Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos for Her Icon “The Unfading Flower”
She is entreated for the keeping of a pure and righteous life; she also helps in choosing a bridegroom or a bride, and pure and fervent prayer before this icon helps in resolving family troubles as well. She has many times granted healing from sicknesses.
Rejoice, Bride of God, mystical rod that hast blossomed with the unfading flower; rejoice, O Queen, through whom we have been filled with joy and have received life.
O most blessed Virgin Theotokos, we venerate thine all-honourable icon, we sing to thee a hymn of praise, to thee we commit all our afflictions, griefs and tears; O our quiet intercessor, our earthly sorrows are near to thee: accept our sighs, help us and deliver us from afflictions, that with compunction we may unceasingly call to thee: Rejoice, O Mother of God, unfading flower!
As a blessing of God and a gift of heaven long awaited, thou wast sent down, O Theotokos, upon thy righteous and joyful parents Joachim and Anna. And thou, O God-chosen child, when thou didst leave the bosom of thy parents, didst appear as an unquenchable lamp of faith, as a censer of sweet fragrance, and in humility thou didst stand before the Lord, and the power of the Most High led thee up to the gate that entereth into the Holy of Holies, and the mystical heaven was opened wide to thee.
O most merciful Virgin Theotokos, lift up these our prayers also before thy Son and our God, that we may call thus:
Rejoice, unapproachable purity and ineffable humility; rejoice, thou who art magnified through thy humility; rejoice, God-chosen vessel; rejoice, our fervent intercessor; Rejoice, O Mother of God, unfading flower!
O all-holy Virgin Mary, we incline towards sinful thoughts and towards the abyss of shameful deeds; our hearts have grown cold, our eyes heavy and drowsy; but do thou, O unfading flower, wash us with the dew of the dawn, warm us with the sun of love and compassion, and lead us up from earthly ashes, O Queen, to the Lord, that in humility we may offer Him these our prayers and cry: Alleluia.
The Archangel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee, O all-holy Virgin, and brought thee the holy annunciation, crying: “Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee”; and we, beholding such majesty, cry to thee with obedient heart:
Rejoice, for thou art highly favoured by God and magnified above the angels and saints; rejoice, for thou didst conceive a Son who shall inherit the throne of His father David; rejoice, unquenchable light kindled for us in the darkness; rejoice, thou who openest to us the gates of eternal joy; Rejoice, O Mother of God, unfading flower!
We are weighed down by grief and pass our days in vanity and sorrow; but do thou, O blessed one, enlighten our hearts with humility, that bowing our heads we may cry: “Behold the servants of the Lord; be it unto us according to Thy word”; and we, O unfading flower, cry to thee and to Him who was born of thee thus: Alleluia.
In those days thou didst hasten, O Mary, to a city of Juda and didst salute Elisabeth. And Elisabeth, filled with the Holy Spirit, cried to God Most High in song: “Whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” O all-holy Virgin, visit us also, weak and poor, and lift up our sighs like sweet incense before the throne on high, that with the fullness of thankful hearts we may call to thee thus:
Rejoice, for the Lord hath regarded the lowliness of His handmaiden; rejoice, for all generations call thee blessed; rejoice, for He that is mighty hath done to thee great things; rejoice, fountain of life and immortality; Rejoice, O Mother of God, unfading flower!
O unfading flower, O fragrant beauty, look down upon our bitter lot; entreat thy Son to shelter us from afflictions and griefs, from wrath and sighing, and ask peace for our hearts, that He may grant us all according to our entreaty and guard us by His ineffable mercy. And we, in hope of thine almighty intercession, glorify the Lord with all our soul and cry to Him: Alleluia.
To the shepherds keeping watch in that night the angel of the Lord brought good tidings of great joy, that Christ the Lord was born in the city of David and, wrapped in swaddling clothes, was laid in a manger. O all-holy Mother, who gavest birth to thy firstborn Son, accept this cry also from us:
Rejoice, O Virgin Theotokos, for through thee the Light that setteth not shineth upon the world; rejoice, star that showest the way in the darkness; rejoice, dawn of the mystical day; rejoice, thou who revivest our souls; rejoice, haven and swift helper in all afflictions; rejoice, dove, Mother of mercy; Rejoice, O Mother of God, unfading flower!
This is the King of the world who cometh, this is the mystical sacrifice; the angels sing in heaven: “Glory to God in the highest, glory to God in the highest.” Today is born the life of all men; the divine, most exalted mystery cometh; and let us too, unworthy servants, leave behind all worldly care, every passion and pleasure, and like the shepherds and like the magi worship thee, O Theotokos, and thy divine Son, crying unceasingly: Alleluia.
