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Feast Day: 8 May
Kontakion 1
Oh fiery Saint, servant of inexpressible sweet grace, and head of Jesus’ emerald love, white-haired elder bearing the petal of the mystical priesthood and teacher of the profound meaning of the sealed Theology, receive us under the shelter of the royal lily. The laying on of hands upon our heads enlightens us and adopts us into the virginity of Heaven, so that we may sing to you with all the strength of holy praise: Rejoice, John the Theologian, Father of Blessing!
Ikos 1
We shall bless all who hate or love us; may the flood of blessing drown everything. Through blessing, the worlds are deified; he who blesses dwells in God. Blessing is a gift of grace, as well as a flaming arrow of the great leap. Blessing, a cross planted upon the crown, pours into us the grace of the Most High Name. But blessing is also a deep bow, a knee that has bowed in humility before another, so that it may reach the highest worship of the angels, the Most Pure and the Most Holy Spirit. Bless me, then, that I may dare to undertake this holy work, that I may sing to you in a single breath, with all my soul in the air:
Rejoice, theologically wise Apostle of the praying heart
Rejoice, guiding throne of bold minds
Rejoice, the white centennial crown of the presbyters
Rejoice, ancestral link of the arcane Tradition
Rejoice, paternal kindness bestowed with holy skill
Rejoice, alloy of charism veiled in the priesthood
Rejoice, tear from sanctifying hands
Rejoice, abundance of gentleness for inner discovery
Rejoice, radiance of myrrh necessary for renewal
Rejoice, seal of gnosis marked upon the sons
Rejoice, for it is given to you to keep the keys and the ark of the work
Rejoice, Saint John the Theologian, Father of Blessing!
Kontakion 2
Clearly, the twenty-four elders of Heaven, from their thrones, form a wide circle around the Lamb, with the bow of the mind gathered to the glorifying heart, in the most fulfilling manner of musical expression, and bowing their foreheads over clear lyres, they say, carried away by the honey of their inexhaustible utterance: just as the holy Crucifixion on the peak of nailing, life is a wonder on the steps of self-giving. Their hymn, a shining pearl, flows undulating through the echo of the crystal firmament. And the lutes beneath the arches raise their full slope, like a snow-covered cascade of the great Amen. And we, trembling, hasten to join you, Saint John, with this: Alleluia!
Ikos 2
From beyond the sky of the mind, a luminous barrier in the noonday of my mirrors, Lord Christ, Your all-renewing coming has illuminated me, and I behold You with clarity, like the blind man restored to sight. From beneath the seven horns of Your crown of thorns, upright, gentle, without blemish, in the white garment of wool and linen, revealed by seven rays of rapture, the wounds of the Resurrection and Your starry gaze, I see You, the luminous Lamb, in invincible love, before the eternal throne, as in the Apocalypse. Your Divinity enfolds me, a swaddling cloth of light, and filled with love I dare to cry out: Maranatha! And out of unblemished reverence, lest we take anything from Him, let us honor the Lord and His Disciple as well!
Rejoice, O seer, for you have kissed and preserved the Holy Image
Rejoice, O skilled iconographer, for you have captured in writing the Archetypal Face
Rejoice, for you have depicted the Holy Face with detail and precision
Rejoice, for you have inscribed the divine features with calligraphic art
Rejoice, for through your words we have understood the meaning of the holy sealing
Rejoice, for you have awakened in us the state of holy contemplation
Rejoice, for upon our cleansed minds, we shed tears for the Holy Face
Rejoice, for in our pure hearts we partake of the Holy Body
Rejoice, for having emptied our minds of worldly thoughts, we receive the five roses
Rejoice, for the sake of the holy Icon, we cast aside all other icons
Rejoice, for we have buried within us the Holy Seed of the Incarnation
Rejoice, Saint John the Theologian, Father of Blessing!
Kontakion 3
O most vigilant evangelist, you are the lyre of Divinity, Saint John, the faithful white herald of radiance; you masterfully extol the holy procession of glory, which has been bestowed for all eternity, reflecting upon its solemn mirror the gold of the Holy Face. O holy ear of wheat, with your distinctive rays you illuminate in myrrh every person who comes into the world. This brilliant flash across the edges and the mind, the sunrise from above of endless prayer, in this sky of the understanding morning, which should be desired with unquenchable thirst, sing it as from the wealth of your theology in the waves of grace of musical thought, that we may draw near to it with blameless hearing and sing to Him under His dew-covered tent: Alleluia!
