Akathist Hymn to Saint Tikon of Moscow

Akathist Hymn to Saint Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow

Kontak 1

To you, the steadfast defender of the Holy Orthodox Faith, we, your spiritual children, offer hymns of praise and thanksgiving. We are mindful of the many benefactions which you have bestowed upon us. As you have great boldness before the formidable throne of the Most High, pray earnestly on behalf of all who truly honour your holy memory, and who cry out to you with love :

Rejoice, O humble Tikhon, steadfast Confessor of the Faith and fervent intercessor for our souls !

Ikos 1

Called by God to His Holy Priesthood from your mother’s womb, you were for all the faithful an example in word, conduct, love, spirit, faith and purity ; for you fought well the good fight ; you finished the difficult course of your life ; you kept the Faith, in nowise failing to hold fast to your vows. Therefore, full of gratitude for your love and sacrifice, we say :

Rejoice, you that preached the word of God with fervour ;

Rejoice, you that were watchful in all things !

Rejoice, you that made full proof of your ministry ;

Rejoice, you that as an evangelist proclaimed the glad tidings of salvation !

Rejoice, you that reproved those who rejected the truth of the Christian Faith ;

Rejoice, you that rebuked those who embraced the modern fables of materialism and progress !

Rejoice, you that, when the time of your departure was at hand, make provision for the Church ;

Rejoice, you that have therefore received from God a twofold crown for your righteousness and confession !

Rejoice, for the Lord stood with you and strengthened you in the hour of your tribulation ;

Rejoice, for He delivered you as from the mouth of a lion, and He gave you rest !

Rejoice, for since you lived in a godly manner in Christ Jesus, you suffered persecution ;

Rejoice, for you prevailed until the end, and you have obtained your reward !

Rejoice, O humble Tikhon, steadfast Confessor of the Faith and fervent intercessor for our souls !

Kontak 2

Having received the royal name Basil in the holy waters of baptism, from your infancy you were raised in piety and love for the Holy Church of Christ, who called you to follow your father in the priestly service. From childhood, you came to know the Holy Scriptures, which made you wise unto salvation through faith in our merciful Saviour, to whom we all cry aloud : Alleluia !

Ikos 2

In your youth you applied yourself with fervour to the study of the law of God and the dogmas of the Holy Orthodox Faith at the seminary in Pskov, O favourite of Christ. So thoroughly did you absorb the moral teachings of the Holy Fathers, that your companions came to call you “the patriarch”, thus showing themselves to be unwitting prophets. Therefore, marvelling at the guidance of the Providence of God which was manifest throughout your life, we say :

Rejoice, you, whose heart was devoid of guile ;

Rejoice, you, whose gentleness touched the hearts of all !

Rejoice, you to whom the Lord granted the gift of intelligence, that you might understand His will ;

Rejoice, you that in humility received the monastic habit !

Rejoice, you that drank your fill of the inexhaustible spring of the dogmas of the Church ;

Rejoice, you that were the embodiment of Christian teachings !

Rejoice, you that enlightened Pskov with the effulgence of piety ;

Rejoice, you that shone forth the light of the Holy Faith in the city of Kholm !

Rejoice, for the city of Kazan rejoiced in your teaching ;

Rejoice, for by your mild demeanour you inspired heretics to return to the Orthodox fold !

Rejoice, for your life was a beacon of piety casting its light over a gloom-enshrouded sea ;

Rejoice, for thereby you guided many to the calm haven of the One Church of Christ !

Rejoice, O humble Tikhon, steadfast Confessor of the Faith and fervent intercessor for our souls !

Kontak 3

When the Most Holy Synod heard report of your good works in Kholm, and how the people were instructed by you in righteousness, they commanded that you be ordained to the episcopal rank. Thus you were entrusted with the onerous task of tending Christ’s reason-endowed sheep, to which you assiduously devoted your energies until the very hour of your death. You showed yourself not to be a hireling, but rather a true shepherd of the flock of the All-Holy Trinity, to whom we all cry aloud : Alleluia !

