Through virtues Elijah ascended to the divine chariot, having become enlightened by fasting, ascending to the heights of heaven, I was jealous of this, my humble soul, and fasted from all malice and envy, and quarrel, and flowing and sweet sweets: for you have escaped the cruel diseases, eternal Gehenna, crying to Christ: Lord, glory to Thee.
Thanks to fasting, Elijah shone and, having ascended the divine chariot of virtues, was ascended to the heights of heaven. Begin to imitate him diligently, oh my meager soul! While fasting, abstain from any evil, enmity, envy, and the joy of flowing pleasures, so as to avoid the hell of eternal painful suffering, crying out to Christ: “Glory to Thee, Lord!”
Ἀρετῶν Ἠλιού, προσεπιβὰς ἅρματι θείῳ, τῇ νηστείᾳ λαμπρυνθεὶς ἀνεφέρετο, ἐπὶ τὸ ὕψος τὸ οὐράνιον. Τοῦτον ζήλωσον, ταπεινὴ ψυχή μου καὶ νήστευσον, πάσης κακίας, φθόνου καὶ ἔριδος, καὶ τρυφῆς ἀπορρεούσης, καὶ ἐνηδόνου, ὅπως ὀδύνην χαλεπὴν ἐκφύγῃς, διαιωνίζουσαν, τῆς γεέννης ἐκβοῶσα τῷ Χριστῷ. Κύριε δόξα σοι.
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Other, Mr. Theodore, voice five:
Like: Reverend Father:
Apostles of the Divine, warmest prayer books for the world, and protectors of the Orthodox, who have boldness in the power towards Christ our God, pray for us, we pray, all-honest, may fasting be good Let us create a bright time, and receive the grace of the Consubstantial Trinity: great preachers of glory, pray for our souls.
Another stichera of Mr. Theodore, tone 5.
Similar to: O Reverend Father...
Divine apostles, you are ardent intercessors for the world, defenders of all Orthodox Christians, having the strength of boldness towards Christ and our God, worthy of every possible respect. O great and glorious preachers, pray for our souls and ask for us, we pray, to pass through the good time of Lent with ease and to gain the grace of the Consubstantial Trinity!
Ἕτερον τοῦ Κυρίου Θεοδώρου. Ἦχος πλ. αˊ
Ὅσιε Πάτερ
Ἀπόστολοι θεῖοι, τοῦ Κόσμου θερμότατοι πρεσβευταί, καὶ τῶν ὀρθοδόξων προασπισταί, ἔχοντες παρρησίας τὸ κράτος, πρὸς Χριστὸν τὸν Θεὸν ἡμῶν, ὑπὲρ ἡμῶν αἰτήσασθε, δεόμεθα πανσεβάσμιοι, ἵνα τῶν Νηστειῶν, τὸν ἀγαθὸν καιρόν, εὐμαρῶς ποιησώμεθα, καὶ τῆς ὁμοουσίου Τριάδος, τὴν χάριν δεξώμεθα. Μεγαλοκήρυκες ἔνδοξοι, εὔχεσθε ὑπὲρ τῶν ψυχῶν ἡμῶν.
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Prokeimenon, voice five: You, Lord, have preserved us and kept us from this generation and forever.
Verse: Save me, Lord, for I am in poverty.
Prokeimenon (Psalm 11), tone 5: You will preserve and keep us, O Lord, in this age and forever.
Verse: Lord, save me, for there are no more pious!
Προκείμενον. Ἦχος πλ. αˊ. Ψαλμὸς ιαˊ. Σύ, Κύριε, φυλάξαις ἡμᾶς, καὶ διατηρήσαις ἡμᾶς.*
Στίχ. Σῶσόν με, Κύριε, ὅτι ἐκλέλοιπεν ὅσιος.
* In the current Greek. The Triodion verse of the prokeimne is shortened
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Genesis reading (Genesis 1: 24–31, 2: 1–3).
God said: Let the earth bring out every living creature according to its kind, four-footed creatures and creeping things, and the beasts of the earth according to its kind, and so be it. And God created the beasts of the earth according to their kind, and the livestock according to their kind, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth according to their kind, and God saw that it was good. And God said: Let us make man in Our image and likeness, and let him rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the sky, (and animals) and livestock, and all the earth, and every creeping thing that creeps on the earth. And God created man, in the image of God He created him, husband and wife He created them. And God bless them, saying: grow and multiply, and fill the earth, and rule over it, and have dominion over the fish of the sea (and the animals), and the birds of the air, and all the livestock, and everything the earth, and all the creeping things that creep on the earth. And God said: Behold, I have given you every seed-bearing herb that yields seed, which is on the top of the whole earth; and every tree that has seed in itself will be your food.
And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the sky, and to every creeping thing that creeps on the earth, that has life in itself, and to every green grass for food: and so it was. And God saw everything that the tree had created: and behold, it was very good. And it was evening, and it was morning, the sixth day. And the heavens and the earth were completed, and all their adornment. And God finished on the sixth day His works which He had done: and He rested on the seventh day from all His works which He had done. And God bless the seventh day and sanctify it, for in that day He ceased from all His works which God began to create.