Ikos 3
The bottomless silk of the blue night, serenely holds us in its head, and it explains to us its meaning according to our measure. For you see the great golden shadow of the Lord floating, shining through the starlit dust of Galilee. And our body’s home, with a lamp and hearth, awaits Him open, with six stone jars. Holy John, be for us too the great wedding angel, fill the empty jars, give us the water of the miracle. May the Lord transform the water of our senses, from the springs of sobriety into the porphyry of the wedding feast. As we sip the cup of life, the nuptial nectar, may the transforming flower blossom within us. And as each of our senses becomes divine, we sing to you, O crowned likeness of great stature:
Rejoice, for you have filled the first vessel, the chief sense of the Spirit’s fullness
Rejoice, melody of paradisiacal hearing and ring-like sky
Rejoice, for you have filled the second vessel, the eagle-like sense of sharpness
Rejoice, eye of visions from theoretical heights
Rejoice, for you have filled the third cup, the majestic sense of the sacred hands
Rejoice, for you have labored to gather God from the touch
Rejoice, for you have filled the fourth cup, the sense of Eucharistic taste
Rejoice, for the Holy Food has meaning and a realistic purpose
Rejoice, and for the fifth cup, the sense of prayer of the mind
Rejoice, for you lead us into the fragrant spiral of holy knowledge
Rejoice, for we come to the sixth, natural sense, the center of worship
Rejoice, Saint John the Theologian, Father of Blessing!
Kontakion 4
That precious vessel, cast in blessed metal, that holy jewel, the honorable Paschal Chalice of the house of Arimathea—they placed it at the supper of the Lord Jesus; in it, with a word of light, He transformed the wine into His holy, mystical Blood, the very life of God, under the guise of wine. Holy John, that eternal hour, when your face rested upon the Lord’s heart, testifies to the miracle that the last wine drunk is the first blood which alone made Him the sacrifice. And understanding the primacy of liturgical experience, we are awed by the beauty of mystical self-giving. Receive us, then, O Heavenly One, and grant that we may join you, Saint John, with that: Alleluia!
Ikos 4
Decisive norm, cardinal of salvation, the springs of love follow in your likeness. This journey in the wake of your radiant footsteps, however, also requires passing through the great strait. It is the journey through the night, beyond customs and fords, to the three stations: the manger, the cross, and hell. One hour is frail; necessary for profound birth, to plunge us into the nothigness of the abyss of faith. One hour is cruel and unveils the pious shroud, to terrify us with the face of Christ’s tomb. And it is the demonic hour, until the gnashing of teeth, necessary for the steadfastness of holy passionlessness. You know our inner apocalypse, Father! Teach us to overcome it so that we may sing to You fervently:
Rejoice, for you have known the Power of the Lord in Gethsemane
Rejoice, for you were made a partaker of the cup of holy agony
Rejoice, for you lived the cross in its most bitter form
Rejoice, for you discovered the face of prayer in pain
Rejoice, for you desired that the spear might pierce your heart
Rejoice, for you were an unclouded witness to the entire crucifixion
Rejoice, for you were filled with the mercy of the descent
Rejoice, for you attained the holy stillness of the tomb
Rejoice, for the Lord descended like the deep midnight sun
Rejoice, for the Lord passed through the land of death like spring
Rejoice, Father who accompanies us through every stage of trial
Rejoice, Saint John the Theologian, Father of Blessing!
Kontakion 5
The holy mystery of the breaking of the bread of grace and the sobering drink from the chalice of the altar draws its power from the Holy Resurrection, as is customary when the Liturgy calls for it with raised hands. In His glorious Body, the Lord bestows His divinity, and in His Blood, the fire of Grace kindles our immortality. The unhindered response to such exaltation is nothing other than the perfect fruit of the chalice. Grace, held barren, sets, that we may become even more barren. Mysterious vine, Saint John, bend toward me, graft me anew as a young shoot upon the broken vine, lest the Lord consume me like dry twigs. May He enfold me in His unquenchable flame, and may I sing to Him with strength: Alleluia!
Ikos 5
Sorrow, wound, death, the narrow gate—all together, in the serene Cherubim with a sword in a wheel of fire—form the keys to the passage to the Holy Kingdom, under the delicate balance set by Divine Providence. How awesome is God’s love in its manifestation! Who can bear His overwhelming goodness? Yet when blood and water flow from His side, eternity rushes into the chalices to contain it. But, O Holy One, You remind us of the future, how the seven Archangels of the chalices will come forth to pour out love upon the earth, yet like a red flood of wrath, the storm of His blood will engulf us. The theology of tears, however, teaches us to sing to you, Holy Apostle, from the harbor whose clarity is your delight:
Rejoice, for dew has fallen upon you from the Lord’s eyelid
Rejoice, for tears have overwhelmed you at the sound of His words
Rejoice, for you bear in your eyelids a diamond of the holy Beauty’s water
Rejoice, for from the corner of your lip you sip the salt of heavenly sorrows
Rejoice, for you wept, and from the sweetness of His name flowed myrrh
Rejoice, for you were caressed by the breath of the Beloved and Called One
Rejoice, for you moistened your eyes with the glory of the Transfiguration
Rejoice, for you beheld judgment through the fire of icy tears
Rejoice, for you call us to the wounding with cherubic lamentation
Rejoice, for you urge repentance with unceasing prostration
Rejoice, zealous teacher in the science of weeping
Rejoice, Saint John the Theologian, Father of Blessing!