Ikos 3

When the rumour spread that you were appointed to another episcopal see, your flock rose up in protest, and showed their dismay over the loss of their beloved archpastor. However, submitting in obedience to the ecclesiastical authorities, you undertook the long journey to your new diocese in faraway North America, where for eight years you laboured tirelessly in the vineyard of Christ, and you brought forth abundant fruit. We therefore cry out to you thus :

Rejoice, you that increased fourfold the parishes of your See ;

Rejoice, you that by your guilelessness and humility restored multitudes to the Faith of their fathers !

Rejoice, you that, in your love for the saints of God and respect for the pious Tsar, erected the Cathedral of Saint Nicholas ;

Rejoice, you that convoked a holy council to further the spread of the Orthodox Faith !

Rejoice, you that dedicated a sacred monastery for the establishment of the angelic life ;

Rejoice, you that thus honoured the heavenly patron whose name you had received at your own tonsure !

Rejoice, for in your pastoral care for your flock you manifested the spirit of power, of love and of a sound mind ;

Rejoice, you that manifest the brightness of the Grace of God in your spiritual life !

Rejoice, you that were shown to be an eloquent preacher, an apostle and teacher of the nations ;

Rejoice, you that cherished well the treasure committed to you by the Holy Spirit !

Rejoice, you that transmitted to the faithful what you had learned from the holy Fathers ;

Rejoice, you that, having striven lawfully, have received your crown !

Rejoice, O humble Tikhon, steadfast Confessor of the Faith and fervent intercessor for our souls !

Kontak 4

When they saw how Almighty God had used you in North America as His instrument for the building up of His Holy Orthodox Church, your superiors in Russia decided to transfer you from the New World to the ancient and glorious See of Yaroslavl’, where you went in all obedience. There you astonished all by your unfeigned concern for the life of even the lowliest parishes in your diocese and your love for all the children of God, to whom we cry aloud : Alleluia !

Ikos 4

With esteem for the gifts of the Spirit which so manifestly abode within you, the Most Holy Synod assigned you as bishop of the See of Vilna of Lithuania, where there were multitudes of Latins and Uniats who rejected the Orthodox Church of Christ. However, with your mild ways and gentle demeanour, you won over their hearts, and many converted to the true Faith. With them, we cry out to you such things as these :

Rejoice, you that were steadfast in the Orthodox Faith ;

Rejoice, you that in a godly manner edified all in the Faith !

Rejoice, you that with love admonished those who had turned aside from the Truth ;

Rejoice, you that knew that the law of God is good, when used lawfully !

Rejoice, you that opposed that which is contrary to sound doctrine ;

Rejoice, you that advanced the spreading of the Gospel of our Lord !

Rejoice, you that enlightened those who were in the ignorance of unbelief ;

Rejoice, you, whose love softened their hard hearts and stiff necks !

Rejoice, you that offered up supplications and prayers for all !

Rejoice, you that interceded for them and gave thanks !

Rejoice, for your labours were good and acceptable unto God our Saviour ;

Rejoice, for through you many were saved and came to knowledge of the Truth !

Rejoice, O humble Tikhon, steadfast Confessor of the Faith and fervent intercessor for our souls !

Kontak 5

When the Latin Empire of Austria-Hungary declared war on the Kingdom of Serbia, and the Russian Empire rose up to defend its Orthodox Christian brethren, the horrors of war beset your diocese as it was invaded by the enemy. However, although you were urged to retreat to the safety of Moscow, you bravely resolved to remain with your flock, succouring those who had lost their homes and who were in flight from destruction. You encouraged the soldiers at the front, and you courageously celebrated the Divine Services on the battlefield, even as bombs burst round about you. Therefore, in awe of your fearlessness, we cry out to the Almighty, who gave you strength : Alleluia !

