Akathist Hymn to Our Venerable Mother Mary of Egypt
Chosen by God as an image of salvation for all sinners and the despairing, raised from the depth of defilement to the summit of light, we magnify thee in song, venerable mother; as thou hast boldness before the Lord, by thy prayer guide on the path of repentance us who call on thee with love: Rejoice, wonder of the goodness of God, venerable Mary, equal to the angels!
Abba Zosimas saw thee, of earthly nature, in angelic form in the desert of the Jordan, when thou didst rise up in the air praying for the world; struck with awe at this sight, the venerable one shed living tears and trembled with fear. And we, amazed at thy struggle, sing this to thee, O mother:
Rejoice, thou who art full of grace and light; rejoice, thou who art adorned with the spiritual eye; rejoice, thou who by holy prayer wast lifted up in the air towards God; rejoice, treasure of the desert hidden from the world; rejoice, thou who dwellest with the bodiless; rejoice, thou who art clothed with the Holy Spirit; Rejoice, wonder of the goodness of God, venerable Mary, equal to the angels!
Seeing the reverent elder, surrounded by divine fear, thou didst say to him with a gentle voice, O blessed one: “Fear not, father, for before thee is a sinful woman, poor in virtues and unworthy to look upon heaven, who with unclean lips crieth in fear before God: Alleluia.”
Understanding thy hidden mystery, blessed Zosimas bowed down before thee and besought thee on his knees: “In the name of God, tell me thy holy life, O thou who revealest the greatness of God and for His sake wast stripped of garments”; and with him we too, standing boldly before thee, cry to thee with love:
Rejoice, bright pillar of obedience; rejoice, unfailing fountain of spiritual gifts; rejoice, thou who by the love of God didst put the passions to death; rejoice, thou who in the desert wast alone with the Lord; rejoice, thou who glowest with heavenly beauty; rejoice, thou who shinest with the light of purity; Rejoice, wonder of the goodness of God, venerable Mary, equal to the angels!
Strengthened by power from on high, thou didst say to Zosimas, O all-blessed one: “I will confide to thee my sins and iniquities, but I am ashamed, for my garment is torn and I have nothing to cover my nakedness. One thing I beg of thee, father: go not away from me at once when I tell thee my foul deeds, but pray for my prodigal soul and sing to the Lord, who did not turn His mercy away from me: Alleluia.”
“The all-merciful Mother with motherly care took me under her protection,” thou didst say to Zosimas, “when, longing to enter the house of God, an invisible power withstood me and shut the doors of the church against me; at that time the grace of God touched my soul, and I, understanding my defilement, beat my breast with my fist and with living tears lamented my wretchedness.” And we, marvelling at thy repentance, offer thee this hymn with compunction:
Rejoice, for the dawn of redemption shone upon thee as thou didst walk in darkness; rejoice, for the word of God called thee, a sheep that had strayed in the wilderness of sins; rejoice, for the stream of tears that flowed from thine eyes washed away all thy defilement; rejoice, for those tears cleansed thy spiritual garment; rejoice, for the compassionate God pressed thee to His breast with fatherly love; rejoice, for the knowledge mystically granted thee blotted out thy sins; Rejoice, wonder of the goodness of God, venerable Mary, equal to the angels!
In the whirlwind of mournful thoughts thou didst see from the porch the icon of the all-holy Mother of God, whom thou didst entreat: “Help me, holy Lady, unworthy as I am; grant me leave to enter the house of thy Son, and after venerating the holy Cross laid there, I will go at once wherever thy majesty commandeth me, I, this foul and guilty one, who on my knees cry to God: Alleluia.”
Hearing a voice that came from afar: “If thou cross the Jordan, thou shalt find a peaceful life”, thou didst cry to the all-holy Virgin: “O most merciful Mother of God, who didst not turn thy mercy away from this unworthy one, forsake me not now, O Lady; help me on the path of repentance.” And the angels who wrote down thy confession sang to thee at that time, O good one:
Rejoice, thou who in the darkness of vice wast enlightened by the power of repentance; rejoice, thou who didst cast off raging passion and fleshly pleasures; rejoice, thou who didst shatter every fetter and snare of the deceiver; rejoice, thou who didst exchange his crafty works for the light yoke of Jesus; rejoice, thou who didst draw near from hell to eternal life; rejoice, thou who didst come up from the gates of perdition to the threshold of the door of paradise; Rejoice, wonder of the goodness of God, venerable Mary, equal to the angels!
The all-holy Virgin shut the doors of the church against thee; she too, receiving thy many tears, clothed thee in divine radiance when she gave thee leave to venerate the life-giving Tree by which this world was redeemed. And thou, knowing the blood shed for thy salvation, didst cry with thanksgiving before God crucified: Alleluia.
