Troparia and kontakia for May 8

Great and Holy Monday

Troparion — Tone 8

Behold the Bridegroom comes at midnight, / and blessed is the servant whom He shall find watching, / and again unworthy is the servant whom He shall find heedless. / Beware, therefore, O my soul, do not be weighed down with sleep, / lest you be given up to death and lest you be shut out of the Kingdom. / But rouse yourself crying: Holy, Holy, Holy, are You, O our God! / Through the Theotokos have mercy on us!

Kontakion — Tone 8

Jacob lamented the loss of Joseph, / but his noble son was seated on a chariot / and honored as a king. / For when he refused to be enslaved / by the pleasures of the Egyptian woman, / he was glorified by the Lord who beholds the hearts of men, / and bestows upon them an incorruptible crown.

Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian

Troparion — Tone 2

O beloved Apostle of Christ our God, / come quickly to deliver your helpless people. / He on whose breast you leaned, will accept you as intercessor. / Entreat Him, O Theologian, to disperse the clouds of darkness, / granting us peace and great mercy!

Kontakion — Tone 2

Who shall declare your greatness, / O virgin disciple, / for you pour forth wonders and are a source of healings, / and pray for our souls as theologian and friend of Christ.

Venerable Arsenius the Great

Troparion — Tone 8

By a flood of tears you made the desert fertile, / and your longing for God brought forth fruits in abundance. / By the radiance of miracles you illumined the whole universe! / O our holy father Arsenius, pray to Christ our God to save our souls!

Kontakion — Tone 2

You shone from Rome as a great sun and reached the royal city,1 most blessed one, / enlightening it by your words and deeds, and dispersing the darkness of foolishness. / Therefore, we honor you, O Venerable Arsenios, glory of the Fathers.


1 Constantinople

Venerable Arsenius the Lover-of-Labor of the Kiev Far Caves

Troparion — Tone 8

By a flood of tears you made the desert fertile, / and your longing for God brought forth fruits in abundance. / By the radiance of miracles you illumined the whole universe! / O our holy father Arsenius, pray to Christ our God to save our souls!

Venerable Pimen the Ascetic of the Kiev Far Caves

Troparion — Tone 8

By a flood of tears you made the desert fertile, / and your longing for God brought forth fruits in abundance. / By the radiance of miracles you illumined the whole universe! / O our holy father Pimen, pray to Christ our God to save our souls!