Ikos 5

When the tide of battle turned against the Russian realm because of its sins, and when perfidious and traitorous lackeys, faint-hearted and cowardly, prevailed upon the Orthodox Tsar to abdicate his throne, as a merciful archpastor you wept for your people, who were caught up in the chaos of war, civil strife and famine, and you begged the Most High not to inflict unbearable tribulations upon them. We, mindful of your compassion, cry out to you :

Rejoice, you that prayed at every time and in every place ;

Rejoice you that lifted up your holy hands, without wrath and doubting !

Rejoice, you that commemorated the ruler and those in authority ;

Rejoice, you that prayed that all might lead a quiet and peaceable life !

Rejoice, you that were blameless and temperate ;

Rejoice, you that were sober-minded and able to teach !

Rejoice, you that as a good monk spurned filthy lucre ;

Rejoice, you that in your modesty were a stranger to covetousness !

Rejoice, you that held the mystery of the Faith in a pure conscience ;

Rejoice, you that were repeatedly proved, and found blameless !

Rejoice, you that ruled well each of your dioceses ;

Rejoice, you that edified the house of Christ, the Church of the living God !

Rejoice, O humble Tikhon, steadfast Confessor of the Faith and fervent intercessor for our souls !

Kontak 6

Amidst the tumult and turmoil of civil unrest, in the presence of the miraculous Vladimir Icon of the All-Holy Theotokos, you were elected by the clergy and people of the glorious city of Moscow to be their bishop. Great was their joy and astonishment when they found you to be a solicitous archpastor, who gladly visited the homes of even the humblest of his flock ; and they gave thanks for you unto Christ our God, chanting : Alleluia !

Ikos 6

As the dark clouds of ungodly revolution massed over the land, the hierarchs of the Church of Russia and the representatives of the clergy and the faithful assembled in the Kremlin of Moscow to deliberate and ensure the well-being of the Holy Orthodox Church. They chose you, O Holy Tikhon, to preside over their sessions, which you did with great intelligence and patience. Therefore, we all exclaim :

Rejoice, you that laboured and suffered reproach for your trust in the living God ;

Rejoice, you that did not neglect the gift which was prophetically given to you !

Rejoice, you that, taking heed to yourself and to Orthodox doctrine, saved yourself and those who listened to you ;

Rejoice, you that took care of widows and orphans !

Rejoice, you that did not prefer one before another, and showed partiality to none ;

Rejoice, for your good works were manifest before all !

Rejoice, you that were content to have but food and clothing ;

Rejoice, you that did not suppose that gain is godliness !

Rejoice, you that, hating riches, were not entangled in their snares ;

Rejoice, you that did not fall into the manifold pernicious lusts which drag men down to destruction !

Rejoice, you that followed after righteousness, piety, faith, patience and meekness ;

Rejoice, you that laid hold on eternal life, to which you were called !

Rejoice, O humble Tikhon, steadfast Confessor of the Faith and fervent intercessor for our souls !

Kontak 7

With the abdication and imprisonment of the devout Tsar, and the fall of the Orthodox government, the hierarchs of the Church and the leaders of the Faithful considered how best to preserve the age-old piety of Russia. Then, resolving to restore the ancient Patriarchate of Moscow, they elected you to that exalted office. Accepting the will of God when your ballot was chosen before the Wonder-working Vladimir Icon of the Mother of God, you did not refuse to shoulder this heavy burden, but you cried unto the Almighty : Alleluia !

Ikos 7

When you were a young man, you presumed that the hierarchal rank entailed dignity, power, strength and honour. However, in time you came to realise that it signified instead toil, struggle and sacrifice. When you accepted election as Patriarch, you compared your new duty to the scroll about which the holy Prophet Ezekiel spoke, whereon were written the words : “Weeping, sighing and sorrow ; lamentation, mourning and woe”. Moreover, in the words of Moses, you said to the Lord : “Why have You afflicted Your servant ? Therefore, have I not found favour in Your sight, that You lay the burden of all this people upon me ?” Yet, undaunted by the impending horrors that you envisioned, you did not refuse this duty. Therefore, we cry out to you :

Rejoice, you to whom the staff of Saint Peter of Moscow was entrusted ;

Rejoice, you upon whose head the klóbuk of Patriarch Nikon was set !

