In many Orthodox prayer books you will find what is included in the collection of prayers - an akathist to the Sweetest Jesus.
In addition, in many Temples the reading of an akathist to the Sweetest Jesus is included in the schedule, often this happens on Sunday evening.
You can visit such services periodically. Taking part in congregational prayer, find consolation in this wonderful prayer and glorify Christ as your Savior. Glorify Jesus for His unspeakable love for all humanity.
The Akathist to the Lord Jesus Christ is, without a doubt, one of the most touching - its content is dedicated to the Savior, who loved people so much that he accepted terrible torment and death on the cross in order to grant salvation to humanity. Having accepted humiliation, the Creator gives Himself to the creature to be crucified for the sake of its salvation.
The text of the akathist to Jesus is enthusiastically laudatory. The akathist describes the life of the Son of God, God Almighty, who came to earth in humiliated human form, and at the same time all the virtues of Jesus as a Man are sung: love for mankind, purity, meekness, humility and the rest.
Akathist to the Sweetest Jesus - origin
The Akathist to Our Lord Jesus Christ is one of the oldest prayers - its very first list dates back to the 13th century. This is one of the first religious hymns that have the structure of an akathist, that is, consisting of kontakia and ikos.
In Orthodox terminology, ikos are long stanzas praising the traits of the One to whom the hymn is dedicated. In the akathist to the Sweetest Jesus, the ikos end with the words “Jesus, son of God, have mercy on me.”
Kontakia are not long stanzas that succinctly convey the essence of the akathist, which always end with the exclamation “Hallelujah.”
Any akathist contains twelve ikos and thirteen kontakia, and the last kontakion, according to the rules, is read three times, after which the first ikos is repeated again, and in conclusion the worshiper reads a prayer.
Akathist to the sweetest Jesus Christ, when is it customary to perform this prayer?
The Akathist to the Sweetest Jesus, like any other, can be read in different states of mind - it is equally good in moments of tenderness, joy, repentance, and grief.
Priests advise an akathist to Jesus in moments of despondency, depression, despair, when one gives up and it seems that there is no way out of the current situation.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the Creator, the Savior, and the Judge of all people. He is the true God and the true Man, He is the dearest and closest being to us, it is no coincidence that His name is Love.
Looking at Christ, Who opens His arms from the Cross, carefully performing this prayer, we will turn to Him like little children, and God will hear us and accept our prayer and give us incomparably more than we ask of Him.
Akathist and canon to Our Sweetest Lord Jesus Christ
AKATHIST
Kontakion 1
Chosen Voivode and Lord, hell to the conqueror, as if you were delivered from eternal death, I will sing praises to You, Your creation and servant; but, as if you have unspeakable mercy, free me from all troubles, calling:
Ikos 1
O Creator of Angels and Lord of Powers, open my bewildered mind and tongue to the praise of Thy most pure name, as Thou didst open the ears and tongue of the deaf and humming of old, and, as you say, the call like this:
Wonderful Jesus, wonder of angels;
Most powerful Jesus, deliverance of the first parents.
Sweet Jesus, magnification of the patriarchs;
Glorious Jesus, strengthening of kings.
Beloved Jesus, fulfillment of the prophets;
Wonderful Jesus, fortress of martyrs.
Quiet Jesus, joy of the monks;
Most merciful Jesus, sweetness of the elders.
Most merciful Jesus, abstinence for fasters;
Most sweet Jesus, joy to the saints.
Most honorable Jesus, virgin chastity;
Eternal Jesus, salvation of sinners.
Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me.
Kontakion 2
Seeing the green widow weeping, Lord, as if you had mercy then and raised up her son for burial; Have mercy on me too, O Lover of mankind, and resurrect my soul, killed by sins, calling: Alleluia.
Ikos 2
Philip, seeking to understand the unreasonable mind, Lord, show us the Father, he said; You come to him: you have been with Me for so long, have you not known that the Father is in Me, and I am in the Father? Also, Unexplored, I call Ti with fear:
Jesus, eternal God;
Jesus, most powerful King.
Jesus, long-suffering Master;
Jesus, most merciful Savior.
Jesus, my most gracious guardian;
Jesus, cleanse my sins.
Jesus, take away my iniquities;
Jesus, let go of my iniquities.
Jesus, my hope, do not forsake me;
Jesus, my helper, do not reject me.
Jesus, my Creator, do not forget me;
Jesus, my Shepherd, do not destroy me.
Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me.
Kontakion 3
You have clothed the Apostles with power from on high, O Jesus, who sit in Jerusalem, and clothed me, naked from all good works, with the warmth of Your Holy Spirit, and grant me to sing to You with love: Alleluia.
Ikos 3
Have riches of mercy, O publicans and sinners, and you have called the unbelievers, O Jesus; Do not despise me now, who is like them, but, like myrrh of great value, accept this song:
Jesus, invincible power;
Jesus, endless mercy.
Jesus, most radiant beauty;
Jesus, love unspeakable.
Jesus, Son of the Living God;
Jesus, have mercy on me, a sinner.
Jesus, hear me conceived in iniquity;
Jesus, cleanse me of the sins I was born with.
Jesus, teach me what is inappropriate; Jesus, lighten the dark for me.
Jesus, cleanse me that is filthy;
Jesus, lead me up as a prodigal.
Kontakion 4
Having a storm of doubtful thoughts inside, Peter drowned; Having seen Thee existing in the flesh, O Jesus, and walking on the waters, I came to know Thee as the true God and, having received the hand of salvation, said: Alleluia.
Ikos 4
Hearing Thee passing by, O Lord, the blind man cried out: Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me! And having called, you opened his eyes. Enlighten with Your mercy the eyes of the mental heart and me, crying out to You and saying:
Jesus, Creator on high;
Jesus, lower Redeemer.
Jesus, hell to the consumer;
Jesus, beautifier of all creation.
Jesus, Comforter of my soul;
Jesus, enlightener of my mind.
Jesus, my heart is glad;
Jesus, health to my body.
Jesus, my Savior, save me;
Jesus, my light, enlighten me.
Jesus, deliver me from all torment;
Jesus, save me, unworthy.
Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me.
Kontakion 5
With your rich Blood, as you redeemed us of old from the legal oath, Jesus, free us from the snare by which the serpent is stained with carnal passions and lustful obsession, and evil despondency, crying out to You: Alleluia.
Ikos 5
Having seen the fathers of Jewry in the form of humanity, Who created man with the hand and understood Him as the Lord, striving with branches to please Him, hosanna was crying out. We bring a song to Ti, saying:
Jesus, true God;
Jesus, Son of David. Jesus, most glorious King;
Jesus, Lamb without blemish.
Jesus, wonderful Shepherd;
Jesus, guardian of my youth.
Jesus, feeder of my youth;
Jesus, praise in my old age.
Jesus, hope in my death;
Jesus, life after my death.
Jesus, my consolation is at Thy judgment;
Jesus, my desire, do not disgrace me then.
Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me.
Kontakion 6
Preacher of God-bearing prophecies and fulfilling verbs, Jesus, appeared on earth and you lived with people inconceivably, and you took away our illnesses; Because we are healed by Your stripes, we sing with our hands: Alleluia.
Ikos 6
The illumination of Thy truth has risen into the universe, and the flattery of demons has been driven away: for idols, O our Savior, do not tolerate Thy strength, fallen. We, having received salvation, cry out to Ti:
Jesus, truly, flattery drives away;
Jesus, the light that surpasses all lordships.
Jesus, King, overcome all strengths;
Jesus, God, remain in mercy.
Jesus, Animal Bread, satisfy my hunger;
Jesus, fountain of reason, give drink to me when I am thirsty.
Jesus, robe of joy, clothe me who perishes;
Jesus, cover of joy, cover me, unworthy.
Jesus, giver to those who ask, gain to those who seek, find my soul.
Jesus, opener and interpreter, open my accursed heart;
Jesus, Redeemer of sinners, cleanse my iniquities.
Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me.
Kontakion 7
Although you have revealed the hidden secret from the ages, as you led a sheep to the slaughter, O Jesus, and as a lamb straight from its shearer is silent, and as God rose from the dead and ascended into heaven with glory, and you raised us up with us, calling: Alleluia.
Ikos 7
A wondrous display of creation, the Creator appeared to us: without a seed from the Virgin he was incarnate; from the grave, without breaking the seal, he rose again; and to the apostle, the door closed, with the flesh below. Even more miraculously, let us sing:
Jesus, the unfathomable Word;
Jesus, the unseen Word.
Jesus, incomprehensible power;
Jesus, wisdom unthinkable.
Jesus, indescribable Deity;
Jesus, dominion innumerable.
Jesus, kingdom invincible;
Jesus, endless dominion.
