First Saturday of the Great Fast Moieben to the Great Martyr Theodore the Recruit A arrior in the city of Amasea, in the Pontus Diocese, during the persecution of Mimian he together ith other Christians as forced to deny Christ and to offer sacrifices to idos. Having refused to carry this out, Theodore as subjected to severe torture and then thron into prison. Here hie praying, he as camed by the onderfu manifestation of the Lord Jesus Christ. After some time the martyr as reeased from prison and again as forced to deny Christ ith different forms of torture. Finay, seeing the infexibiity of the martyr, the ruer sentenced him to death by fire. St. Theodore by himsef ithout trembing ascended the pyre, and ith prayers and praises gave his sou to God, about the year 306. He as buried in the city of Euchaita (today Merzifon, in Asia Minor), then his reics ere transferred to Constantinope in the tempe in his name; his head is in Gaeta (in Itay). Fifty years after the death of St. Theodore, the Emperor Juian the Apostate, ishing to defie Christian fasting in the first eek of the fortyday fast, each day secrety ordered that the bood of the sacrifices to the idos be sprinked on the food provisions sod in the markets in the Constantinope Eparchy during the first eek. St. Theodore appeared to the Archbishop of Constantinope Eudoxius and ordered him to notify a Christians not to by the defied provisions in the markets and to use as food koiva, i.e. boied heat ith honey. In memory of this event the Orthodox Church annuay ceebrates the great-martyr on the Saturday of the first eek of Great Lent; on the eve of this Saturday, on Friday, in the iturgy after the Prayer before the Ambo, a moieben ith the canon to the martyr is served and the koiva is bessed. S.B. Bugakov, Handbook of Church Servers, 2 nd ed.(kharkov 1900) p. 87 transated and permission given by Archpriest Eugene D. Tarris.
Fooing the prayer before the Ambo at Presanctified Liturgy, Psam 142 is read fooed by God is the Lord. PSALM 142 Hear my prayer, O Lord; give ear to my suppications! In thy faithfuness anser me, in thy righteousness! Enter not into judgment ith thy servant; for no man iving is righteous before Thee. For the enemy has pursued me; he has crushed my ife to the ground; he has made me sit in darkness ike those ong dead. Therefore my spirit faints ithin me; my heart ithin me is appaed. I remember the days of od, I meditate on a that Thou has done; I muse on hat Thy hands have rought. I stretch out my hands to Thee; my sou thirsts for Thee ike a parched and. Make haste to anser me, O Lord! My spirit fais! Hide not Thy face from me, est I be ike those ho go don to the Pit. Let me hear in the morning of Thy steadfast ove, for in Thee I put my trust. Teach me the ay I shoud go, for to Thee I ift up my sou. Deiver me, O Lord, from my enemies! I have fed to Thee for refuge! Teach me to do Thy i, for Thou art my God! Let Thy good spirit ead me on a eve path! For Thy Name s sake, O Lord, preserve my ife! In Thy righteousness bring me out of troube! And in Thy steadfast ove cut off my enemies, and destroy a my adversaries, for I am Thy servant. Gory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Hoy Spirit, no and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. Aeuia, Aeuia, Aeuia, gory the Thee, O God. Aeuia, Aeuia, Aeuia, gory the Thee, O God. Aeuia, Aeuia, Aeuia, gory the Thee, O God.
