On Lord, I have cried…, 6 stichera: 3 of the Blind Man, in Tone V: Special Melody: Rejoice…—

With mouth, soul and mind he who before was blind confessed the Governor of the whole world and Author of creation, Who in His lovingkindness had become man, a mere creature, and Who in an act of creation gave him orbs of sight made of dust and spittle; and he proclaimed Him to be the God Almighty, upon Whom the scribes in their zeal, being greatly blinded, could in nowise bear to look when He conversed with them, and with abuse they drove from the synagogue Him Who had given sight of soul and body to the blind man.

The blind man won a complete victory of valor over the sighted; for, though blind, he beheld his Fashioner and the Creator of all, seeing sight wrought for him from spittle; and by this alone did he recognize the Son of God, the Master of the whole world, as his Enlightener. But seeing Him, those blinded by the malice of envy utterly refused to see, though they had many times seen Him perform such all-glorious and miraculous acts wrought by His words alone.

To the doubting, blind Scribes, the blind man, who was given eyes as one who had never seen, was merely pretending that he had been granted sight by the Savior. They wished to be blinded by the dark letters of the Law, wherein the truly sweet Sun shineth, Who reneweth the work of the Sabbath, which He created for me, Who bringeth light into the shadow thereof, Who taketh away the veil therefrom, and Who thereon enlightened him who before was blind and who, now seeing, proclaimeth the Bestower of light to the world.

And 3 from the Menaion.

Glory…, Now & ever…, in Tone VIII—

O Christ God, Thou Sun of righteousness, Who by Thine all-pure touch didst bring light to both eyes of him Who from the womb had been deprived of light, and hast illumined the eyes of our souls: Show us to be children of the day, that we may cry out to Thee with faith: Great and ineffable is Thy compassion for us! Glory to Thee Who lovest mankind!

Aposticha stichera, in Tone V—

Of the resurrection: He was led like a lamb to the slaughter, bestowing resurrection upon the human race; and the princes of hades were afraid of Him, and the gates of weeping were seized, for Christ, the King of glory, entered in, saying to those in bonds: “Come forth!” and to those in darkness: “Show yourselves!”

Stichos: Unto Thee have I lifted up mine eyes, unto Thee that dwellest in heaven. Behold, as the eyes of servants look unto the hands of their masters, as the eyes of the handmaid look unto the hands of her mistress, so do our eyes look unto the Lord our God, until He take pity on us.

Of compunction: I fear the fear of Thee, O Lord, yet I cease not to do evil. Who will not be afraid before the tribunal of the Judge, and who desireth healing yet driveth the physician away, as do I? O long-suffering Lord, take pity on my weakness, and have mercy on me.

Stichos: Have mercy on us, O Lord, have mercy on us, for greatly are we filled with abasement. Greatly hath our soul been filled therewith; let reproach come upon them that prosper, and abasement on the proud.

Martyricon: Having put on the breastplate of faith and armed themselves with the image of the Cross, Thy saints, O Lord, manfully gave themselves over to torments and cast down the pride and deception of the devil. As God almighty, send down peace upon the world through their entreaties, and great mercy upon our souls.

Glory…, Now & ever…, in Tone VIII—

O Christ God, Who in the lovingkindness of Thy compassions becamest incarnate, by dust Thou didst vouchsafe divine radiance unto him who was deprived of light from his mother’s womb, O Thou Who didst touch him with Thy creative fingers. And now, O Bestower of light, do Thou Thyself enlighten the eyes of our souls, in that Thou alone art the Bestower of abundant gifts.

At God is the Lord…, the resurrectional troparion, twice; Glory…, Now & ever…, the resurrectional theotokion.

After the first chanting of the Psalter, these sessional hymns, in Tone V: Special Melody: O ye faithful, let us hymn and worship the Word…

Declared to be dead, O Lord Who slewest death, Thou wast laid in a tomb, O Thou Who didst empty the graves. Above, soldiers kept guard over Thy sepulcher, while below Thou didst raise up the dead from ages past. O almighty and unapproachable Lord, glory be to Thee!

Stichos: O Lord, rebuke me not in Thine anger, nor chasten me in Thy wrath.

When the Judge taketh His seat and the angels stand before Him, when the trumpet soundeth and the flame is kindled, what shalt thou do, O my soul, when thou art brought to judgment? For then thine evils will confront thee, and thy secret sins will be laid bare. Wherefore, before the end cry out to the Judge: Cleanse me, O God, and save me!

Stichos: Wondrous is God in His saints, the God of Israel.