Jesus, the highest fortress;
Jesus, eternal power.
Jesus, my Creator, have mercy on me;
Jesus, my Savior, save me.
Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me.
Kontakion 8
Seeing God in a strange way, let us withdraw from the vanity of the world and place our minds on the Divine. For this reason, God came down to earth, so that he may raise us to heaven, crying out to Him: Alleluia.
Ikos 8
All the things below, and those above, have in no way retreated, the Countless One, always by the will of us for the sake of suffering and by His death, killing our death, and granting the resurrection life to those who sing:
Jesus, sweet heart;
Jesus, bodily fortress.
Jesus, your spiritual lordship;
Jesus, quick smart.
Jesus, joyful conscience;
Jesus, hopefully known.
Jesus, eternal memory;
Jesus, high praise.
Jesus, my glory, exalted;
Jesus, my desire, do not deny me.
Jesus, my Shepherd, seek me;
Jesus, my Savior, save me.
Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me.
Kontakion 9
All angelic nature ceaselessly glorifies Your holy name, Jesus, in heaven: Holy, Holy, Holy, crying out; We, sinners, cry out to the earth with mortal lips: Alleluia.
Ikos 9
The prophets of many things, like dumb fish, we see about You, Jesus, our Savior: they are perplexed to say how the immutable God and perfect man abide? We, marveling at the mystery, cry out truly:
Jesus, eternal God;
Jesus, King of kings.
Jesus, Lord of those who possess;
Jesus, Judge of the living and the dead.
Jesus, hope of the uncertain;
Jesus, comfort to those who mourn.
Jesus, glory to the poor;
Jesus, do not judge me based on my deeds.
Jesus, cleanse me according to Your mercy;
Jesus, take away despondency from me.
Jesus, enlighten my thoughts of heart;
Jesus, give me memory of death.
Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me.
Kontakion 10
Although you came to save the world, from the East to the East, to the dark West - to our nature, you humbled yourself to the point of death; In the same way, Your name is exalted above every other name, and from all the tribes of heaven and earth you hear: Alleluia.
Ikos 10
To the Eternal King, the Comforter, the true Christ, cleanse us from all filth, as you cleansed the ten lepers, and heal us, as you healed the money-loving soul of Zacchaea the publican, and cry out to You in tenderness:
Jesus, incorruptible treasure;
Jesus, inexhaustible wealth.
Jesus, strong food;
Jesus, inexhaustible drink.
Jesus, beggars' clothing;
Jesus, intercession of widows.
Jesus, defender of the orphans;
Jesus, help those who labor.
Jesus, teacher of strangers;
Jesus, the floating helmsman.
Jesus, the stormy calm;
Jesus, God, raise me up, fallen.
Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me.
Kontakion 11
I bring all-congratulatory singing to Thee, unworthy one, crying out to Thee like a Canaanite: Jesus, have mercy on me; not the daughter, but the flesh of the imam, enraged by passions and scorched by rage, and give healing to the crying Ty: Alleluia.
Ikos 11
Giver of light to those who exist in the darkness of unreason, first, Paul, persecute Thee, instill the power of the God-reasonable voice and understand spiritual quickness; Enlighten the dark apple of your soul and yours, calling:
Jesus, my mighty King;
Jesus, my most powerful God.
Jesus, my immortal Lord;
Jesus, my glorious Creator.
Jesus, my kind Mentor;
Jesus, my most generous Shepherd.
Jesus, my most merciful Lord;
Jesus, my most merciful Savior.
Jesus, enlighten my feelings, darkened by passions;
Jesus, heal my body, weakened by sins.
Jesus, cleanse my mind from vain thoughts;
Jesus, keep my heart from evil lusts.
Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me.
Kontakion 12
Give me grace, the resolver of all debts, Jesus, and accept me, repentant, as you accepted Peter, who rejected You, and call me, despondent, like Paul of old, persecuting Thee, and hear me, crying out to Thee: Alleluia.
Ikos 12
Singing Your incarnation, we all praise You and believe with Thomas that You are Lord and God, sitting with the Father and willing to judge the living and the dead. Then make me worthy to stand on my right hand, crying out:
Jesus, Eternal King, have mercy on me;
Jesus, fragrant flower, scent me.
Jesus, dearly beloved, warm me;
Jesus, eternal temple, cover me.
Jesus, bright robe, adorn me;
Jesus, honest bead, shine on me.
