Month of March
THE
2ND DAY
Commemoration of Our Father Among The Saints
Chad, Bishop of Lichfield
Composed by Reader Isaac Lambertson
If
this feast fall within Great Lent, we chant Alleluia; if not, we chant
"God is the Lord ..." and the troparia.
At Vespers
On "Lord, I have cried ...", these
stichera of the holy hierarch, in Tone IV: Spec. Mel.: "As one valiant
among the martyrs ..." -
Attaining full spiritual maturity under the cultivation of the holy Aidan,
O wondrous father Chad, thy soul grew in stature and ripeness like a mighty
mustard plant, which, spreading its verdant branches like a lofty noetic
tree, gave shade to thy holy disciples and to this day provideth shelter
for all the faithful.
Endowed by God with modesty and having attained marvellous humility, O
Chad, in all the virtues thou didst strive to imitate Christ, that thereby
thou mightest ascend the ladder of salvation; and the people, beholding
thy struggles and thy manifold victories over the spiritual foe, heeded
thy corrections and eagerly sought salvation.
Adorned with humble-mindedness, O godly hierarch Chad, like the Lord thou
didst ever travel on foot to proclaim the glad tidings of salvation unto
all; and, perceiving thy great love for God and thy manifest charity toward
thy neighbour, they forsook the trackless wastes of falsehood and sought
out the kingdom of God Most High.
Glory ..., Now and ever ...: Theotokion, in the
same melody -
Deliver my soul from condemnation and grievous transgressions, O all-holy
Bride of God, and rescue it from death by thy supplications. Grant that
on the day of trial I may receive the justification which the assemblies
of the saints have received; and before the end show me to be cleansed
through repentance and by the shedding of tears.
Stavrotheotokion -
As she beheld Thee nailed to the Cross, O Lord, the ewe-lamb Thy Mother
marvelled and cried out: "What is this that I see, O my Son most
desired? How hast Thou been rewarded by the unfaithful and iniquitous
assembly which hath enjoyed Thy many miracles? Yet glory to Thine ineffable
condescension, O Master!"
Troparion, in Tone IV -
Receiving divine grace from God on high, and strengthened by the power
thereof, O glorious Chad, thou didst tread the straight and narrow path
of the Gospel, and didst draw with thee a multitude of the faithful; wherefore,
dwelling now in the mansions of heaven, thou hast received rich recompense
for thy labours from Christ, Whom do thou beseech to save our souls.
At Matins
Canon of the holy hierarch, with 4 troparia,
the acrostic whereof is "By piety Chad waged war on the foe of man",
in Tone IV -
Ode I
Irmos: He Who is mighty in battle
cast the chariots of Pharaoh and his power into the sea. Let us chant
a new hymn, for He hath been glorified!
Battling the hosts of Satan, the holy Chad vanquished them utterly; wherefore,
grant me the grace to chant unto him a new hymn, O Lord.
Ye servants of Christ, lift up your voices, glorifying the holy hierarch,
the valiant warrior, who trampled the noetic foe beneath his beautiful
feet.
Prevailing over all the passions of the flesh, the wondrous Chad scaled
the heights of dispassion by his surpassing wisdom and Christian virtues.
Theotokion: In thee, Gall-blessed
Virgin, do we attain salvation, for without knowing man thou gavest birth
unto Him Who is glorified in His saints.
Ode III
Irmos: Let the vainglorious sage boast
not, but let him consider this: There is none as holy as God, Who exalteth
our horn, granting might to our rulers.
Eternal be thy parents' reward, O holy Chad, for they instilled true piety
in thee and thy brethren, whom they gave to the Church as bishops and
priests.
Trained in ascetic feats by the sainted Aidan at Lindisfarne, O great
hierarch of Christ, with thy holy brother Cedd thou didst overcome the
adversary.
Yearning to commune with the Most High in true contemplation, O Chad,
to the monasteries of Ireland didst thou go to gain knowledge divine.
Theotokion: Choirs of angels hymn
thy supernal beauty, O holy Maiden, and the ranks of archangels glorify
thee exceedingly, for thou dost surpass them all in holiness.
Sessional hymn, in Tone IV: Spec. Mel.: "Having
been lifted up ..." -
Having fought the good fight and finished well the course of thy life,
O Chad, thou wast vouchsafed to hear the Judge of the contest say, "Well
done, good and faithful servant! Enter into the joy of thy Lord!"
Wherefore, the angelic hosts escorted thy pure soul to heaven.
