Monday, May 11, 2026; The Holy Cyril and Methodius, Teachers of the Slavs; The Holy Hieromartyr Mocius.

When

May 11, 2026

All Day

Polyeleos Feast.

AT GREAT VESPERS ON SUNDAY EVENING

Kathisma Reading

“Blessed is the man…” is sung.

At Psalm 140

Tone 5

Out of the depths I cry to You, O Lord;* O Lord, hear my voice!

You are the light of all mankind,* the fashioner of the eyes of our mortal flesh,* O God and Word, O Creator of all things.* And now by the mixture of spittle and clay,* in a manner beyond telling You have granted sight to a man who was born blind,* You who with Your fingers fashioned both dust and sight.* And when he who had never seen the sun received sight,* he beheld You, the sweet Sun,* and saw the image of Him who ineffably fashioned us* in accordance with His compassionate mercy.

Let Your ears be attentive* to the voice of my prayer.

Having, as an abundance of wealth,* the form and members which comprise our mortal flesh,* the man who came forth blind from his mother’s womb* could not fathom what the form of this world could be;* for he lacked eyes.* And because of this his feet and his body* were pained by frequent stumbling against stones.* Yet through You he gained that wealth he did not have,* and he beheld You, the Author of lights,* the only Light of the world,* and he proclaimed to all* that You are God and the Lord of creation,* and the fashioner of all things in the world.

If You mark iniquities, Lord, who can stand?* But with You forgiveness is that You may be revered.

He who in times past had been blind* confessed with his whole soul, mind, and tongue,* the One who had fashioned eyes for him out of spittle and clay,* granting him to see,* preached that He is the Lord and Creator of all things,* who out of compassion for that which He had fashioned,* became a man, though He is God almighty.* The scribes could not bear to hear his words and see his zeal,* and in their jealousy they expelled him from the synagogue,* for the blindness which consumed their souls* surpassed that which once consumed his eyes.

Tone 2

I have waited for You as You have commanded; my soul patiently relies on Your promise,* for it has trusted in the Lord.

With what wreaths of praise shall we crown the divinely wise teachers* who illumined with the light of the Gospel the Slavic nations* who sat in the darkness of ignorance and the shadow of death?* By them have we been grafted onto the right fruitful root of the orthodox Church like a wild olive-tree,* and have received from Christ God, peace and great mercy.

From the morning watch until night* let Israel trust in the Lord.

For with the Lord there is mercy, and with Him there is plentiful redemption;* and He shall redeem Israel from all its iniquities.

With what hymns of praise shall we bless the divinely wise teachers:* Methodius, the lover of the wilderness,* who was enriched with the fruits of the Spirit during his solitary sojourn,* and Cyril of golden eloquence,* who through his love of philosophy acquired higher wisdom* and put to shame the vain belief of the pride of Islam?* For their sake Christ our God has granted us great mercy.

Praise the Lord, all the nations;* proclaim His glory, all you people.

With what beauties of hymnody shall we praise the divinely wise teachers:* Methodius, who for love of Christ spurned all the beauties of the world* and fought mightily for the King of heaven in the angelic habit,* and Cyril, who from childhood chose wisdom as his companion* and increased the talents given him by God to His glory?* Having come, through them, to know the one God,* the ever-existing Trinity the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit,*we have received great mercy from Christ God.

Strong is the love of the Lord for us;* eternally will His truth endure.

With what spiritual hymns shall we magnify you, O all-blessed teachers,* who struggled as an apostle for the salvation of the Slavic peoples* and laboured well in their enlightenment with the light of the knowledge of God,* by whom the closed gates thereto have been opened to us* when you devised the Slavonic alphabet?* Entering therein, we come to understand the mystery of the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ,* and receive from Christ God grace and great mercy.

Tone 6, Glory…

Come, you who love the feasts of the Church,* and with songs of praise let us hymn the peers of the apostles,* the adornment of hierarchs, the enlighteners and fervent helpers of the Slavic peoples, saying:* Rejoice, O Cyril, golden clarion of theology,* who explained the mystery of the Holy Trinity by comparing God to the sun,* and thereby closed the blaspheming mouths of Islam!* And rejoice with him, O Methodius,* who struggled with him in oneness of mind, aiding him with prayers and signs!* And now, O most blessed fathers, never cease to pray to Christ God for us* who magnify you with faith and love.

