Service to the Holy Hierarch Ignaty
Brianchaninov
Bishop of the Caucasus and the Black Sea
April 30th Julian Calendar
/ May 13th Gregorian Calendar
Translated to the English language from
Church Slavonic
with the blessing of Abbot Joachim,
Mercy
House, New York City, 2003
Small Vespers
Lord I have cried, 4
stichera, Tone 2
Special Melody:
"Even from the tree":
O
most wonderful holy hierarch Ignaty, the northern land, the Russian Thebaid,
beheld the beginnings of thy monastic podvigs[1] and labors, where thou didst
discover the Lord Jesus, the Ordainer-of-Podvigs, Who strengthened thee in the
work of prayer.
When
thou didst become a superior of monks, having come of age, O father, received
by the northern monastery named after the venerable Sergius, thou didst
encounter great sorrows, and enfeebling infirmities, as well as comfort from
thine eternal brothers; and thou wast vouchsafed the visitation of the
Comforting Spirit, Who appeared to thee.
By
obedience to the Holy Church, O father, thou didst reach the southern country,
lying near Pontus, where in thine episcopate thou wast a father and mentor of
the peoples and tribes of the Caucasus, who were thirsting for the words of
Christ.
But,
when the time of thy departure drew nigh, O holy hierarch of God Ignaty, in the
monastery on the banks of the Volga, while fulfilling works of words and
prayers, thou didst depart unto God with hope, finding in Him much calm and
peace.
Glory, both now, of the feast.
Apostica, Tone 1
Special melody: "Of
the heavenly ranks"
Being
edified by thy spiritual father’s teaching, O father Ignaty, thou didst learn
the rules of monastic life and didst practice various obediences diligently,
fulfilling the way of the saints.
Verse: Honorable before the Lord / is the death of His
venerable ones.
Having
acquired spiritual wisdom, as well as knowledge of the fathers’ writings, thou
didst receive children of obedience in abundance, O father, and didst
spiritually guide them to the Heavenly and Eternal Kingdom.
Verse: Blessed is the man, who fears the
Lord, / in His commandments shall he greatly delight.
Having
loved thy neighbor’s soul, by bringing it to the Lord and Savior, while showing
spiritual love to thy children, as the psalmist thou didst exclaim: Come,
children, hearken, I will teach you the fear of the Lord.
Glory, both now, of the feast.
Troparia— printed with
Great Vespers
Great Vespers
Blessed is the Man: 1st
antiphon
Lord I have cried, Tone
5
Special melody:
"Rejoice":
Rejoice
and keep bright festival, O land of Russia, having revealed the new holy
hierarch of God, Ignaty, who elucidating the faith of Christ with his writings,
and expounding the laws of the Spirit, clearly completed the path of the
spiritual life.
Rejoice,
O holy hierarch Ignaty, for having loved the way of Christ’s commandments from
infancy, thou becamest one of the Lord’s most wonderful elect, and having
passed through the furnace of temptations and troubles, thou wast a teacher of
the Orthodox people, explaining the laws of eternal life.
Rejoice,
O thou who in the monastic ranks received the name of the God-bearer, for thus
of thine own will, O holy hierarch Ignaty, while enduring sickness and sorrow,
like a hieromartyr, thou didst inscribe the Name of Christ within thy heart
throughout thy life, strengthening thyself with unceasing prayer.
Rejoice,
O divinely wise holy hierarch of Christ, for having searched out the true and
living God, thou didst stand before Christ until the very end of thy days,
strengthening thyself with unceasing prayer and love, and establishing thyself
by enduring every sorrow.
Glory, tone 4:
Thou
didst strive toward eternal truth and immortality, O wonderful holy hierarch
Ignaty, and confessing these to thy neighbors, thou didst call them to the love
of God, and now thou shinest in the unwaning glory of eternal life in the
Kingdom of Christ.
Both now, of the feast.
Entrance
Prokeimenon of the day
Three readings for holy
hierarchs:
Proverbs
A
concatenation of the verses, beginning, "The memory of the righteous"
Proverbs: 10:31-11:12
"The
mouth of the righteous drops wisdom":
Wisdom of Solomon:
4:7-15
"The
righteous man, though he be prevented by death"
Litya Stichera
The first sticheron of
the temple followed by these for the Holy Hierarch,
Tone 1:
A
saving thought, to follow the teachings of the holy fathers, thou didst call, O
venerable one, thy star, guiding thee and illumining the narrow path of thy
mind and heart to God.
