Holy Ascension of Christ Orthodox Church

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Akathist to Saint Mary of Egypt

Troparion in the Eighth Tone (Plagal Fourth Tone)

In thee, the image was preserved with exactness, O Mother; for taking up thy cross, thou didst follow Christ, and by thy deeds thou didst teach us to overlook the flesh, for it passeth away, but to attend to the soul since it is immortal. Wherefore, O righteous Mary, thy spirit rejoiceth with the Angels.

Kontakion I

Unto thee who wast chosen by God from our fallen race and through thine onerous struggle hast acquired great glory in heaven, do we cry out, O holy Mary: Entreat the Lord God in our behalf, that He rescue from the pit of the passions us who chant hymns of praise to thee:

Rejoice, O venerable mother Mary, who by thy struggles didst amaze the angels!

Ikos I

The angels were astonished by the sudden change in thee, O venerable mother: how within the space of a single hour thou didst forsake the broad path which leadeth to destruction and didst begin to tread the narrow path of salvation. O favorite of Christ, accept from us this Hymnody:

Rejoice, thou who didst pray to the Mother of God, that thou mightest be deemed worthy to venerate the Cross;

Rejoice, thou who didst beseech the pure Virgin to entreat forgiveness of Christ!

Rejoice, thou who didst promise the holy Virgin not to turn back to the path of destruction;

Rejoice, O venerable one, who didst shed bitter tears upon thy pain-wracked breast!

Rejoice, for thy helper quickly hearkened to thy supplication;

Rejoice, for that very hour thou wast able to approach the Cross without hindrance!

Rejoice, for with compunction thou didst kiss the Tree upon which Christ was crucified;

Rejoice, thou whose whole being was shaken, so that thou didst pour forth torrents of tears!

Rejoice, for then thou didst resolve not to turn back;

Rejoice, thou who didst choose to shoulder the yoke of Christ and His burden!

Rejoice, thou who with this steadfast decision didst smite the head of Satan;

Rejoice, for over this one decision there was great joy in heaven!

Rejoice, O venerable mother Mary, who by thy struggles didst amaze the angels!

Kontakion II

Seeing the ineffable love of the Mother of God for thee, O venerable one, in that at the very hour of thy tearful prayer She gave thee unimpeded access to the all-pure tree of the Cross on the feast of its honorable exaltation; and vouchsafed to kiss it, joyfully moved to tremble by the power of God thou didst cry out to Him: Alleluia!

Ikos II

With thy whole heart and reason, O holy Mary, thou didst resolve firmly never again to return to the way of the passions; and in compunction of heart thou didst beseech the All-Holy Virgin Theotokos to show thee a place where thou couldst work out thy salvation. And suddenly thou didst hear a mysterious voice naming the wilderness of the Jordan as just such a place. Wherefore, O venerable one, accept from us such laudations as these:

Rejoice, thou who for unhindered access to the Cross didst thank her who helpeth the world;

Rejoice, thou who didst choose the Virgin as a witness that thou wouldst henceforth serve Christ alone!

Rejoice, thou who didst entreat the pure Virgin to show thee the path of salvation;

Rejoice, thou who through Her icon didst receive the counsel to choose the wilderness as the site of thy struggle!

Rejoice, thou who that very hour didst renounce the vanity of this world;

Rejoice, thou who in a boat didst sail over to the far bank of the Jordan!

Rejoice, thou who wast preserved by the Mother of God in a desert land;

Rejoice, thou who, unseen by this sinful world, didst escape the vainglory thereof!

Rejoice, thou who by the Cross didst fend off the assaults of the devil;

Rejoice, O chosen one who rejoiced with Christ amid thine onerous struggle!

Rejoice, thou who didst endure fear and hunger for His sake;

Rejoice, thou who didst spurn the allurements of the world for the sake of Christ alone!

Rejoice, O venerable mother Mary, who by thy struggles didst amaze the angels!

Kontakion III

Strengthened by power from on high, thou madest thine abode in the wilderness, O venerable mother; and preserved by the help of the Lord, thou didst continually chant unto Him: Alleluia!