Jesus, precious stone, enlighten me;
Jesus, sun of righteousness, illuminate me.
Jesus, holy light, shine upon me;
Jesus, deliver me from mental and physical illnesses.
Jesus, take me from the hand of the enemy;
Jesus, release me from unquenchable fire and other eternal torments.
Jesus, Son of God, have mercy on me.
Kontakion 13
Oh, sweet and all-generous Jesus! Accept now this little prayer of ours, as you have accepted two mites of widows, and preserve Your heritage from enemies visible and invisible, from the invasion of foreigners, from illness and famine, from all sorrow and mortal wounds, and the coming torment of all who cry out to You: Alleluia .
(This kontakion is read three times, then the 1st ikos and 1st kontakion)
PRAYER FIRST
Master Lord Jesus Christ my God, who, for the sake of Your ineffable love for mankind, at the end of the ages was clothed in flesh by the Ever-Virgin Mary, I glorify Your saving providence for me, Your servant, Master; I will sing praises to You, because for the sake of the Father I have known You; I will bless You, for whose sake the Holy Spirit has come into the world; I bow to Your Most Pure Mother in the flesh, Who served such a terrible secret; I praise Your angelic faces, as the singers and servants of Your Majesty; I honor John the Baptist, who baptized You, O Lord; I honor the prophets who proclaimed You, I glorify Your holy apostles; I triumph and the martyrs, and I glorify Your priests; I worship Your saints, and I cherish all Your righteous ones. I bring such and such a many and ineffable face of the Divine into prayer to You, Thy all-generous God, Thy servant, and for this sake I ask forgiveness for my sin, grant me all of Thy for the sake of the saints, more abundantly than Thy holy bounties, for Thou art blessed forever. Amen.
PRAYER
To You, Lord, the only Good and Unmemorable Evil One, I confess my sins, I fall down crying to You, unworthy: I have sinned, Lord, I have sinned and am not worthy to look up to the heights of heaven from the multitude of my untruths. But, my Lord, Lord, grant me tears of compunction, the only Blessed and Merciful One, for with them I beg You to be cleansed before the end from all sin: for it is a terrible and menacing place for the Imam to pass through, our bodies being separated, and a multitude of dark and inhuman demons will bury me, and no one can help or deliver. Thus I bow down to Your goodness, do not betray those who offend me, below let my enemies boast about me, Good Lord, below let them say: you came into our hands, and you are betrayed to us. Neither, Lord, do not forget Your bounties and do not repay me for my iniquity, and do not turn Your face away from me: but You, Lord, punish me, both with mercy and bounty. Let my enemy not rejoice over me, but extinguish his reproaches against me and abolish all his actions, and give me a reproachful path to You, Good Lord: even though I have sinned, I have not resorted to another doctor, and I have not stretched my hand to a foreign god. , do not reject my prayer, but hear me with Your goodness and strengthen my heart with Your fear, and may Your grace be upon me, Lord, like fire that burns unclean thoughts within me. For you are, Lord, light, more than any light; joy, more than any joy; peace, more than any peace; true life and salvation that endures forever and ever, Amen.
CANON
(To our Lord Jesus Christ)
Canon, voice 2
Song 1
Irmos: In the depths of the post, sometimes the Pharaoh's all-armed force is transformed into power, but the incarnate Word consumed all-evil sin: glorified Lord, gloriously be glorified.
Chorus: Sweetest Jesus, save me
Sweetest Jesus Christ, long-suffering Jesus, heal the wounds of my soul, O Jesus, and delight my heart, O most merciful, I pray, O Jesus my Savior, may I magnify Thee, the one who is being saved.
Sweetest Jesus, save me
Sweetest Jesus Christ, Jesus, open the door of repentance for me, O philanthropic Jesus, and receive me, bowing down and warmly asking you, Jesus my Savior, for forgiveness of sins.
Glory:Sweetest Jesus Christ, Jesus, snatch me from the hand of the flattering Belial, O Jesus, and the creator of Thy glory, Jesus my Savior, deliver me from the parts of my life.
And now:Jesus, who gave birth to God, O Lady, pray for obscene slaves, Most Pure One, for through Thy prayers we will be delivered from torment, Undefiled, desecrated, enjoying ever-present glory.
Song 3
Irmos: Having established me on the rock of faith, you have enlarged my mouth against my enemies. For my spirit has rejoiced, even without sorrow: none is holy like our God, and none is more righteous than Thee, O Lord.
