Troparia and kontakia for January 16

Veneration of the Precious Chains of the Holy and All-Glorious Apostle Peter

Troparion — Tone 4

You came to us without leaving Rome / through the precious chains that you wore. / First-enthroned of the apostles, / we bow down to them in faith and pray: / “Through your prayers to God grant us great mercy.”

Kontakion — Tone 2

Christ the Rock radiantly glorifies the Rock of Faith, / the first-enthroned of the disciples; / He calls us to honor the miracles wrought through Peter’s chains, / so that He may grant us forgiveness of our sins.

Kontakion — Tone 2

(Podoben: “The Theotokos who is ever-vigilant in prayer...”)1
Let us glorify the great Peter, the chief and first-enthroned of the Apostles, / the divine disciple of Truth, / kissing his chains with faith, / and receiving the forgiveness of our transgressions.


1 The model is the Kontakion for the Dormition.

Blessed Maximus the Fool for Christ of Tot'ma

Troparion — Tone 4

Having served God blamelessly in the priesthood, you chose foolishness in the midst of worldly vanity; / you took up the Cross and followed Christ with unswerving will and love. / Forsaking earthly things, you received heavenly things. / O Blessed Maximus our Father, entreat Christ God to preserve the city of Tot'ma unharmed, / and that our souls may be saved..

Kontakion — Tone 4

Following the divine call, you were zealous to instruct your flock, / not by the wisdom of words, but by a life of foolishness;1 / with dispassionate, unceasing prayers, and streams of tears, / you cleansed your soul and body, exhausting the flesh with the extremes of weather; / therefore, even after death, the Lord has glorified you with miracles, / that we may cry out to you with faith, / "Rejoice, O divinely-wise Father Maximus."


1 1 Corinthians 4:10

Martyred brothers Speusippus, Eleusippus, Meleusippus, and those with them, in Gaul

Troparion — Tone 4

Your holy martyrs, O Lord, / through their sufferings have received an incorruptible crown from You, our God. / For having Your strength, they laid low their adversaries, / and shattered the powerless boldness of demons. / Through their intercessions, save our souls!

Martyr Danax the Reader, in Macedonia

Troparion — Tone 4

Your holy martyr Danax, O Lord, / through his sufferings has received an incorruptible crown from You, our God. / For having Your strength, he laid low his adversaries, / and shattered the powerless boldness of demons. / Through his intercessions, save our souls!

Kontakion — Tone 2

(Podoben: “You sought the heights...”)
You appeared as a bright star announcing Christ with your radiance, / which is repulsive to this world, O Martyr Danax; / extinguishing the allure of false gods, / you enlighten the faithful, / always interceding for us all.

Saint Honoratus, Archbishop of Arles, founder of Lerins Monastery

Troparion — Tone 4

In truth you were revealed to your flock as a rule of faith, / an image of humility and a teacher of abstinence; / your humility exalted you; / your poverty enriched you. / Hierarch Father Honoratus, / entreat Christ our God / that our souls may be saved.

Kontakion — Tone 2

(Podoben: “You sought the heights...”)
O Hierarch Honoratus, divine thunder, spiritual trumpet, / planter of faith and pruner of heresies, great favorite of the Trinity, / while standing with the Angels before God, / pray unceasingly for us all.

Hieromartyr Damascene the New

Troparion — Tone 4

By sharing in the ways of the Apostles, / you became a successor to their throne. / Through the practice of virtue, you found the way to divine contemplation, O inspired one of God; / by teaching the word of truth without error, you defended the Faith, / even to the shedding of your blood. / Hieromartyr Damascene, entreat Christ God to save our souls.

Venerable Romilus of Ravenica

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 Romilus, pray to Christ our God to save our souls!