Rejoice, for even the blasphemous soldiers cast themselves at your feet ;

Rejoice, for they would not move until you had blessed them repeatedly !

Rejoice, fearless mediator for your people, who were not daunted by the weaponry of the enemy ;

Rejoice, you that, placing your trust in God, led a procession around the embattled Kremlin, and prayed for the carnage to cease !

Rejoice, you that bound yourself with an oath to preserve the Orthodox Faith ;

Rejoice, you that with the other members of the Great Council set down rules to govern the life of the Holy Church !

Rejoice, you that with devotion to all the saints of the Russian land established a special feast in their honour ;

Rejoice, you that set aright injustices committed of old !

Rejoice, you that inscribed in the lists of the saints the Holy Hierarch Sophronius and the Hieromartyr Joseph;

Rejoice, you that protested a treaty devoid of honour !

Rejoice, O humble Tikhon, steadfast Confessor of the Faith and fervent intercessor for our souls !

Kontak 8

When the godless seized power in Russia, they fell upon the Holy Orthodox Church like jackals upon an innocent lamb, and they strove to rend it limb from limb. They unjustly confiscated the lands and funds which were its support, dispossessed it of all its schools and seminaries, ordered that thenceforth the clergy receive no payment for their labours, and strictly forbade the teaching of the Holy Faith. They wished to create a nation where the people would no longer chant unto God : Alleluia !

Ikos 8

O Holy Hierarch Tikhon, you clearly perceived the evil purposes of the enemies of God ; and in your heartfelt concern for their salvation, you committed them, and those who supported them, to the dread anathema and excommunication, for attempting to bring about the ruination of the Holy Church of Christ. However, you urged the Faithful to endure martyrdom for our merciful Saviour and for the Holy Orthodox Faith. Many who hearkened to your zealous exhortations were later led like sheep to the slaughter, and they have been translated to the choirs of Heaven, where, having joined their company, you hear us cry out unto you :

Rejoice, you that condemned the desecration of the Temples of God ;

Rejoice, you that protested the confiscation of the holy Temples !

Rejoice, you that lamented the estrangement of Kiev and Little Russia ;

Rejoice, you that decried the senseless murders wantonly committed by the godless mob !

Rejoice, you that were stricken with anguish by the assassination of the pious Tsar and his innocent family and servants ;

Rejoice, you that proclaimed that those who did not condemn this sin of regicide would bear the guilt of innocent blood !

Rejoice, you that fearlessly celebrated a memorial for the royal victims ;

Rejoice, you that adjured the Russian people to acknowledge their sins !

Rejoice, for with spiritual sight you perceived the famine as a sign of the wrath of God ;

Rejoice, for many, heeding your valiant words, found the strength to endure martyrdom !

Rejoice, for you blessed them for their final struggle against evil in high places ;

Rejoice, for the blade of the demonised woman who sought your death did not slay you !

Rejoice, O humble Tikhon, steadfast Confessor of the Faith and fervent intercessor for our souls !

Kontak 9

Oh, the depths of depravity to which the ungodly sank in those troubled times ! Having cast off all moral restraints, the minions of the evil one falsely arrested the clergy and monastics, and summarily executed them as enemies of the people, or they sentenced them to hard labour as slaves ; and they delighted in slaughtering multitudes of the Faithful during Church processions. However, groaning at the loss of your brethren, you rebuked the wicked murderers, crying out : “The blood of our brethren, shed like rivers and spilled by you, cries out to Heaven”. They stand with the saints and angels, chanting : Alleluia !

