NOVEMBER 1
Holy Cosmas and Damian: Wonder-workers and Unmercenary Physicians with their Companions, Martyrs in Asia (c. 345)
(note: In the Typikon the service is set up for Daily Vespers. In the Slavonic Menaion there is a note that a polyeleos service (thus, Great Vespers) is an option.
"Lord I Call..." Tone 6
Lord, I call upon Thee, hear me!
Hearme, O Lord!
Lord, I call upon Thee, hear me!
Receive the voice of my prayer,
when I call upon Thee!//
Hearme, O Lord!
Let my prayer arise
in Thy sight as incense,
and let the lifting up of my hands
be an evening sacrifice!//
Hearme, O Lord!
(at either Daily Vespers or Great Vespers)
v. (6) If Thou, O Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with Thee.
Tone 6 (Model Melody)
Having placed all their hope in heaven,
the saints laid up for themselves a treasure that cannot be stolen
away.
They freely received and freely give healing to the infirm.
Following the Gospel, they acquired neither silver nor gold,
but performed works of mercy for both men and beasts, //
that, obedient to Christ, they might pray with boldness on behalf of
our souls.
v. (5) For Thy name’s sake have I waited for Thee, O Lord, my soul has waited for Thy word; my soul has hoped on the Lord.
(Repeat: “Having placed all their hope in heaven …”)
v. (4) From the morning watch until night, from the morning watch let Israel hope on the Lord.
The two holy ones who shared a single character and single soul,
the like-minded companions,
disdained corruptible things on earth,
showing themselves to be citizens of heaven like the Angels,
though dwelling in the body.
Therefore they grant healings to all who suffer,
performing good works for those in need without exacting any fee.
Let us fittingly honor them with an annual festival, //
for they pray to Christ with boldness on behalf of our souls!
v. (3) For with the Lord there is mercy and with Him is plenteous redemption, and He will deliver Israel from all his iniquities.
(Repeat: “The two holy ones who shared …”)
v. (2) Praise the Lord, all nations! Praise Him, all peoples!
The divinely wise Cosmas and Damian,
the ever-memorable pair,
made themselves fully the dwelling of the Trinity.
They pour forth the waters of healing
like torrents from the life-giving Source,
by their touch, their relics cure suffering,
and their very names drive infirmities away
from all those who turn to the saving harbor of Christ.//
They pray with boldness on behalf of our souls.
v. (1) For His mercy is abundant towards us; and the truth of the Lord endureth for ever.
O holy unmercenaries, Cosmas and Damian,
ye scorned the tyranny of suffering,
trampling down, by Christ’s power, every snare of the Evil Serpent.
Ye were revealed to be as radiant as beacons,
ever illumining the whole world with divine signs,
driving away darkness and infirmities by grace;
showing yourselves to be the saviors of all who, with steadfast faith,//
celebrate your glorious memory, all-wise ones.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Tone 6 (by Anatolius)
Boundless is the grace the saints have received from Christ.
Therefore their relics continually work miracles by the power of God,
and their names, invoked with faith, heal incurable diseases.
Through them free us also from passions of soul and body, //
O Lord and Lover of mankind!
Now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
(if Daily Vespers)
Tone 6(Stavro-theotokion)
When the spotless Ewe-lamb and immaculate Lady
beheld her own Lamb upon the Tree of the Cross,
she exclaimed maternally and, marveling, cried aloud:
“O my sweetest Child,
what is this new and most glorious sight?
How has the most ungrateful assembly delivered Thee to Pilate’s tribunal,
and condemned Thee to death, O Life of all?
But I hymn Thine ineffable condescension, O Word.”
(if Great Vespers)
Tone 6(Theotokion – Dogmatikon)
Who will not bless thee, O most holy Virgin?
Who will not sing of thy most pure childbearing?
The only-begotten Son shone timelessly from the Father,
but from thee He was ineffably incarnate.
God by nature, He became Man for our sake,
not divided into two persons but manifest as One in two natures.
Entreat Him, O pure and all-blessed Lady,//
to have mercy on our souls!
Holy Cosmas and Damian: Wonder-workers and Unmercenary Physicians with their Companions, Martyrs in Asia (c. 345)
(at Daily Vespers)Aposticha
Tone 2(from the Octoechos)
Thou hast given us an invincible weapon in Thy Cross, O Christ.//
With it we vanquish the assaults of the Enemy.
v: I lift up mine eyes to Thee, who art enthroned in the heavens! Behold, as
the eyes of servants look to the hand of their master, as the eyes of a maid tothe hand of her mistress, so our eyes look to the Lord our God, till He havemercy upon us. (Ps 122/123:1-2)
Having Thy Cross at all times as our help, O Christ,//
we easily break the snares of the Enemy.
v: Have mercy upon us, O Lord, have mercy upon us, for we have had more than enough of contempt! Too long our soul has been sated with the scorn of those who are at ease, the contempt of the proud. (Ps 122/123:3-4)
Since ye have boldness to approach the Savior,
pray without ceasing for us sinners, O saints,//
asking remission of our transgressions and great mercy for our souls!