Sweetest Jesus, save me
Hear, O my most loving Jesus, Thy servant crying out in compunction, and deliver me, O Jesus, from condemnation and torment, O O Lord, long-suffering, O O Lord Jesus, most merciful.
Sweetest Jesus, save me
Raise up Thy servant, my Jesus, who falls with tears, my Jesus, and save, my Jesus, me repentant and in hell, O Lord, deliver, O most merciful Sweet Jesus.
Glory:Time, my Jesus, you gave me, I spent in passion, my Jesus. Moreover, my Jesus, do not reject me, but call, I pray, Sweetest Lord Jesus, and save me.
And now:Virgin, who gave birth to my Jesus, pray to deliver me from Gehenna, the only intercession of the offended, God-gracious, and make me worthy of life, All-immaculate, ageless.
Lord, have mercy. (Three times)
Sedalen, voice 1st
My Savior Jesus, who saved the prodigal, My Savior Jesus, who accepted the harlot, and have mercy on me now, O O many-merciful Jesus, save, be gracious, O Jesus the benefactor, like the Compassionate Manasseh, my Jesus, who is the only lover of mankind.
Song 4
Irmos: You came from the Virgin, not an intercessor, not an Angel, but the Lord Himself, incarnate, and you saved me as a whole man. Thus I call to Thee: glory to Thy power, O Lord.
Sweetest Jesus, save me
Heal, my Jesus, the wounds of my soul, my Jesus, I pray, and snatch away the hands of me, my gracious Jesus, the strangled Belial, and save.
Sweetest Jesus, save me
Those who have sinned, my Sweetest Jesus, most gracious; My Jesus, save me, who take refuge in Your protection, long-suffering Jesus, and make me worthy of Your Kingdom.
Glory:No one has sinned, my Jesus, as I have sinned, the accursed one, but I fall down praying, my Jesus, save me and my life, my Jesus, grant me an inheritance.
And now:All-sung, who gave birth to Jesus as the Lord, pray to Him to relieve all torment, singing to You, and truly calling the Theotokos.
Song 5
Irmos: Enlightenment of those lying in darkness, salvation of the desperate, Christ my Savior, to You in the morning, Tsarumir, enlighten me with Your radiance: for do I know no other god to You?
Sweetest Jesus, save me
You are the enlightenment, my Jesus, of my mind, you are the salvation of my desperate soul, Savior, my Jesus, deliver me from torment and hell, calling: save, my Jesus Christ, the damned me.
Sweetest Jesus, save me
Of course, my Jesus, I am now cast down to the passion of dishonor: You, my Jesus, have sent down your hand of help to me, take away the cry: save, my Jesus Christ, the accursed me.
Glory:My mind is defiled, my Jesus, I call upon You: cleanse me from the filth of sins and deliver me into the depths of malice from the ignorance that has crept down, my Savior Jesus, and save me, I pray.
And now, Mother of God: Who gave birth to Jesus, the Mother of God, all the Orthodox, the monks and the worldly, and those who called to deliver Gehenna, begged Him to save Him: do we not know Your steadfast intercession?
Song 6
Irmos: Lying in the abyss of sin, I call upon the unfathomable abyss of Thy mercy: lift me up from aphids, O God.
Sweetest Jesus, save me
My Jesus Christ, most merciful, when I confess, receive me, O Master, O Jesus, and save me, and from aphids, O Jesus, snatch me away.
Sweetest Jesus, save me
My Jesus, no one was a fornicator, like I, a passionate Jesus, more loving than mankind: but You, Jesus, save me.
Glory:O my Jesus, the harlot and the harlot, and Manasseh and the tax collector, O my Jesus, I have slain by the passions, and the thief, O Jesus, and the Ninevites.
And now:Who gave birth to my Jesus Christ, the Most Pure Virgin, the only undefiled one, now cleanse the essence of Thy prayers with hyssop.
Lord, have mercy. (Three times) Glory, and now:
Song 7
Irmos: I serve the golden image on the field of Deira, three of Your youths, heedless of the godless command, cast into the middle of the fire, watering their waists: blessed art thou, O God of our fathers.
Sweetest Jesus, save me
Christ Jesus, no one has sinned on earth since the beginning of time, O my Jesus, just as I, the accursed and the prodigal, have sinned. In the same way, my Jesus, I cry to You: You have mercifully praised me, blessed art thou, O God of our fathers.