Martyricon: The memory of the passion-bearers shineth forth today, for it possesseth radiance from the heavens. The choir of angels keepeth festival, and the human race celebrateth with them. Wherefore, they entreat the Lord, that our souls find mercy.

Glory…, Now & ever…: Theotokion—

O all-holy Mother of God, bulwark of Christians, as is thy wont deliver thy people, who cry out to thee with fervor: Stand thou against our enemies and our rebellious thoughts, that we may cry out to thee: Rejoice, O thou who art full of grace!

After the second chanting of the Psalter, this sessional hymn, in Tone V: Special Melody: O Word Who with the Father and the Spirit art equally without beginning…

The blind man, who could not see the great sun from the time of his birth, is made to see by the spittle of Him Who of old wrought the composition of man; wherefore, beholding the form of Him Who created him according to His image and likeness, he sent thanksgiving unto God from the depths of his soul.

Glory…, Now & ever…: The foregoing is repeated.

Then, Having beheld the resurrection of Christ…; and Psalm 50.

Canon of the Blind Man, with 8 troparia, including the irmos; and that from the Menaion, with 4 troparia. Kontakion and exapostilarion of the Blind Man.

On the Praises, 4 stichera, in Tone V—

Of the resurrection: O Lord, Who didst break asunder the everlasting chains and rend apart the bonds of hades, Thou didst rise from the tomb, leaving Thy grave-clothes behind as a witness to Thy true resurrection on the third day; and Thou didst go before Thy disciples into Galilee, O Thou Who wast guarded in the cave. Great is Thy mercy, O unapproachable Savior! Have mercy and save us! Twice

Of compunction: Overlook the multitude of my transgressions, O Lord Who wast born of the Virgin; and cleanse me of all my sins, granting me the thought of converting, in that Thou alone lovest mankind. And have mercy on me, I pray Thee.

Martyricon: Thy passion-bearers, O Lord, imitators of the angelic ranks, endured tortures as though incorporeal, in oneness of mind possessed of the hope that they would enjoy the good things promised them. By their supplications, O Christ God, grant peace to Thy world and great mercy to our souls.

Glory…, Now & ever…, in Tone VIII—

Who can tell of Thy powers, O Christ? Or who can reckon the multitudes of Thy wonders? For in Thy goodness Thou wast revealed on earth to be both God and man, and didst grant twofold healing unto the infirm. For Thou didst not merely open the bodily eyes of him who was blind from his mother’s womb, but the eyes of his soul as well. Wherefore, he confessed Thee to be the hidden God, Who grantest great mercy unto all.

Aposticha stichera, in Tone V: Special Melody: O venerable father…—

Seeing the shadow, yet failing to perceive the pall which covereth the laws, they who troubled over the laws of Moses, beholding the radiant Effulgence which all-manifestly illumined the splendid blind man on the Sabbath, were morally blind, and could not see the Bestower of light Who created the Sabbath by His word, and Who gave eyes to the blind man through washing and by a new making of clay with spittle. Joining with him, let us gaze upon Him as God, reproaching the blindness of the Pharisees with sight granted from on high.

Stichos: Look upon me and have mercy on me.

At the divine command the light of his eyes dawned like the day upon the greatly afflicted blind man, who languished in the darkness of the nighttime of ignorance, when he washed in the streams of the Pool of Siloam. Wherefore, he is seen as a new light-bearer rebuking the Scribes of the Law, who gave rise to the gloom of the darkness, and with radiant effulgences he enlighteneth their dark blindness, whereby the blindness of the Scriptures, which before were enshrouded in shadows, was made clearly perceptible to us by the bright radiance imparted by the Word.

Stichos: My steps do Thou direct according to Thy saying.

Illumined by the light of the knowledge of God, the blind man mounted the heights of splendid ascent; for, enduring darkness of body and mind, blinded at first in body, he was wholly illumined by the new effulgences poured out by the Word; and he acknowledgeth the Bestower of light, the Creator of light Who would shine forth from the tomb on the third day and illumine the earth by His resurrection, from Whom, by His lovingkindness and great mercy, the light of our refashioning hath shone forth upon men held fast in darkness.

Glory…, Now & ever…, in Tone VIII—

O Christ God, Thou Sun of righteousness, Who by Thine all-pure touch didst bring light to both eyes of him Who from the womb had been deprived of light, and hast illumined the eyes of our souls: Show us to be children of the day, that we may cry out to Thee with faith: Great and ineffable is Thy compassion for us! Glory to Thee Who lovest mankind!