This
blessed thought, guiding thee, O divinely wise father, brought thee to springs
of living waters, to monastic habitations, where thou, by many podvigs, didst
acquire God.
Glory, in the same tone:
Thou
didst discover the country of truth, O venerable one, the teachings of the holy
fathers, and having followed their writings zealously throughout thy life, thou
didst call out: these are Heavenly stars, emitting harmonious and unified
light, these are ships, sailing to a single pier, this choir, they sang a
single Godly song, and following their teaching, thou didst direct thy soul
unto eternal life.
Both now, of the feast.
Apostica, Tone 6:
Thou
didst sing the sacred hymn, O venerable father, beneath the shadow of the
Lord’s Cross, the song of thanksgiving and praise. Wherefore, by thy prayers
help the people of God, living as wanderers, to give Him praise at the foot of
the Tree of the Cross.
Refrain: Honorable before the Lord / is the death of His
venerable ones.
Thou
didst explain to us, O father, in thy writings, what it means to partake of the
cup of Christ. Help us by thy prayers, O venerable one, to accept this cup of
sorrows and adversities with thanksgiving, as a gift of God, in our life.
Refrain: Thy ministers shall be clothed in righteousness, /
and Thy righteous shall rejoice.
Thou
didst traverse the sea of worldly passions and sorrows on a [seaworthy] ship, a
steadfast soul, wherefore, keep our souls, assailed by the waves of sin, in the
saving ship of the Church of Christ, as [thou art] an excellent man of prayer.
Glory, both now, of the feast.
Troparion, Tone 8:
O
Champion of Orthodoxy, excellent teacher of repentance and prayer, divinely
inspired adornment of hierarchs, glory and praise of monastics: by thy writings
thou hast imbued us with purity. O spiritual lute, Ignaty divinely wise, pray
to the Word, Christ God, Whom thou didst bear within thy heart, to grant us
repentance before the end!
Or, in the same tone—
The
chosen beloved of Christ wast thou shown to be, having clung to Him in many
afflictions and unceasing prayer; and having acquired the grace of the Holy
Spirit, thou wast an exemplary teacher of the people. Remember us, O holy
hierarch Ignaty, God-bearer of Russia, that with thy teachings and prayers we
may find saving repentance, and with heartfelt love become Christ’s own!
Matins
God is the Lord
Troparion of the feast,
twice. Glory, of the holy hierarch, and Both now, of the feast.
Kathismata
After the 1st kathisma,
Sedalen, Tone 2
Having
been united to Christ by many prayers and sorrows in thy life, O holy hierarch
Ignaty, thou wast an excellent teacher and helper of thy people; pray for those
who honor thy memory, O blessed one.
Glory, both now, of the feast.
After the 2nd Kathisma,
Sedalen, Tone 8:
Thou
didst say, O father: that to ponder the incarnation of God the Word, His saving
sufferings and Resurrection, is a degree of spiritual vision, the which,
vouchsafe us to acquire by thy prayers, O venerable one.
Glory, both now, of the feast.
Polyeleos, and this
Magnification:
We
magnify thee, O holy hierarch Ignaty, and we honor thy holy memory; for thou
dost entreat Christ God for us.
The Polyeleos Sedalen,
Tone 5
Special melody: "O
Venerable Father":
O
venerable father, all-honorable holy hierarch, thou didst teach that prayer,
true faith, and the suffering of sorrows, are needed in order to be saved. Help
us, O saint of God, so that protected by thy teachings, we may attain the
salvation of our souls.
Glory, both now, of the feast.
Hymn of Ascents, Tone 4
Prokeimenon, Tone 4:
Honorable
before the Lord / is the death of His venerable ones.
Stichos: What shall I do for the Lord for all that He has
done for me?
Let every breath praise
the Lord.
Gospel according to St.
Matthew, #11 (Matthew 5:14-19)
Having beheld the
Resurrection of Christ… Psalm 50
After the 50th psalm,
the final sticheron in tone 6:
Thou
didst unveil the mystery of the Lord's Holy Table in the shining of a great
light: As the sun, thou didst teach, is reflected in every drop of dew,
likewise in the [Mystical] Supper, everyone is joined to Christ wholly in
Divinity and humanity. By thy prayers, O Saint Ignaty, vouchsafe us to approach
this mystery with the fear of God and uncondemned.