Tone 2, Now…

He that was born blind thought to himself and said:* Was I born without eyes for the sins of my parents?* Was I born to be an example because of the unbelief of the nations?* I cease not from asking: When is it night, when is it day?* My feet cannot endure striking against the stones.* For I have neither seen the sun shining nor beheld in image Him who fashioned me.* But I beseech You, O Christ God,* look upon me and have mercy on me.

Prokeimenon, Tone 8

And now bless the Lord,* all you servants of the Lord.

verse: Who stand in the temple of the Lord, in the courtyards of the house of our God.

Readings

(1) Deuteronomy 1:8-17; (2) Deuteronomy 10:14-21; (3) Wisdom 3:1-9

Aposticha

Tone 8

You shone forth in the firmament of the Church* like the stars of heaven in the radiance of your life,* O teachers, peers of the apostles,* and, ensnaring many nations for Christ* in the net of your teachings,* you hastened to the unapproachable light,* where, dwelling now with the angels,* you make supplication for us who celebrate your sacred memory in the Lord.

Your priests shall be clothed with righteousness, and Your righteous shall rejoice.

Come, you who love the feasts of the Church,* let us magnify the teachers who were the peers of the apostles, the glory of the Slavs;* for having been freed from the deception of the demons by them,* we have received the light of the glad tidings of Christ* and have come to know the pre-eternal Word * who has delivered us from the darkness of sin.

The mouth of the righteous shall meditate wisdom and his tongue shall speak of judgment.

O divinely wise Cyril and God-loving Methodius,* apostles and first teachers of the Slavs,* helpers of the faithful and lovers of piety,* melodious instruments of the Holy Spirit,* who now have great boldness before Christ, the Chief Shepherd:* pray for us who celebrate your honoured memory,* that He may lead our life up from corruption, in that He is greatly merciful.

Tone 8, Glory…

Rejoice, O sacred two who have illumined us with the light of the knowledge of God:* Cyril, life-bearing well-spring of spiritual wisdom,* who gave drink to the Slavic peoples who were perishing of thirst,* and Methodius, the pure abode of prayer.* Pray earnestly to Christ, before whom you stand in glory,* that, with you, we also may magnify and exalt Him supremely for all ages.

Tone 8, Now…

As Jesus passed by on His way from the temple,* He found a man who was blind from his birth;* and taking compassion on him, He put clay on his eyes and said to him:* Go and wash in the pool of Siloam.* And he washed and gained his sight, and sent up praise to God.* But his kinsmen said to him:* Who has opened your eyes, which none of those who see were able to heal?* And he cried out and said:* A man called Jesus; He told me: Wash in the pool of Siloam; and I gained my sight.* He is truly Christ the Messiah, of whom Moses spoke in the Law.* He is the Saviour of our souls.

Troparion, Tone 4

As equals to the apostles in the way you lived* and teachers of the Slavic lands,* O Cyril and Methodius, divinely wise,* intercede with the Master of all* to confirm the Slavic nations in orthodoxy and oneness of mind;* to grant peace to the world and save our souls.

Glory… Now…

O Mother of God, the mystery hidden from all eternity* and unknown even to the angels,* was revealed through you to those on earth:* God took on our human nature* and united it to His divine nature in a perfect but unconfused union.* Then, He willingly accepted the cross for our sake* and thereby raised again the first created man,*and saved our souls from death.

AT GREAT MATINS ON MONDAY MORNING

Hexapsalm

Great Litany

The Lord is God, Tone 5

Troparia, Tone 5

Let us the faithful acclaim and worship the Word,* co-eternal with the Father and the Spirit,* and born of the Virgin for our salvation.* For He willed to be lifted up on the cross in the flesh, to suffer death* and to raise the dead by His glorious resurrection. (twice)

Tone 4, Glory…

Now…

Psalter Reading

Small Litany

Sessional Hymn, Tone 3

Standing now in unapproachable light before the life-creating Trinity,* whom the angelic hosts unceasingly glorify,* and whom you proclaimed aloud among the nations,* pray earnestly, O Cyril and Methodius, that He deliver from eternal damnation* and grant remission of debts to those who honour your memory with love.

Glory… Now…

O ever-glorious Virgin, mother of Christ God,* Mary, Bride of God and most pure help of the faithful,* deliver from every danger and misery* all those who lovingly seek your protection;* for you are the only Betrothed of God.

