Akathist to the Wonderworking Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “Unexpected Joy”
Those afflicted with deafness entreat her.
O Mother of God and Queen, chosen out of all generations, who appearest even to a lawless man, we who have turned from the unclean way offer thee a hymn of thanksgiving, O Theotokos, for thou hast ineffable mercy. Set free from all afflictions and sins us who cry to thee: Rejoice, thou who grantest unexpected joy to the faithful.
Thou didst amaze the angels and the righteous when thou didst stand before thy Son and God and with many prayers didst intercede for a man who ever sinned; and we thy servants, in faith and hope in thy loving-kindness, call to thee thus:
Rejoice, thou who receivest the prayers of all Christians; rejoice, thou who rejectest not the entreaty even of a sinner given up for lost; rejoice, intercessor for them before thy Son; rejoice, thou who givest unexpected joy through deliverance; rejoice, thou who by thine intercession deliverest the whole world; rejoice, thou who dispellest all sorrows; rejoice, Mother of God, who calmest all embittered souls; rejoice, thou who directest our life for good; rejoice, thou who grantest to all deliverance from sin; rejoice, thou who makest the joy of all the earth spring forth; Rejoice, thou who grantest unexpected joy to the faithful.
Seeing, O all-holy one, a man who ever sinned, yet every day fled with faith and hope to thy precious icon and offered thee the Archangel’s greeting, thou didst hear the words even of this sinner; and as all behold thy motherly mercy in heaven and on earth, they sing to God: “Alleluia.”
Truly thy love for the Christian race surpasseth human understanding, for thou didst not weary of interceding for a lawless man; and when thy Son showed thee the wounds of the nails, made because of the sins of men, we see thee an unyielding intercessor for sinners, and with tears alone we sing to thee.
Rejoice, zealous intercessor for the Christian race given by God; rejoice, guide who leadest up to the heavenly homeland; rejoice, guardian and refuge of thy faithful; rejoice, helper of all who call upon thy holy name; rejoice, thou who snatchest from the pit all the perishing and the rejected; rejoice, thou who turnest them to the right path; rejoice, thou who dispellest lasting despondency and spiritual darkness; rejoice, thou who grantest new and better thoughts to those darkened in mind; rejoice, thou who liftest thine almighty hands to heaven for those abandoned by physicians; Rejoice, thou who grantest unexpected joy to the faithful.
The power of the Most High aboundeth there where sin hath not prevailed. Let the angels in heaven, standing before the throne of God, sing over one sinner that repenteth, crying: “Alleluia.”
O thou who entreatest with motherly mercy for the Christian race, thou stretchest out the hand of help to all who flee to thee with faith and hope, and all with one heart and one mouth speak to thee thus:
Rejoice, for through thine intercession we receive the mercy of God; rejoice, for through thy boldness we draw near to God; rejoice, for in all afflictions and sorrows thou offerest to God thy fervent prayer; rejoice, for thou makest our prayers pleasing to God; rejoice, for thou deliverest us from visible enemies; rejoice, thou who softenest evil hearts of men; rejoice, thou who guardest from slander, reproach and mockery; rejoice, thou who fulfillest all our good desires; rejoice, thou whose entreaty before thy Son and our God availeth all things; Rejoice, thou who grantest unexpected joy to the faithful.
A lawless man, seized by a storm of sinful designs, as he prayed before thy precious icon, saw a stream of blood flowing from the wounds of thy Son without beginning, as upon the cross, and, seized with fear, cried out with lamentation: Have mercy on me, O merciful Mother, and let not my wickedness surpass thine ineffable grace and mercy, for thou art the only hope and refuge of all sinners. Look upon me with mercy, O good Queen, and entreat thy Son and our Creator, that we may unceasingly cry to Him: “Alleluia.”
When the dwellers of the kingdom heard of the miraculous deliverance, through thy prayer, of a brother in the world who was perishing, they magnified the compassionate Queen of heaven and earth; and we, seeing such protection of a sinner, cannot with our tongue worthily declare thy glory, but from the depth of a contrite heart we sing to thee thus:
Rejoice, surety for the deliverance of sinners; rejoice, unexpected joy of sinners; rejoice, raising of the fallen; rejoice, thou who standest before God to deliver the world from misfortune; rejoice, thou who makest the demons tremble at thy voice; rejoice, thou who thereby gladdenest the angels; rejoice, thou who fillest with gladness by the power of thy prayer; rejoice, thou who thereby leadest us out of the nets of sin; rejoice, thou who quenchest the flame of our passions; Rejoice, thou who grantest unexpected joy to the faithful.
A God-shining star, the wonderworking icon of the Theotokos, hath been set before us, O God; as we behold her image with bodily eyes we lift up our mind and heart to heaven, singing to God: “Alleluia.”