Canon of the Feast &
Canon of the Holy
Hierarch, Tone 8:
Ode I
Irmos: Once, the wonderworking staff of Moses drowned the
chariots of the persecutor Pharaoh, having crosswise struck and divided the
sea, but saved Israel escaping on foot and chanting a hymn unto God.
Thou
didst traverse the spiritual route, leading to the Living God, O holy hierarch
Ignaty, clearly showing how it is meet to travel along the path of earthly
life— by heeding the teachings of Christ.
Thou
didst behold, O father, the first step on the ladder of the Evangelical
virtues, poverty of spirit; and the testament thou didst give was to follow
this, to love it, and to put it at the beginning of the spiritual path.
Poverty
of spirit, thou didst say, is the salt of all spiritual sacrifices, because it
is the first beatitude mentioned in the Holy Gospel of Christ; all other
beatitudes- meekness, mercy, and purity of heart- follow it and by it are
perfected.
Theotokion: O Mother of the Light, Most-pure Birthgiver of God,
having completed thy saving life on earth with thy Son and God, strengthen us,
unworthy ones, rescue us from sins, and prepare us to walk toward eternal truth.
Ode III
Irmos: O Lord, Supreme Creator of the Heavens, and Builder
of the Church, establish me in Thy love, O limit of desires, confirmation of
the faithful, O only Lover of Mankind.
While
manifesting Christ’s truth in thy life, O holy hierarch of Christ Ignaty, on
this path thou didst learn to cry and weep over evil deeds, and to flee unto
the Savior of the world.
In
thy youth, thou didst cry bitterly in thy cell with monastic tears, over the
captivity of man’s soul and mind, and the destruction of the temple of his
heart, created by God for His lofty service. From all of these, only the One
God-man and Savior can rescue us.
And
again, thou didst acquire tears, O father, in thy monastic life, when thou
didst overcome all obstacles distancing thee from God. For the sake of that
weeping, remember us who honor thy holy memory.
Theotokion: O Most-Pure Virgin, who assuagest our sadness and
sorrows, grant us saving tears, that we may cry over the abyss of our evils and
iniquities before thee.
Sedalen, Tone 3:
Thou
didst teach, O praiseworthy father, that to acquire pure prayer and to love the
feeling of repentance and tears is enough to attain eternal salvation.
Vouchsafe us sinners the same, by thy prayers, O saint.
Glory, Both now, of the feast.
Ode IV
Irmos: Thou art my strength, O Lord, Thou art my power, Thou
art my God, [and] Thou art my joy, Thou didst not leave the bosom of the Father
even while visiting our poverty, wherefore, with the prophet Habakkuk I cry
unto Thee: glory to Thy power, O Lover of Mankind.
Seeking
the mysteries of monastic life, O blessed Ignaty, thou didst learn that it is
fitting to repent, and that monastic labor is nothing other than the work of
unceasing repentance.
In
repentance, tears and crying over evil deeds, thou didst behold, O father, the
way of salvation, leading to Heavenly life, which lies before everyone bearing
the name of Christ.
Thou
didst say, O venerable father, that it is needful to cut off the passions by
repentance, and by repentance to acquire good works. And, should our eye not
behold, the depth of our sinfulness, we will not attain eternal salvation.
Theotokion: O Mother of God, Surety and Helper of sinners, firmly
establish us on the path unto God with true repentance, and direct it by the
vision of our sins and their confession.
Ode V
Irmos: Why hast Thou turned Thy face away from me, O Light
Unwaning, and strange darkness has covered me, the wretched one? But turn me
and direct my ways to the light of thy commandments, I pray.
Supplying
thy soul with crying and uninterrupted repentance, O father Ignaty, thou wast a
man of prayer, having loved it from thy childhood, and thou didst set it as the
foundation of [thy] spiritual life.
Strengthening
thy life with diligent prayer from thy youth, until thine end thou didst honor
thy podvig of prayer to Christ God, whereby thou didst establish thyself in
Christ the Savior.
Having
come to the age of manhood, having been a director of monks, while experiencing
diverse sorrows, in steadfast and unceasing prayer with many tears thou didst
reap true freedom and tranquility, O all-blessed father.
Theotokion: O Most Pure Virgin, Mother of Christ God, crown of
unsleeping prayer, entreat God on our behalf, and by thy prayers, rescue us
sinners from adversities and sorrows.
Ode VI
Irmos: I pour forth my prayer unto God, and to Him I
declare my sorrows, in that my soul is filled with evil and my life draws nigh
unto hell, and so I pray, as Jonah, raise me up from corruption, O Lord.