Psalter Reading

Small Litany

Sessional Hymn, Tone 5

Let the generations of the Slavs rejoice today,* celebrating the sacred memory of the divinely wise teachers with splendour;* for through them did the Divine Liturgy and all the services of the Church* begin to be celebrated for us in our native tongue,* and thereby an inexhaustible well of water pouring forth to eternal life has been given to us,* drinking from which we never cease to magnify you, O Cyril and Methodius.* Rejoicing in the glory of the saints,* pray earnestly that our souls be saved.

Glory… Now…

O Immaculate One, I am being tossed about in the violence of my passions.* I fervently call out to you:* Do not permit me to be lost in my misery,* for you gave birth to the Source of mercy.* We have no other hope but you.* Therefore, I place my trust in you* that I may not be the cause of joy and laughter for the enemy.* For you can do as you will* because you are the Mother of the God of all.

Polyeleos

Magnification

We extol you,* O holy Methodius and Cyril, equals to the apostles,* who illumined all the Slavic nations with your teachings* and led them to Christ.

verse: My lips will speak words of wisdom. My heart is full of insight.

verse: Your justice I have proclaimed in the great assembly.

verse: The mouth of the just utters wisdom, and his lips speak what is right.

Glory… Now… Alleluia, alleluia, alleluia! Glory be to You, O God! (3)

Small Litany

Sessional Hymn, Tone 4

Come, with praises let us honour aloud our enlighteners,* for with the manna of their divinely wise teaching they fed the Slavic peoples* who were perishing out of hunger for the word of God,* and illumined them, as with the rays of the sun,* by translating the Gospel of the son of thunder into their native tongue.* And, having received enlightenment from it we cry out in thanksgiving:* Rejoice, O ever-glorious Cyril and Methodius!

Glory… Now…

O invincible protectress of the afflicted* and benevolent intercessor of those who hope in you,* save us from all dangers,* for you are the help of all.

Gradual Hymns, Tone 4

Antiphon 1

From my youth do many passions war against me;* but do You Yourself defend* and save me, O my Saviour.

You haters of Sion shall be shamed by the Lord;* for like grass, by the fire* shall you be withered.

Glory… Now…

In the Holy Spirit, every soul is quickened,* and, through cleansing, is exalted* and made radiant* by the Triple Unity in a hidden sacred manner.

Prokeimenon, Tone 4

Your priests shall be clothed with righteousness,* and Your righteous shall rejoice.

verse: Hear this, all nations; give ear, all you that inhabit the world.

Let everything that lives, Tone 4

Gospel

John 10:1-9

Psalm 50

Verses after Psalm 50, Tone 6

Glory…

Through the prayers of the holy apostles,* O Merciful One,* remit our many sins.

Now…

Through the intercession of the Mother of God,* O Merciful One,* remit our many sins.

Have mercy on me, O God, in Your kindness. In Your compassion blot out my offense.

Come, you who love the feasts of the Church,* and with songs of praise let us hymn the peers of the apostles,* the adornment of hierarchs, the enlighteners and fervent helpers of the Slavic peoples, saying:* Rejoice, O Cyril, golden clarion of theology,* who explained the mystery of the Holy Trinity by comparing God to the sun,* and thereby closed the blasphemous mouths of the Khazars!* And rejoice with him, O Methodius,* who struggled with him in oneness of mind, aiding him with prayers and signs!* And now, O most blessed fathers, never cease to pray to Christ God for us* who magnify you with faith and love.

Canon

Canon of the Venerable Ones, Tone 3. Katavasiae of Pascha

Ode 1

Irmos: He who of old, by His divine gesture,* united the waters into one gathering and parted the sea for the people of Israel:* He is our God and is all-glorious.* To Him alone let us chant, for He has been glorified!

Holy Fathers Cyril and Methodius, pray to God for us!

At a loss how to traverse the waters of life’s tumult, O venerable Methodius, you abandoned all the beauties of this world and, fighting the invisible foe in the angelic habit, you served the one God, joyously singing: to Him alone let us chant, for He has been glorified!

Holy Fathers Cyril and Methodius, pray to God for us!

You were shown to be a chosen vessel from thine infancy, O blessed Cyril, in nowise desiring to receive milk from a stranger’s breasts, thereby showing that your mind would not be deceived by a strange doctrine, but would be illumined by the teaching of the holy Orthodox Church, and that you yourself would become the teacher and enlightener of many.

Holy Fathers Cyril and Methodius, pray to God for us!

