Troparia and kontakia for December 3

Prophet Zephaniah

Troparion — Tone 2

We celebrate the memory / of Your prophet Zephaniah, O Lord; / through him we entreat You, / save our souls.

Kontakion — Tone 4

You have been revealed by the Spirit of God to be brilliant, Prophet Zephaniah, / for you proclaimed the coming of God: / “Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! / Proclaim Him, O Jerusalem! / Behold, your King is coming to save mankind!”

Venerable Savva, Igoumen of Zvenigorod, Disciple of Venerable Sergius of Radonezh

Troparion — Tone 8

You appeared as a beautiful growth in the wilderness, O Venerable one, / for from your youth you chose a life of purity. / Following your Spiritual Father, by his teaching your mind was turned to heavenly things, / and you appeared as a most wise shepherd of your flock. / Therefore, Christ, like a beautiful lamp, has enriched you with miracles. / O Savva, our Father, pray for the salvation of our souls.

Kontakion — Tone 2

Inflamed with love for the Lord, / you forsook bodily passions through abstinence and became an unwaning lamp of the Divine light, / enlightening with miraculous rays all who come to the shrine of your relics, / O Venerable Savva, our Father.

Saint Theodoulus, Eparch of Constantinople

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

Venerable John the Silent of Saint Sabbas Monastery

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

Hieromartyr Theodore, Archbishop of Alexandria

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 divinely-inspired one; by rightly dividing the word of truth without error, you defended the Faith, / even to the shedding of your blood. / O Hieromartyr Theodore, entreat Christ God to save our souls.

Kontakion — Tone 4

(Podoben: "You were lifted up...")
As one who lived piously among Hierarchs and who underwent martyrdom, / O divinely-wise one, / you abolished the sacrifices of idolatry and showed yourself to be a protector of your flock. / Therefore, we cry fervently to you: / “By your intercessions, deliver us from all misfortunes, O Theodore our Father.”

Monastic Martyr Cosmas of Saint Anne Skete, Mount Athos

Troparion — Tone 1

The image of God was truly preserved in you, O Father, / for you took up the Cross and followed Christ. / By so doing you taught us to disregard the flesh for it passes away / but to care instead for the soul, since it is immortal. / Therefore your spirit, venerable Cosmas, rejoices with the angels.

Kontakion — Tone 2

As a venerable and proven ascetic, as an honorable and renowned martyr, / and as a model of the desert life, O most exalted Cosmas, / we sing hymns of praise to you, / for you have trampled upon serpents.

Venerable George of Cernica

Troparion — Tone 4

O Venerable Father George, / as a follower of the monastic Fathers and doer of hesychastic virtues, unceasing prayer, and the reviver of Romanian monasticism, / entreat Christ God to grant us great mercy.

New Martyr Angelos of Chios

Troparion — Tone 4

Your holy martyr Angelos, 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 Angelos; / extinguishing the allure of false gods, / you enlighten the faithful, / always interceding for us all.