Lo, the righteous Simeon cometh by the Spirit into the temple and taketh up the child Jesus in his arms and blesseth God, that He may let His servant depart in peace; but a sword shall pierce through thine own soul, O Mother Mary, that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed; and we who are saved through thee sing to thee thus: Rejoice, most blessed one, who turnest that great sorrow into joy;
rejoice, thou who ever pourest forth motherly sweetness; rejoice, Mother of our God, who didst endure for thy Son the most exceeding joy and the most exceeding sorrow; rejoice, hope and comforter of all who mourn; Rejoice, O Mother of God, unfading flower!
O most good Mother Mary, the sea of the world is stirred up with waves and fury, and the depth of the abysses hasteneth to swallow us. Our joy is darkened. But do thou, quiet and compassionate one, entreat thy Son to have mercy on us, sorrowful and orphaned in our griefs, to rescue us from all afflictions and trials, to teach us how to keep His eternal righteousness, and to make us worthy, like Simeon the God-receiver, of the joyful song: “Lord, now lettest Thou Thy servant depart.” Have mercy on us, O unfading flower, forsake us not, and save us who cry to God: Alleluia.
The child grew and waxed strong in spirit and grace, and thou His Mother didst keep all these sayings in thy heart. Sorrowing and in pain thou didst seek Him among kinsfolk and acquaintance, and filled with great joy thou didst find Him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, whom He amazed with His divine understanding. O most spotless purity, O sweetest heart, who warmest all the world with love, who hearest our hymn also, thus offered to thee:
Rejoice, thou who didst nurture with love the divine Son; rejoice, sun of the righteous; rejoice, wise guide of parents’ hearts; rejoice, unshakeable wall of youths and children; rejoice, guardian of spotless virgins; rejoice, thou who showest fathers the honourable and righteous way; Rejoice, O Mother of God, unfading flower!
“Son, why hast Thou thus dealt with us?” thou didst ask thy Son Jesus, seeing Him with amazement among the wise and learned – divine understanding! divine revelation! – He must be there, in His Father’s house. O all-good Mother, look down upon our children also and cover them with thy fragrant shelter. Enlighten our sons and daughters with the light of understanding, strengthen their powers of soul and body, protect them with the fear of God, with obedience to their parents and with purity of spirit, bring them up for the glory of God and the gladness of their parents. O lampstand of unquenchable love, wash them with the oil of thy mercy, warm them with the meekness of thine eyes, bless them with thy motherly robe. O unfading flower, falling in faith beneath thy feet, with unshaken hope and contrite heart we sing unceasingly to God: Alleluia.
O fervent intercessor of a most adulterous and sinful generation, at thy word thy Son and our God in Cana of Galilee did the beginning of His signs, at the marriage; entreat thy Son at this hour also, O Mother of God, that He may work a wonder upon us too, and change our days – afflicted, full of falsehood, torment and mourning – and make joy, righteousness and love grow in them, that among us may be established the beginning of divine grace, the fountain of the Holy Spirit, the holy God in three Persons; that He may root out all guile and uncleanness from our hearts. O unapproachable purity and ineffable mercy, incline thine ear to these our prayers and make us worthy to call thus:
Rejoice, radiant light of love and of acceptance of all; rejoice, divine vessel of everlasting blessedness; rejoice, fervent intercessor for us all before God; rejoice, thou who swiftly bearest up our afflictions to the throne of God; rejoice, for at thy words thy Son worketh signs that grant joy to the world; Rejoice, O Mother of God, unfading flower!
Love no longer reigneth, righteousness hath vanished, falsehood and enmity, wrath and hatred dwell in our hearts; brother hath risen against brother, children against parents and parents against children. O compassionate God, who is it that hath defiled Thy wondrous garden, or who hath sown tares and thorns among the wheat? Justly hath Thy wrath come, and behold, the axe is laid unto the root of the trees; but Thy Mother, the fervent intercessor of the world, falleth down before Thee. O love surpassing all and most fragrant heart! Turn from us the wrath of God, strengthen those who love us, that neither persecution nor the passing of time may shake them; bless those who hate us, forgive our enemies, soften their angry hearts and enlighten them with the light of Christ’s love, and change hatred and envy into shame and repentance. O fragrant flower, our vessel hath been emptied; have mercy on us and fill it with the wine of holy love and spiritual protection, that with thankful hearts we may unceasingly sing to thee: Alleluia.