Glory ..., Now & ever ...: Theotokion -
Who can describe the multitude of mine impure thoughts and the tempests
of my wicked notions, O all-immaculate one? Who can recount the assaults
of mine incorporeal foes and their malice? Yet by thine entreaties grant
me deliverance from them all, O good one.
Stavrotheotokion -
Beholding Thee hanging upon the Cross Who wast begotten of the unoriginate
Father, she who in latter days gave birth unto Thee in the flesh, O Christ,
cried out: "Woe is me, O Jesus most beloved! How is it that Thou,
O my Son, Who art glorified as God by the angels, art now crucified by
iniquitous men? I hymn Thee, O Long-suffering One!"
Ode IV
Irmos: When the years draw nigh, Thou
shalt be acknowledged; when the season cometh, Thou shalt be shown forth;
when my soul is troubled, in Thine anger shalt Thou remember mercy. Glory
to Thee, O Lord!
Having been summoned to Northumbria by thy blessed brother, O Chad, thou
didst undertake to govern there the holy Monastery of Lastingham, until
it was God's good pleasure that thou be made bishop of York.
Anointed with the grace of the episcopacy, O wondrous Chad, thou didst
put on the hierarchal vestments as a soldier putteth on his armour, and
with courage and valour didst wage war, undaunted, upon the primordial
foe.
Doctrine and Christian piety didst thou preach to thy flock, proclaiming
the Gospel of Christ in every town and village of the realm, in thy modesty
and humility travelling about on foot like the holy apostles.
Theotokion: When woes afflict us and
the ungodly oppress us, and divine wrath justly punisheth us for our manifold
sins, O Lady, beseech thine omnipotent Son to be mindful of His mercy,
that we may sing His glory.
Ode V
Irmos:
Ascend Mount Sion, proclaiming glad tidings, and go up to Jerusalem with
proclamation, lifting up your voices with strength, saying: Wondrous things
have been spoken of thee, O city of God! Peace be upon Israel, and salvation
upon the nations!
Aidan's example didst thou truly follow, O holy hierarch; for, imbued
with the grace of the Scriptures, thy godly conduct and actions won converts
to the Christian Faith even more than thy words: wherefore, thou wast
the salvation of thy nation.
Giving place in thy surpassing humility to the saintly Wilfrid, O Chad
who art most rich, at the behest of the holy hierarch Theodore of Canterbury
thou didst accept Mercia as the vineyard wherein thou wouldst labour tirelessly
for thy Master and Lord.
Ever concerned for the well-being of thy body and soul, the holy Archbishop
Theodore forbade thee to continue visiting thy flock on foot, O saint
of God, lifting thee up upon a horse with his own hands to enforce his
divinely inspired commands
Theotokion: Damnation and perdition
surely await us at our death, for many are our sins and grievous our transgressions;
but take pity on us, the wretched and accursed, O Mistress, and by thine
intercessions obtain peace for our lives and salvation for our souls.
Ode VI
Irmos:
I have been brought down into hades by the abyss of life and my deeds;
yet as Jonah cried out from within the sea monster, so do I cry: Lead
me up from the depths of evils, I pray, O Son and Word of God!
Wulfhere, King of Mercia, in his piety gave thee land whereon to found
a monastic house in the province of Lindsey, O holy Chad, and there thou
didst establish the Monastery of Bardney to the glory of God.
Angelic voices were heard in thy cell at Lichfield, O saint of God, and
when they returned to heaven thou didst summon thy monks, admonishing
them to keep peace among themselves after thy repose.
Relating
to thy disciples that the day when thou wouldst be called from this life
was nigh at hand, O hierarch of Christ, thou didst commend thyself to
the prayers of the brethren, that thy passage might be eased.
Theotokion: Our trust and hope are
all in thee, after God, O all-merciful Theotokos; wherefore, disdain not
our earnest supplications, neither spurn our fervent pleas, but as thou
standest at the right hand of glory, save us.
Kontakion, in Tone II -
O
boast of Lichfield and glory of Mercia, disciple of the holy Aidan and
brother of the godly Cedd, by thine exalted humility thou didst ascend
the mount of the virtues, and by thine evangelical poverty thou hast enriched
thy people; wherefore, as thou dwellest in the uncreated light of grace
divine, O Chad, entreat Christ, the Sun of righteousness, to illumine
us all.
