Day 4 ~ Akathist of Thanksgiving in the Advent Time

 

Scroll back to November 29 for an introduction to this 13 part prayer.

Kontakion 4

How filled with sweetness are those whose thoughts dwell on you; how life-giving your holy Word. To speak with you is more soothing than anointing with oil; sweeter than the honeycomb. To  pray to you lifts the spirit, refreshes the soul. Where you are not, there is only emptiness; hearts are smitten with sadness; nature, and life itself, become sorrowful; where you are, the soul is filled with abundance, and its song resounds like a torrent of life. Alleluia!

Ikos 4

*When the sun is setting, when quietness falls like the peace of eternal sleep, and the silence of the spent day reigns, then in the splendor of its declining rays, filtering through the clouds, I see your dwelling-place: fiery and purple, gold and blue, they speak prophet-like of the ineffable beauty of your presence, and call to us in their majesty. We turn to the Father.

*Glory to you, at the hushed hour of nightfall;

  glory to you, covering the earth with peace.

Glory to you, for the last ray of the sun as it sets;

  glory to you, for sleep's repose that restores us.

Glory to you, for your goodness even in the darkness

  when all the world is hidden from our eyes.

Glory to you, for the prayers offered by a trembling soul.

Glory to you, for the pledge of our reawakening.

  on that glorious last day, that day which has no evening.

Glory to you, O God, from age to age.

* When I was a young priest I had dinner in a waterfront restaurant with a large outdoor deck filled with a happy but somewhat boozy crowd. As the sun sank down into the western waters and the sky was filled with brilliant colors, everyone stopped talking, watched and applauded. I imagine if we were stone sober, attentive and awake, we could spend the whole day applauding. Unless of course, we had to spend the day going round and round in a treeless parking lot, or up and down in a dark, cement garage.

* We may recall that Bishop Tryphon who composed this prayer, lived in the Soviet Union and the priest-martyr, Gregory Petroff, prayed this prayer imprisoned in a concentration camp.

Day 3 ~ Akathist of Thanksgiving ~ In the Advent Time

Click here to to listen to the Nightingale's song.

For an introduction to this thirteen part prayer cycle, scroll back to November 29.

Kontakion 3

It is the Holy Spirit who makes us find joy in each flower, the exquisite scent, the delicate color, the beauty of the Most High in the *tiniest of things. Glory and honor to the Spirit, the Giver of Life, who covers the fields with their carpet of flowers, crowns the harvest with gold, and gives to us the joy of gazing at it with our eyes. O be joyful and sing to Him: Alleluia!

Ikos 3

How glorious are you in the springtime, when every creature awakes to new life and joyfully sings your praises with *a thousand tongues. You are the Source of life, the Destroyer of Death. By the light of the moon, nightingales sing, and the valleys and hills lie like *wedding garments, white as snow. All the earth is your promised bride awaiting her spotless husband. If the grass of the field is like this, how gloriously shall we be transfigured in the Second Coming after the Resurrection! How splendid our bodies, how spotless our souls!

Glory to you, bringing from the depth of the earth an *endless variety of colors, tastes and scents.

Glory to you, for the warmth and tenderness of the world of nature.

Glory to you, for the *numberless creatures around us.

Glory to you, for the depths of your *wisdom, the whole world a living sign of it.

Glory to you, on my needs, I kiss the *traces of your unseen hand.

Glory to you, enlightening us with the clearness of eternal life.

Glory to you, for the hope of the *unutterable, imperishable beauty of immortality.

Glory to you, O God, from *age to age.

* "tiniest of things" — Do I notice?

* "a thousand tongues" — Frogs and birds too!

* "like wedding garments" — God's relationship with us is marital.

* "an endless variety of colors, tastes and scents." Yes, but there are neighborhoods in our country where nothing fresh to eat can be had. They are called food deserts.

* "numberless creatures around us" — Our pets, yes, but also the earth's great creatures. 90% of the world's elephants are gone. Leaving our grandchildren a world without elephants — what a very sad thought.

*  God's "wisdom" — What does God know? 

* "the traces of your unseen hand" — HOLY is everywhere, not just in church. St. Benedict writes to his monks: "Treat the garden tools as you would treat the chalice on the altar." 

* "unutterable" — Before God's promises our words are useless. Our ultimate response to the divine is silence. But religion can be very wordy. St. Kateri prayed with a her eyes. St. Therese of Lisieux prayed with a sigh.

* "from age to age" — from beginning to end - but that includes this day, this hour, this moment.

Intercessions ~ Second Advent

At the start of December we pray for those  who celebrate birthdays,/ anniversaries and other days of remembrance./ We pray for the safety of holiday travelers and for the peace and wellbeing of family and friends./ We pray to the Lord.

Advent is a time of waiting/ waiting for the Lord's return,/ waiting to celebrate another Christmas./ We pray for those who wait for the baby to be born,/ who wait for the war to end,/ who wait to find a new welcoming home,/ who wait for sobriety,/ who wait for test results or a cure,/ who wait for the return of a loved one./ We pray to the Lord.

Tuesday is Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day./ We pray for the 2400 men and women who died that day,/ and ask for a new willingness to enter honest, peace-creating dialogues./ May we do this for the world's children./ We pray to the Lord. 

Wednesday is the feast of the Immaculate Conception./ Like Mary, may we create an atmosphere of love around Jesus,/ rejecting the tendencies we can so easily follow:/ greed and indifference,/ the demonizing of others,/ making ourselves the norm that all should embrace./ We pray to the Lord. 

We pray for Pope Francis as he completes his visit to Cyprus and Greece./ We pray for the 31 refugees who drown this week when their boat capsized in the English Channel between France and Great Britain./ May those who are fleeing in desperation,/ our sisters and brothers,/ find hospitality not hostility./  We pray to the Lord.

God of forests and fields,/ oceans and rivers/ and all the living things,/ grow us up spiritually,/ that we would not expect you to save our planet,/ but that we would have the resolve to nurture what you have lovingly created./  We pray to the Lord.

There was yet another high school shooting this week/ leaving four teenagers dead and seven injured./ May God forgive our gun idolatry./ May God console,/ bless,/ strengthen,/ heal and convert our nation/ weakened and demoralized by murderous violence./ We pray to the Lord.

fsd