Akathist to the Holy Great-Martyr Abo of Tbilisi
He is entreated for deliverance from enemies visible and invisible, from captivity and from the devices of demons and evil spirits, and also for the healing of the passions of the soul and the ailments of the body.
Through the prayers of our holy fathers, O Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us. Amen.
Glory to Thee, our God, glory to Thee.
O Heavenly King, Comforter, Spirit of Truth, who art everywhere present and fillest all things with Thy grace, Treasury of good things and Giver of life: come and abide in us, and cleanse us from every stain, and save our souls, O Good One.
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (Thrice)
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O Most Holy Trinity, have mercy on us. O Lord, deliver us and release us from our sins; O Master, pardon our iniquities; O Holy One, visit and heal our infirmities, for Thy name’s sake.
Lord, have mercy. (Thrice)
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us this day our daily bread; and forgive us our debts, as we forgive our debtors; and lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil.
Priest: For Thine is the kingdom…
Lord, have mercy. (Twelve times)
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O come, let us worship God our King. O come, let us worship and fall down before Christ, our King and God. O come, let us worship and fall down before Christ Himself, our King and our God.
Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy great mercy; and according to the multitude of thy compassions blot out my transgression. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I am conscious of mine iniquity; and my sin is continually before me. Against thee only have I sinned, and done evil before thee: that thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged. For, behold, I was conceived in iniquities, and in sins did my mother conceive me. For, behold, thou lovest truth: thou hast manifested to me the secret and hidden things of thy wisdom. Thou shalt sprinkle me with hyssop, and I shall be purified: thou shalt wash me, and I shall be made whiter than snow. Thou shalt cause me to hear gladness and joy: the afflicted bones shall rejoice. Turn away thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit in my inward parts. Cast me not away from thy presence; and remove not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of thy salvation: establish me with thy directing Spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and ungodly men shall turn to thee. Deliver me from blood-guiltiness, O God, the God of my salvation: and my tongue shall joyfully declare thy righteousness. O Lord, thou shalt open my lips; and my mouth shall declare thy praise. For if thou desiredst sacrifice, I would have given it: thou wilt not take pleasure in whole-burnt-offerings. Sacrifice to God is a broken spirit: a broken and humbled heart God will not despise. Do good, O Lord, to Sion in thy good pleasure; and let the walls of Jerusalem be built. Then shalt thou be pleased with a sacrifice of righteousness, offering, and whole-burnt-sacrifices: then shall they offer calves upon thine altar.
Called from on high, faithful martyr of Christ Abo, accept this hymn of thanksgiving, and ask for us of Christ God a peaceful keeping from the snares of the enemy, and that through thee, O holy one, He may grant our souls forgiveness of sins and mercy, that we be not repaid in justice according to our deeds, who cry to thee in faith: Rejoice, great martyr Abo, boast of our people and guardian of the city of Tbilisi!
Having forsaken the wicked faith of the Saracens, thou didst proclaim like an apostle the law of the Gospel to thy kinsmen, and by thy struggle didst scatter the darkness of the Hagarenes’ delusion; so now also quench the designs of the wicked stirred up against our people, and establish all the kindreds of our inheritance in Orthodoxy and in oneness of mind, that, armed by thy strength of spirit, we may unceasingly call thee blessed:
Rejoice, shoot that sprang from waterless roots; rejoice, thou who wast chosen from youth for wisdom and prudence; rejoice, thou who didst live in holiness and unshaken among the lawless; rejoice, thou who wast made wise and strong by the Lord; rejoice, holy and spotless lamb, who didst separate thyself from the perverse flock and from the false shepherd, evil-feeding and foul; rejoice, fair sheep, who didst follow the good Shepherd, Christ the Saviour, and dwell in His folds; rejoice, thou who wast slain for His sake by a godless hand and at the last cast into the fire; rejoice, acceptable sacrifice offered on the heavenly table; rejoice, thou who by the struggle of martyrdom didst ascend to heaven; rejoice, thou who dost dwell in the place of repose and in the bosom of Abraham; rejoice, thou who didst shine with the crown of great-martyrdom; rejoice, Abo, once an Ishmaelite, named a Georgian by our forebears and ever remembered; Rejoice, great martyr Abo, boast of our people and guardian of the city of Tbilisi!