Reading Genesis [1, 24–31; 2, 1–3]
24 God said: “Let the earth bring out every living creature according to its kind: four-footed animals, and creeping things, and wild animals of the earth, and livestock, and everything that moves on the earth, according to its kind.” And so it became. 25 And God created the wild beasts of the earth according to their kinds, and the livestock, and every creeping thing of the earth according to their kinds. And God saw that they were good. 26 And God said: “Let us make man in our image and likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea, and the birds of the air, and the livestock, and over all the earth, and over all that creeps on the earth.” 27 And God created man, in the image of God he created him: male and female he created them. 28 And God blessed them and said: “Grow, and multiply, and fill the earth, and become lords thereof, and rule over the fish of the sea, and the birds of the air, and over all livestock, and over all the earth, and over all reptiles on the earth."
29 And God said: “Behold, I have given you every herb that is good for sowing, that yields seed, which is on the face of all the earth, and every tree that has fruit with seed for sowing, it will be for you food. 30 And to every beast of the earth, and to every bird of the air, and to every thing that creeps on the earth, that has a living soul, I have given every green grass for food.” And so it became. 31 And God saw everything that He had created: and behold, it was very good. And there was evening, and there was morning: the sixth day. 1 And the heavens and the earth and all their ornaments were completed. 2 And God finished on the sixth day His works which He had made, and on the seventh day He ceased all His works which He had made. 3 And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it, for on that day He finished all His work which He had begun to do.
Γενέσεως τὸ Ἀνάγνωσμα (Κεφ. Αˊ, 24 – Βˊ, 3)
? καὶ ἑρπετά, καὶ θηρία τῆς γῆς, κατὰ γένος, καὶ ἐγένετο οὕτω. Καὶ ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὰ θηρία τῆς γῆς, κατὰ γένος αὐτῶν, καὶ τὰ κτήνη, κατὰ γένος αὐτῶν, καὶ πάντα τὰ ἑρπετὰ τῆς γῆς, κατὰ γένος αὐτῶν. Καὶ εἶδεν ὁ Θεὸς ὅτι καλά. Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ Θεός· Ποιήσωμεν ἄνθρωπον, κατˊ εἰκόνα ἡμετέραν, καὶ καθˊ ὁμοίωσιν, καὶ ἀρχέτωσαν τῶν ἰχθύων τῆς θαλάσσης, καὶ τῶν πετεινῶν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ τῶν κτηνῶν, καὶ πάσης τῆς γῆς, καὶ πάντων τῶν ἑρπετῶν, τῶν ἑρπόντων ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς. Καὶ ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὸν ἀνθρωπον, κατˊ εἰκόνα Θεοῦ ἐποίησεν αὐτόν, ἄρσεν καὶ θῆλυ ἐποίησεν αὐτούς. Καὶ εὐλόγησεν αὐτοὺς ὁ Θεός, λέγων· Αὐξάνεσθε, καὶ πληθύνεσθε, πληρώσατε τὴν γῆν, καὶ κατακυριεύσατε αὐτῆς, καὶ ἄρχετε τῶν ἰχθύων τῆς θαλάσσης, καὶ τῶν πετεινῶν τοῦ οὐρανοῦ καὶ πάντων τῶν κτηνῶν, καὶ πάσης τῆς γῆς, καὶ πάντων τῶν ἑρπετῶν, τῶν ἑρπόντων ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς.
Καὶ εἶπεν ὁ Θεός· ἰδοὺ δέδωκα ὑμῖν πάντα χόρτον σπόριμον σπεῖρον σπέρμα, ὃ ἐστιν ἐπάνω πάσης τῆς γῆς, καὶ πζν ξύλον, ὃ ἔχει ἐν ἑαυτῷ καρπὸν σπέρματος σπορίμου, ὑμῖν ἔσται εἰς βρῶσιν, καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς θηρίοις τῆς γῆς, καὶ πᾶσι τοῖς πετεινοῖς τοῦ οὐρανοῦ, καὶ παντὶ ἑρπετῷ ἕρποντι ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς, ὃ ἔχει ἐν ἑαυτῷ πνοὴν ζωῆς, καὶ πάντα χόρτον χλωρὸν εἰς βρῶσιν. Καὶ ἐγένετο οὕτω. Καὶ εἶδεν ὁ Θεὸς τὰ πάντα, ὅσα ἐποίησε. καὶ ἰδού, καλὰ λίαν. Καὶ ἐγένετο ἑσπέρα, καὶ ἐγένετο πρωΐ, ἡμέρα ἕκτη. Καὶ συνετελέσθησαν ὁ οὐρανός καὶ ἡ γῆ, καὶ πᾶς ὁ κόσμος αὐτῶν. ? ἐποίησε, καὶ κατέπαυσεν ὁ Θεὸς ἐν τῇ ἡμέρᾳ τῇ ἑβδόμῃ ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ, ὧν ἐποίησε. Καὶ εὐλόγησεν ὁ Θεὸς τὴν ἡμέραν τὴν ἑβδόμην, καὶ ἡγίασεν αὐτήν, ὅτι ἐν αὐτῇ κατέπαυσεν ἀπὸ πάντων τῶν ἔργων αὐτοῦ, ὧν ἤρξατο ὁ Θεὸς ποιῆσαι.
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Prokeimenon, voice six: Look and hear me, O Lord my God.
Verse: How long, Lord, will you forget me completely, how long will you turn your face away from me?