Ikos 9

When drought and famine struck the land of Russia, so that the harvest failed and death stalked the land, you appealed to all the Faithful to help their starving brethren ; and, hearkening unto you, they gave generously of their substance. However, the evil oppressors of the people, fearing the power of the Grace inherent in holy charity and almsgiving, seized for themselves the funds which had been collected, and they suppressed the organisation formed for the distribution of the aid. They preferred that the starving perish of hunger rather than owe their lives to the Christian Church. Then also the godless regime demanded all the treasures of the Church, wherewith the pious had adorned it over the centuries. However, you resisted their blasphemous edict, and you urged the flock not to surrender unto the ungodly that which is holy. Therefore, we cry unto you such things as these :

Rejoice, good husbandman of the vineyard of Christ ;

Rejoice, you that pruned the vine of the Church, that it might put forth goodly fruit !

Rejoice, you that bravely defended the patrimony of the Faithful ;

Rejoice, you that with valour denounced those who committed sacrilege !

Rejoice, for you did not bury in the ground the talent entrusted to you ;

Rejoice, for you wisely increased it for your Heavenly Master !

Rejoice, for Christ the Lord was well pleased with you ;

Rejoice, for with gladness you entered into His joy !

Rejoice, you that took care that the starving be fed ;

Rejoice, for by your efforts aid was given to them in abundance !

Rejoice, for the enemies of Christ said all manner of evil against you falsely for His sake ;

Rejoice, for in like manner were the prophets of God persecuted before you !

Rejoice, O humble Tikhon, steadfast Confessor of the Faith and fervent intercessor for our souls !

Kontak 10

Although the onslaught of the godless enemies of Christ dealt His Church a bitter blow, yet more bitter by far was the betrayal of you and Holy Orthodoxy by false brethren who strove to refashion it in their own fallen image. They perfidiously cast aside the canons of the holy œcumenical councils and the age-old traditions of the Universal Church. Although they called themselves “the Living Church”, yet you rightly declared them to be devoid of the life-giving Grace of the Holy Trinity, since they had basely usurped the legitimate authority within the Church. As treacherous and traitorous betrayers, they have no right to chant unto God : Alleluia !

Ikos 10

The prince of evil, the ancient enemy of the salvation of man, inspired his henchmen to divide the Church of Russia, thus making it easier to crush it utterly. They supported the invidious “Living Church” ; the atheist regime persecuted the true Church of Christ, and strove to force all the hierarchs and the clergy to abandon you, the true archpastor of the reason-endowed flock of the Lord. In order to achieve their vile aim, they falsely arrested you, O holy patriarch, and they cast you into prison. Therefore, we cry out to you :

Rejoice, you that unmasked the wolves who came to you in sheeps’ clothing ;

Rejoice, you that as Paul suffered perils because of false brethren !

Rejoice, you that knew them by their fruits ;

Rejoice, you that warned them that, lacking any good fruit, they would be hewn down, and cast into everlasting fire !

Rejoice, you that assured them that not everyone who says : “Lord, Lord !” shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven ;

Rejoice, you that declared that the Lord would say unto them : “Depart from Me, you that work iniquity !”

Rejoice, you that adjured them not to try to build their house on shifting sands, lest its fall be great ;

Rejoice, you that admonished them to cleave unto the House of God, which is founded upon the rock of the true Faith !

Rejoice, you that, when you were arrested, did not wonder what you would say ;

Rejoice, for in that same hour eloquence was given you, for you to answer the tyrants !

Rejoice, for it was not you that spoke, but the Holy Spirit within you ;

Rejoice, for your tormentors could not shake you in your steadfast confession !

Rejoice, O humble Tikhon, steadfast Confessor of the Faith and fervent intercessor for our souls !

Kontak 11

Even as all the foes of the Holy Faith arrayed themselves against you and beset you on every side, to smite and destroy you, they found willing allies in their blasphemous wiles in the person of the deluded Patriarch of Constantinople and those of like mind with him, who, infected with the disease of masonry and ecumenism, declared his support of the “Living Church” and confirmed the deposition it had falsely imposed upon you. Yet, full of valour and steadfast faith, you did not yield to despair, but you cried out to God : Alleluia !