Sweetest Jesus, save me
Christ Jesus, to Thy fear, I cry, nail me, O my Jesus, and feed me now to a gracious refuge, for yes, my generous Jesus, I sing to You, the one being saved: blessed art thou, O God of our fathers.
Glory:Christ Jesus, I promised You, passionate, O my Jesus, repentance, but I lied to you, the accursed one. Moreover, my Jesus, I cry to You: enlighten my insensible soul, O Christ, blessed be the God of the fathers.
And now, Mother of God: Who gave birth to Christ Jesus strangely and more than nature, pray to Him, the All-Immaculate One, who through nature forgive me all my sins, O Maiden, that I call us to be saved: blessed art thou, who gave birth to God in the flesh.
Song 8
Irmos: Into the fiery furnace of the Jewish youth who descended and turned God into flames, sing the works of the Lord, and exalt them to all ages.
Sweetest Jesus, save me
You, my Jesus, I pray: just as you, my Jesus, delivered the harlot from many sins, so also, my Jesus Christ, deliver me, and cleanse my defiled soul, my Jesus.
Sweetest Jesus, save me
Having bowed down, O Jesus, with wordless sweets, he appeared speechless and truly became like cattle, my Jesus, the passionately accursed one; Likewise, Jesus, deliver me from speechlessness.
Glory:I have fallen, O Jesus, into the strangled robbers, the clothes, my Jesus, now woven by God, have been laid bare, and I lie wounded with wounds; pour oil and wine on me, my Christ.
And now, Mother of God: You who bore my Jesus and God, Christ indescribably, Mary the Mother of God, pray to Him everlastingly to be saved from troubles by Your servant and Your singer, O inexperienced Virgin.
Song 9
Irmos: From God, God the Word, who came with ineffable wisdom to renew Adam, who ate into the corruption of the fallen, from the Holy Virgin who inexpressibly incarnated us for the sake of faith, we magnify with one wise songs.
Sweetest Jesus, save me
Manasseh, my Jesus, the tax collector, the harlot, the prodigal, generous Jesus, and the thief, my Jesus, who died in cold and needless matters, Jesus; but You, my Jesus, have preceded me and saved me.
Sweetest Jesus, save me
From Adam, my Jesus, all who sinned, before the law and in the law, Jesus, and according to the law, the accursed, and by grace, my Jesus, I conquered the passions of the accursed; but You, my Jesus, save me with Your destinies.
Glory:May I not be excommunicated, my Jesus, from Thy ineffable glory, may I not receive a portion, O Jesus, shuiya, Sweetest Jesus; but You have given me rest to Your sheep on your right hand, O my Christ Jesus.
And now, Mother of God: Jesus, Mother of God, Whom you bore, the only inexperienced Virgin Mary, propitiate Him, O Pure One, as Your Son and Creator, to deliver the temptations and troubles that flow to You, and the fire of the future.
Svetilen
Jesus, Wisdom and Meaning Giver, Feeder of the poor, Intercessor of the poor, Doctor of the sick, heal and enlighten my heart, Jesus, scabs of sin and passions covered with decay, Jesus, and save me.
Theotokos:With the radiance, O Virgin, of the Light that shone from You, illuminate my mind, enlighten my heart, drive away the darkness of sin, and consume the darkness of my laziness.
Opening speech by Archpriest Artemy Vladimirov about the Akathist to the Sweetest Jesus.
(Transcribed with minimal editing of spoken language)
Greetings, dear friends! You and I continue our conversations, our spiritual reflections. And if you remember, quite recently we completed a lot of work, reflecting on the Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos. From transmission to transmission we took one petition at a time, which begins with the word “Rejoice” and reflected on spiritual life, earthly life, the path of salvation drawn for us by the finger of God, under the Protection of the Blessed Virgin Mary. But, alas, just as all good things must come to an end, we have exhausted the entire volume of the Akathist. However, no less joy awaits us: you and I are about to begin another Great Akathist, dedicated to the Lord Jesus Christ.
Essentially, these two Akathists: the Theotokos and the Akathist to the Savior became, as you probably know, the primary basis for many other works of a similar genre, dedicated to one or another icon of the Theotokos or a saint of God. But all these akathists, written in subsequent centuries, up to the 20th and 21st, are oriented and go back to one of the two Great Akathists: the Savior or the Mother of God.