_ Moieben to St. Theodore the Recruit First Saturday of Great Lent btone 2 (4 times) ============================== & { GOD IS THE LORD AND HAS REVEALED HIM - SELF TO US b _ «L==============================? b { œ œ ============================== & b œ _ { BLESS - ED IS HE THAT COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD. L==============================? b ˆ_ «œ œ { Troparion Tone 2 ============================== & b GREAT ARE THE AC - COM - PLISH - MENTS OF FAITH. THE HOLY MARTYR b _ «L==============================? b œ œ œ œ ============================== & b THEODORE REJOICED IN THE FOUNTAIN OF FLAMES AS THOUGH IN THE L==============================? b œ.podoben.com
_ ============================== & b _ STILL WA - TERS OF REST. CON - SUMED IN THE FIRE HE WAS OFFERED L==============================? b œ ============================== & b œ UP AS A SACRIFICE TO THE TRIN - I - TY. SO BY HIS PRAYERS, L==============================? b ˆ_ «b _ «œ =================== & b œ U _ O CHRIST GOD, SAVE OUR SOULS. L===================? b œ u NOW AND EVER... GLORY... (REPEAT) Theotokion ============================== & b - Tone 2 ẇ«all YOUR MYS - TER - IES ARE BEYOND UN - DER - STAND - ING ALL BEYOND L==============================? b ˆ_ «b _ «œ ============================== & b œ _ GLORY, O MO - THER OF GOD; SEALED IN PURITY AND GUARDED IN VIR - L==============================? b ˆ_ «œ 4 Moieben to St. Theodore the Recruit
_ ============================== & b GIN - I - TY YOU WERE KNOWN WITHOUT DECEPTION TO BE A b _ «L==============================? b ============================== & b _ MO - THER, IN GIV - ING BIRTH TO THE TRUE GOD: L==============================? b ˆ_ «b _ «œ ======================== & b œ U_ IM - PLORE HIM THAT OUR SOULS MAY BE SAVED. L========================? b œ u Psam 50 is then read. 5 Moieben to St. Theodore the Recruit
PSALM 50 Have mercy upon me, O God, after Thy great goodness: according to the mutitude of Thy mercies do aay mine offenses. Wash me thoroughy from my ickedness, and ceanse me from my sin. For I acknoedge my fauts: and my sin is ever before me. Against Thee ony have I sinned, and done this evi in Thy sight; that Thou mightest be justified in Thy saying, and cear hen Thou are judged. Behod, I as shapen in ickedness, and in sin hath my mother conceived me. But o, Thou requires truth in the inard parts: and sha make me to understand isdom secrety. Thou sha purge me ith hyssop, and I sha be cean: Thou sha ash me, and I sha be hiter than sno. Thou sha make me hear of joy and gadness: that the bones hich Thou hast broken may rejoice. Turn Thy face from my sins, and put out a my misdeeds. Make me a cean heart, O God, and rene a right spirit ithin me. Cast me not aay from Thy presence, and take not Thy Hoy Spirit from me. O give me the comfort of Thy hep again, and estabish me ith Thy free spirit. Then sha I teach Thy ays unto the icked, and sinners sha be converted unto Thee. Deiver me from bood-guitiness, O God; Thou art the God of my heath: and my tongue sha sing of Thy righteousness. Thou sha open my ips, O Lord, and my mouth sha decare Thy praise. For Thou desirest no sacrifice, ese oud I giveth it Thee: but Thou deightest not in burntofferings. The sacrifice of God is a troubed spirit: a broken and contrite heart, O God, sha Thou not despise. O be favourabe and gracious unto to Zion, buid Thou the as of Jerusaem. Then sha Thou be peased ith the sacrifice of righteousness, ith burnt-offerings and obations. Then sha they offer young buocks upon Thine atar. 6 Moieben to St. Theodore the Recruit
According the the Russian tradition, the Canon is then taken in Tone 8 WITHOUT the Irmosi. The choir then sings the fooing refrain: ============================== & # REFRAIN: {. U { O HO - LY GREAT MAR - TYR THE - O- DORE PRAY TO GOD FOR US. L==============================? # œ œ œ œ œ œ œ _ «. { œ œ œ. œ u { ============================== & # œ U # GLORY TO THE FATHER, AND TO THE SON, AND TO THE HO - LY SPIR - IT. L==============================? # ˆ_ «_ œ œ œ œ u ============================== & #. # NOW AND E - VER AND UNTO A - GES OF A - GES. A - MEN. L==============================? #. n _ «. œ œ œ œ œ œ _ œ 7 Moieben to St. Theodore the Recruit