Ikos: Chanting together, O ye faithful,
let us clap our hands in exultation, celebrating the right gladsome memory
of the holy hierarch Chad, the scion of Northumbria and enlightener of
the Midlands, by the sound of whose gentle voice many were called to salvation
and have come to dwell with the saints in glory; and with compunction
for our manifold sins let us cry out to him with hope: Entreat Christ,
the Sun of righteousness to illumine us all!
Ode VII
Irmos: Deliver us not up utterly,
for Thy holy name's sake, neither disannul Thou Thy covenant, and cause
not Thy mercy to depart from us, O Lord God of our fathers, Who art supremely
hymned forever.
Never uttering a complaint, thou didst endure a languishing infirmity
for seven days, O athlete of Christ, and then, having communed of His
holy Body and Blood, didst depart straightway to heaven.
Thy flock mourned thy passing, O blessed Chad, but thou wast full of joy
when, escorted by radiant hosts of angels and the deified soul of thy
holy brother Cedd, thou didst enter the holy Sion in triumph.
Holy are thy relics, O wondrous Chad, abundantly pouring forth a torrent
of healings upon the sick and infirm, like oil from an oil-press, curing
their maladies of soul and body and restoring their health.
Theotokion: Even the worst of sinners
beggeth mercy of thee and receiveth thine aid, O Virgin Maiden, for the
King of glory gave thee as a mother to mankind, and at her maternal supplications
extendeth mercy unto all.
Ode VIII
Irmos: Rejoicing after their condemnation
by the tyrant for not worshipping all the abominable gods, but only the
living God, the children braved the fire; and, bedewed by the Angel, they
chanted the song: Hymn the Lord, all ye works of the Lord, and exalt Him
supremely for all ages!
Free us from the chains wherewith the primordial foe hath fettered us,
O valorous warrior of the Lord, and lead us up from the nethermost dungeon
of our despair, that with thee we may joyfully chant: Hymn the Lord, ye
works, and exalt Him supremely for all ages!
Over the sheep of thy flock do thou ever keep vigilant watch, O good shepherd
of Christ, leading them to the green pastures of Orthodox doctrine and
fending off the rabid assaults of the noetic wolves, crying: Hymn the
Lord, ye works, and exalt Him supremely for all ages!
Triadicon:
Enfold us in Thy love which passeth all human understanding, O All-holy
Trinity our God - unoriginate Father, consubstantial Son and equally eternal
Spirit - and grant that we may ever adore Thee in spirit and in truth,
hymning and exalting Thee supremely for all ages!
Theotokion: Out of the raging depths
of the pyre of our passions do we send our piteous cry: Hearken unto us,
O unstained Bride of God, and by the angels send down upon us the dew
of mercy, that like the youths we may cry: Hymn the Lord, ye works, and
exalt Him supremely for all ages!
Ode IX
Irmos: The God of Israel hath wrought
might with His arm; for He hath cast down the mighty from their thrones
and exalted those of low degree, wherein the Dayspring from on high hath
visited us, and guided us to the way of peace.
Forming a choir with the angels of God and all the ranks of His saints,
in gladness let us chant hymns of praise to Him, for He hath been glorified
in His servant Chad, the boast of Lichfield, who hath guided us in the
way of peace.
Mighty in strength is the God of Israel, and strong in His might is the
valiant Chad, His courageous warrior, who, clad in the armour of uncreated
light, cast down all the enemies of man's salvation and put their vile
hordes to flight.
All Christians beseech the blessed Chad to make entreaty to the Lord in
their behalf, that, pulled from the mire of sins by his mighty arm, by
his guidance they may tread the way of peace to the glorious kingdom of
heaven.
Theotokion: Now bless we all the most
pure Maiden, who without stain or corruption gave birth to the incarnate
Word of God, the Dayspring from on high, Who in His mercy hath visited
our lowly race, to guide us in the way of peace.
Exapostilarion: Spec. Mel.: "The heaven with stars ..." -
Lindisfarne,
the Holy Isle, doth cherish the memory of the holy Chad; Lastingham likewise
rejoiceth in him as its godly abbot and shepherd; York also was gladdened
by his hierarchal ministry; but more than these doth Lichfield exult,
for it witnessed the saint's passage into heaven and treasured his sacred
relics.
Glory ..., Now & ever ... Theotokion -
In thine honoured church, O all-holy Virgin Mary, was the godly hierarch
Chad interred; and his grave became like a fountain, abundantly pouring
forth upon the faithful all manner of healings and cures, causing every
infirmity of men and cattle to cease through the grace which shone forth
from his dust.
