CANON
TO ST. PERPETUA
Ode I.
Irmos. After crossing the sea as if it were dry
ground and escaping the wickedness of Egypt, the Israelite cried out: Let us sing to our redeemer and God.
Perpetua, holy lamb of the Creator, entreat
him on behalf of all who celebrate you in song and honor your holy memory, for
you are the adornment of the martyrs of Carthage.
Hearken to all the entreaties of your
suppliants, O martyr, for they praise you as the fragrant alabaster vase of
love and violet flower of faith, O chaste Perpetua.
Perpetua, as one who was clearly above the foul denial of
Christ, render all who sing of your trials disdainful of the stench of the
passions.
Generously furnish us, O Mother of God, the
mercies and the multitude of the compassions of your son by the intercessions
of Perpetua, for you are the blessed salvation of the world.
Ode III
Irmos. You covered the vault of the sky with a roof, O Lord, and built the church; confirm me in your love, O summit of desires, support of the faithful and only clement Lord.
Earnestly entreat Jesus, glorious Vibia
Perpetua, admirable martyr, on behalf of us who run to your God-given favor
amid our sufferings, trials and dangers.
Since you submitted to the attacks of wild
animals and decapitation, O martyr Vibia Perpetua, you have been deemed worthy
of heavenly renown and you have received
kind munificence to render the Most High
merciful to all.
We the faithful duly and steadfastly celebrate
you in song, Vibia Perpetua, as the all-venerable bride of the Creator,
together with your revered and resolute Felicity, with whom render the Most
High merciful to all.
O Queen and highly extolled Mother of the
Deliverer, cease not to entreat your divine son, who is rich in mercy, on
behalf of those who acclaim fervently the inconceivable sufferings of the
martyr Perpetua.
Deem all your suppliants worthy of the heavenly
glory which you unceasingly enjoy, Perpetua, O holy lamb yet brave martyr.
Perpetua, adornment of the steadfast martyrs
and flower of Carthage, do not cease to entreat your bridegroom Christ, on
behalf of all who honor your resolve to endure imprisonment, attacks of wild
animals and the cutting of your august neck for the sake of the faith.
Ode IV
Irmos. I have heard,
O Lord, the mystery of your dispensation, I have meditated on your works and
glorified your divinity.
Having put the ungodly to shame, Vibia
Perpetua, by your resolute bearing in the face of beheading you received the
grace to defend those who honor you.
Grant power, Vibia Perpetua, to those who honor
you as the champion of Carthage, for you have received divine power from on
high.
Pray, Perpetua, with Felicity, your august
fellow-martyr, and Saturus, your teacher, for us who sincerely bless you.
O highly favored Mother of God, you are the
cause of the joy of the world. By your beneficent
influence deliver from painful sufferings and afflictions those who run to you.
Shower the rain of divine grace on us, for we
celebrate you, Perpetua, as a mother who preferred Christ to your own baby.
Ode V
Irmos. Illumine us
with your commandments, O Lord, and by your lofty arm grant us your peace, O
merciful God.
With hymns and songs we magnify your readiness
to suffer a cruel martyrdom and the beheading of your very fair head.
Celebrating your contest, Perpetua, with
pleasing hymns, we await your fervent supplications to your heavenly
bridegroom.
Send down to us the measureless mercy of your
son, pure Virgin and Mother, for we magnify Perpetua’s heroic deeds.
Ode 6
Irmos. I will pour out my supplication to the Lord
and to him will I declare my afflictions, for my soul has been filled with
troubles and my life has approached Hades, so like Jonah I pray: Raise me up from death, O God.
Perpetua, you guided your feet on account of
the faith to combat with beasts and beheading; having hallowed the stadium of
Carthage, you received great grace to hallow those who magnify you.
O
Perpetua! As the exceedingly brilliant and foremost leader
in the stadium, you disdained the deceptive Severus, and took pleasure in the
contest for Christ, your bridegroom; entreat him earnestly on behalf of all who
honor your contest.
Perpetua, excellent martyr and comfort of the
faithful, the cries of your nursing baby rang in your ears when the animals
began to tear asunder your soft flesh and the sword cut off your sacred head.
Hearken to the voices of your suppliants, O
Mother of God and our Queen, and quickly restrain the uprisings of the flesh of
those who acclaim the arena of the martyric contest of the august Perpetua, the
comely bride of your divine son.
[Prayers between Odes 6 and
7.]
Deem all your suppliants worthy of unceasing
heavenly glory, which you enjoy, O valiant Perpetua, as the august lamb and
martyr of the Lord.
Kontakion.
The crown of the noblest tribulations, Perpetua, was received from
the hands of your heavenly bridegroom; send down his measureless mercy on us
who affectionately celebrate your memory.
Vibia Perpetua of Carthage, living adornment of
the martyrs, who proclaimed Christ the God-man, whom you especially loved with
your whole heart, even more than your nursing baby: since you for his sake
endured prison, tortures, attacks of beasts and the sword, to the point of
martyrdom, send down the mercy of the Creator on all, beseeching him together with
Felicity, who imitated zealously your struggles and with the other four, resolute,
divine martyrs who struggled alongside you.
Ode VII
Irmos. The
youths from Judea, having come to Babylon of old, by their faith in the Trinity
trampled down the flame of the furnace, chanting, O God of our fathers, blessed
are you.
Excellent martyr, august Perpetua, the streams
of your youthful blood dyed the robe of your soul in the middle of Carthage;
Christ received your soul and by your prayers allots the prize to the faithful.
Do not cease to beseech the Savior Christ,
Perpetua, with Felicity, Saturus, Saturninus and Revocatus the valiant,
together with the renowned Secundus, on behalf of your suppliants.
Fragrant violet of Carthage, you sweeten all
the faithful with your noble way of life and martyric sufferings, through which
you have received munificent kindness to entreat Christ to be gracious to those
who hymn you.
Compassionate Mother, by the intercessions of
Perpetua, the ewe-lamb of your Son, cause the tumult of my passions and
afflictions to cease by your all-powerful hand, for you are the Lady Mother of
God, the Queen blessed by all.
Ode VIII
Irmos. The
king of Heaven whom the hosts of angels hymn, hymn and exalt him above all
forever.
Render all who hymn you to be partakers of the
kingdom of heaven, martyr Perpetua, as you were the foremost struggler of the
stadium.
Martyr
Perpetua, we faithfully take refuge in your intercessions with the Creator of the
world, hymning you as the august victor.
Having received the judgment of victory from
God, bless, Perpetua, all who honor you as a victorious martyr.
Scatter the gloom of our sordid passions, for
we faithfully hymn you, Virgin, full of grace, as our refuge of dispassion.
Ode IX
Irmos. O
Mother of God, we who have been saved through you fittingly confess you, and
with the incorporeal choirs magnify you, O pure Virgin.
Having
taken exceedingly reverently the road of martyrdom in Carthage, you have
reached Heaven, to render the Most High merciful to us.
As we
hymn your contest and beheading, we hasten, Perpetua, by
your intercessions, to your very merciful Bridegroom, O brave one.
Fill our hearts with joy, who faithfully hymn
you, blessed Perpetua, as a decorous victor and most excellent martyr.
With Perpetua, the bride of your all-good son,
O Mother of God, entreat him on behalf of us who earnestly bless you.
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