶμεν, οὗ ἐτέχθη, Παιδίον νέον, ὁ πρὸ αἰώνων Θεός .» “Bethlehem has opened Eden, come, let us see; we have found delight in secret, come, let us receive the joys of Paradise within the cave. There the unwatered root whose blossom is forgiveness has [...]

Wedding Hymn - Troparion of the Holy Martyrs «Ἅγιοι Μάρτυρες, οἱ καλῶς ἀθλήσαντες καὶ στεφανωθέντες, πρεσβεύσατε πρὸς Κύριον, ἐλεηθῆναι τὰς ψυχὰς ἡµῶν». “O holy Martyrs, who have contested well and have been crowned, intercede with the Lord, that mercy be granted to our souls.” The Orthodox wedding service makes many references to the Holy Martyrs. The central prayer of crowning, which sets out how God “ordained physical marriage” to be between a man and a woman, then proceeds to ask God to bless and remember the newly wedded couple in the same manner as God blessed the well known couples [...]

Dormition Hymn Ἀπόστολοι ἐκ περάτων, συναθροισθέντες ἐνθάδε, Γεθσημανῇ τῷ χωρίῳ, κηδεύσατέ μου τὸ σῶμα, καὶ σὺ Υἱὲ καὶ Θεέ μου, παράλαβέ μου τὸ πνεῦμα. “Apostles, you have been gathered from the ends of the Earth, to this place of Gethsemane, I ask you, lay my body to rest, and you my Son and my God, receive my spirit.”   Much of our Orthodox Tradition, including our hymnology, draw upon events that are not in Scripture. This hymn, which is chanted during the Supplicatory Canons to the Theotokos from 1st – 14th August, immediately preceding the Great Feast of Panayia, the [...]

Dismissal Hymn of the Holy Fathers Ὑπερδεδοξασμένος εἶ, Χριστὲ ὁ Θεὸς ἡμῶν, ὁ φωστῆρας ἐπὶ γῆς τοὺς Πατέρας ἡμῶν θεμελιώσας, καὶ δι' αὐτῶν πρὸς τὴν ἀληθινὴν πίστιν, πάντας ἡμᾶς ὁδηγήσας· πολυεύσπλαγχνε, δόξα σοι. You are glorified above all, Christ our God, who established our Fathers as beacons on the earth, and through them guided us all to the true faith. O highly compassionate, glory to you! “Among the ministers of God some were outstanding for the word of wisdom, others for their severity of life and patient endurance, others were adorned by their moderation. Some among them were honoured for [...]