It is remarkable that church writers were in no hurry to leave their autograph, just as icon painters, when creating masterpieces glorifying the Holy Trinity and the Blessed Virgin Mary, did not put signatures in the margins of the icons. And until now, scientists, historians, and those who study ancient liturgical literature have not come to a consensus about who owns the Akathist, written in honor of the Lord Jesus Christ. There is an opinion that this is the hand of Hesychius, a presbyter of Jerusalem, a remarkable ascetic writer of the early Middle Ages, who left us with his reflections on the importance of the Jesus Prayer and how the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, when carefully invoked, has a gracious and beneficial effect on the inner world of a Christian: it enlightens his mind, pacifies the heart, delivers from passions and bad habits, imprints in the soul the perfections of Christ, or the virtues of humility, meekness, peace, purity, courage, joy, prudence and love.
However, not everyone is convinced that the authorship of this marvelous work in its artistic features, depth of meaning, expressiveness of language, accuracy of images belongs to Saint Hesychius. One thing is clear: the person who meditated on the name of God, Christ the Redeemer, calling Him now a pearl, now a precious stone, now lightning, now the Good Shepherd, the door, the Bread, the Light, was perfectly familiar with the Holy Scriptures of the New Testament. The mind of the author of the Akathist was literally dissolved in the language of the epistles of the Apostle Paul or the Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. But not only this, before us is not just a scribe who has been studying spiritual literature all his life, comparing and contrasting with the help of memory, using the ability to rationally weigh the material, what is revealed to his gaze, before us is also a genuine ascetic, an ascetic of piety, a person in whom the grace of the Holy Spirit lives and manifests itself without forcing thinking, and the Holy Spirit triples the will of Christ’s disciple and increases his creative abilities tenfold.
It is impossible not to admit that the Akathist to the Lord Jesus Christ is a work anointed with the grace of the Holy Spirit, a work written by an inspired hymnographer. The author of this Akathist can, without any doubt, be called the greatest poet, considering that the Greek meaning of the word “poetry” is translated as “action”, and in fact the Holy Spirit acted in the heart of the author of the Akathist. The words he composed and dedicated to God impact the minds and hearts of his listeners. A person will approach this Akathist, suppressed by deep sadness, perhaps bound hand and foot by the spirit of despondency, will force himself to read the kontakion and ikos, first, second, third, and if his attention does not slide over the text, if he does not mechanically repeat these words, but will bring them to the mind and heart, believe me (and this has been tested by the experience of millions of Orthodox Christians), a spark of cheerfulness, joy, vital energy suddenly lights up in the heart, and the Holy Spirit, according to the law of communicating vessels, overflows from the Akathist or from the heart of a holy ascetic , who wrote it, into the heart of the infirm, weak, prone to despondency of the modern reader. And he suddenly notices with surprise that his soul has become lighter, his heart has become warmer, he feels the urge to continue reading, no longer forcing himself, but willingly, with joy, not as a burden, but as a joy. And this is undoubted evidence that a person performs akathist readings not only with his own strength, but also with the help of the invisibly present Guardian Angel. As St. Seraphim of Sarov beautifully speaks about this in his notes: “At the hour when every word of the prayer you say falls on your heart and you feel that this word is torn off like an arrow from a bowstring and goes into the spiritual world, falling to the Throne of God, when “, reading prayers, you suddenly begin to understand and realize that the Heavenly Father Himself looks at you from the height of His glory, sees and hears all your efforts and accepts your requests and needs, at such an hour know that the Angel of God is praying with you.”
The Akathist to the Savior, as we are finding out, has a certain miraculous, miraculous property of influencing the inner, moral world of a person and enlightening him with the grace of the Holy Spirit. That’s why I feel sorry for those people who sometimes even admit to priests: “And what is it, father, we read the same prayers all our lives: morning prayers in the morning, evening prayers in the evening? Here are the Akathists to the Mother of God, the Savior - doo-doo-doo, doo-doo-doo, like peas against a wall.” It’s sad, friends, to listen to these words, because God does not need the volume of pages of the prayer book we read, but attentive, thoughtful, reasonable, I would say, reverent and reverent presence before Himself. And since our thoughts scatter, our hearts, like the surface of the sea, are agitated, we begin to pray, covered, like flies, with some dreams, memories, then we are unable to establish a golden thread of communication with the Creator - thoughts are confused, words get stuck in larynx. That is why, having taken the Akathist to the Savior, written by a holy man, whose heart became the reed of a cursive scribe, in whose heart the Lord God Himself rested invisibly, we, as soon as we read the first kontakion and ikos, feel a grace-filled change within ourselves. Only by following every word with our minds, bringing what we read to our minds and hearts, do we seem to gain wings with the help of which we are given the opportunity to ascend from earth to heaven. Before us, a kind of grace-filled bridge is built of its own accord, connecting time and eternity.