When the Saracens held our land, the eristavi of Kartli was summoned to Baghdad before the Commander of the Faithful and by the slander of wicked men was held there three years; then thou, by law an Ishmaelite, didst serve Nerse by the providence of God, and, seeing the order of Christianity and the law of the Georgians, as a sensible youth thou didst hear the call of God: thou didst renounce the law of thy fathers and love the true faith preached by the apostles; therefore we honour thy holy memory and all sing to Christ: Alleluia.
When the lawless were pleased to release Nerse, they sent him back as eristavi to his own land; and thou didst wisely go out, like Abraham, from thy country and thy father’s house, and, abhorring that assembly of abominations — Babylon — thou didst settle in Tbilisi, the capital of Kartli; yet thou couldst not declare thyself a Christian for fear of the Saracens who held Kartli, and, hearing in secret the divine words and the preaching of the law, thou didst surpass those brought up in godliness from their youth; so now grant us too the wisdom to discern good and evil, that, made perfect in every good thing, we may say according to our strength:
Rejoice, thou who didst set a good resolve in thy heart; rejoice, thou who didst search out the laws and discern the better from the worse; rejoice, thou who didst leave thy land and choose the lot of the Theotokos; rejoice, thou who didst follow the divine voice and imprint His commandments on thy heart; rejoice, thou who didst drive out the stench of godlessness and cast off the yoke of falsehood; rejoice, thou who didst renounce the delusion of thy fathers and forefathers and change the manner of thy life; rejoice, thou who didst put off the old man and bring the new to life; rejoice, thou who didst well cleanse thy heart by the true faith; rejoice, thou who didst spread divine teachings among thy kinsmen; rejoice, confessor of the faith persecuted by them; rejoice, thou who didst love the people oppressed under their tribute; rejoice, O perfumer, who instead of fragrant ointments didst spread spiritual fragrance; Rejoice, great martyr Abo, boast of our people and guardian of the city of Tbilisi!
Again the Saracens were enraged against the right-believing eristavi Nerse, but the Lord kept him from their hands, for he passed through the Gate of Darial and came to the king of the Khazars, where he was kindly received as one fleeing from the Saracens; then thou wast baptised, blessed Abo, in the name of the Holy Trinity, and didst sing without hindrance to the Creator of all: Alleluia.
When thou didst travel with Nerse to Abkhazia, thou didst fast on the road, blessed Abo, and didst not cease from prayer and psalmody; and when by the grace of God ye reached that Georgian principality and saw the love of God of all that people, thou didst waste thy flesh still more with fasting and didst put to death the stirrings of the passions by prayer and vigil; forget not us also, O blessed one, and deliver us from a faith that is lifeless and lukewarm, that, kindled with divine zeal, we may offer thee this praise of thanksgiving:
Rejoice, right confessor and worshipper of the Holy Trinity; rejoice, loud-voiced preacher of the persecuted faith; rejoice, abyss of wisdom and partaker of divine love; rejoice, courage of patience and steadfastness; rejoice, vessel of good conduct and understanding; rejoice, fountain of consolation and joy; rejoice, sea of love for mankind; rejoice, image of spiritual perfection; rejoice, invincible pillar of humility; rejoice, indestructible monument of Christianity; rejoice, luminary that bringeth the dawn to Iberia; rejoice, precious pearl of the Church of the Georgians; Rejoice, great martyr Abo, boast of our people and guardian of the city of Tbilisi!
When Stephen, Nerse’s sister’s son, was made eristavi of Kartli, Nerse set out with joy for his own land; but the prince of Abkhazia said to thee, as to a Saracen: “Go not out of this land, for the kingdom of Kartli is held by the Saracens; lest perchance they turn thee from the faith of Christ”; then with an untroubled mind thou didst answer: “Nothing can separate me from the love of my Lord”, and thou didst offer the Deliverer a gift of praise: Alleluia.
