Akathist Hymn to Blessed Mother Matrona
To the chosen one of God, clothed from her swaddling-clothes by the grace of the Holy Spirit with the gifts of foresight, wonderworking and healing, blessed Mother Matrona, adorned by God in the heavens with an incorruptible crown, we too, the Orthodox on earth, weave a crown of praise with spiritual song; and do thou, O blessed Mother Matrona, receive it from our grateful hearts, and, as one who hath boldness before God, deliver from every misfortune, affliction, sickness and snare of the enemy us who cry to thee with love: Rejoice, blessed Mother Matrona, wondrous wonderworker!
An angel on earth was made flesh by thy birth, for even without bodily eyes thou didst behold all things, when the Lord, who giveth wisdom to the blind and loveth the righteous, enlightened thy spiritual eyes, and thou wast sent to us as one who beholdeth the future as the present and healeth those tormented by sicknesses of many kinds. Therefore we cry to thee, O such a mother:
Rejoice, thou who wast chosen by God from infancy; rejoice, thou who didst shine from thy swaddling-clothes with the grace of the Holy Spirit; rejoice, thou who from childhood wast granted the gift of wonderworking; rejoice, thou who wast clothed by God with wisdom from on high; rejoice, thou who, deprived of bodily eyes, art enlightened by spiritual eyes; rejoice, thou who wast made wiser than the seeing and the wise of this age; Rejoice, blessed Mother Matrona, wondrous wonderworker!
When the priest who stood before thee at the time of thy baptism saw a pillar of vapour rising from the holy font, and perceived a fragrance spread through the church, he knew thee as a righteous one given by God on earth, and glorified with angelic song the Lord, who worketh what is wondrous and all-praised among His saints: Alleluia.
Having a mind enlightened from on high, the priest of God knew thee at thy baptism, the lamb of the flock baptised by him, as a vessel of divine graces, and called thee, an infant, holy. We too offer thee this fervent praise:
Rejoice, lamb of the flock given by God; rejoice, thou who from the holy font wast overshadowed by the grace of the Holy Spirit; rejoice, thou who from thy birth wast called holy by the priest who baptised thee; rejoice, thou who wast sealed by God on thy body with the holy cross; rejoice, thou who wast glorified by the Lord on earth with the gift of wonderworking; rejoice, thou who art adorned by God in heaven with an unfading crown; Rejoice, blessed Mother Matrona, wondrous wonderworker!
Holy from infancy by power from on high, thou didst go from thine own bed to the holy icons and rejoice as with thine own friends, and, babbling with thy lips, didst glorify God, who ever perfecteth His praise out of the mouth of babes and sucklings; with a pure heart thou didst sing to Him: Alleluia.
Granted by God the gift of seeing afar, deprived from birth of bodily eyes, with eyes opened in the spirit thou didst foretell to the people what was to come as though present, enduring the reproach and abuse of the kinsfolk and neighbours who heard it. Receive from us, thy faithful, this hymn:
Rejoice, wondrous seer of things afar; rejoice, unerring prophet of things unseen and far away; rejoice, thou who wast granted by God the gift of prophecy; rejoice, thou who by this gift comfortest many; rejoice, thou who soughtest nothing from the sick for their healing; rejoice, thou who for this didst endure reproaches and taunts without murmuring; Rejoice, blessed Mother Matrona, wondrous wonderworker!
A storm of perplexity and trembling hath seized me: how can I praise and glorify the life of a righteous one of God, unless the Lord, who worketh wonders among His saints, make me wise through the prayers of the blessed mother? Therefore we send up to Him a hymn of praise: Alleluia.
Hearing thy prophecies, Mother Matrona, concerning those who lived around them, the perplexed, the afflicted and the sorrowful hasten to thee and receive consolation and wise counsel, and they thank thee and cry to thee:
Rejoice, kind understander of us who are in errors and perplexity; rejoice, deliverer from our sorrows; rejoice, our comforter in affliction; rejoice, teacher of virtue; rejoice, grace-filled unmercenary; rejoice, deliverer from every infirmity; Rejoice, blessed Mother Matrona, wondrous wonderworker!