Ikos III

The venerable Zosimas, having a truly great desire to see the chosen one who in the divine sublimity of her life surpassed his own, withdrew into the wilderness beyond the Jordan when the holy days of the Great Fast arrived; and, as God willed, he encountered thee there, O venerable one. Yet, in thy humility desiring not to be seen by men, thou didst at first flee from him; but later, persuaded by the saint, thou didst count him worthy to converse with thee. Disdain not even our lowly discourse, O favored one of God, but accept from us such praises as these:

Rejoice, thou who didst offer up repentance in the desert;

Rejoice, thou who didst weep therein day and night!

Rejoice, thou who didst bedew all the ground with thy tears;

Rejoice, thou who didst attain unto the heights of heaven!

Rejoice, thou who didst flee the stench of the life of sin;

Rejoice, thou who didst hasten to the tranquility of the wilderness!

Rejoice, thou who didst suffer, bearing thy cross;

Rejoice, for the Lord is ever with thee!

Rejoice, thou who hast been magnified by Christ for thine ascetic feats;

Rejoice, thou who was glorified while yet on the earth!

Rejoice, thou who wast made excellent by the Lord in clairvoyance;

Rejoice, for thou didst call Zosimas by name!

Rejoice, O venerable mother Mary, who by thy struggles didst amaze the angels!

Kontakion IV

A tempest of sacred awe smote the venerable Zosimas, for thou, who hadst never known him by name, didst prevail upon him to listen to the tale of thy wondrous life. And thou, O humble saint, didst not hide from him thy former sinful way of life, that the Lord, Who abundantly rewardeth the penitents, might be glorified in thee. Wherefore, we give thanks to the Creator, entreating Him not to spurn the repentance even of us, that in joyful hope we may chant unto Him: Alleluia!

Ikos IV

The venerable Zosimas heard how thou didst bravely endure all the difficulties of the desert life, waging war against temptations and the devil; and he was amazed, and cried out to thee with compunction:

Rejoice, thou who in the wilderness didst nourish thy body only with roots;

Rejoice, thou who didst lay upon the Lord all thy fear that He might forsake His creature!

Rejoice, thou who in thine onerous struggle didst surpass many;

Rejoice, thou who therefore didst ascend into paradise and wast crowned with a diadem of light!

Rejoice, thou who wast taught the Scriptures in the wilderness by the Spirit of God;

Rejoice, for the All-Good One bestowed gifts of holy beauty upon thee!

Rejoice, O Mary, for thou wast vouchsafed to become a vessel of the Holy Spirit;

Rejoice, for on thy difficult path thou didst strive to live thy life for the Lord!

Rejoice, thou who didst set thy hand to the plough without turning back;

Rejoice, thou who didst love Christ with all thy being, and didst receive His grace!

Rejoice, thou who didst cause thy whole life to blossom like a most beautiful lily in the desert;

Rejoice, for thou wast humble, emitting thy sweet fragrance for the Lord God!

Rejoice, O venerable mother Mary, who by thy struggles didst amaze the angels!

Kontakion V

O Lord, Who by Thy Blood divinely shed didst redeem us, Thou hast not called the righteous, but sinners to repentance. Vouchsafe that we also may imitate the life of Mary, Thy favored one, and with thankful heart may forever glorify Thee with the hymn of paradise: Alleluia!

Ikos V

Seeing thee standing in the air and praying, O venerable one, Zosimas was seized with trembling, at a loss how a woman who before had reveled in her fall was now vouchsafed so much grace; and giving thanks to the Lord with compunction, he chanted thus:

Rejoice, thou who by the holiness of thy life attained the gift of foresight;

Rejoice, thou who with thine own mouth didst relate to Zosimas things known only within his monastery!

Rejoice, for thou wast like the angels in the radiance of thy purity;

Rejoice, O blessed one, for thou wast vouchsafed to stand in the air!

Rejoice, for thou didst hide thine ascetic feats from Zosimas;

Rejoice, for thou didst conceal the many revelations thou didst receive from heaven!

Rejoice, for thou didst preserve them solely in thy heart for the sake of holy salvation;

Rejoice, thou who didst command Zosimas to keep silence concerning thee until thine end!