As thou hadst heard from spiritual books of the valour of those first martyrs, who showed courage for Christ’s sake and endured torments, so thou wast kindled with heavenly longing and didst strive to become like them by the shedding of thy blood; and when thou didst come with Nerse to the capital of Kartli, thou didst take the name of Christian and spread divine teachings among the Saracens; so now also enlighten my mind, darkened by evil thoughts, and make me worthy to offer a hymn:
Rejoice, thou who didst cast off a law woven by human cunning; rejoice, thou who didst leave the darkness and choose the light of the knowledge of God; rejoice, stranger, who didst come from an alien law and know Christ our God; rejoice, thou who didst love His commandments and receive in godly beauty the radiance of graces; rejoice, thou who didst speak with wisdom and rightly fulfil the divine Scriptures; rejoice, thou who in a life of truth didst spread anew, like an apostle, the laws of the Gospel; rejoice, teacher of divine zeal and reverence; rejoice, thou who by thy spotless life didst put to shame the Georgians who had changed their law; rejoice, planter of every good and God-pleasing thing; rejoice, thou who didst endure reproach and scorn for Christ’s sake; rejoice, thou who didst instruct the Saracens in all truth; rejoice, thou who didst overthrow teachings that corrupt the soul; Rejoice, great martyr Abo, boast of our people and guardian of the city of Tbilisi!
When thy kinsmen were cut off from the hope of turning thee back, they gnashed their teeth like beasts to deliver thee to death, and said to the emir: “In this city there is a certain youth who hath forsaken our law and fearlessly teacheth the law of the Christians”; then they seized thee and cast thee into prison, but the eristavi of Kartli asked for thee and set thee free; yet thou of thine own will didst hasten to the struggles, and openly and manifestly didst sing to Christ God: Alleluia.
Then the godless Ishmaelites were still more inflamed with anger, and, in vengeance setting thee again before the judge, he began to speak to thee with flattery: “What is this they charge thee with, Abo, that thou hast forsaken the law of thy fathers and gone astray with the Christians?” — “If my parents are Ishmaelites, I am the servant of the true Son of God”, thou didst answer the emir firmly, and didst make thyself ready for trial and death; therefore we, the peoples of Georgia, offer thee a worthy hymn:
Rejoice, thou who leadest unbelievers onto the path of righteousness and truth; rejoice, giver of courage and unshaken steadfastness; rejoice, thou who by the wisdom of thy teaching didst victoriously expose the delusion of Muhammad; rejoice, comforter of all the right-believing and shamer of the wrong-believing; rejoice, thou who didst smite the servants of the devil with the sword of reproof; rejoice, thou who by divine grace makest the ignorant wise; rejoice, thou who strengthenest those of little faith in faith; rejoice, thou who turnest from the paths of perdition those moved to seek the truth; rejoice, thou who awakenest the Lord’s people from spiritual sleep; rejoice, thou who bringest to life our fruitless and lukewarm faith; rejoice, deliverer from every evil deed and from the stirrings of the flesh; rejoice, thou who ungrudgingly healest the passions of souls and bodies; Rejoice, great martyr Abo, boast of our people and guardian of the city of Tbilisi!
“If thou hast followed the Christians because of thy poverty, I will grant thee greater favour”, the wicked one said to thee with guile; but thou with greater boldness didst answer thus: “I seek not thy gifts, for I am the servant of the King of heaven, and I await my reward from Him”; then in anger the emir commanded that thou be beaten, like thy Deliverer; but thou didst bear the wounds courageously and didst sweetly glorify Christ who strengthened thee: Alleluia.
Thy boldness enraged the tyrant, and like an evildoer he bound thee with fetters of iron and cast thee into a dark prison; but thou didst thank God with joy, who had made thee worthy of wounds and bonds for the name of Christ, and thou didst await the crown according to the promise to the martyrs; standing now with them before Him with boldness, ask for the unshaken keeping of the churches and the gift of victory by the Cross to our people, steadfastness for the faithful and forgiveness of sins for those who praise thee:
Rejoice, thou who didst leave thy fatherland and choose the heavenly fatherland; rejoice, thou who in captivity didst keep the nobility of the spirit; rejoice, thou who didst courageously take upon thee struggles and trials; rejoice, thou who by divine power didst put to shame the lawless Ishmaelites; rejoice, reprover of those who strayed from the paths of truth; rejoice, thou who didst endure the fiercest afflictions in prayer and psalmody; rejoice, thou who by strength of spirit didst cover human weakness; rejoice, thou who by courage of mind didst cast down merciless Beliar; rejoice, thou who givest heart to those worn out by fear and shaken like reeds; rejoice, thou who in prison didst feed the hungry and needy and instruct them in piety; rejoice, deliverer of those perishing through the wiles of men and the guile of the enemy; rejoice, destroyer of craftiness and swift banisher of demons; Rejoice, great martyr Abo, boast of our people and guardian of the city of Tbilisi!