The uncircumscribed Teacher was wholly with those on earth and in no way absent from those on high – He who raised up the sick, cleansed the lepers, filled all the world with love, meekly bore torments; nailed to the cross, He hangeth between two thieves, and all the men standing by reviled Him, and with them the rulers and soldiers. But thou, O mourning Mother, didst bow thy head before the cross, and a sword pierced thy motherly heart; and we, who magnify the passion of thy Son, call to thee thus:
Rejoice, sweetest Virgin Mary, for thy sorrow shall be turned into joy, and that joy shall never be taken from thee; rejoice, thou who understandest the sorrows of mothers, who didst behold the humiliation of thy Son, crucified and reviled; rejoice, for thou art called Queen of the world and sittest on high beside the throne of Jesus, thy Son and God; rejoice, for by the sorrow of thy heart thou hast washed with tears the sorrow of all the world and the sins of the race of men; rejoice, meek one, for this thy Son shall rise, to loose the sting of death, and His light shall shine for ever; rejoice, O Theotokos, image of heavenly purity and goodness; Rejoice, O Mother of God, unfading flower!
Beholding Him thus hanging on the tree like a thief, we sing to thee: O God, be merciful to us sinners, Thou who didst endure many torments for our transgressions. O mourning Mother, turn not thy face from us, loose the bonds of our sins, cleanse our hearts, that with fervent spirit we may burn like a candle before the cross of thy divine Son, entreating unceasingly: Remember me, O Lord, in Thy kingdom. By thy prayer, O Theotokos, direct our steps to the fulfilling of the commandments of God, wash us and lift us up to the radiant Light that setteth not, that we may cry to God: Alleluia.
“It is finished; Father, into Thy hands I commend My spirit.” O mourning Mother, didst thou hear how the earth quaked with sorrow and its bosom was rent, and the graves were opened and the veil of the temple was rent in twain? Didst thou see how darkness covered the earth and men said: “Truly this man was the Son of God”? And we, amazed at such wonders, rightly sing to thee:
Rejoice, O Mother of God, for thou didst keep all these sayings in thy heart, which are now fulfilled; rejoice, Virgin full of grace, unshadowed dawn of the day that setteth not; rejoice, dwelling of the most exalted mysteries; rejoice, bestower of divine grace; Rejoice, O Mother of God, unfading flower!
Let all mortal flesh keep silence and stand with fear and trembling. This great sacrifice is offered for the sins of the world. Let us leave behind all worldly and vain care and fall down before the throne of the King of glory, singing unceasingly with pure heart: Holy, holy, holy, Lord of Sabaoth! O Mother of our salvation, make us partakers of that eternal blessedness, that we may cry to God: Alleluia.
On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women came to the sepulchre bringing spices, and the stone was rolled away, and they found not the body of the Lord Jesus. O women, be not affrighted, and seek not the living among the dead. Christ is risen, as He said unto you; and do thou, O Theotokos, teach us all to sing thus: Rejoice, for thy Son is risen from the tomb on the third day; rejoice, for all the earth keepeth feast and the angels sing: “Christ is risen from the dead”; rejoice, for the everlasting bars are loosed; rejoice, giver of eternal and endless life; rejoice, for through thy love and thy prayer we are delivered from eternal darkness; Rejoice, O Mother of God, unfading flower!
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, thy most grievous evil deeds have been forgiven thee by God, and the Sun that setteth not hath shone upon the world. Cleanse our hearts, O meek Virgin, and clothe them in wedding garments, that we may enter with joy into the all-beautiful bridal chamber of Christ, singing to Him: Alleluia.
When the hour of thy departure to God drew near, O Virgin Theotokos, the radiant angel of the Lord stood before thee, and thou didst accept the will of God again with humility and joy, and didst go in peace to thy divine Son. O our unfailing intercessor, send down upon us also a peaceful and untroubled departure from this earth of sorrow and mourning, that we may sing to thee thus:
Rejoice, thou who wast raised to heaven, Queen of heaven; rejoice, our swift and sure intercessor and helper; rejoice, all-hymned Virgin, for generation after generation calleth thy name blessed; rejoice, our sure haven in the troubled sea of life; rejoice, joyful one, who forsakest us not even after thy falling asleep; Rejoice, O Mother of God, unfading flower!
O dread hour of our end: hearts and limbs tremble when they remember it; how our loved ones and those near us will leave us orphaned, how we shall pass unwashed into that new life, how we shall stand before the dread judgement seat of our Creator and God. O our comforter, O our good helper, help us when all this cometh. Lay thy hand, the hand of a loving mother, upon my head, that our torments may be stilled, and deliver our souls again from griefs. Soften the sorrow of parting and make the light of eternal righteousness shine before our eyes. O all-holy Mother, we set our hope on thee, we entreat thee and sing to God: Alleluia.