Rejoice, thou who didst not wish to be glorified by men on earth;

Rejoice, for, unknown to all, thou didst spend forty-seven years of thy life in the desert!

Rejoice, thou who didst thus desire to depart, known by none, from the path of thy cross;

Rejoice, for by the ways of God's providence thou hast become known to the pious!

Rejoice, O venerable mother Mary, who by thy struggles didst amaze the angels!

Kontakion VI

In heaven, the angels proclaim thy wondrous life, O blessed desert-dweller, for in thy feeble body thou didst acquire great power of spirit and didst destroy the snares of Satan. And with the angels we glorify the Lord Who by His grace gave thee might, and we chant unto Him: Alleluia!

Ikos VI

Experiencing a great hunger for the taste of the all-pure Mysteries of Christ, O favorite of God, thou didst ask Zosimas to come the following year, on the holy feast of Great Thursday, bearing the Holy Gifts to the bank of the River Jordan, that thou mightest be vouchsafed to partake thereof. And, glorifying in thee thy zeal for the closest unity with our Lord Jesus Christ, we utter these words of praise unto thee:

Rejoice, thou who wast tormented by a holy thirst for the communion of the Holy Gifts;

Rejoice, for in thy heart was love for the Lord God preserved!

Rejoice, O venerable one, for thou didst wed thyself wholly to Christ the Saviour;

Rejoice, thou who didst acquire meekness, humility and angelic purity!

Rejoice, for thou didst soon bid farewell to Zosimas, O woman of holy beauty;

Rejoice, O Mary, for thou didst straightway conceal thyself from his gaze in the depths of the wilderness!

Rejoice, for in the heart of Zosimas thou didst leave behind the ecstasy of compunction;

Rejoice, for thou didst guide the mind of that elder to a torrent of reasonings.

Rejoice, for he carried away the thought of thee like a precious pearl;

Rejoice, for all the way back to his monastery he was bedewed with tears of joy!

Rejoice, for thy wondrous image remained in the elder's eyes;

Rejoice, for only after a year was the elder consoled over your parting.

Rejoice, O venerable mother Mary, who by thy struggles didst amaze the angels!

Kontakion VII

Desiring to keep the rule of the holy monastery, the abbot sent the monks forth to struggle in stillness and greater prayer in the remote deserts. But the venerable Zosimas was unable to leave because of the illness thou hadst foretold unto him, O holy Mary; and having awaited Great Thursday with joyful trepidation, on which day thou hadst promised to receive Communion, surrendering to the incomprehensible judgments of God, he chanted unto Him: Alleluia!

Ikos VII

A new and sacred trembling seized the soul of the venerable elder when the great day of the our Lord's institution of the Mystical Supper arrived; and taking with him the most Holy Gifts, he set out for the riverbank, O holy and blessed mother, to give thee Communion. And with the elder we make obeisance before the Lord Who came to thee in His All-Pure Mysteries; and unto thee, the worthy bride of the Bridegroom most sweet, who goest with love to the wedding of the Lamb, do we cry out with compunction:

Rejoice, for thy request was fulfilled by the holy priest;

Rejoice, for, trembling, he arrived at the riverside with the Holy Gifts!

Rejoice, for thou didst desire to receive Communion on the night of Christ's suffering;

Rejoice, for, having shared in those sufferings, thou dwellest with Him in heaven!

Rejoice, for thou didst cause the venerable one anxiety by thy long delay;

Rejoice, for thy traversing of the river was likewise a source of perplexity to him!

Rejoice, for in the light of the moon thou didst show thyself afar off;

Rejoice, thou who didst approach the far bank of the river on foot!

Rejoice, for thou didst make the saving sign of the Cross over the Jordan;

Rejoice, for thou didst easily walk upon the river as upon dry land!

Rejoice, for the priest was filled with awe when he beheld this sight;

Rejoice, for thou didst calm him with thy holy discourse!

Rejoice, O venerable mother Mary, who by thy struggles didst amaze the angels!

Kontakion VIII

We are all strangers, sojourners upon the earth, as the Apostle saith; and thou didst abide as a sojourner in the wilderness until the day of thy repose, O Mary, ewe-lamb of Christ, that having passed from the carthly Jerusalem to the Jerusalem on high, thou mayest glorify the Creator with the song of paradise: Alleluia!