Then thy accusers and the teachers of the false law gathered together and spoke to thee with flattering words: “Son, do not throw away thy youth, for we have prepared fire and sword for thee if thou turn not back to us”; but thou, as a deaf man, didst not hear, and as a dumb man didst not open thy mouth, but didst pray in silence, O great martyr, and didst say in thy heart the song of the three youths: Alleluia.
When Christ made known to thee the hour of thy end, O all-praised one, thou didst offer incense and candles to the churches and ask prayers and blessing of the priests, that thou mightest not stumble from the true faith and be made worthy of that grace of the martyrs of Christ; with them entreat now the Judge of thy contest, that false and unbelieving men, who blaspheme the true God and have mammon for their object of worship, may never be granted dominion over our people and the plundering of Orthodox Georgians, but that leaders of the people perfect in all Georgian good conduct may be multiplied for us, to care for our people and with a voice of thanksgiving call thy valour blessed:
Rejoice, thou who in the time of the Ishmaelites’ glory didst take up the yoke of Christ and carry His Cross upon thy shoulders; rejoice, thou who by thy courage gavest an example to the faint-hearted and impatient; rejoice, thou who spreadest the joy of grace in God-loving hearts; rejoice, thou who softenest hearts turned to stone and hardened; rejoice, thou who didst abhor youthful unruliness and heedlessness; rejoice, thou who blessest right-believing authorities and armies; rejoice, reprover of those who hate righteousness and call evil good; rejoice, thou who puttest to shame those who corrupt the Lord’s people with guile; rejoice, thou who bringest wrath upon those who make laws by their own will and lead many astray; rejoice, thou who by faith calmest those carried away by insolence; rejoice, thou who castest down leaders and chiefs of the people who have turned from the faith and work lawlessness; rejoice, thou who humblest those puffed up with pride and exaltest the wise and clear-sighted; Rejoice, great martyr Abo, boast of our people and guardian of the city of Tbilisi!
On the night of the vigil of the Baptism of Christ thou didst shine in spirit, and, lighting candles in thy hands bound with iron, thou didst sing and chant psalms without ceasing, standing unmoved; and when the tenth day of thy imprisonment dawned, Friday, the day of the Passion of our Lord, O Abo, jewel of martyrs, thou didst anoint thy head with oil, and, receiving that sweet Communion of Christ, thou didst cry aloud like the blessed thief: “Remember me, O Saviour, in Thy kingdom!” — and eagerly and with longing thou didst sing to the Creator of all: Alleluia.
Again the Saracens came to thee and set thee before the judge; but the storm did not trouble thy heart when that godless one promised thee torments and death, but with courage thou didst despise the boasting of the tyrants and expose the treachery of him who held the whole world under heaven by force; so now also cast down those who thirst for our destruction and crush the mystery of lawlessness stirred up against our people, that we may not fall into the snare of the enemy and may zealously praise thy deeds, worthy of praise:
Rejoice, boast of fasters and fair adornment of martyrs; rejoice, imitator of the Passion of Christ and receiver of those promised delights; rejoice, protector of priests who keep themselves well; rejoice, intercessor for the poor and their benefactor; rejoice, reprover of the false and the crafty; rejoice, unsleeping guardian of young boys and maidens; rejoice, feeder of widows and orphans; rejoice, thou who puttest to shame false judges and comfortest the unjustly condemned; rejoice, humbler of the envious and slanderers; rejoice, haven of those drowning in the sea of sin; rejoice, thou who ever stretchest out thy hand to the lovers of the martyrs; rejoice, helper of those who call thy name to mind; Rejoice, great martyr Abo, boast of our people and guardian of the city of Tbilisi!
When that all-evil emir thought to lead thee astray, he said to thee: “Dost thou not understand, Abo, that thy words are becoming the heralds of thy death?”; but thou didst count his flattery as nothing and boldly didst stop the mouth of that blaspheming tyrant; then that judge of falsehood blazed up like fire with anger and commanded thy head to be cut off; but thou, more valiant than all, didst show thy love for the contest and offer God a hymn of thanksgiving: Alleluia.