Thou didst appear as a divine star, blessed Mother Matrona, in the royal city of Moscow, and as a homeless wanderer in the city thou didst move from place to place, giving understanding to the perplexed, relief to the suffering and healing to the sick, who with thanksgiving cry to the Lord: Alleluia.
Seeing the abundant river of miracles and healings flowing from thee by divine grace, walking for the lame, healing for those lying in infirmity and on their beds, the driving out of evil spirits from the possessed, the suffering and the sick hasten to thee, O mother, as to an unfailing fountain of miracles, and drink abundantly; and, comforted and healed, they cry to thee with contrite heart:
Rejoice, physician who healest all our infirmities; rejoice, helper with counsels profitable to the soul; rejoice, swift resolver of all our doubts and perplexities; rejoice, thou who drivest demons out of the men they torment; rejoice, thou who settest us on the straight way that leadeth to God; Rejoice, blessed Mother Matrona, wondrous wonderworker!
As a preacher of the holiness and righteousness of thy life, O blessed one, the holy father John of Kronstadt was sent to us, who commanded the faithful people in the church to part and make way for thee, the child coming to him, calling thee his successor and the eighth pillar of Russia; and those who heard it glorified the Lord, sending up to Him the divine hymn: Alleluia.
By thy prayer the light of divine grace shone forth in the hearts of those who knew not God and angered Him by many sins, for those who saw the miracles wrought by thee turn to the Lord, calling the blessed mother blessed with these words:
Rejoice, thou who by thy wonderworking glorifiest God; rejoice, thou who showest us the majesty of God and His glory in them; rejoice, thou who turnest the hearts of unbelievers to God; rejoice, thou who with divine light enlightenest hearts darkened by unbelief; rejoice, thou who teachest us repentance and the commandments of God; rejoice, thou who inspirest glory and thanksgiving to God for all things; Rejoice, blessed Mother Matrona, wondrous wonderworker!
Willing the salvation of His creation, in the last times, when the enemy, because of apostasy from God and impenitence for countless sins, hath risen up with all his strength against the creation of God, the Lord, the Lover of mankind, sendeth such well-pleasing ones of His to this sinful earth, even as the ascetic and woman of prayer, blessed Mother Matrona, was sent to us. Let us then glorify the compassion of God towards us sinners, singing to Him with thanksgiving: Alleluia.
The Lord sent to the Russian people a new and wondrous protector, intercessor, healer and mediator before God, together with the Optina fathers who had departed from this world, holy Leo, holy Macarius and holy Ambrose, and with the holy and righteous John of Kronstadt, stirring up all His well-pleasing ones to sing thus to blessed Mother Matrona:
Rejoice, mediator before God for our salvation; rejoice, thou who softenest the heart of the just Judge for our sins; rejoice, zealous visitor of holy churches and monasteries; rejoice, God-sent protector of the helpless, the hopelessly sick and the wronged; rejoice, unwearying fighter against demonic powers and snares; rejoice, bloodless martyr of Christ, who didst vanquish the most evil tormentor, the devil; Rejoice, blessed Mother Matrona, wondrous wonderworker!
Strange is the wonder: it is unbelief and folly, when a blind woman can see and know not only the present but also the future, not to see how the power of God is made perfect in the infirmities of men, and not to sing thus to the Lord: Alleluia.
All-holy and abiding in God, and yet in the flesh and on this sinful earth ever surrounded by many, faithful and unfaithful, virtuous and immoral, thou didst leave none without sympathy and consolation, enduring from many insult and offence, persecution, sorrow and reproach, counting all this as nothing, but glorifying God for all things. Thou movest us also to bear our own cross with patience, and we too send up to thee this praise:
Rejoice, thou who didst endure many afflictions and sicknesses for the healing of the infirm; rejoice, thou who didst spend thy whole life in struggle with the unclean powers; rejoice, thou who for this wast deprived by evil people of the power to walk; rejoice, thou who wast ever in fervent prayer; rejoice, thou who didst take thy rest sitting, leaning on thy fist; rejoice, thou who with sobriety of soul didst spend the nights in prayer; Rejoice, blessed Mother Matrona, wondrous wonderworker!