Thou didst understand the mystery of God who is able to receive the penitent, and with thy whole heart thou didst entreat the spotless Virgin: “Forsake me not, O Lady!” and after this thou didst set out for the desert of the Jordan. And we, venerating thy pilgrimage, call thee blessed and cry to thee, O all-praised one:
Rejoice, for thy heart was filled with the love of God who receiveth all; rejoice, for in the desert thou didst gain the treasure of grace hidden from thee until then; rejoice, for thou didst abhor the pleasures of this world; rejoice, for by thy pilgrimage the service of demons was drowned; rejoice, for by thy sojourning the world above rejoiced; Rejoice, wonder of the goodness of God, venerable Mary, equal to the angels!
To all who labour and are heavy laden thou preachest the love of God for mankind and the power of repentance, which washeth, cleanseth and enlighteneth the soul that loveth sin, driveth away sorrow and bringeth delight; therefore we too, through thine intercession, offer thanksgiving to the Lord with unclean lips: Alleluia.
From the Jordan the light of thy labours spread through the whole world, all-praised Mary, who for many years, like unbending diamond, didst remain in battle against thy foul thoughts that raged like beasts, and didst crush the ravings of the devil by the mighty Cross; therefore we, inspired by the power of thy patience, offer thee this psalm with love:
Rejoice, thou who didst spend forty-seven years in the torments and struggle of the desert; rejoice, thou who wast burned by the heat of the sun; rejoice, thou who wast worn down by hunger and thirst; rejoice, for thou didst gain the deadness of the fleshly passions; rejoice, thou who didst labour in the battle against desire; Rejoice, wonder of the goodness of God, venerable Mary, equal to the angels!
When he saw thy heavenly ascent, the eternal enemy of the human race with his many temptations kindled day after day the fire of desire, that he might bring thee into remembrance of thy former life; but thou, much-tormented, wetting the earth with tears and beating thy head, didst ever ask help from the Ever-Virgin, and didst spend many days and nights until the light of God surrounded thee, as thou didst render thanks to the Lord: Alleluia.
Clothed in Christ, thou didst put to death thine old man, O all-wondrous one, and, being changed, thou wast shown to us as a bride of Christ, who didst spend seventeen years in countless trials, and from the day of thy pilgrimage the power of God sheltered thy soul and body; therefore we entreat thee, accept this praise from us unworthy ones, O good one:
Rejoice, thou who didst put to death the surging passions; rejoice, for the truth triumpheth; rejoice, for Christ set thee free from sins; rejoice, for thou didst treasure the love of God with a contrite heart and soul; rejoice, thou who art clothed with spiritual blessedness; rejoice, thou who dwellest with God; Rejoice, wonder of the goodness of God, venerable Mary, equal to the angels!
When it beheld thy strange and all-glorious change, the dark legion of demons wailed, while the heavenly powers, glorifying God, rejoiced and gave praise to the Lord in song: Alleluia.
Zosimas, having gone out into the desert, was made worthy to see thee, the God-clothed one; and thou didst beseech him in the name of the Lord: “Keep this account hidden and tell it to no one until the time of my departure from this world comes; and after one year, in the Great Fast, on the bank of the Jordan, give me communion of the holy Mysteries of the Lord.” Having said this thou didst vanish from the eyes of the elder, who fell on the ground and kissed thy footprints, singing to thee:
Rejoice, thou who wast stripped of sins and made whiter than snow; rejoice, thou who art brighter than the rays of the sun; rejoice, for thy transgressions have been pardoned by God; rejoice, for great is thy reward in heaven; rejoice, thou who dwellest with the saints; rejoice, thou who wast once full of harlotry and art today made manifest as a bride of Christ; Rejoice, wonder of the goodness of God, venerable Mary, equal to the angels!
“Thy wounds, overcome by fervent love for the Lord, shake the thought and mind of every man, O all-praised one,” wept the elder Zosimas with a loud voice, and he besought the merciful Mother of God that he might see thee again and with thee offer to the Lord unceasing praise: Alleluia.
The eloquence of earthly men is too weak to describe thy struggles, O all-righteous one... How can we tell the anguish of thy repentance, the straitness of thy life, the battle, the sickness and the unceasing watchfulness? Amazed at hearing all these deeds, we offer thee a hymn and cry out, O all-glorious one: as the desert of the Jordan was lit by thy wonders, so make our hearts shine with divine radiance and be the intercessor before the Lord of those who sing to thee:
Rejoice, for by thy deification thou didst make the fading image of God shine as the dawn; rejoice, thou who spreadest heavenly fragrance; rejoice, thou who art adorned with a choir of strange stars; rejoice, thou who shinest with the rays of the virtues; rejoice, herald of the greatness of God to the ends of the earth; rejoice, for thou didst call heaven and earth to praise the Lord; Rejoice, wonder of the goodness of God, venerable Mary, equal to the angels!
When the time of the appointed day of the Mystical Supper came, Abba Zosimas took with him the Lord’s gift, the life-giving Body and Blood of the Lord, and went unwaveringly by the light of the midnight moon to the bank of the Jordan, praying before God: “Make me worthy, O Master, reprover of my sins, to see again the treasure of the desert and the angel in the flesh, and send me not away without seeing her, who call upon Thee and glorify Thee: Alleluia.”