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;
Tone 6(for Saints Cosmas and Damian)
Ye ever have Christ working within you,
as ye work wonders in the world and heal the sick.
Holy Unmercenaries, your healing is an inexhaustible source.
Drawn from, it flows in abundance;
poured out, it gushes forth,
flowing every day in great quantity,
granting healing to all, yet remaining unspent.
Those who draw from it are filled with healing, yet it remains full.
Therefore what shall we call you?
Healing physicians of soul and bodies?
Healers of incurable sufferings who heal all?
Ye have received this gift from Christ the Savior, //
Who grants us great mercy.
now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Tone 6(Theotokion)
When she beheld Thee crucified, O Christ,
the Mother who gave Thee birth, cried out:
“What is this strange mystery that I see, O my Son?
Thou, Who gavest life to all,//
are nailed to the Tree and put to death.”
Holy Cosmas and Damian: Wonder-workers and Unmercenary Physicians with their Companions, Martyrs in Asia (c. 345)
(at Great Vespers)Aposticha
Tone 2
The spring of healings cured only a single person in a year;
the reliquary of the Unmercenaries heals vast multitudes of the sick,
for the wealth of the Saints lacks nothing and is inexhaustible.//
By their entreaties, O Christ, have mercy on us!
v: God is wonderful in His Saints, the God of Israel.(Ps 67/68:35)
Tone 2(by Theophanes)
Having lived actively by divine love and with desire for the future things,
ye completed your journeys of salvation;
therefore, keeping the purity of your souls undefiled,
ye withdrew completely from material things.
Having been made golden by the Divine Spirit,
yealso provided healings to the ailing without payment of gold,
O sacred pair, radiant couple, God-like enlightened partnership of
Unmercenaries,//
visiting us in afflictions and infirmities, and curing, without fee, the
diseases of our souls.
v: For His saints who are on earth, the Lord has worked wonders.(Ps 15/16:3)
Tone 2(by Germanus)
Having been considered worthy of great gifts, O all-praiseworthy ones,
ye conducted yourselves on earth in humility,
and passing through all places, freely healing the sufferings of the sick,
ye were seen to be companions of the Angels,
O Cosmas, with wise Damian, most pleasing brothers://
by your prayers heal also our passions!
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;
Tone 6
Ye ever have Christ working within you,
as you work wonders in the world and heal the sick.
Holy Unmercenaries, your healing is an inexhaustible source.
Drawn from, it flows in abundance;
poured out, it gushes forth,
flowing every day in great quantity,
granting healing to all, yet remaining unspent.
Those who draw from it are filled with healing, yet it remains full.
Therefore what shall we call you?
Healing physicians of soul and bodies?
Healers of incurable sufferings who heal all?
Ye have received this gift from Christ the Savior, //
Who grants us great mercy.
now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Tone 6(Theotokion)
My Maker and Redeemer, Christ the Lord,
was born of thee, O most pure Virgin.
By accepting my nature, He freed Adam from his ancient curse.
Unceasingly we magnify thee as the Mother of God!
Rejoice, O celestial Joy!
Rejoice, O Lady://
the Protection, Intercession and Salvation of our souls!
Holy Cosmas and Damian: Wonder-workers and Unmercenary Physicians with their Companions, Martyrs in Asia (c. 345)
(at Daily Vespers and Great Vespers)
Tone 8Troparion
Holy Unmercenaries and Wonderworkers, Cosmas and Damian, heal our
infirmities.//
Freely you have received; freely you give to us.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit,
now and ever, and unto ages of ages. Amen.
(if Daily Vespers)
Tone 8ResurrectionalDismissal Theotokion
O Lamb, the Shepherd andSavior of the world,
when Thy Mother saw Thee hanging on the Cross, she cried:
“Though the world rejoicesin its redemption,
my being burns as I behold Thy crucifixion,//
which Thou endurest for all men, O my Son and my God.”
(if Great Vespers)
Tone 8 Resurrectional Dismissal Theotokion
For our sake Thou wastborn of the Virgin
and didst endure crucifixion, O GoodOne,
destroying death by death and revealing the Resurrection as God.