Bedewed by the waters of your teachings, even to this day the Slavic lands bring forth fruit right pleasing to Christ the Master; therefore, the Holy Church blesses you, crying aloud: Deliver us from tribulations, for you have been glorified!

Most holy Theotokos, save us.

The waters of sin have entered into my soul, O Mistress, and I am sunk in the mire of the passions. To you do I flee, O most immaculate one: still the turmoil of impure thoughts and grant me peace of mind.

Katavasia: It is the Day of Resurrection, let us be radiant, O people; Pascha, the Lord’s Pascha: for from death to life, and from earth to heaven, Christ God has brought us, as we sing the song of victory.

Ode 3

Irmos: O Most High and Almighty One,* who has brought out of nonexistence all things fashioned by the Word* and perfected by the Spirit:* establish me in Your love.

Holy Fathers Cyril and Methodius, pray to God for us!

O venerable Methodius, hearing with the ear of your heart: “He who would come after Me, let him take up his cross and follow after Me,” you followed Christ, shouldering the cross of the monastic life. Entreat Him that in His love He establish me, who am cold.

Holy Fathers Cyril and Methodius, pray to God for us!

He who of old showed Jacob, in a dream, a ladder which extended up into the heavens, O holy Cyril, when you were a boy also in a wondrous dream betrothed you to a maiden more lovely than all others, Sophia by name. And, behold! the wisdom which sits at His throne has established you in the love of the Most High.

Holy Fathers Cyril and Methodius, pray to God for us!

He who has brought all things out of nonexistence, O right wondrous fathers, sanctified you for Himself as chosen vessels from your mother’s womb, that you might bring His name before the nations. Therefore, celebrating your honoured memory, we entreat you, O Cyril and Methodius, to establish your wavering mind in the confession of the right Faith.

Most holy Theotokos, save us.

O pure one, who has given peace to the world and given birth to the Origin of tranquillity, still the waves of my passions and establish me upon the rock of dispassion.

Katavasia: Come, let us drink a new drink, not one miraculously brought forth from a barren rock but the Fountain of Incorruption, springing forth from the tomb of Christ, in Whom we are strengthened.

Kontakion, Tone 8

Drawn to the well by faith,* the Samaritan woman beheld You, the Water of Wisdom,* and drinking abundantly of You,* she inherited the heavenly Kingdom for ever,* becoming everlastingly glorious.

Ikos

Let us hear of the noble mysteries, as John teaches us what comes to pass in Samaria, how the Lord speaks to a woman, asking water of her, even He that gathered the waters into the places where they are gathered, and who is of one throne with the Father and the Spirit; for He, the renowned One, came, seeking out His image forever.

Sessional Hymn, Tone 4

You likened the holy consubstantial Trinity to the sun, O divinely inspired Cyril, declaring that the visible, created sun in the sky is an image of the Holy Trinity, saying: “The solar disc is an image of God the Father, Who has neither beginning nor end; and as a ray of light issues forth from the solar disc, illumining the earth, so is the Son, the Effulgence of the Father, begotten of God the Father; and the warmth which gives life to the whole world, and with the ray is poured forth from the same disc, is an image of the Holy Spirit, Who proceeds from the same Father.” Heeding your wondrous teaching, we also worship the one God in Trinity, blessing your memory, O right wondrous one.

Ode 4

Irmos: You have ordained steadfast love for us, O Lord;* for gave Your only-begotten Son over to death for us.* Therefore, in thanksgiving we cry out to You:* Glory to Your power, O Lord!

Holy Fathers Cyril and Methodius, pray to God for us!

You set the keeping of the commandments as your corner-stone, O venerable Methodius, and building the house of your soul thereon you made it a habitation of the Holy Spirit. And I, who am the abode of sin, fall down before you, O most blessed one: cleanse me with the dew of your prayers, that I may cry out in thanksgiving: Glory to Your power, O Lord!

Holy Fathers Cyril and Methodius, pray to God for us!

O blessed Cyril, you cried out: “Grant that I may understand what is pleasing to You, O Master!” when you were given over to study with the young emperor; therefore, in addition to outward philosophy, you received the wisdom of the Spirit and the fear of God from on high, and regarded earthly wisdom as nought, crying: Glory to Your power, O Lord!

Holy Fathers Cyril and Methodius, pray to God for us!