Ikos VIII

Jesus Christ was all thy delight, all thy desire, and it was Him Whom thou didst receive with trembling in the All-Pure Mysteries at the hands of the blessed elder. And, gazing upon thee, as upon a truly worthy partaker of these most holy Gifts, we cry out to thee with love:

Rejoice, thou who in the Holy Mysteries wast betrothed to thine immortal Bridegroom;

Rejoice, thou who for this wast adorned by Him with the imperishable crown of paradise!

Rejoice, thou who after receiving the divine Gifts wast surrounded by a wondrous light;

Rejoice, for Zosimas was unable to gaze upon thee unafraid!

Rejoice, thou who didst recite the prayer of Symeon with serene gladness;

Rejoice, thou who didst straightway lift up thy compunctionate eyes and hands to heaven!

Rejoice, thou who, having spurned earthly food, didst taste of the food of heaven;

Rejoice, thou who didst deign to accept three grains of wheat from Zosimas as a gift of love!

Rejoice, for after receiving Communion thou didst not tarry long by the riverside;

Rejoice, thou who in partaking of the Holy Gifts wast united to thy Master!

Rejoice, thou who as His good and faithful handmaid didst enter into the joy of thy Lord;

Rejoice, thou whose sins were burned away in His supernal light!

Rejoice, O venerable mother Mary, who by thy struggles didst amaze the angels!

Kontakion IX

Men and every angelic rank bless the Lord for perfecting His power in the weak. Thus did He also strengthen thee, His greatly victorious favorite; for in thy struggle in the wilderness thou didst in thy naked body endure cold and unbearable, burning heat, fear, hunger and the manifold wickedly devised temptations of the devil. Yet for the help thou didst receive from the Lord thou didst chant unto Him continually: Alleluia!

Ikos IX

The orator's tongue is unable to describe what took place in the soul of the righteous Zosimas after thy departure, O secret desert-dweller; for by thine image, full of the grace of the most Holy Spirit, thou didst raise the spiritual gaze of the elder to the heavenly contemplation that God in His omnipotence hath raised up man, who is made of dust, to the heights of the angels. With Zosimas accept our humble laudation:

Rejoice, thou who didst mortify thy flesh in the wilderness;

Rejoice, thou who therein didst rid thy mind of the temptations sown by the passions!

Rejoice, for thou wast downcast at the thought of encountering worldly people;

Rejoice, for thou didst hasten quickly to the desert to converse with the angels!

Rejoice, for there, day and night, thou didst pray in stillness, unseen by the world;

Rejoice, for thou didst withdraw from all into the depths of the wilderness for the sake of thy

salvation!

Rejoice, for only the stars of the sky witnessed thy tears;

Rejoice, for in those wondrous moments Christ Himself gazed upon thee with love!

Rejoice, for thou didst gladden thyself by choosing the Theotokos as a wondrous surety;

Rejoice, for by her mighty aid thou didst attain unto everlasting rest!

Rejoice, thou who didst ask Zosimas to come again to the desert in a year's time;

Rejoice, thou who with hope didst await him again!

Rejoice, O venerable mother Mary, who by thy struggles didst amaze the angels!

Kontakion X

For us who desire to be saved be thou an advocate before the throne of the Most High, O venerable mother, that, having eluded all manner of temptations, with thee we also may be vouchsafed to glorify the Lord continually, and to chant unto Him: Alleluia!

Ikos X

For all ascetics Thou art a bulwark against the malicious wiles of the devil, O All-Holy Theotokos, and didst save Her who chose Thee as Her surety before thy Son most sweet. Nor didst Thou put her hope to shame, O All-Pure one, but didst lead her to the desired gates of paradise. Vouchsafe also that we sinners may worthily praise Thy holy favorite, Mary, with these hymns:

Rejoice, thou whom Zosimas awaited with joyful trembling;

Rejoice, for he comforted himself with thoughts all full of joy!

Rejoice, for during the days of the Great Fast he departed with love into the wilderness;

Rejoice, for he traveled twenty days in all to reach the place whereat he was to meet thee!