The guardian angels of Christians see how the Mother of God helped them with counsel, prayer and deliverance, and to her we sing thus: O more honourable than the Cherubim and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim:
Rejoice, thou who reignest for ever with thy Son and God; rejoice, thou who ever offerest to Him prayer for the Christian race; rejoice, thou who instructest Christians in faith and virtue; rejoice, thou who uprootest heresies and harmful schisms; rejoice, thou who guardest from inclinations that corrupt soul and body; rejoice, thou who deliverest from perilous circumstances and from sudden death without repentance and communion; rejoice, thou who grantest a blameless end to those who hope in thee; rejoice, unfailing intercessor for souls before the Lord’s judgement after death; rejoice, thou who by motherly intercession deliverest from eternal torments; Rejoice, thou who grantest unexpected joy to the faithful.
The granting of miraculous mercy to a lawless man was proclaimed to us by St Demetrius of Rostov, who wrote of the great and wondrous works of God; by thy revelation he set down this deed of thy mercy in writing for the instruction and comfort of all the faithful, that those in sins, sorrow and bitterness might every day keep the faith, kneeling before thine icon and offering the cry to God: “Alleluia.”
Like a shining dawn hath thy wonderworking icon been sent to us, O Theotokos, driving away the darkness of misfortune and sorrow from all who cry to thee with love thus:
Rejoice, physician of our bodily sicknesses; rejoice, good comforter of our spiritual sorrows; rejoice, thou who turnest our griefs into joy; rejoice, thou who gladdenest the hopeless with sure hope; rejoice, feeder of the hungry; rejoice, clother of the naked; rejoice, comforter of widows; rejoice, invisible nurse of orphans left motherless; rejoice, protectress of those unjustly persecuted and oppressed; rejoice, thou who with justice avengest them upon persecutors and oppressors; Rejoice, thou who grantest unexpected joy to the faithful.
The Lord, Lawgiver and righteous Judge, though He Himself fulfilleth the law and sendeth us an abyss of mercy, yet, O blessed Mother and Virgin, we bend our knees before thee for thy fervent prayer on behalf of a lawless man. As the law commandeth, a son honoureth his father; “O My Mother, since thy Son thus honoureth thee, He heareth thine entreaty and now forgiveth sins for thy sake.” Seeing the power of such prayer, all the more must we entreat our interceding Mother for the forgiveness of our sins, calling to thine ineffable loving-kindness thus: “Alleluia.”
O Lord, Thou hast shown to all the faithful a new and wondrous miracle, for Thou hast granted the power to work miracles not only to Thy Mother but also to her most holy icon painted on a board; at these mysterious wonders we cry to her with hearts filled with reverence thus:
Rejoice, firmness of faith; rejoice, bestower of courage; rejoice, giver of knowledge profitable to the soul; rejoice, thou who crushest teachings harmful to the soul; rejoice, easy overcoming of our lawless habits; rejoice, thou who grantest a word of wisdom to those who entreat thee; rejoice, thou who turnest the foolish to understanding; rejoice, thou who grantest understanding to children slow of mind; rejoice, good protectress and guide of children; Rejoice, thou who grantest unexpected joy to the faithful.
A strange and fearful vision was granted to a lawless man: the Theotokos, intercessor of sinners, appeared to him, and by her grace he changed his life from that hour to one pleasing to God; so we also, beholding God’s glorious work and manifold wisdom on earth and before the ages, withdraw from earthly vanity and excessive worldly care and lift up mind and heart to heaven, singing to God: “Alleluia.”
Wholly dwelling in heaven yet not departed from the earth, O most merciful Queen of heaven and earth, for at thy falling asleep thou wast raised to heaven in thy most pure body, thou didst look upon and not forsake the sinners of the earth, and thou strivest for the Christian race according to the dispensation of thy Son; therefore we, thy debtors, call thee blessed thus:
Rejoice, thou who enlightenest the whole earth with the most radiant halo of thy soul; rejoice, thou who gladdenest all heaven with thy most pure body; rejoice, holy service for the Christian race by the dispensation of thy Son; rejoice, fervent intercession for all the world; rejoice, thou who before the cross of thy Son didst adopt us all; rejoice, thou who ever showest motherly love towards us; rejoice, thou who unfailingly bestowest spiritual and bodily gifts on all; rejoice, intercessor for temporal blessings; rejoice, thou who openest to the faithful the door of the kingdom of Christ; rejoice, thou who fillest with joy in this world the pure in heart; Rejoice, thou who grantest unexpected joy to the faithful.
All the nature of angels was amazed at the work of Thy mercy, O Lord, for Thou hast given such a firm and fervent protectress, invisibly present with us, to the Christian race, which heareth the hymn to Thee: “Alleluia.”