CANON TO ST. THEODORE THE RECRUIT Ode 1 CHOIR: O Hoy Great Martyr Theodore, pray to God for us. PRIEST: I kno the desire for God hich fied your heart, O Theodore, and I am hed fast by burning ove for you: I dedicate to you my sou and body, and these ords of praise. CHOIR: O Hoy Great Martyr Theodore, pray to God for us. PRIEST: A decree as pubished, hatefu to the Lord that sacrifice shoud be offered to idos and not to the iving God. But refusing to obey, O victorious martyr, you ere offered to God in sacrifice. CHOIR: Gory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Hoy Spirit. PRIEST: Hed fast by divine ove, O martyr Theodore, you have served as a sodier of the ony-begotten Son of the most high God, and ere rearded for you faithfu service. CHOIR: No and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. PRIEST: The hosts of anges and of morta men praise you, O Virgin Mother, ithout ceasing; for you have carried their Creator as a babe in you arms. Ode 3 CHOIR: O Hoy Great Martyr Theodore, pray to God for us. PRIEST: I offer a hymn from my ips and a prayer from the affiction of my sou. Take pity on them, O victorious martyr Theodore. CHOIR: O Hoy Great Martyr Theodore, pray to God for us. PRIEST: You have subjected the fesh to the dominion of your mind, O gorious martyr, and ith both of them you served the Creator. CHOIR: Gory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Hoy Spirit. PRIEST: You have stood before the judgment-seat of the tyrant, bearing itness to Christ, your King and God; and you have refused to offer sacrifice to fase gods, O Theodore. CHOIR: No and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. PRIEST: To us and to a Christians, O pure Virgin, you are at a times a refuge and a rampart, and ith never-sient voices e gorify you. Ode 4 CHOIR: O Hoy Great Martyr Theodore, pray to God for us. PRIEST: Initiated into the divine mysteries, O martyr Theodore, you have confessed our sure redemption through the birth of God. 8 Moieben to St. Theodore the Recruit
CHOIR: O Hoy Great Martyr Theodore, pray to God for us. PRIEST: Because they served the passions, they thought that God Himsef is subject to passion; but, enightened by the Spirit, O victorious Theodore, you have proved them to be rong. CHOIR: Gory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Hoy Spirit. PRIEST: As e sing your praises e entreat you, bessed Theodore, through your intercessions deiver us from the passions and from a distress. CHOIR: No and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. PRIEST: Untied fied, bearing the quickening ear of heat that gives ife to the ord, save those ho sing your praises, O Theotokos. Ode 5 CHOIR: O Hoy Great Martyr Theodore, pray to God for us. PRIEST: Love the Lord ho oves you, you have cried out, O martyr Theodore, to the others that suffered martyrdom ith you. CHOIR: O Hoy Great Martyr Theodore, pray to God for us. PRIEST: Your heart on fire ith zea, O victorious saint, you have burned up the ido of the fase goddess together ith the heathen tempe. CHOIR: Gory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Hoy Spirit. PRIEST: With your invincibe poer, victorious Theodore, destroy my passions and the insoent bodness of the enemy. CHOIR: No and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. PRIEST: O Theotokos, e praise you as a virgin after chidbirth, for you have brought into the ord God the Word made fesh. Ode 6 CHOIR: O Hoy Great Martyr Theodore, pray to God for us. PRIEST: Ho eak, ho frai is the arrogance of the fase gods: they need men to defend them, and they are conquered by the fortitude of the martyrs ho reject a ies and ho procaim the truth. CHOIR: O Hoy Great Martyr Theodore, pray to God for us. PRIEST: Ho eak, ho frai is the arrogance of the fase gods: they need men to defend them, and they are conquered by the fortitude of the martyrs ho reject a ies and ho procaim the truth. CHOIR: Gory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Hoy Spirit. 9 Moieben to St. Theodore the Recruit