When the executioners led thee out to the enclosure of the Forty Martyrs and loosed thee from the fetters of iron, thou didst not fear, O Abo, worthily glorified, seeing the sword raised three times, but courageously didst bow thy neck and commend thy holy soul to the Lord; then thou wast slain like a lamb by the hand of the lawless and offered as a sacrifice before God; ask of Him, O blessed one, deliverance for our people from the dominion of foreigners, and a peaceful and sober life for those who praise thee:
Rejoice, thou who didst finish well the divine course; rejoice, thou who didst receive thy end with meekness; rejoice, thou who didst accept a merciless death with thanksgiving; rejoice, thou who dwellest with the saints in the kingdom and carest for our salvation; rejoice, thou who receivest suffering souls that flee to thee; rejoice, star that showeth the way to those who seek salvation; rejoice, thou who teachest sin-loving men the sweetness of self-restraint; rejoice, thou who by the fruit of thy valour dost well instruct the Kartlosians; rejoice, thou who by thy struggle didst make the Church of the Georgians shine like the sun; rejoice, swift banisher of fierce afflictions; rejoice, thou who deliverest unharmed those shaken by demonic trials and by men who oppress them; rejoice, healer of those wounded by invisible arrows; Rejoice, great martyr Abo, boast of our people and guardian of the city of Tbilisi!
When the envious saw that the name of thy martyrdom was magnified, they laid thy precious body, like those of the valiant holy Forty, upon a cart, and, crossing the bridge, they threw it down at the place called the Place of Lamentation and burned it by the prison on the face of the rock; and the burnt remains they wrapped in the skin of a lamb and cast into the river beneath the bridge of Metekhi; then the faithful cast off the fear of the godless and, flocking there with hope, sought of thee healing of soul and body; and at once thou didst show thy help to those who hastened there to pray, and all gave thanks and glory to God: Alleluia.
Then God Almighty showed His power still more and honoured His martyr: He sent down from heaven a blazing star upon the place where they had burned thy body, O holy Abo, like a lamp of fire; and on the second night thy bare bones beneath that bridge shone out like a fearful flash of lightning, and the water gave forth a wondrous light which the whole multitude of the city beheld; then that place of sacrifice became like the altar of holy Aaron through the fire that came down from heaven and rested on it; and when the unbelievers saw it the fear of God seized them, while a countless people, emboldened by those wonders, confessed Christ and unceasingly called thee blessed:
Rejoice, thou who by the sprinkling of thy blood didst make the Church of the Georgians fragrant; rejoice, candle that lit up Tbilisi with the light of martyrdom; rejoice, thou who didst confound the Saracens with wonders; rejoice, thou who didst fill with spiritual joy the Christ-loving peoples terrified by them; rejoice, thou who didst receive authority over unclean spirits and drivest away the mockery of the evil spirits; rejoice, thou who by divine power grantest health to the possessed; rejoice, destroyer of the devices and wiles of sorcery; rejoice, thou who bringest peace to hearts shaken and defiled by the waves of the world; rejoice, thou who quenchest the folly of sorcerers and soothsayers and their foul invocations; rejoice, deliverer from the captivity of demons and from the devices of evil spirits; rejoice, defender from the snares of Satan and from the invasion of foreigners; rejoice, thou who blottest out the stain of superstition; Rejoice, great martyr Abo, boast of our people and guardian of the city of Tbilisi!
As the much-healing bones of the all-blessed father Shio rose up, as on wings, from the deep cave beneath the earth to the heights as a help for the faithful and healed souls and bodies, so God, who is wondrous in His saints, amazed all the ends of the world by the wonderworking of thy relics, for thy bare bones, brought up out of the water with glory, were given to our people year by year as a rampart and a guard, and ungrudgingly bestowed healing and true grace on those who hope in thee; and those who saw the spiritual gifts in thee extolled with praise God who crowned thee: Alleluia.
O how great a glory thy valour won for thee, O blessed one! For when in our days they purposed to build a small church on the place of thy martyrdom, they cut down a fair pine which the providence of God had raised on the bank of the river, and on the cut surface of the wood they saw an image of the cross not made by hands; then the stonemasons built this church with great zeal, and the honourable priests with the people laid there this board written by God with great solemnity, with a litany and with such a hymn as this:
Rejoice, champion of piety; rejoice, unshaken tower of the faith; rejoice, all-praised labourer of divine grace; rejoice, crusher of the insolence of the wrong-believing; rejoice, thou who raisest up the fallen Christian spirit; rejoice, branch of the vine of Christ cut off without mercy; rejoice, plant of paradise that bringeth forth good fruit; rejoice, gold tried in the fire and offered to the immortal Bridegroom; rejoice, myrrh offered as ointment to the immortal King; rejoice, incense burned upon that divine altar; rejoice, fire that burneth up in our heart every tare and thistle; rejoice, uncaptured gate of the Church of Iberia; Rejoice, great martyr Abo, boast of our people and guardian of the city of Tbilisi!
