Holy Martyr Agapius and His Six Companions
LITURGY OF THE PRESANCTIFIED GIFTS
At Psalm 140
In Tone 4
10. Behold, this is the acceptable time,
this is the day of salvation.
Visit my soul in the abundance of Your love,
and in Your unique goodness, lighten the load of my sins.
9. Behold, this is the acceptable time,
this is the day of salvation.
Visit my soul in the abundance of Your love,
and in Your unique goodness, lighten the load of my sins.
In Tone 1
8. Through the supplication of all the saints and of the Theotokos,
grant us Your peace, O Lord, and save us,
since You alone are compassionate.
7. O saints, your confession of faith in the arena
destroyed the strength of devils and set us free from delusion.
When you were beheaded, you cried out:
O Lord, may the sacrifice of our souls be acceptable in Your sight;
for in our love for You, the Lover of humankind,
we have despised this temporal life.
6. How beautiful is the manner of your exchange, O saints;
for you have given your blood and received heaven.
Truly, you have done well!
You have obtained immortality by forsaking corruptible things.
Making a single choir with the angels,
you sing unceasingly the praises of the consubstantial Trinity.
5. O martyrs, worthy of praise,
though the earth may not have covered you, heaven received you,
opening to you the gates of Paradise, where you dwell,
delighting in the Tree of Life.
Beseech Christ to grant our souls
peace and great mercy.
In Tone 8
4. You seven martyrs of Christ
counted the assaults of the torturers and violent death to be nothing!
You hastened to battle with readiness and courage,
covering yourselves with the glory of victory!
You are numbered among all the righteous;
we call you blessed, glorifying you with them forever!
3. You seven martyrs of Christ
counted the assaults of the torturers and violent death to be nothing!
You hastened to battle with readiness and courage,
covering yourselves with the glory of victory!
You are numbered among all the righteous;
we call you blessed, glorifying you with them forever!
2. Martyred athlete Agapius,
you loved the well-spring of good things and the summit of desires!
You hastened to drain the cup of martyrdom,
calling on the divine name of the living God.
What courage was yours; what endurance,
by which you were openly given the gift of glory and splendor!
1. All-blessed martyrs,
you gave yourselves to voluntary slaughter;
you sanctified the earth with your blood
and illumined the air with your passage.
Now in the image of God you live in the heavens
ever praying for us to the never-fading Light!
In Tone 1, Glory…
What earthly delight endures unmingled with grief?
What earthly glory remains immutable?
All things are less than a shadow, more deluding than a dream.
In a single moment all these are effaced by death.
But in the light of Your countenance, O Christ, and in the enjoyment of Your beauty,
grant rest to those whom You have chosen;
for You love humankind.
Now…
Let us sing a hymn of praise to the Virgin Mary,
glory of the whole world!
She was herself formed by human seed,
yet she became the Mother of the Master,
the Gate of heaven, the theme of the angels’ hymn and the beauty of the faithful.
She was seen as being heavenly and the Tabernacle of the Godhead.
She indeed tore down the wall of enmity between God and man, and brought peace in its place.
She opened the Kingdom of Heaven.
Let us therefore cling fast to her for she is the anchor of faith,
and let us receive as our stronghold the Lord who was born of her.
Be of good cheer, then, and have confidence, O people of God,
for He will fight our enemies for us;
He is all-powerful!
Prokeimenon I, Tone 4
Your merciful love and Your truth* will guard me forever.
verse: I waited, I waited for the Lord and He stooped down to me; He heard my cry.
Reading I
Genesis 5:32–6:8
Prokeimenon II, Tone 6
As for me, I said: Lord, have mercy on me;* heal my soul for I have sinned against You.
verse: Blessed are those who consider the poor and the weak. The Lord will save them in the evil day.
Reading II
Proverbs 6:20–7:1