Men of many words but not made wise by God say in vain that the veneration of a holy icon is the worship of idols, not understanding that we offer glory to the holy icons, and that through this good work many behold miracles from the icon of the Theotokos, and we who venerate it receive the mercy we desire both here and in the life to come, crying with joy to the Theotokos:
Rejoice, for miracles are given to us from thy blessed icon; rejoice, for wisdom and grace are hidden from the wise and prudent of this world; rejoice, for it is given to those who are babes in faith; rejoice, for thou glorifiest those who glorify thee; rejoice, for thou puttest to shame before all those who reject thee; rejoice, for thou deliverest us from water, fire and the deadly sword; rejoice, for by thy mercy thou healest all the spiritual and bodily sicknesses of men; rejoice, for by thine entreaty thou swiftly turnest away the wrath justly coming upon us; rejoice, for thou art a calm haven to those sailing in the storm of the sea of this world; rejoice, for at the end of our voyage on the sea of earthly life thou leadest us with hope into the untroubled world of the kingdom of Christ; Rejoice, thou who grantest unexpected joy to the faithful.
Wishing to deliver a lawless man from a disordered life, thou didst show him a wondrous vision from thy precious icon, O blessed one, that, raised up by the dispensation of thy mercy from the depth of sin, he might repent through the miraculous vision, crying to God: “Alleluia.”
O Virgin Theotokos, wall of virginity for all who flee to thee, for the Creator of heaven and earth was conceived in thy womb and born of thee, O ever-virgin; He who was born of thee made thee the guardian of virginal purity and innocence and a vessel of every virtue, and taught us all to sing to thee:
Rejoice, pillar and wall of virginity; rejoice, invisible shelter of purity and innocence; rejoice, guide of virgins in virtue; rejoice, fair adorner and helper of brides; rejoice, thou who blessest spouses with all that is desirable; rejoice, thou who grantest swift delivery to women in childbirth; rejoice, nurse and good guardian of infants; rejoice, thou who comfortest childless spouses with faith and spiritual fruits; rejoice, comforter of sorrowing mothers; rejoice, secret consolation of holy virgins and widows; Rejoice, thou who grantest unexpected joy to the faithful.
We unworthy ones offer thee an all-compunctionate hymn and entreat thee, O Virgin Theotokos, disregard not the voices of thy servants, for we flee to thee in grief and sorrow, calling to thee with tears and cries thus: “Alleluia.”
We behold the holy Virgin as a light-giving candle, we who dwell in the darkness of sin and in the gloom beneath heaven; strengthened by her spiritual radiance, by her prayer, counsel and consolation, all who venerate her are led to the light that knoweth no evening, calling thus:
Rejoice, ray of the path of truth of Christ God; rejoice, thou who fulfillest for good every mystery and thing hard to imagine, and speakest of the same; rejoice, thou who puttest to shame false prophets and vain soothsayers; rejoice, thou who in time of perplexity puttest good thoughts into our hearts; rejoice, constant companion of those who fast and pray; rejoice, courage and inspirer of the faithful pastors of the Church; rejoice, thou who guardest without shame the sinners who repent before God; rejoice, fervent defender of all Christians; Rejoice, thou who grantest unexpected joy to the faithful.
Ask mercy for us of God, thy Son and God, O Theotokos. Lift us by the hand, and by thy help rescue us from all enemies and envious ones, calm our life, that we perish not without mercy and without repentance, but may shelter under thine everlasting protection and sing with gladness to God our Redeemer thus: “Alleluia.”
Singing of thine ineffable motherly mercy towards a lawless man, we all praise thee as a firm intercessor for sinners, we venerate thee as one who prayest for us, and we believe and hope that thou wilt ask for us of thy Son and God blessings both temporal and eternal, as we cry to thee with love:
Rejoice, thou who crushest every slander and temptation coming from the world, the flesh and the devil; rejoice, thou who amendest unconverted and unrepentant sinners; rejoice, swift comforter of the despairing and sorrowful who have no comfort; rejoice, thou who makest us free of care through the grace of obedience and patience; rejoice, thou who openly exposest oath-breakers and those who gain unjustly; rejoice, thou who surroundest with peace and love those at strife within and at enmity among brethren; rejoice, thou who invisibly freest us from ruinous undertakings and senseless desires; rejoice, thou who ever speedest our good desires; rejoice, helper of us all at the hour of our end; Rejoice, thou who grantest unexpected joy to the faithful.
O all-hymned Mother, who didst contain within thy womb the uncontainable God and gavest birth to joy for all the world, accept this hymn at this hour, change all our sorrow into joy, deliver us from every misfortune and turn away from us the torment to come, as we call to thee: “Alleluia.”
This kontakion is read thrice, then Ikos 1 and Kontakion 1.