Rejoice, for the elder sought thee in bitter anxiety;

Rejoice, for, full of turmoil, the elder was beside himself!

Rejoice, for he discovered thee lying on the sands, radiant with the light of heaven;

Rejoice, for having parted from him in peace, thou hadst passed into everlasting rest!

Rejoice, for with bitter lamentation the elder fell upon thy body;

Rejoice, for Zosimas did not believe his agèd eyes!

Rejoice, for thou hadst long since passed over to the wondrous bridal-chamber of heaven;

Rejoice, for now thou dost rejoice eternally, having left sorrows and vexations behind!

Rejoice, O venerable mother Mary, who by thy struggles didst amaze the angels!

Kontakion XI

Praised with the hymnody of the angels, and surrounded by their company, thy righteous soul ascended to the throne of the Most High, to hymn the Lord with divinely beauteous melody, chanting amid the sound of rejoicing: Alleluia!

Ikos XI

Thy venerable countenance was illumined by the Holy Spirit of God; but the elder Zosimas was in great turmoil, for he knew not thy name, O blessed one. Then he beheld the inscription graven in the ground by thy head. Wherefore, we say with joy:

Rejoice, for to Zosimas was revealed the day of thy passing;

Rejoice, for thou wast named "the humble Mary" in those miraculous words!

Rejoice, for thou hadst departed to the Lord a year before;

Rejoice, for thou hadst been counted worthy to depart on the very day of thy Holy Communion!

Rejoice, for suddenly a fearsome lion emerged from that burning desert;

Rejoice, for, having scraped out a grave with his mighty paws, he then departed!

Rejoice, for with ardent prayer the elder committed thy remains to the earth;

Rejoice, for he stood long over the grave, shedding tears of compunction!

Rejoice, for the priestmonk uttered his prayers quietly, with trembling lips;

Rejoice, for with love he glorified Him Who is incomprehensible in His judgments!

Rejoice, for he magnified the Lord Who is wondrous in His saints;

Rejoice, for he gave thanks to the Saviour for the ineffable ways of His dispensation!

Rejoice, O venerable mother Mary, who by thy struggles didst amaze the angels!

Kontakion XII

Ask God to grant us grace, O pure Mary, bride of Christ, that He have mercy on us on the day of His dread judgment, and number us among His chosen flock; and vouchsafe that we may continually chant unto Him: Alleluia!

Ikos XII

Hymning thy repentance, at which the angels in heaven marveled, and all thy sufferings, which no human tongue can describe, we cry out to thee with love and joy:

Rejoice, for though thy flesh was naked, yet now thou art covered with wondrous vesture in paradise;

Rejoice, for though scorched by the burning heat of the desert, in heaven thou dost drink from a torrent of coolness!

Rejoice, for though thou didst constantly endure hunger, in heaven thou now sharest in Christ our Bread;

Rejoice, for though thou didst bear all manner of tribulations, thy mouth now uttereth a cry of joy!

Rejoice, for thou didst spend seventeen years in heavy battle against the devil;

Rejoice, for thou wast glorious in victory, and a wondrous light surrounded thee!

Rejoice, for like an all-wise virgin thou didst not permit thy lamp to flicker out;

Rejoice, for thy struggle led straight from the Tree of the Cross to salvation!

Rejoice, for having made thy vow to the holy Virgin, with her help thou didst never stray from the path;

Rejoice, for though thou didst suffer much in the wilderness, thou didst not permit thyself to go

astray!

Rejoice, for by the sign of the Cross thou didst destroy the wiles of the enemy;

Rejoice, for thou dost now taste of the compassions and gifts of God!

Rejoice, O venerable mother Mary, who by thy struggles didst amaze the angels!

Kontakion XIII

O holy, much lauded and all-victorious Mary, favorite of Christ, most excellent model of repentance, we entreat thee: Beseech the Lord God, that He grant us His grace, that we also may rid ourselves of the darkness of our sins through tears of contrition, and that we may be vouchsafed to receive everlasting consolation in the abode of the penitent according to God's true promise, and with the choirs of the angels may chant to the All-Holy Trinity the angelic hymn: Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia!

This Kontakion is recited thrice, whereupon Ikos I and Kontakion I are repeated.