You set love for your Creator like a seal upon your heart, O most blessed Cyril; therefore, you rejected an earthly betrothal and the glory of this world, and, escaping like a bird from the hunters’ snares, you attained to the calm haven of monastics and were clothed in the robe of joy, chanting with Methodius: Glory to Your power, O Lord!

Most holy Theotokos, save us.

Setting my iniquities and injustices before me, I see that they have multiplied more than the sands of the sea. To you do I flee, O most immaculate one: heal the sores of my soul, that in thanksgiving I may cry out to Him who was born of you: Glory to Your power, O Lord!

Katavasia: On divine watch let the God-inspired Habakkuk stand with us and show forth the light-bearing angel clearly saying: Today salvation is come to the world, for Christ is risen as Almighty.

Ode 5

Irmos: In a vision Isaiah beheld God exalted upon a throne borne aloft by angels of glory;* and he cried: Woe is me!* for I have beheld beforehand the incarnate God, the unwaning Light,* who reigns with peace!

Holy Fathers Cyril and Methodius, pray to God for us!

You flowered like a fragrant lily in the wilderness, O venerable Methodius, adorning your soul with prayer, vigils and fasting; and, having lived angelically upon the earth, with the angels you now contemplate in splendour the never-waning Light who reigns with peace.

Holy Fathers Cyril and Methodius, pray to God for us!

Praying in the wilderness to Him who is borne up by the angels of glory, O Cyril, you were prevailed upon to return to the Imperial City and adorned with priestly rank, that you might show the way of salvation to men, illumining them with the light of doctrine and offering up the un-bloody sacrifice to the never-waning Light who reigns with peace, for all.

Holy Fathers Cyril and Methodius, pray to God for us!

You were shown to be an inexhaustible well of wisdom, O God-bearing Cyril, when you were sent by the emperor to dispute with the Saracens, who blaspheme the all-holy Trinity; and they were unable to drown in the turgid waters of their false religion you who are illumined from on high by the never-waning Light.

Most holy Theotokos, save us.

How can I fail to fear the dread felling, since I am a barren tree, wretch that I am? Make haste quickly to her who is full of grace, O my soul; for if she will not help you, you will never behold the never-waning Light who reigns with peace!

Katavasia: Let us awake in the deep dawn, and instead of myrrh, offer a hymn to the Master, and we shall see Christ, the Sun of Righteousness, Who causes life to dawn for all.

Ode 6

Irmos: The uttermost abyss has encompassed me, and my spirit is failing;* but stretch forth Your upraised arm, O Master and Helmsman, and save me, as You did Peter.

Holy Fathers Cyril and Methodius, pray to God for us!

O all-wise Cyril, you said to the Khazars who disputed with you,” Our God is like the deep of the sea, unfathomable by the mind and indescribable in words;” and some who attempt to sail across this deep in the leaky boats of their own intellect are drowned, falling into errors and heresies, while others are buffeted by incomprehension and doubt, knowing not how to chant: O Helmsman, save us, as You did Peter!

Holy Fathers Cyril and Methodius, pray to God for us!

Sunk deep in the abyss of their false understandings, the Khazars secretly offered you deadly poison. But He who said: “If you drink anything deadly, it will not harm you,” preserved you whole and returned you with honour to the Imperial City. And, fittingly blessed by the emperor and patriarch, you were supremely exalted, crying: “O Helmsman, You have saved me as You did Peter!”

Holy Fathers Cyril and Methodius, pray to God for us!

The Holy Spirit once said to the disciples: “Separate for Me Barnabas and Saul for the task to which I have called them,” the enlightenment of the nations who are perishing in the abyss of ignorance of God; and He likewise commanded that you be sent to the lands of the Slavs, O venerable fathers. And, illumined by the light of your teaching, people who sat in darkness and the shadow of death have cried out: “O Helmsman, You have us as You did Peter!”

Most holy Theotokos, save us.

The uttermost abyss of sins has encompassed me, and, beset with trembling and terrified of utter drowning, I offer you entreaty, O all-immaculate one: Have mercy upon my passion-plagued soul! Stretch forth your hands, in that you are good, and as your Son saved Peter, so save me, O you who steer my soul.

Katavasia: You descended into the nethermost pares of the earth, and shattered the eternal bars that held the fettered, O Christ, and on the third day* like Jonah from the whale, You arose from the tomb.

Kontakion, Tone 3

Kontakion, Tone 3: Let us extol our two sacred teachers.* By their translation of Scriptures* they tapped for us a well that brings knowledge of God.* Drawing from it abundantly to this very day* we call you blessed, O Cyril and Methodius.* As you stand before the throne on high,* fervently pray to God to save our souls.