As Zosimas, surrounded by his thoughts, wondered how thou wouldst cross to the other bank, he was astonished by thy walking upon the Jordan, when thou didst make the sign of the Cross and by that mighty power overcome the waters; and the elder, struck with awe at this sight, offered thee this hymn:
Rejoice, thou who dwellest in paradise; rejoice, for the wild beasts obey thy commands; rejoice, for the waves spread themselves beneath thy precious feet; rejoice, for the Jordan is obedient to thee, and the moon and stars are inspired by thy light; rejoice, revealer of the greatness of God; rejoice, spirit-filled temple of the Lord; Rejoice, wonder of the goodness of God, venerable Mary, equal to the angels!
Zosimas, inspired by the almighty power of God, when he saw thee walking on the Jordan without any hindrance, sang to the Lord and bowed down before thee on his knees; but thou didst answer him: “Do not kneel before me, father, a wretched and needy woman, for thou thyself art a priest, who performest the great and dread Mysteries of the Lord, before whom all say with trembling and fear: Alleluia.”
Shining with heavenly light, thou didst receive the holy communion, and, filled with blessedness, thou didst lift up thy hands to heaven and say: “Now lettest Thou Thy handmaid depart, O Master, according to Thy word, in peace”; and thou didst beseech the elder to pray before God for thy soul, to remember thy wretchedness, and didst ask him to come again to see thee the next year. After this thou didst overcome the water of the Jordan by the mighty Cross, and Zosimas, unable to keep thee back, lamented after thee with a living voice:
Rejoice, thou who didst bear in thy body the death of Jesus; rejoice, thou who art adorned by His resurrection; rejoice, thou who art clothed with grace as with divine radiance; rejoice, for the angels of the Lord are inspired by thy holiness; rejoice, for the powers of hell tremble and quake before thy glory; rejoice, light-clad dwelling of the Holy Trinity; Rejoice, wonder of the goodness of God, venerable Mary, equal to the angels!
Given wings by divine grace, thou didst cross the expanse of the desert in a moment, and on the night of the Passion of Christ the Saviour, praying for the world, thou didst commend thy soul to the Lord, to whom with ineffable delight we sing with the angels: Alleluia.
The divinely wise Zosimas sang a hymn for the repose of thy soul, wet thy holy feet with his tears, and with prayer buried thy precious body, naked and poor, clothed only in the torn mantle he had given thee; and, seeing the greatness of God, surrounded by fear and hope, he gave glory thus:
Rejoice, for thou didst depart into the unwaning bosom as its child; rejoice, for thy soul hath its tabernacle in the inheritance of the saints; rejoice, for thy body resteth in the grave dug by a lion; rejoice, for by thine example the Lord hath shown me how far I still am from perfection; rejoice, intercessor for the whole world before God; rejoice, height of fasters, glory of the venerable and beauty of the tormented; Rejoice, wonder of the goodness of God, venerable Mary, equal to the angels!
O venerable mother, all-blessed Mary, accept this our prayer, and, standing before the royal throne, be our intercessor before the most merciful God, that He may grant us to perceive our own sins and bring us back to the bosom of our Father like prodigal children, that with thee we may glorify the Lord without end: Alleluia.
This kontakion is read thrice.
Abba Zosimas saw thee, of earthly nature, in angelic form in the desert of the Jordan, when thou didst rise up in the air praying for the world; struck with awe at this sight, the venerable one shed living tears and trembled with fear. And we, amazed at thy struggle, sing this to thee, O mother:
Rejoice, thou who art full of grace and light; rejoice, thou who art adorned with the spiritual eye; rejoice, thou who by holy prayer wast lifted up in the air towards God; rejoice, treasure of the desert hidden from the world; rejoice, thou who dwellest with the bodiless; rejoice, thou who art clothed with the Holy Spirit; Rejoice, wonder of the goodness of God, venerable Mary, equal to the angels!
Chosen by God as an image of salvation for all sinners and the despairing, raised from the depth of defilement to the summit of light, we magnify thee in song, venerable mother; as thou hast boldness before the Lord, by thy prayer guide on the path of repentance us who call on thee with love: Rejoice, wonder of the goodness of God, venerable Mary, equal to the angels!
O all-radiant venerable Mary, equal to the angels, who didst make thy spiritual garment white in the blood of the Lamb and now standest before the unshadowed light, remember in thy God-pleasing prayer me, this sinful and godless servant of thine, and guard me from the pits of the enemy; grant me tears of repentance to wash away my defilement; teach me steadfastness in the battle against my sinful habits; imprint on my heart and mind the image of Jesus whom thou didst love; be my intercessor before the all-holy Mother of God, that she may guide me on the path of salvation, and at the hour of my departure from this world help me to pass in peace through the aerial toll-houses, that under her guidance I may attain to that all-glorious dwelling of paradise and stand before the unwaning light, to which befitteth glory, honour and worship, of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Translated from the Russian by Marta Kasradze; prepared for publication by the priest Ioane Rostiashvili; Tbilisi, 2003.