Ikos 11

The Faithful of the Church did not waver in their allegiance to you, the rightful primate of the Church of Russia, and when influence from abroad was brought to bear upon the regime, so that you were released from captivity, the “Living Church” withered away like a barren fig-tree. Still, the godless did not cease to persecute you, dispatching a vile tormentor to wear down your strength and health by his constant demands and importunities. Yet, although weak in body, you did not allow the Church to fall prey to his evil machinations. Therefore, we cry to you such things as these :

Rejoice, for although you saw brother deliver brother unto death, you did not despair ;

Rejoice, for although you witnessed children rising up against their parents, you resisted despondency !

Rejoice, you that were hated for the Name of the Lord ;

Rejoice, for, having endured unto the end, you were saved !

Rejoice, for you did not fear those who kill the body ;

Rejoice, for you knew that such men are unable to destroy the soul !

Rejoice, for you confessed Christ before all ;

Rejoice, for He has confessed you before His Father in Heaven !

Rejoice, for you pondered the words of Christ, that a man’s foes shall be of his own household ;

Rejoice, for you did not think that He had come to send peace on earth, but rather a sword !

Rejoice, for you were worthy of the Lord, having loved no one more than Him ;

Rejoice, for you were worthy of the Lord, having taken up your Cross and followed Him !

Rejoice, O humble Tikhon, steadfast Confessor of the Faith and fervent intercessor for our souls !

Kontak 12

As chaos and turmoil descended upon the Church of Russia, and your physical powers waned, you foresaw the coming of a time when the persecution of the godless would become so intense that they would permit no true and godly hierarch to oversee the flock of Christ. Therefore, taking counsel with your pious physician, you secretly tonsured him to the monastic habit, and you ordained him as Maxim, Bishop of Serpukhov, entrusting to him the perilous task of founding a Church in the catacombs, that the true Faith might continue to be preached, and that the flock of Christ, which would call themselves Tikhonites after your name, might continue fearlessly to chant unto the Most High : Alleluia !

Ikos 12

“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints”. Therefore, your hallowed repose was also blessed ; for, worn out with constant concern and care for your faithful flock, your health shattered by the unremitting interrogations of the evil tormentor, you surrendered your pure soul into the hands of your Master, passing over unhindered to the mansions of Heaven, where, greeted by the Most Holy Theotokos and all the incorporeal powers, you have joined the choir of the apostles, martyrs and confessors, for which cause we chant to you such things as these :

Rejoice, for in you has the Lord of hosts been well pleased ;

Rejoice, for the ranks of angels rejoice in your fearless witness !

Rejoice, for the apostles of Christ welcome you into their choir ;

Rejoice, for the assemblies of the martyrs rejoice, at your arrival in their midst !

Rejoice, for all the holy hierarchs marvel at your undaunted courage ;

Rejoice, for the company of venerable monastics stands in awe of your awesome struggles !

Rejoice, for because of you all the saints of Russia are exceedingly glad ;

Rejoice, for with you all the saints of the Orthodox Church praise the indivisible Trinity !

Rejoice, for although your death was lowly, yet through it you have attained the heights of Heaven ;

Rejoice, for in her miraculous Icon of the Don, the All-immaculate Mother of God guarded your grave !

Rejoice, for after many years in the earth your precious relics were uncovered and found to be untouched by corruption ;

Rejoice, for those who approach them with faith receive through them the healing of their infirmities !

Rejoice, O humble Tikhon, steadfast Confessor of the Faith and fervent intercessor for our souls !

Kontak 13

O most holy hierarch Tikhon, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, meek and humble servant of our meek and loving Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, with your merciful gaze look down upon the suffering Russian land, and regard with pity its downtrodden and oppressed peoples. Even though the trials and tribulations which afflict us are the result of our own sins, our hardness of heart and lack of repentance, intercede before the formidable throne of the Most High, that He punish us not for our transgressions and offences, but that He have mercy upon us who, taught by you, cry out unto Him in the Orthodox manner : Alleluia! Alleluia! Alleluia ! (Sing this Kontak 3 times)