Ikos

Come, O faithful, let us praise our God-bearing fathers Methodius and Cyril, the preachers of piety who shone forth in virtue, the true pillars and foundation of the Church, the divine clarions of Christian dogmas; for having driven the darkness of unbelief away from us and burned up the impieties of heresy with the fire of the Spirit, by their translation of the Scriptures they transformed the Slavic race from wild olive-trees into a fruitful grove, through divine baptism have brought them into the Christian Faith, and have filled the whole world with a multitude of miracles; therefore, they stand, crowned, before God Almighty. And we cry out to them: O divine fathers, peers of the apostles, entreat Christ, that He grant all the Slavic peoples steadfastness in Orthodoxy and oneness of mind, bring peace to the world, and save our souls.

Ode 7

Irmos: The three youths did not worship the golden image, the Persian idol,* but chanted in the midst of the furnace: O God of our fathers, blessed are You!

Holy Fathers Cyril and Methodius, pray to God for us!

Abiding alone in solitude before, O Methodius, you made your soul like a divinely planted garden; but later, undertaking the apostolic preaching with the divinely wise Cyril, you laboured in the lands of the Slavs, where, unburnt by the fire of impiety like the youths in the furnace, you chanted: O God of our fathers, blessed are You!

Holy Fathers Cyril and Methodius, pray to God for us!

You bested the Jews and Saracens in argument, O all-wise Cyril, and enlightened the land of the Khazars with holy baptism, freeing a multitude of captives, and transformed brackish water in an arid wilderness into potable water; and, saved by you, the people chanted: O God of our fathers, blessed are You!

Holy Fathers Cyril and Methodius, pray to God for us!

O venerable fathers, you were vessels chosen to bear the name of the Lord before the nations; therefore, the Slavic peoples desired to be illumined by the light of your doctrine. And you deemed it better to exchange the sweetness of solitude for apostolic labour, that you might win a great many for Christ; and together with them you chant: O God of our fathers, blessed are You!

Most holy Theotokos, save us.

I am a vessel full of the passions, O all-holy Virgin Theotokos, and fear ultimate death and the threat of the fire. But save me who am perishing, O all-pure one, and gird my spirit about with strength, that, bursting the bonds of sin, I may chant in thanksgiving: Blessed are you who gave birth to Him who has delivered the captives!

Katavasia: He who delivered the Children from the furnace, became man, suffers as a mortal, and through His Passion clothes mortality with the beauty of incorruption, He is the only blessed and most glorious God of our fathers.

Ode 8

Irmos: The youths who beheld God* caused the flame of material fire to wither away through that which is immaterial,* and they chanted:* Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord!

Holy Fathers Cyril and Methodius, pray to God for us!

Continually illumined by the immaterial fire of grace, you received the rank of priest, O blessed Cyril; and with the aid of the Holy Spirit, you devised an alphabet for the Slavs, that the people, enlightened by the translation of divinely inspired books into their native speech, might chant: Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord!

Holy Fathers Cyril and Methodius, pray to God for us!

O most lauded fathers, you first thundered out the chief heading of our Faith, the unearthly words of the son of thunder: “In the beginning was the Word, and then the melodious Psalter, wherewith the Holy Church cries out in gladness: Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord!

Holy Fathers Cyril and Methodius, pray to God for us!

You have enriched us with an immaterial treasure, O right wondrous fathers, for thanks to you, the Divine Liturgy began to be celebrated in the Slavonic language; and partaking of this grace to this day, we bless you, chanting: Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord!

Most holy Theotokos, save us.

The fire of temptations and evil perils hath surrounded me. To you do I flee, O Virgin Theotokos, disdain not the supplications of your servant, O pure one, but deliver me from the cruel ones who beset me, that, uttering blessing, I may bless you and exalt your name supremely forever.

Katavasia: This chosen and holy day is the first of the Sabbaths, the queen and lady, the feast of feasts, and the festival of festivals, wherein we bless Christ throughout the ages.

Ode 9

Irmos: We magnify you, the unburnt bush, the holy Virgin,* the Mother of the Light, the Theotokos, the hope of us all.

Holy Fathers Cyril and Methodius, pray to God for us!