PRIEST: O bessed Theodore, gory of martyrs, made strong by the poer of God, you have regarded the torments of the ungody as though they ere arros shot by chidren, for you have foreseen the eternity of the Age to come. CHOIR: No and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. PRIEST: May e be deivered from our grievous transgressions by you prayers, O pure Mother of God, and may e de in the divine gory of the Son of God, ho took fesh ineffabe from you. KONTAKION 10 Moieben to St. Theodore the Recruit
œ_ œ_ After the 6th ode, the fooing Kontakion is sung. Kontakion Tone 8 ============================== & b. œ_ HAV - ING AC - CEPT - ED IN YOUR HEART, AS A SHIELD THE FAITH L==============================? b œ. ============================== & b _ OF CHRIST YOU TRAM - PLED DOWN THE ADVERSE POWERS, O GREATLY L==============================? b œ ============================== & b _ SUF - FER - ING ONE. THERE - FORE YOU HAVE RE - CEIVED A L==============================? b ============================== & b œ. _ œ_ HEAVENLY AND E - TER - NAL CROWN, SINCE YOU ARE IN - VIN - L==============================? b ˆ_ «. œ œ ================ & b U œ CI - BLE, O THE - O - DORE. _ L================? b u And the canon continues to the end. After the 9th ode e sing the Irmos of the 9th canon. 11 Moieben to St. Theodore the Recruit
Ode 7 CHOIR: O Hoy Great Martyr Theodore, pray to God for us. PRIEST: Your body as scourged, for the sake of God the Word, scourged in the fesh because of us; and rejoicing, O victorious martyr Theodore, ith thanksgiving you have cried aoud to Him: O God of our fathers, bessed art Thou. CHOIR: O Hoy Great Martyr Theodore, pray to God for us. PRIEST: The deiver of a as aid in the tomb and of His on i seaed up; and in the same ay you ere seaed up in the prison, O victorious martyr Theodore, and there have cried aoud: O God of our fathers, bessed art Thou. CHOIR: O Hoy Great Martyr Theodore, pray to God for us. PRIEST: You have sain the passions and shaken off the desires of the fesh, O victorious martyr. Nourished not by food but by the ove of God, you have sung: O God of our fathers, bessed art Thou. CHOIR: Gory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Hoy Spirit. PRIEST: One of the undivided Trinity appeared to you in prison, O victorious martyr, as once He appeared to the Chidren in the furnace; and He gave you strength to cry aoud, O God of our fathers, bessed art Thou. CHOIR: No and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. PRIEST: Since it is Thy i, O Savior, to besto on us savation, Thou has taken up Thy deing in the Virgin s omb, and Thou has made her the protector of the ord. O God of our fathers, bessed art Thou. Ode 8 CHOIR: O Hoy Great Martyr Theodore, pray to God for us. PRIEST: Binded in his understanding, the governor of the aess peope impiousy rebuked you for your faith in God: Foo! Why do you vainy set your trust in a man that as put to death? But you have cried aoud: O you chidren, bess Christ; O you priests, sing His praises; O you peope, exat Him above a forever. CHOIR: O Hoy Great Martyr Theodore, pray to God for us. PRIEST: As a ise and prudent steard of grace, O Theodore, ith the grace given to you by God you have cried aoud to the commander hen he ordered you to offer impious sacrifice: This oud be a disgrace to me and a ho sing: O you chidren, bess Christ; O you priests, sing His praises; O you peope, exat Him above a forever. CHOIR: Gory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Hoy Spirit. PRIEST: Resisting ith courage, you have body accused the tyrant, saying: Why are you so mad as to bid me to forsake the Creator and fasey orship things created? But I cry aoud: O you chidren, bess Christ; O you priests, sing His praises; O you peope, exat Him above a forever. 12 Moieben to St. Theodore the Recruit