Thou
wast a teacher of noetic prayer, O father Ignaty, clearly showing how we must
stand before the Face of Christ and pray with repentance.
Thou
didst teach that it is meet in prayer, O father, to stand in the choir of
lepers, blind, deaf, and lame; and thus, from a broken heart, from the poverty
of our spirit, to strive to pray to Christ.
When
quiet blows gently in the heart during prayer, along with peace toward all,
meekness, compassion and love for man, thou didst teach, O father, that we will
then learn these were accomplished by the grace of the Holy Spirit.
Theotokion: O Mother of God, incomprehensible receptacle of the
Holy Spirit, pray for us mortals and direct our prayers unto God.
Kontakion, Tone 8
Special Melody,
"even in the tomb":
Although
traversing the path of this earthly life, O holy hierarch Ignaty, Thou didst,
nonetheless, unceasingly behold the laws of life eternal,
Which
thou didst teach to thy pupils with many [life-bearing] words. Wherefore, pray,
O holy father, that we follow them as well.
Ikos: Thou didst write, O father, that it is meet have the
fear of God, in order to attain the perfection of all the virtues, the love of
God, and so to become like unto the Heavenly Father. Pray, O holy father, that
we follow this teaching as well.
Ode VII
Irmos: As the Hebrew youths daringly trampled the flame in
the furnace and the fire changed into dew, they cried out: Blessed art Thou, O
Lord God, unto all ages.
In
the wintry bareness of tree branches thou didst contemplate, O father, the
mystery of the resurrection of the dead. For, even as the tree in its own time
is covered with leaves, so the bones of men will revive, and being clothed with
flesh, they will enter the new world.
Thou
didst learn, O father, as much as is possible, the mystery concerning the end
of man’s life, and the mystery of the angelic nature and of the soul of man,
and didst give thanks unto God.
Thou
didst confess the One God alone, the Spirit of Truth, the all-perfect One, and
bowing down before Him, O father, we magnify thee.
Theotokion: O Virgin Mary, Mother of the Ineffable Light, protect
us sinners from fallen thoughts, and strengthen the Divine teaching of the Holy
Church in our hearts.
Ode VIII
Irmos: Glorified on the holy mountain and revealed to Moses in
the mystery of the Ever-Virgin in the burning bush, hymn the Lord and exalt Him
supremely for all ages.
Thou
didst love, O father, to serve the brethren with the word of God, and to thee
this service was a podvig of thy life; and to us it is immutable joy, as we cry
out to thee: Do not leave us, O father, [along] with thy words and prayers!
In
serving the Word, within thy soul thou didst hear the voice of surety in
salvation, wherefore, thou didst love thy neighbors most sincerely, and that
same Divine Word.
Thou
didst teach thy neighbors, O holy hierarch, that our Savior is Heavenly Fire,
acting in His Gospel words.
Theotokion: O Mother of God, birthgiver of God the Word, grant
speech unto thy servants that they might proclaim the mystery of thine all-merciful
intercession, appearing in the mystery of the birth of the Word, Christ God.
Ode IX
Irmos: Heaven was terrified, and the ends of the earth were
amazed, that God revealed Himself to men in the flesh and thy womb became more
spacious than the Heavens. Wherefore, the commanders of the ranks of angels and
men magnify thee, O Theotokos.
Having
borne many labors and illnesses in thy life, O all-honorable holy hierarch,
thou didst bow down before the radiant Cross of Christ, and offered thy prayers
unto the Lord.
Beset
by sorrows, in a vision thou didst behold a Wanderer in thy cell, coming to
visit thee. "Where dost Thou come from? And, where is Thine abode? Why
dost Thou leave it, even now?" sweetly thou didst cry, O father, to
Christ, appearing to thee.
In
walking before the Lord, O father, thou didst learn the fate of thy fatherland,
and didst clearly foresee thine end, prayerfully striving toward God the Word,
unto thy beloved Christ.
Theotokion: O Mother of God, Shining of the Ineffable Light,
guide our steps unto eternal life, forgiving all the evil we have done.
Exapostilaria
Having
received the most glorious name of the God-bearer in monasticism, O father
Ignaty, all-honorable holy hierarch, with unceasing prayer thou didst settle
Christ within thy heart, and wast a teacher, leading to the Unwaning Light,
having been a holy God-bearer in truth.