Thou didst endure many afflictions and sorrows, Mother Matrona, fighting unceasingly against the dark powers and driving them out of those possessed by unclean powers, exposing their snares and devices; and never did a reproach escape thy lips towards the suffering, O helper of the suffering, the sick and the sorrowful even unto death, who didst sing to the Lord God, who strengthened thee by His power: Alleluia.
Orators of many skills cannot worthily comprehend the gifts of the Holy Spirit given thee by God, nor describe and praise all the holiness of thy life and the miracles wrought by thee through the power of God. How much less can our deficient mind comprehend the dispensations of the Lord fulfilled in thee, and how can we with sinful lips sing and praise thee, O blessed mother? Yet, desiring, according to the word of the Psalmist, to glorify the Lord in His saints, we hasten to thee with heartfelt love, praising thee boldly, and cry to thee:
Rejoice, thou who didst walk the narrow and thorny way; rejoice, thou who didst fly from place to place like a bird of heaven; rejoice, for the birds of the air have nests, but thou didst gather no treasure on earth, not even the least; rejoice, for thou wast made like the Son of Man, who had not where to lay His head on earth; rejoice, for thou dwellest with Him in the kingdom of heaven; Rejoice, blessed Mother Matrona, wondrous wonderworker!
Desiring the salvation of many people from sicknesses of soul and body, thou didst spend the nights in kneeling prayer, O righteous one of God, asking help and strength from the Lord Jesus Christ, who in His earthly sojourn bowed His knees in prayer before His heavenly Father, while the angels sang: Alleluia.
Thou wast a wall and shelter, O blessed mother, for those who came to thee in afflictions and sorrows, and even after thy departure from the flesh thou ceasest not to intercede for those who come to thee with faith. Hear now, O God-pleasing mother, the supplication of us, great sinners, held fast by afflictions, sicknesses and many sorrows, and hasten to help us by thy holy prayers, thou who inclinest the good and gracious Lord to mercy towards all who ask of thee:
Rejoice, fervent intercessor for us before God; rejoice, zealous advocate for us sinners before God; rejoice, thou who teachest us to receive sicknesses and afflictions with thanksgiving; rejoice, thou who layest wise thoughts upon the hearts of the perplexed; rejoice, thou who by thy prayers helpest in the salvation of souls; rejoice, thou who forsakest not those who are far off in body but entreat thee zealously in spirit; Rejoice, blessed Mother Matrona, wondrous wonderworker!
Unearthly and angelic singing dost thou now hear, honourable Mother Matrona, who even in thine earthly life wast made like the angels, conversing with them unseen by those around thee. Teach us too, the unworthy, the fitting glorification of God worshipped in Trinity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, for in the heavens the heavenly host singeth to Him unwearyingly and glorifieth Him with one voice: Alleluia.
Thy life shineth with the light of dawn, blessed Mother Matrona, thou who enlightenest the darkness of this vain world and drawest our souls to thee; may they be enlightened even by a small spark of divine grace and be able to pass in a manner pleasing to God along this sorrowful and narrow road of life, that they may come to the gates of the kingdom, where we believe thou now dwellest, O mother; hear the voice of those who cry to thee:
Rejoice, luminary of God, for even after death thou enlightenest us; rejoice, precious gem, who sheddest upon us the radiance of thy holiness; rejoice, thou who by the light of thy good deeds strengthenest us in Orthodoxy; rejoice, fragrant flower, who spreadest the fragrance of the Holy Spirit upon our souls; rejoice, for thy whole life is holy and righteous; rejoice, for thy death also is precious before God; Rejoice, blessed Mother Matrona, wondrous wonderworker!