O all-glorious and worthy wonder! For by the shedding of thy blood thou didst sanctify our capital city, Tbilisi, and by divine providence didst prepare the place of Metekhi for the hundred thousand martyrs; and they would not trample on the icons of Sioni, and in the middle of the bridge of Metekhi they were all slain without distinction by the Khwarezmians; therefore ye were given together by the Lord to the Iberians as physicians of souls and bodies and unsleeping guardians; and we, knowing the multitude of your intercessions, falling down in faith before your icons, fervently entreat you: guard our royal city and all the cities and villages of Iberia, that we may zealously call you blessed and be ever praising Christ: Alleluia.
As our forebears hastened to the place where they burned thy body and received their petitions in faith, so now we too run swiftly to thy church, O blessed Abo, to give thanks to God, to venerate that holy cross and to kiss thy all-honourable icon; and do thou pray fervently for us before the Lord God, that we may not fall away from the true faith, and, delivered by thee from grievous calamities, may be moved to extol thy struggle:
Rejoice, citizen of the city on high, for thy senseless tormentors made thee shine brighter than flame by sword and fire; rejoice, wondrous youth, shown mightier than the mighty, for thou didst make the heathen eager to serve Christ and hast left us the memory of thy martyrdom; rejoice, for thou didst appear as a radiant star enlightening Kartli, and thy courage again emboldens all who dwell in it; rejoice, rose chosen from among thorns, that breathest fragrance on all the ends of our land; rejoice, thou who wast well armed by the power of God, for we have thy wonders as an unassailable wall; rejoice, thou who gavest an example to the hundred thousand martyrs, for our mother river became the garment of your holy bones and the depth of the Mtkvari your grave; rejoice, rational sheep of the holy flock of Christ, for blessed is the earth enriched with your blood, and holy is the water of the “Georgian Jordan”, the great river Mtkvari; rejoice, ye who most fervently gave yourselves up for Christ, for the place of your martyrdom ever poureth forth an abyss of healings; rejoice, gold-wrought lampstands of the Church, for the brilliance of your struggle bringeth the dawn to the hearts of the lovers of the martyrs; rejoice, ye who are clothed in incorruption, for neither the change of years nor the circumstances of the times could consign your struggles to oblivion; rejoice, crushers of the might of the visible and invisible enemy, for there is none who calleth on you in afflictions and findeth not swift consolation; rejoice, for in thy glorious memory this capital of the Georgians is adorned with immaterial joy and cries out eagerly in the blessed Georgian tongue: Rejoice, great martyr Abo, boast of our people and guardian of the city of Tbilisi!
O victor in the contest, great martyr Abo! Not only while yet alive didst thou turn many who had gone astray to the faith of Christ and make them worthy of salvation, but even after death the power of thy wonders is beyond telling, for thou didst receive grace from the Holy Spirit to heal those who praise thee; therefore we commit ourselves wholly to thy divine protection, that we may walk wisely in the way of truth and ever sing to the good, almighty God: Alleluia.
This kontakion is said thrice, then
Having forsaken the wicked faith of the Saracens, thou didst proclaim like an apostle the law of the Gospel to thy kinsmen, and by thy struggle didst scatter the darkness of the Hagarenes’ delusion; so now also quench the designs of the wicked stirred up against our people, and establish all the kindreds of our inheritance in Orthodoxy and in oneness of mind, that, armed by thy strength of spirit, we may unceasingly call thee blessed:
Rejoice, shoot that sprang from waterless roots; rejoice, thou who wast chosen from youth for wisdom and prudence; rejoice, thou who didst live in holiness and unshaken among the lawless; rejoice, thou who wast made wise and strong by the Lord; rejoice, holy and spotless lamb, who didst separate thyself from the perverse flock and from the false shepherd, evil-feeding and foul; rejoice, fair sheep, who didst follow the good Shepherd, Christ the Saviour, and dwell in His folds; rejoice, thou who wast slain for His sake by a godless hand and at the last cast into the fire; rejoice, acceptable sacrifice offered on the heavenly table; rejoice, thou who by the struggle of martyrdom didst ascend to heaven; rejoice, thou who dost dwell in the place of repose and in the bosom of Abraham; rejoice, thou who didst shine with the crown of great-martyrdom; rejoice, Abo, once an Ishmaelite, named a Georgian by our forebears and ever to be remembered by us; Rejoice, great martyr Abo, boast of our people and guardian of the city of Tbilisi!
Called from on high, faithful martyr of Christ Abo, accept this hymn of thanksgiving, and ask for us of Christ God a peaceful keeping from the snares of the enemy, and that through thee, O holy one, He may grant our souls forgiveness of sins and mercy, that we be not repaid in justice according to our deeds, who cry to thee in faith: Rejoice, great martyr Abo, boast of our people and guardian of the city of Tbilisi!
O wondrous and truly valiant martyr Abo of Tbilisi! Honoured from on high by God and received by the bodiless powers, renowned among the martyrs, firm pillar of fasting and prayer, unshaken tower of patience, comforter of the poor and banisher from all of us of enemies of soul and body, physician of the sick, food of the hungry, drink of the thirsty, gladness of the sorrowful, hope of the despairing, radiant garment of the destitute, repentance of sinners, and swift helper of all who entreat thee and fulfiller of their petitions!
O all-praised great martyr Abo, boast of our people and guardian of the city of Tbilisi! Remember us before God, for love of whom thou didst shed thy blood, O blessed one, and, since thou hast great boldness, deliver by thy intercession our people beset by trials and afflictions, that instead of mercy we may not receive the punishment of our presumption; for we have forgotten the good deeds of our forebears and the spirit of the ancient nobility, the concord of brothers, the obedience of the fathers, and the spirit of valour hath turned away from us. Instead we have loved worldly pleasure, we have taken our delight in the love of the belly, our hearts are filled with covetousness, and we have become like alien nations and raging peoples, lovers of this passing age, apostates from Christ, from whom we have learned their works, and we serve the lusts of our hearts in imitation of them, as those who have no hope in Christ and have forgotten eternal life. Therefore renew again the love of Christ towards us and our faith in Him, and grant us divine zeal for the fatherland, love of righteousness and courage of spirit; fill us with divine watchfulness and grant us purity of life and the fear of God. Entreat, O blessed one, the sweetest Jesus whom thou didst love, to keep our fatherland from the snare of the enemy and from enmity among brothers, and to look with mercy on our people, the lot of His Mother, which beareth the Cross of the Lord upon the earth, and not to give our inheritance over to the reproach of our enemies, lest the heathen and heretics say, Where is their God, in whom they hoped? Strengthen in their ministry and labours the Most Holy and Most Blessed Catholicos-Patriarch of All Georgia, Archbishop of Mtskheta-Tbilisi and Metropolitan of Bichvinta and Tskhum-Abkhazeti, the great lord, our father Ilia, the most reverend metropolitans, archbishops and bishops, all the priestly and monastic orders and all Orthodox Christians. Enlighten the Christ-loving authorities, and keep their armed forces by thy honourable intercession.
O true and God-wise martyr Abo of Tbilisi! Help us to rise up out of the depths of sins, and shelter us from famine, pestilence, earthquake, fire, the sword, the invasion of foreigners and strife among our own, from sudden death, from the corrupting wind and every deadly plague, and from every evil. Grant peace and health to these thy servants and handmaidens, Orthodox Christians. Enlighten our mind and the eyes of our heart, that by a good life we may be made worthy of the kingdom of heaven. Cease not, O victor in the contest, from thy intercession for those who entreat thee, who year by year hasten to praise, to hymn and to venerate the place of thy martyrdom! Cease not from thy intercession before the Creator of all, to whom befitteth all glory, honour and worship, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
It is truly meet to bless thee, O Theotokos, ever-blessed and all-spotless, and the Mother of our God. More honourable than the Cherubim and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim, who without corruption gavest birth to God the Word, the very Theotokos, thee do we magnify.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Lord, have mercy. (Thrice)
O Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, through the prayers of Thy most pure Mother, of the holy, glorious and all-praised martyr Abo of Tbilisi and of all the saints, have mercy on us. Amen.
Author and compiler: Tinatin Mchedlishvili