My soul, my soul, why art thou grown rich in sins? On whom hast thou set thy hope? What wilt thou answer the Lord when the Judge cometh to judge the world? In the day and hour that we know not He will send forth His angels with a great sound of a trumpet from one end of the earth to the other, and the dead shall rise, and then shall all the nations be gathered and see the Son of man coming with all His power and glory. Where then shall be good deeds, O men, or compassion, or love? The heaven will be darkened by the countless multitude of our sins. O all-merciful Theotokos, on thee alone we set our hope in that day; forsake us not, be our guardian and our strength. With fervent faith and hope we fall down before thine all-holy icon, calling thus:
Rejoice, wall and strength of all the world; rejoice, lightning that enlightenest the darkness; rejoice, our intercessor before the dread judgement seat of Christ; rejoice, Queen of heaven, Mother of God and Lord of heaven and earth; rejoice, thou who coverest the earth with thy holy omophorion; Rejoice, O Mother of God, unfading flower!
O unfading flower, O all-hymned Mother Mary, who gavest birth to the Word, holier than all the saints, accept this our present offering, deliver us from every calamity and make us worthy, O Queen, of the kingdom of heaven, as we sing to thee: Alleluia.
(This kontakion is read thrice, and again Ikos 1 and Kontakion 1.)
My good Queen, my hope, O Theotokos, shelter of orphans, intercessor of strangers, joy of the sorrowful, protectress of the oppressed! Behold my misfortune, behold my sorrow; help me, for I am weak; feed me, for I am a stranger. Thou knowest my afflictions: blot them out as thou wilt, for I have no other helper, no other intercessor or comforter but thee, O Queen, for thou art my guardian and protectress unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O all-holy Virgin, Mother of the Lord of the powers on high, Queen of heaven and earth, almighty guardian of our city and country: accept this song of thanksgiving and praise from thine unworthy servants and lift up our prayers before the throne of God on high, thy Son, that He may be merciful to our iniquities and multiply His grace upon those who honour His all-honourable name and venerate with love thy wonderworking icon. Not for our worthiness will He have mercy on us, but thou makest Him merciful towards us, O Queen, for thou art able to accomplish through Him whatsoever thou wilt. Therefore we flee to thee as to our sure and swift helper: hear the voice of those who entreat thee and entreat God thy Son to grant to our pastors zeal and watchfulness over souls; to the authorities wisdom and strength; to judges righteousness and impartiality; to superiors understanding and humility; to spouses love and concord; to children obedience; to the oppressed patience; to oppressors the fear of God; to the sorrowful long-suffering; to the joyful restraint; and to all of us the spirit of understanding and godliness, the spirit of mercy and meekness, the spirit of purity and righteousness. O all-holy Lady, have mercy on the infirmities of thy people: gather the scattered, set the erring on the path of righteousness. Be a helper to the aged, a teacher of wisdom to the young, a nurse to children, and look down upon us all with the merciful eye of thine intercession. Raise us up from the depths of sin and enlighten the eyes of our hearts to understand the way of salvation. Be merciful to us here on earth in the time of our sojourn, and there also before the dread judgement of thy Son. Grant to our fathers and brethren who have departed this life in faith a dwelling with the angels and all the saints in eternal life. For thou, O Lady, art the glory of heaven and the hope of the earth; thou art our hope and intercessor with God for all who flee to thee in faith. Therefore we entreat thee as an almighty helper and commit ourselves and one another and all our life to thee, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
O all-holy Lady and incorrupt Mother and Virgin, hope of Christians and haven of sinners, guard all who flee to thee and hear our lament; incline thine ear to our prayer, O Lady and Mother of our God; disregard not those who entreat thy help. Instruct and enlighten us; turn not thy face from thy servants for these our vain murmurings. Be a mother and protectress to us who have fallen beneath thy merciful shelter, and bring us sinners to an untroubled and unharmed life. O Mother Mary, most blessed and swift helper, cover me with thine intercession, guard me from enemies visible and invisible, soften the fury of the hearts of evil men who have risen up against us. O Mother of the Lord our Creator, thou art the root of virginity and the unfading flower of innocence and purity. Send down thy help upon us who have fallen into infirmities and fleshly passions through impurity of heart. Enlighten the eyes of our soul, that we may see the path of God’s righteousness. Strengthen our weak will in the keeping of the commandments, that we may be delivered from every trial and calamity and by thine intercession be justified before the judgement seat of thy Son, to whom we offer glory, honour and worship, now and ever and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