Divine grace was given thee abundantly even from thy swaddling-clothes, O blessed mother, and it abideth with thee to this day: thou didst heal the sick, drive out demons, foretell things unseen and far away, and set all on the way of salvation. We believe without doubt that even after death this grace abideth with thee still more abundantly; wherefore on bended knee we entreat thee: deprive not us too, who are still wayfarers on this earth, of thy help and protection, and ask of the Lord mercy and salvation for all who zealously send up to Him in our holy churches the festal hymn: Alleluia.
Singing of thy miracles, Mother Matrona, we praise the Lord who granted thee such grace, and with David the prophet and Psalmist we cry out that praise becometh the righteous:
Rejoice, for the Lord loveth the righteous; rejoice, for the Lord giveth wisdom to the blind; rejoice, for the Lord preserveth all that love Him; rejoice, for the Lord dwelleth in the midst of His people; rejoice, for the Lord will fulfil the desire of them that fear Him, and will hear their prayer, and save them; rejoice, for the saints shall exult in glory and rejoice upon their beds, and thou art made like unto them; Rejoice, blessed Mother Matrona, wondrous wonderworker!
O blessed mother, hear now the hymn of praise and the prayer sent up to thee, thou who didst promise to hear even after death those who cry to thee, and ask of our Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ, forgiveness of sins for us, a Christian ending of our life and a good answer before His dread judgement seat, that we too, made like all who have found mercy with God and praise the Holy Trinity in the kingdom of heaven, may sing with them the beautiful hymn: Alleluia.
(This kontakion is read thrice; then Ikos 1 and Kontakion 1.)
O blessed Mother Matrona, hear and receive us too, sinners who cry to thee, thou who throughout thy life wast wont to receive and hear the suffering and heavy laden who fled with faith and hope to thy protection and help, and didst give to all swift help and miraculous healing. Deprive not of thy compassion us, the unworthy, who are restless in this vain world and find nowhere consolation and sympathy in our sorrows of soul or help in our bodily infirmities: heal our infirmities, deliver us from the temptations and torments of the evil one who wageth mighty war, help us to bear our cross in life and to endure all the heaviness of life, that we may be able to keep the image of God, and to preserve until the end of our life the Orthodox faith, unshaken hope and trust in God, and unfeigned love for our neighbour. Help us at our departure from this world, that we may be made worthy to attain to the kingdom of heaven with all the saints who dwell therein, glorifying the compassion and goodness of the heavenly Father worshipped in Trinity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O blessed Mother Matrona, who standest in spirit before the throne of God, while thy body resteth on earth, and who sendest forth diverse miracles by the grace given thee from on high! Look now with thy merciful eye upon us sinners, who spend our days in sorrows, infirmities and evil temptations. Console us in our despair, heal our grievous sicknesses, permitted by God upon us for our sins, deliver us from many misfortunes and circumstances, and ask of our Lord Jesus Christ the forgiveness of all our transgressions, iniquities and falls into sin, which we have committed from our youth even unto this present day and hour; that, receiving grace and great mercy through thy prayers, we may glorify the Lord, one God in Trinity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
The God-wise blessed Mother Matrona, the beauty of the land of Tula and the glorious adornment of the city of Moscow, we the faithful praise today; though she saw not the light of day, she was enlightened with the light of Christ and enriched with the gifts of clear sight and healing. Once a lodger and a wanderer on earth, now standing before the heavenly throne of God, she prayeth for our souls.
Chosen from thy mother’s womb for the service of Christ, righteous Matrona, thou didst walk the way of acquiring afflictions and sorrows, and, shown forth in firm faith and piety, thou hast now pleased the Lord. Therefore we who honour thy name entreat thee: help us, that we may find rest in the love of God, O blessed mother.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
Magnifying thee, holy and righteous Mother Matrona, and glorifying thy holy name, we pray: do thou also entreat Christ our God for us.
Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