Glory, both now, of the feast.
Stichera at the Praises,
Tone 8:
In
thy life thou didst teach, O venerable one, that the heart of man finds calm
when it walks in the commandments of Christ, for it is good unto salvation to
paint the image of Christ on the soul; Wherefore, kindly vouchsafe us to
fulfill them, too, by thy prayers, O father.
Thou
didst follow Christ zealously, O holy hierarch Ignaty, having put aside
everything worldly, and having shouldered the Lord’s Cross, thou didst reach
the path of perfection, whereto, guide us, by thy prayers, O father.
Come,
O assembly of God's people, ardently draw near to the ever-flowing spring, the
holy hierarch Ignaty, God-bearer of Russia, and extol him, supplicating
zealously: grant enlightenment to our souls, by thy prayers, O holy hierarch.
Glory, both now, of the feast
Great Doxology, Ectenia, and Dismissal.
Divine Liturgy
At the Beatitudes:
4 verses from the canon
of the Pentecostarion, and
4 from Ode III of the
canon to the Holy Hierarch.
Prokeimenon, Tone 1— for
a holy hierarch
Epistle to the Hebrews,
#318 (Hebrews 7:26- 8:2)
Alleluia, Tone 2— for a
holy hierarch
Gospel According to
John, #36 (John 10:9-16)
Communion Verse—
The righteous shall be
remembered forever; he shall not be afraid of evil.
[1]
"Podvig": a feat or exploit; in spiritual terms, it is the voluntary
undertaking of a specific type of asceticism, which often lasts for a long
period of time, sometimes even an entire lifetime.
Synaxarion
From the teachings of
Holy Hierarch St. Ignaty,
"On Attention
During Prayer".
Prayer
requires the continual presence and assistance of attention. Prayer is the
inalienable property of one who prays, but according to the [relative] absence
of attention, it is strange to the one who prays. According to the attention
given, prayer bears abundant fruit; without attention it bears thorns and
briers. The fruit of prayer consists in enlightenment of the mind and
compunction of the heart, in revival of the soul by the life of the Spirit;
thorns and briers signify the death of the soul, pharisaical conceit.
Attention,
which completely guards prayer from distraction or from outside thoughts and
dreams, is a gift of the grace of God. Our sincere desire will receive the gift
of grace, the soul-saving gift of attention, when we compel ourselves to pay
attention during each of our prayers. Artificial attention, still unshadowed by
grace, is that, which confines the mind in the words of prayer. If the mind, by
reason of its inexperience in the podvig of prayer, exits from confinement in
the words of the prayer, then it must again be lead back into them.
Characteristics of the mind, in the state of its fall, are its inclination and
insistence to soar everywhere. But God can grant steadfastness, and will grant
it, in its own time, for constancy and patience in the podvig of prayer.
Very
unhurried pronunciation of the words of prayer especially promotes attention at
the time of prayer. Pronounce the words unhurriedly; so that the mind can with
greater comfort retain its confinement in the words of prayer, so that it
doesn’t slip out from a single word of it. When you pray alone, pronounce the
words softly- this promotes the retention of attention.
In
good time, store the all-powerful weapon of prayer; in good time, learn to
wield it. Prayer is almighty, by reason of Almighty God’s action in it. It is
"a spiritual sword, which is the word of God". Prayer, according to its
quality, is the presence of man near God and the unification of man with God;
according to its action it is the reconciliation of man with God, the mother
and daughter of tears; a bridge, by which men pass through temptations; a wall,
protecting them from sorrows; the anihilation of warfare, unending practice,
the source of the virtues, the cause of spiritual gifts, unseen success, the
food of the soul, the enlightenment of the mind, the cutting off of despair,
the indication of hope, and the resolution of sadness.
In
the beginning, it is necessary to compel ourselves to pray; soon prayer begins
to deliver consolation, and, by this consolation, to ease the [necessary]
compulsion, and to encourage us to compel ourselves [further]. However,
compulsion is necessary for prayer during the entire course of our life, since
prayer acts murderously on our old man; as long as it still lives in us, it
resists prayer, and is like a taste of death. *
In
accordance with the great importance of prayer, before its exercise, it is
necessary to prepare oneself for it. **
*
Bishop Ignaty. 1905. 98-99.
**
the same, 95.
KW: Hierarch Hierarchy Ignatius Ignati Ignaty
Ignatj Ignatij Ignatii Ignatiy Ignatyj Ignatyi