And next time, dear friends, you and I, having opened the prayer book, will begin to study this Akathist, which will show and prove to us that the Lord Jesus Christ is the Creator, the Savior, and the Judge of all people. He is the true God and the true Man, He is the dearest and closest being to us, it is no coincidence that His name is Love. And looking at Christ, Who spreads His arms from the Cross, taking the Akathist in his hands, we will turn to Him like little children, and God will hear us and accept our prayer and give us incomparably more than we ask of Him.
Recorded by Aksinia Shmondenko
M hi to you, dear visitors of the Orthodox website “Family and Faith”!
D This page is dedicated to reading the Home Forty-Eight - Akathist to Our Lord Jesus Christ
G They pray to the Lord God for the salvation of the soul and the inheritance of the Kingdom of Heaven, for physical and mental health, and for every request.
P The rules for reading the House Magpie are simple: the Akathist is read daily, for forty days, preferably without omissions; You can read the akathist at any time - morning, afternoon or evening; After reading the magpie, you can start it again until you receive what you asked for. And remember that we Christians must visit the temple of God every Sunday and regularly (at least once a month) proceed to Confession and Communion.
D and the Lord Jesus Christ will fulfill our requests according to His great mercy!
SUBMIT A NAME TO THE TEMPLE ON SOROKOST
D Dear brothers and sisters, to increase the fruits of prayer, you can send a note to the Temple on Sorokoust with your name (as well as the names of those for whom you pray). The priest, for forty days, will offer special prayers for you while removing a particle from the prosphora.
P The donation for one name is 300 rubles. (Only names of baptized people are allowed.)
The video features a voiceover of the akathist in Church Slavonic. The text is written in Russian font.In many Orthodox prayer books you will find what is included in the collection of prayers - an akathist to the Sweetest Jesus.
In addition, in many Temples the reading of an akathist to the Sweetest Jesus is included in the schedule, often this happens on Sunday evening.
You can visit such services periodically. Taking part in congregational prayer, find consolation in this wonderful prayer and glorify Christ as your Savior. Glorify Jesus for His unspeakable love for all humanity.
The Akathist to the Lord Jesus Christ is, without a doubt, one of the most touching - its content is dedicated to the Savior, who loved people so much that he accepted terrible torment and death on the cross in order to grant salvation to humanity. Having accepted humiliation, the Creator gives Himself to the creature to be crucified for the sake of its salvation.
The text of the akathist to Jesus is enthusiastically laudatory. The akathist describes the life of the Son of God, God Almighty, who came to earth in humiliated human form, and at the same time all the virtues of Jesus as a Man are sung: love for mankind, purity, meekness, humility and the rest.
Akathist to the Sweetest Jesus - origin
The Akathist to Our Lord Jesus Christ is one of the oldest prayers - its very first list dates back to the 13th century. This is one of the first religious hymns that have the structure of an akathist, that is, consisting of kontakia and ikos.
In Orthodox terminology, ikos are long stanzas praising the traits of the One to whom the hymn is dedicated. In the akathist to the Sweetest Jesus, the ikos end with the words “Jesus, son of God, have mercy on me.”
Kontakia are not long stanzas that succinctly convey the essence of the akathist, which always end with the exclamation “Hallelujah.”
Any akathist contains twelve ikos and thirteen kontakia, and the last kontakion, according to the rules, is read three times, after which the first ikos is repeated again, and in conclusion the worshiper reads a prayer.
Akathist to the sweetest Jesus Christ, when is it customary to perform this prayer?
The Akathist to the Sweetest Jesus, like any other, can be read in different states of mind - it is equally good in moments of tenderness, joy, repentance, and grief.
Priests advise an akathist to Jesus in moments of despondency, depression, despair, when one gives up and it seems that there is no way out of the current situation.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the Creator, the Savior, and the Judge of all people. He is the true God and the true Man, He is the dearest and closest being to us, it is no coincidence that His name is Love.
Looking at Christ, Who opens His arms from the Cross, carefully performing this prayer, we will turn to Him like little children, and God will hear us and accept our prayer and give us incomparably more than we ask of Him.