Who can praise you fittingly, O most glorious Methodius? O Cyril who can reckon the labours you undertook, like to an apostle, for the salvation of an erring people? We who have been taught by you to glorify God Most High in our native tongue magnify you in oneness of mind.

Holy Fathers Cyril and Methodius, pray to God for us!

When you had completed your work and finished the race, O blessed Cyril, you received word of your repose from on high, and, accepting it joyfully, you chanted: “My spirit was glad because of them that said to me, Let us go into the courts of the Lord!” And yearning for the heavens, you were borne aloft in soul, where with the hosts of heaven you continually magnify the consubstantial Trinity.

Holy Fathers Cyril and Methodius, pray to God for us!

Receiving the episcopacy of the Church of Moravia, O venerable Methodius, in proclaiming the Holy Faith you undertook many labours and struggles, and endured many tribulations and persecutions; and, rejoicing now in the highest with the holy Cyril, pray for us, that we may continually magnify you as our helpers and mediators.

Most holy Theotokos, save us.

O you who are most exalted than the angels and more honourable than the cherubim, we pray: through the intercession of the holy Cyril and Methodius have pity on our lowliness, lead us up from the depths of sin, and deliver us from everlasting damnation, that with them we may magnify you, the Theotokos and Mother of the Light, and our hope.

Katavasia: Shine, shine, O new Jerusalem, for the glory of the Lord has risen upon you! Exult now and be glad, O Sion! And you, O chaste Mother of God, take delight in the resurrection of your Son.

Small Litany

Hymn of Light

Celebrating your memory with splendour, O holy teachers, we entreat you most earnestly: establish on the rock of the confession of Christ the nations which you enriched with the treasure of the glad tidings, and preserve our life in peace.

Glory… Now…

Enlighten my noetic eyes which are bereft of sight, O Lord, because of sin’s gloomy darkness. And since You are compassionate, instil in me humility. Cleanse me by the tears of repentance and change of heart.

Stichera on the Praises, Tone 5

To carry out the sentence pre-ordained:* this honour is for all His faithful.

O Lord, while the grave was sealed by lawless men, * You came forth from the tomb * in a manner similar to You birth from the Theotokos. * Your bodiless Angels could not fathom the event of Your incarnation, * likewise the soldiers guarding You could not know when You arose. * For the full knowledge of both events has been sealed from those who would inquire, * but the wonder of these events has been revealed to those who with faith * worship the mystery which we hymn;* grant unto us joy and great mercy.

Praise God in His holy place, praise Him in His mighty heavens.

Woe is me! how I have become like the barren fig tree,* and I fear the curse, and also being cut down.* But, O Christ God, the Heavenly Husbandman,* show forth my hardened soul as fruitful, * and receive me as You did the prodigal son,* and have mercy on me.

Praise Him for His powerful deeds,* praise His surpassing greatness.

Blessed is the army of the King of the Heavens; * for though the passion-bearers were born of the earth, * yet they eagerly struggled to attain to the angelic rank by disdaining their bodies; * and through their sufferings, were counted worthy * of the honour of the bodiless hosts. * By their prayers, O Lord, send down upon us Your great mercy.

Tone 4

O praise Him with sound of trumpet,* praise Him with lute and harp;

O divinely wise Cyril and Methodius, following in the steps of the apostles, with oneness of mind you laboured to search out the lost; and like fleet-winged eagles you soared above the Slavic lands, and, having illumined them with the light of the knowledge of God, you brought them to Jesus who loves mankind, the Saviour of our souls.

Praise Him with timbrel and dance,* praise Him with strings and pipes.

O God-bearing fathers, husbandmen of the vineyard of Christ, planters of piety: after diligent search you found the Slavic peoples like a lost coin; and, rejoicing with the angels, Jesus who loves mankind, the Saviour of our souls, has taken it into the treasury of everlasting life.

O praise Him with resounding cymbals, praise Him with clashing of cymbals.* Let everything that lives and that breathes give praise to the Lord.

O champions of the Holy Trinity, guides of the lost, who bested the blasphemy of Islam and put to shame the impiety of the Jews: the Church which you acquired through your God-pleasing labours and your sweat, strive to preserve unharmed by the assaults of the enemy and well-pleasing to Jesus who loves mankind, the Saviour of our souls.

Tone 6, Glory…

O you people, piously celebrating the memory of our enlighteners, let us cry out in thanksgiving: Rejoice, all-radiant beacons who have illumined the Slavic lands with the light of the knowledge of God! Rejoice, O good shepherds, who have gathered together the reason endowed sheep who were scattered amid the groves of unbelief, and have brought them to Christ, the Chief Shepherd. Magnifying Him, we call you blessed.

