Гимн 15. Благодарение за изгнание и скорби, которые претерпел (св. Отец) во время гонения на него. 186

I thank You, Lord, I thank You, the only Knower of the Heart, the righteous, all-merciful King, I thank You, the beginningless and omnipotent Word 187, who descended to earth and was incarnate, my God, who became what he was not - a man like me, without change, passing and all sin, so that, having suffered, being impassive, unrighteously from lawless, grant me, the condemned, dispassion through the imitation of Thy passions, my Christ. So, righteous is Your judgment and together with Your commandment, which You commanded us to observe, O All-Merciful One. It consists in imitation of Your humility, so that just as You yourself suffered, being sinless, so we, who have sinned, would endure everything: temptations, persecutions, beatings, sorrows, and finally (even) death from the lawless 188 . For You heard (about Yourself) that You were raging, You were considered a seducer, an atheist, an opponent of God and a transgressor of the law. Seized like a criminal and bound, You were led alone, when all Your disciples and friends left You; You stood before the judge as a condemned man, the Word, and accepted the sentence he pronounced against You. Because you spoke, you were strangled by a slave, and because you were silent, you were immediately condemned to death. For Your words were a sword for the wicked, and 189 (Your) silence, O King, was the cause of condemnation. Therefore, the unrighteous, unable to bear to see You alone as the righteous, betrayed You to the most shameful death. Then You were beaten on the head, crowned with thorns, clothed in a scarlet robe, spat in the face, woe is me 190, and mocked by the wicked, hearing the mocking: “Hail, King of the Jews!” You carried the cross on your shoulders and, nailed to it, you were exalted, my God. You were nailed with your hands and feet, you were given alcohol to drink and you were pierced with a spear into Your side, O All-Merciful One. Unable to bear this, the earth shook with fear and soon gave up the dead (prisoned) in it. The sun, seeing You, turned into blood, and then the moon was covered in darkness; and the curtain of the church of that time was torn in two from top to bottom. Those wicked people did not understand any of this at all, but they also assigned guards to the one lying in the tomb and sealed the stone, thinking (in this way) to keep You. But You, Master, rose again by Your power, leaving the seals intact (and unharmed) for the criminals. The angels came and rolled away the stone, striking those who were guarding there with fear. But (even then), completely unwilling to understand at all, they remained blinded in mind and having a petrified heart until death. So, what is great for me if I also suffer, as You Yourself, Master, being sinless, suffered for the world in order to save the world - I (I say) have sinned very much from a young age and have angered You, Christ, with deeds and words. Truly great for me, better than all glory, since it makes me a partaker of Your ineffable glory, this is communion in suffering, imitation of (Your) deeds and Your humility, which brings deification with understanding to those who pass through it. I thank You, Master, that I suffer more unrighteously. If it is righteous, then may it be for me, Christ, for the atonement of sins and for cleansing from my countless sins. And do not allow, Master, that suffering, or temptation, or sorrow beyond my strength should ever be inflicted on me; but always give me both relief, my God, and strength, so that I can bear sorrows. For You, O Merciful One, from the beginning are the giver of blessings for those who wholeheartedly fall to Your power, according to the dignity of faith and deeds and good hopes, bestowing gifts and all kinds of gifts of Your Divine and worshiped Spirit, now and ever and always, forever and ever. Amen. In l. n. this hymn corresponds to chapter 23; in the P. same book, it is the same as the previous hymns, only listed in the table of contents as the 36th word. In l. n. this phrase is omitted. Floor. p.: and, finally, even death itself, inflicted on us by the lawless. You might be interested in: