Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos for Her Wonderworking Icon “Increaser of Grain”
She is entreated for deliverance from drought, from the danger of the loss of the grain harvest, and from famine.
O all-holy Virgin Mary, Mother of the King of heaven and earth, look down in thy goodness upon those who love thy Son and who labour for eternal salvation for His name’s sake, and bountifully grant them all that is for their good. Be the giver of fruitfulness to their grain, deliver them from every affliction and distress, and grant to them, thy servants, deliverance from their torments and life eternal.
O Mother of God, chosen out of all generations, and Queen of heaven and earth, we who have been freed from all our afflictions offer thee this hymn of thanksgiving; and do thou, O all-merciful Queen Theotokos, accept this our fervent entreaty and deliver us from famine and perdition. Grant fruitfulness to this our land, O nourisher and giver of fruit to our fields and our grain, that rejoicing we may ever call to thee:
Rejoice, thou full of grace, the Lord is with thee; grant to us also, thine unworthy servants, the dew of thy grace, and send down upon us thy mercies.
The Creator of the angels chose thee, O Queen full of grace, for the salvation of men and made thee the helper of this people, O our deliverer from all famine and calamity, who directest our life well in all peace and contentment; wherefore with compunction we call to thee:
Rejoice, thou full of grace, who deliverest men from all afflictions; rejoice, helper and intercessor of thine own; rejoice, thou who savest all Christ-loving peoples from distress; rejoice, feeder of the hungry; rejoice, intercessor of orphans; rejoice, clothing of the naked; rejoice, thou who makest the fruit of life spring forth; rejoice, Mother of the Saviour of our souls; Rejoice, thou full of grace, the Lord is with thee; grant to us also, thine unworthy servants, the dew of thy grace, and send down upon us thy mercies.
Seeing thy great mercies towards men, thy Son said to thee: Ask, My Mother, and I will never turn away from thee, but will fulfil all thy request; and we, magnifying this wondrous counsel towards the race of men, sing to God: Alleluia.
Thou didst grant understanding from heaven to the venerable father Ambrose, and didst command that the icon of the Theotokos be set in the monastery he built and be called the Increaser of Grain; for thou, O all-holy Virgin, didst deliver thy people from famine by granting fruitfulness to the land; send down rain upon our fields and cornlands both early and late, and guard men from deadly sicknesses and from perdition; wherefore we sing to thee thus:
Rejoice, O Virgin, hope of Christians; rejoice, for thou art blessed from generation to generation; rejoice, for thou blessest our cornlands and grantest them fruitfulness; rejoice, for thou deliverest us from famine; rejoice, thou who feedest us with the bread of life; rejoice, thou who nourishedst with milk Him who nourisheth the world; rejoice, sower of immortal fruit; rejoice, Mother of Him who planteth our life; Rejoice, thou full of grace, the Lord is with thee; grant to us also, thine unworthy servants, the dew of thy grace, and send down upon us thy mercies.
Strengthen us with power from on high, O Queen full of grace, in all days of famine and pestilence, that we perish not cruelly without repentance, in despondency and despair, but teach us patience and to be pleasing to God, that through sorrows and calamities we may accept His holy will, good and perfect, and unceasingly praise God and cry to Him: Alleluia.
Having great love for men redeemed by the precious blood of thy Son and God, O all-holy Theotokos, thou hast received from Him power to direct and protect the Christian people. For thou art the swift helper of all the afflicted in cities, villages and fields, and the shelter of all the world; and to thee, the merciful and God-loving Mother, our guide who leadest this our earthly life to salvation, we call in humility thus:
Rejoice, good Mother of the good Son; rejoice, thou who unceasingly entreatest for mercy upon us sinners and for our salvation; rejoice, intercessor with God for all Christians; rejoice, thou who obtainest every good thing for all; rejoice, thou who feedest all captives and those in prison; rejoice, vigour of my body and salvation of my soul; rejoice, for thou hast made paradise blossom richly; rejoice, for thou preparest a haven for the souls of men; Rejoice, thou full of grace, the Lord is with thee; grant to us also, thine unworthy servants, the dew of thy grace, and send down upon us thy mercies.
The rising of hateful winds cometh upon us unexpectedly, thunder and lightning, hail and great waters come unexpectedly upon the earth; O all-merciful Queen, hasten at that hour to help us who are helpless, guard and deliver us from the torrential rain that cometh upon us for our sins, that our fields and cornlands may be kept from them all and the rising of the waters may never carry us away; for thou art the unashamed intercessor for us sinners, and we set our hope on thee, and magnifying the power of thy prayers we call to the Saviour of the world born of thee: Alleluia.
Seeing and heeding thy compassion, O Queen, towards men afflicted and perishing, we sinners flee to thee and entreat thee: O all-holy Virgin, hear us sinners, and when the sun drieth up the earth and from that drought there cometh great heat and the green of the earth beginneth to wither, at that time, O Queen, send down the dew of thy grace upon us who are afflicted and entreat mercy; gladden the face of the earth for this thy people – for all the poor and the children and even for the beasts, and for all others who hope for the gift of food in due season – and through thy holy icon, the Increaser of Grain, send down thy mercy upon us who call to thee thus:
Rejoice, thou who sleeplessly entreatest Christ God to incline Him to us in His mercy; rejoice, thou who turnest from us the judgement of God that hath justly come upon us for our iniquities; rejoice, thou who guardest us from all uncleanness by thy motherly shelter; rejoice, thou who deliverest our fields and cornlands from scorching by the sun and from heat; rejoice, all-merciful hearer of our voice, as we entreat thee in afflictions and calamities; rejoice, thou who deliverest our dwellings from fire; rejoice, our victorious one, quick to hear us in bitter trials; rejoice, thou who swiftly freest us from all afflictions; Rejoice, thou full of grace, the Lord is with thee; grant to us also, thine unworthy servants, the dew of thy grace, and send down upon us thy mercies.
Thine icon, O Theotokos, a star that leadeth to God, shineth unquenchably upon all men who ask for their daily bread; by thy shelter thou guardest our fields and cornlands and makest them bear fruit, and all who labour in them rightly sing to Christ God: Alleluia.
When thy Son saw thee standing with His beloved disciple before the cross, He said to thee: “Woman, behold thy son,” and to the disciple: “Behold thy mother”; and He made every believer thy child; and we too, thy children who hope in thy shelter, sing boldly to thee as to our mother thus:
Rejoice, thou who movest the righteous Judge to mercy; rejoice, thou who obtainest forgiveness of our sins; rejoice, our manifest hope; rejoice, our unashamed comforter; rejoice, thou who deliverest us from our sorrows; rejoice, thou who drownest our griefs; rejoice, thou who quenchest the flame of the passions; rejoice, gladness of all generations; Rejoice, thou full of grace, the Lord is with thee; grant to us also, thine unworthy servants, the dew of thy grace, and send down upon us thy mercies.
The Church of Christ proclaimeth thy wonders, O Theotokos; from the rising of the sun unto the going down thereof thy name is praised, and there are no cities or lands where the powers of God are not stirred by thee for the deliverance and salvation, the enlightenment and healing of the people that beareth the name of Christ; and above all thou workest wonders through thy holy icons, pouring forth through them mercies and bounties to help this sorrowing and afflicted people; wherefore we who magnify thee sing to thy Son and our God: Alleluia.
From the Sun of truth there hath shone upon us the dawn, the maiden Virgin, who enlighteneth all souls tormented by spiritual hunger, according to the word of the Lord: Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God; though our eyes are darkened and our hearts turned to stone, they see not with the eye nor understand the ways of the Lord. Afflicted with spiritual hunger we flee to thee, O all-holy Virgin, and entreat thee: quench our thirsting souls with the words of life, as we sing to thee thus:
Rejoice, thou who raisest us up from poverty of soul; rejoice, thou who feedest us with the word of life; rejoice, all-radiant table that bearest the bread of life; rejoice, food that succeedest the manna; rejoice, good earth that makest the divine fruit spring forth; rejoice, field that bountifully bringest forth much fruit; rejoice, rock that givest drink of life to the thirsty; rejoice, thou who grantest mercy twofold; Rejoice, thou full of grace, the Lord is with thee; grant to us also, thine unworthy servants, the dew of thy grace, and send down upon us thy mercies.
Thou hast appeared as a sweet garden to all who desire salvation, O Queen; those nourished by thee have incorruptible and eternal food; and we of the earth entreat thee, O all-holy Virgin, show thy power upon our fields and cornlands when the time of harvest cometh, and grant us all that is ripe in abundance to satisfy us who sing to God: Alleluia.
Thou hast been wondrously magnified, O Theotokos, and thou guardest the Orthodox people; those who have risen up against God understand not how mighty is the prayer of the Mother of God. But we, prospered by the help of thy blessing, call to thee with compunction thus:
Rejoice, thou who crownest with blessed fruits the tillers of the earth who have laboured with pure heart and hands; rejoice, unexpected helper of those afflicted in calamities and toils; rejoice, invisible nurse of motherless orphans; rejoice, helper of all the weak; rejoice, feeder of widows and orphans; rejoice, thou who grantest all food, strength and joy to the sick and the bedridden; rejoice, garment of boldness for the naked; rejoice, thou who obtainest the forgiveness of many sins; Rejoice, thou full of grace, the Lord is with thee; grant to us also, thine unworthy servants, the dew of thy grace, and send down upon us thy mercies.
As of old thou wast a co-worker in the coming of the Saviour upon this earth, so now also, like the sun, rise with radiant beams upon these ripened cornlands and go before the Lord who cometh with the reapers; wherefore we too cry to Him with fear: Alleluia.
We all set our hope on thee, O Mother of God, and in our griefs we flee to thy holy icon, the Giver of fruit, for we hope for grace-filled comfort and help from thee in this our poverty and want, calling to thee:
Rejoice, treasury of the most exceeding mercies; rejoice, food and comfort of those who flee to thee; rejoice, bread that feedest the hungry; rejoice, thou who art quick to hear the poor; rejoice, kind carer for the sorrowful and for those afflicted by famine; rejoice, thou who makest the Light that setteth not shine upon us; rejoice, thou who openest the kingdom of Christ; rejoice, hope of eternal good things; Rejoice, thou full of grace, the Lord is with thee; grant to us also, thine unworthy servants, the dew of thy grace, and send down upon us thy mercies.
All men were amazed, O all-holy Virgin, at the greatness of thy wonders, which through thee pour forth from thy holy icons; for thou grantest to each according to his entreaty: thou settest our homes in order, thou sendest down blessing from on high upon the tillers of the earth and grantest men all that is needful. Wherefore we sing to thy Son thus: Alleluia.
Orators of many voices are powerless to hymn thy wonders, O Theotokos and Queen, for thou stretchest out thy hands to help all the ends of the earth and sendest down upon the righteous the fruitfulness of the earth, temperate weather, abundance of fruits and the good things of the earth; and we, humbly confessing thy great intercession and thine unceasing help in our afflictions, sing to thee thus:
Rejoice, thou who art worthily hymned by angels and archangels; rejoice, thou who art magnified by all the heavenly powers; rejoice, more honourable than the Cherubim; rejoice, beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim; rejoice, Queen of heaven and earth; rejoice, Mother of the eternal King; rejoice, faithful handmaid of the Lord; rejoice, for those in heaven and on earth call thee blessed; Rejoice, thou full of grace, the Lord is with thee; grant to us also, thine unworthy servants, the dew of thy grace, and send down upon us thy mercies.
Thou art the haven of salvation in all sorrows and calamities, O Theotokos; entreat thy Son and our God to grant mercy to us sinners who sing to Him: Alleluia.
Thou art a wall for those who magnify thy wonders, O Virgin Theotokos, and for all who venerate with faith thee and thine icon named the Giver of fruit, and call to thee:
Rejoice, inexhaustible fountain of mercy and bounty; rejoice, thou who sendest forth divine love; rejoice, worker of most glorious wonders; rejoice, sweet rest of those who labour and are heavy laden; rejoice, thou who bountifully grantest grace-filled gifts to those who endure torments; rejoice, our sure hope; rejoice, quiet and good haven; Rejoice, thou full of grace, the Lord is with thee; grant to us also, thine unworthy servants, the dew of thy grace, and send down upon us thy mercies.
Disregard not our hymn, O all-holy Virgin, and shut not against us the treasury of joy, but stretch out to us bountifully the hand of thy help, that we may sing to God in three Persons, who magnifieth thy mercies and wonders: Alleluia.
With the light of the rays of thy wonders enlighten all the land of Christians, and be the intercessor of this Orthodox people, which thou hast purchased with the blood of thy Son. And we who fall down beneath thy holy icon behold thee, O Theotokos, in the air above our fields and cornlands, blessing the gathering of the ripened grain, and we entreat thee, O all-merciful Queen: the race of men, condemned by the sentence to eat its bread in the sweat of its face, to bring forth children in pain and rear them in sorrow, have mercy on it with thy mercy and be its intercessor. Grant us health and good strength, that, nourished by thee, we may be strengthened and grow again, and fill us all with joy and comfort by the bountiful hand of thy love, as we call to thee:
Rejoice, thou who givest milk to infants; rejoice, thou who establishest the praise of God out of the mouths of children; rejoice, thou who obtainest the dew that cometh down from heaven upon the labourers in time of heat; rejoice, thou who grantest prosperity to the afflicted; rejoice, thou who preparest abundance for those who entreat thee; rejoice, thou who fulfillest many petitions beforehand; rejoice, comforter of the sorrowful; rejoice, thou who gladdenest the grieving; Rejoice, thou full of grace, the Lord is with thee; grant to us also, thine unworthy servants, the dew of thy grace, and send down upon us thy mercies.
Send down upon us thy grace-filled help, O Mother of God, that when the sower goeth forth to sow, the seed may fall neither by the wayside nor among thorns, but on good ground; make it spring up, that the good ground may yield fruit a hundredfold, and that all of us, with joy and thankful hearts and lips, may sing to God: Alleluia.
Singing of thy wonders and mercies, O Queen Theotokos, we all praise thee, for truly thou art our helper, our intercessor, our nourisher, who settest our homes in order and directest our life to salvation; wherefore we call to thee:
Rejoice, thou who obtainest for us incorruptible riches; rejoice, food of righteousness and immortality for the hungry; rejoice, inexhaustible drink of salvation for the thirsty; rejoice, for thou hast made paradise blossom radiantly; rejoice, haven of salvation for the righteous; rejoice, shelter of the earth wider than the clouds; rejoice, hope of the hopeless; rejoice, life of the despairing; Rejoice, thou full of grace, the Lord is with thee; grant to us also, thine unworthy servants, the dew of thy grace, and send down upon us thy mercies.
O all-hymned Mother, who gavest birth to the Word, holier than all the saints, accept this our present offering and free these thy people from every affliction, from famine of soul and body, from deadly and evil plague and from eternal torment, that with the choirs of angels we may unceasingly sing to God: Alleluia.
(This kontakion is said thrice, and then Ikos 1 and Kontakion 1.)
O all-holy Virgin Theotokos, all-merciful Queen of heaven and earth, who guidest well the homes and families of all Christians, blessing of those who labour, inexhaustible wealth of the afflicted, nourisher of orphans and widows and of all men; Mother of Him who nourisheth all the world, and Giver of fruit to our grain: do thou, O Queen, send down thy motherly blessing upon our cities, villages and cornlands and upon each of our homes, who set our hope on thee and with godly trembling and contrition of heart humbly entreat thee: be for us, thine unworthy and sinful servants, the wise ordering of our homes and the good guiding of our life. Keep well every home and family in godliness and Orthodoxy, in one mind and obedience; nourish the destitute and the poor, be a helper to the aged, bring up the children, and teach all to sing to the Lord: Give us this day our daily bread. Guard thy people, O all-holy Mother, from every affliction, sickness, famine, slaughter, hail, fire and every evil circumstance, and ask peace and great mercy for our monasteries, homes and families, and for every Christian soul and for all our people, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O Lord our God, who in the beginning didst create the heaven and the earth and didst adorn the heaven with great lights, which are seen upon the earth and are a wonder to it, leading to Thee alone, the King, Maker and Creator; and didst adorn the earth with meadows of grass and with seeds of many colours, to be sown each after its kind, and with the blessing of every beautiful and fragrant flower.
Do Thou now also bless these, O King, and look down from Thy holy dwelling place upon these fruits; bless them and guard them from every devourer and corrupter and from every harmful work of evil, and from evil men; and give them good fruit, brought to fulfilment in its season by Thy blessing. And remove from them every beast and bird and every wrath and harmful sickness that may come upon them, and drive away all these harmful things; for holy is Thy name, glorious, all-honourable and exceedingly beautiful, of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