Tone 2, Now…

The blind man, accounting all his life as though it were night, * cried to You, O Lord: * Open my eyes, O our Savior, * O Son of David, * that together with all mankind,* I also may praise Your power.

Great Doxology

Troparia, Tone 5

Tone 4, Glory…

Now…

Insistent Litany

Litany of Supplication

Great Dismissal

AT DIVINE LITURGY ON MONDAY MORNING

After the priest has exclaimed, Blessed be the Kingdom… and the people have responded, Amen, the clergy sing the Paschal Troparion once and the people repeat it. Then, the clergy sing the first half, and the people conclude it.

Paschal Troparion

Christ is risen from the dead,* trampling death by death,* and to those in the tombs* giving life.

Troparia and Kontakia

Troparion, Tone 5: Let us the faithful acclaim and worship the Word,* co-eternal with the Father and the Spirit,* and born of the Virgin for our salvation.* For He willed to be lifted up on the cross in the flesh, to suffer death* and to raise the dead by His glorious resurrection.

Troparion, Tone 4: As equals to the apostles in the way you lived* and teachers of the Slavic lands,* O Cyril and Methodius, divinely wise,* intercede with the Master of all* to confirm the Slavic nations in orthodoxy and oneness of mind;* to grant peace to the world and save our souls.

Kontakion, Tone 3: Let us extol our two sacred teachers.* By their translation of Scriptures* they tapped for us a well that brings knowledge of God.* Drawing from it abundantly to this very day* we call you blessed, O Cyril and Methodius.* As you stand before the throne on high,* fervently pray to God to save our souls.

Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.

Kontakion, Tone 4: Blinded in the eyes of my soul,* I come to You, O Christ, like the man who was blind from birth,* and I cry in repentance:* You are the brilliant light of those in darkness.

Now and for ever and ever. Amen.

Kontakion, Tone 8: Though You descended into a tomb, O Immortal One,* yet You destroyed the power of Hades;* and You rose as victor, O Christ God,* calling to the myrrh-bearing women: Rejoice!* and giving peace to Your Apostles:* You, who grant Resurrection to the fallen.

Prokeimenon, Tone 8

Pray and give thanks to the Lord our God.

verse: In Judea God is known; His name is great in Israel. (Psalm 76:12,2)

Prokeimenon, Tone 7

Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His venerable ones.

Epistle

Acts 17:1-15; Hebrews 7:26-8:2

Alleluia, Tone 8

verse: Look upon me and have mercy.

verse: Direct my steps according to Your word. (Psalm 118:131-132)

verse: Your priests shall clothe themselves with justice, and Your venerable ones shall rejoice.

Gospel

John 11:47-57; John 10:9-16

Hymn to the Theotokos

The Angel cried out to the One full of Grace: O chaste Virgin, rejoice! And again I say, Rejoice! Your Son has risen from the tomb on the third day, and raised the dead. Let all people rejoice! Shine, shine, O new Jerusalem, for the glory of the Lord has risen upon you! Exult now and be glad, O Sion! And you, O chaste Mother of God, take delight in the resurrection of your Son.

Communion Hymn

Receive the Body of Christ;* taste the fountain of immortality.* Praise the Lord from the heavens; praise Him in the highest.* The just man shall be in everlasting remembrance;* of evil hearsay he shall have no fear.* Alleluia, alleluia,* alleluia.

Instead of Blessed is He Who comes… we sing:

Christ is risen from the dead,* trampling death by death,* and to those in the tombs* giving life.

Instead of We have seen the true light… we sing:

Christ is risen from the dead,* trampling death by death,* and to those in the tombs* giving life.

Instead of May our mouths be filled… we sing three times:

Christ is risen from the dead,* trampling death by death,* and to those in the tombs* giving life.

Instead of Blessed be the name of the Lord… we sing three times:

Christ is risen from the dead,* trampling death by death,* and to those in the tombs* giving life.

At the dismissal, instead of Glory be to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and ever. Amen. we chant:

Christ is risen from the dead, trampling death by death,* and to those in the tombs giving life.

After the final Amen, the Troparion Christ is risen is sung as at the beginning of the Liturgy, but with the addition:

And to us He has granted life eternal;* we bow down before His resurrection on the third day.