Do not despisethework of Thy hand!
Reveal Thylove for mankind, O Merciful One!
Accept the Theotokos who is praying for us, //
and save the despairingpeople, O our Savior!
------
(at the Divine Liturgy)
(If commemorated as a “non-polyeleos rank”, then follow this order:)
Tone 2Troparion(John the Baptist)
The memory of the righteous is celebrated with songs of praise,
but the Lord’s testimony is sufficient for thee, O Forerunner.
Thou wast shown indeed to be the most honorable of the Prophets,
for in the waters thou didst baptize the One Whom thou preached.
After suffering with joy on behalf of the truth,
thou didst proclaim even to those in hell the God Who appeared in the
flesh,
Who takest away the sin of the world//
and grants us great mercy!
Tone 8Troparion(SS Cosmas and Damian)
Holy Unmercenaries and Wonderworkers, Cosmas and Damian, heal our
Infirmities!//
Freely you have received; freely you give to us.
Tone 3Kontakion(John the Baptist)
O prophet of God and forerunner of grace,
Thy head has blossomed from the earth as a sacred rose.
We are ever being healed,//
for as of old, thou dostpreach repentance to the world.
Tone 2Kontakion(SS Cosmas and Damian)
Having received the grace of healing,
ye grant healing to those in need.
Glorious wonder-workers and healers, Cosmas and Damian,
visit us and put down the insolence of our enemies,//
and bring healing to the world through your miracles!
Tone 7Prokeimenon
The righteous shall rejoice in the Lord and shall hope in Him. (Ps 63/64:10)
v: Hear my voice, O God, when I pray to Thee! (Ps 63/64:1)
Tone 4Prokeimenon
For His saints who are on earth, the Lord has worked wonders.(Ps 15/16:3)
Epistle
Colossians 3:17-4:1 (of the day)
1 Corinthians 12:27-13:8 (Unmercenaries)
Tone 4
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
v:The righteous shall flourish like the palm tree, and grow like a cedar in
Lebanon.(Ps 91/92:12)
v: They that are planted in the house of the Lord shall flourish in the courts
of our God. (Ps 91/92:13).
Tone 2
v: Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!
(Ps 132/133:1)
Gospel
Luke 11:42-46 (of the day)
Matthew 10:1, 5-8 (Unmercenaries)
Communion Hymns
The righteous shall be in everlasting remembrance. He shall not fear evil
tidings. (Ps 111/112:6b-7a)
Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous! Praise befits the just. (Ps 32/33:1)
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
(if commemorated as “polyeleos rank”, then follow this order:)
Tone 8Troparion(SS Cosmas and Damian)
Holy Unmercenaries and Wonderworkers, Cosmas and Damian, heal our
Infirmities!//
Freely you have received; freely you give to us.
Tone 2Kontakion(SS Cosmas and Damian)
Having received the grace of healing,
ye grant healing to those in need.
Glorious wonder-workers and healers, Cosmas and Damian,
visit us and put down the insolence of our enemies,//
and bring healing to the world through your miracles!
Tone 4Prokeimenon
For His saints who are on earth, the Lord has worked wonders.(Ps 15/16:3)
v: I beheld the Lord ever before me, for He is at my right hand that I might not be shaken. (Ps 15/16:8)
Epistle
Colossians 3:17-4:1 (of the day)
1 Corinthians 12:27-13:8 (Unmercenaries)
Tone 2
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
v: Behold, how good and pleasant it is when brothers dwell in unity!
(Ps 132/133:1)
v: For there the Lord has commanded the blessing, life for evermore.
(Ps 132/133:3b)
Gospel
Luke 11:42-46 (of the day)
Matthew 10:1, 5-8 (Unmercenaries)
Communion Hymn
Rejoice in the Lord, O ye righteous! Praise befits the just. (Ps 32/33:1)
Alleluia, Alleluia, Alleluia!
Liturgical texts for this service represent modified versions of translations provided by Holy Myrrhbearers Monastery, Otego, New York and St. Tikhon’s Monastery, South Canaan, Pa. The Department of Liturgical Music and Translations of the Orthodox Church in America expresses its gratitude to Holy Myrrhbearers Monastery and St. Tikhon’s Monastery and to those translators whose work has been consulted at times in the course of reviewing and modifying these texts to their present form:Metropolitan Kallistos (Ware), Archimandrite Ephrem (Lash), Archimandrite Juvenaly, Elizabeth Theokritoff, Father Benedict Churchill, Isaac Lambertson, St. Vladimir’s Seminary, and Holy Transfiguration Monastery, among others.
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