CHOIR: No and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. PRIEST: Through visibe forms, through dark figures and symbo, Moses and the Prophets foretod, O Virgin, your marveous chidbearing in ays surpassing nature. Joyfuy, then, ith true faith e sing your praises, and e exat Christ above a forever. Ode 9 CHOIR: O Hoy Great Martyr Theodore, pray to God for us. PRIEST: It as your ove of God that brought you to martyrdom. Your body as consumed by the materia fire, and you have departed rejoicing to the divine Fire, O victorious martyr Theodore, servant of God. CHOIR: O Hoy Great Martyr Theodore, pray to God for us. PRIEST: A-honored saint, you ere not destroyed by the fire, but have burnt up error and fasehood: you stand in God s presence, aive and rejoicing in Him ith a martyr s joy, O victorious martyr Theodore, servant of God. CHOIR: Gory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Hoy Spirit. PRIEST: We acknoedge Thee, O Christ, to be one of the Trinity, in to perfect natures. At the prayers of Thy martyr Theodore, save Thy peope that Thou has redeemed ith Thy precious bood. CHOIR: No and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen. PRIEST: You have carried in your arms the invisibe God, ho is praised in the heavens by a the angeic poers. Though you at a times, He grants to us savation, and in our distress e magnify you. This canon is taken from The Lenten Triodion transated by Mother Mary and Kaistos Ware. 13 Moieben to St. Theodore the Recruit
Irmos 9 Tone 8 ============================== & # MO - THER OF GOD AND VIRGIN WHO HAS NOT KNOWN MAN, L==============================? # _ «============================== & # œ #œ IN WAYS BEYOND OUR UN - DER - STAND - ING, AT THE WORD OF THE L==============================? # ˆ_ «œ ============================== & # AN - GEL YOU HAVE CON - CEIVED THE TRUE GOD. YOU ARE HIGH -ER L==============================? # ˆ_ «œ ============================== & # œ #œ THAN THE SPIRITUAL POWERS OF HEA - VEN, AND WITH NEVER SILENT L ==============================? # œ œ ˆ_ «=================== & # œ U HYMNS OF PRAISE WE MAG - NI - FY YOU. L===================? # u Then "Hoy God" through "Our Father..." is read fooed by the Troparion in Tone 2: 14 Moieben to St. Theodore the Recruit
_ œ Troparion Tone 2 ============================== & b GREAT ARE THE AC - COM - PLISH - MENTS OF FAITH. THE HOLY MARTYR b _ «L==============================? b œ œ œ œ ============================== & b THEODORE REJOICED IN THE FOUNTAIN OF FLAMES AS THOUGH IN THE L==============================? b ˆ_ «============================== & b _ STILL WA - TERS OF REST. CON - SUMED IN THE FIRE HE WAS OFFERED L==============================? b ˆ_ «œ ============================== & b UP AS A SACRIFICE TO THE TRIN - I - TY. SO BY HIS PRAYERS, b _ «L==============================? b œ œ ================== & b œ U_ O CHRIST GOD, SAVE OUR SOULS. L==================? b œ u GLORY... 15 Moieben to St. Theodore the Recruit
œ_ œ_ œ_ Kontakion Tone 8 ============================== & b. œ_ HAV - ING AC - CEPT -ED IN YOUR HEART, AS A SHIELD THE FAITH L==============================? b œ. ============================== & b _ OF CHRIST YOU TRAM - PLED DOWN THE ADVERSE POWERS, O GREATLY ˆ_ L==============================? b œ «œ ============================== & b _ SUF - FER - ING ONE. THERE - FORE YOU HAVE RE - CEIVED A L==============================? b œ ============================== & b œ. _ HEAVENLY AND E - TER - NAL CROWN, SINCE YOU ARE IN - VIN - L==============================? b œ. œ ================== & b U œ CI - BLE, O THE - O - DORE. _ L ==================? b u NOW AND EVER... 16 Moieben to St. Theodore the Recruit
œ_ œ Theotokion Tone 8 ============================== & b œ_ ALL OF US IN OUR SIN - FUL - NESS HAVE YOUR FERVENT HELP AS OUR L==============================? b œ ============================== & b. _ PROTECTION AND SURE DE - FENSE, O MOST PURE MA - RY, VIR - GIN AND L==============================? b œ. ============================== & b œ _ œ_ MOTHER, THE SALVATION OF CHRIST - IANS. CEASE NOT TO IN - TER - CEDE L==============================? b ˆ_ «œ ============================== & b U œ FOR US BE - FORE THE SAVIOR, THAT WE MAY RECEIVE FOR - GIVE - NESS. ˆ_ «L==============================? b u Bessing of the Koiva (boied heat and honey) and the concusion of the Presanctified Liturgy. 17 Moieben to St. Theodore the Recruit