Kontakion 6
The place of the heart, Zion, the mountain of holy revelation, fills me with the breath of the news of the Second Coming. Like a belt floating around Him, white as unreal clouds, one hundred forty-four thousand virginal saints sing from heavenly lyres; and in their midst, with the lion-like face of the Messiah, the radiant Lamb. Holy John, you too a virgin lord, give me a white linen robe; under the arch of the council, let us be fulfilled by the symphony of the ocean, a string multiplied a thousandfold, the crest of a new song, known only to them. And in the name of my Lord, with a voice of fire, I was given to bear it as a gift to God, “angel of great counsel.” And in the wheel of pure utterance, Heaven will carry us toward the amen of all amens: Alleluia!
Ikos 6
I yearn for the great cherubic mastery of the mind, that I may skillfully craft for my inner self the clear ring from the crystal of sharp thought, fashioned of dreamlike gold and pure feeling. The cross-shaped ends of the united creation and the roundness of thought turned inward, at peace. And since I am your disciple in the art of asceticism, O Saint John, may the Lord deign to place upon the shank of the ring, specially crafted, the priceless white stone that bears His name: “Wonderful”—which cannot be read except by the recipient, making each one a bearer of God. And thus adorned, I too come to praise you, speaking well as a truthful disciple of yours:
Rejoice, through whom we embrace the paradoxes of ease
Rejoice, for we cast aside ease as fruit from the tree of knowledge
Rejoice, through whom we receive self-surrender as a staff
Rejoice, for we cast aside selfishness, for it is the threshold of hell
Rejoice, through whom we make habit worthy, as a sanctifying good
Rejoice, for we strip ourselves of the habit that stupefies
Rejoice, through whom we build ignorance when it comes to things guilty
Rejoice, for we destroy ignorance, which is the fountain of sins
Rejoice, through whom we are established more firmly upon the rock of faith
Rejoice, for we slay hard-heartedness, which is the destruction of the soul
Rejoice, for without his will, the spirit of destruction brings us benefit
Rejoice, Saint John the Theologian, Father of Blessing!
Kontakion 7
The Name of the Lord – a fervent call of longing – but who possesses the Name of the Lord of Glory? A white horseman with a bow, riding a white horse—that is His name. The Lord gives it to whom He wills, as a mighty God. Holy John, greatly wounded by the Lord’s love, grant me too the boldness with which you dare, and your knowledge in thoughtful archery, to the high bow of arrow-like prayer. May my heart dare to face the unseen war and appear pure in the Lord’s battle. May it pierce through the sweetness of the holy bow and reach the unceasing lament of the song. May I sing with the saints of heaven and earth, as a true lover of the Lord: Alleluia!
Ikos 7
Eyes mirrored in the flaming sword of the heart, as a sentinel both outside and within I shall flicker to the Resurrection, when my name shall blossom as a gift; in the peaceful breath of boundless stillness, the Lord of Peace places within us His unspoken word, which is caught only by the ear awakened in the Spirit. The seven silences of pure prayer, which are seven locked thunderclaps of heaven, you have heard, Saint John, and you have sealed them with great care, just as you were specifically commanded by that great archangel, with the voice of the holy Lion seen with one foot on the sea and the other on the land. This precious word only the Lord can bestow upon His chosen ones, for whom we shall also say to you:
Rejoice, for we proclaim the hidden gift of deification
Rejoice, for we preach His secret treasures to the world
Rejoice, for we guard His holiness with a wall of purity
Rejoice, for we do not cast His pearls before swine
Rejoice, for nothing can touch His righteousness
Rejoice, for we will not let dogs lick the holy vessels
Rejoice, for we have given the heart music of which you never tire
Rejoice, for we have taken up the sword of battle, sharp on both sides
Rejoice, for the mystery is laid bare and woven from light
Rejoice, for speech without a veil is still veiled
Rejoice, for the Unspeakable Name is our wheel of purity
Rejoice, Holy John the Theologian, Father of Blessing!
Kontakion 8
Fulfiller of the fullness of fullnesses, zenith of thought, “Father of the age to come”—a flash in the veil of foreheads, swiftly halted, rest, octave of my veiled soul. How shall I babble of You, speak of You, call upon You, name You, with what breadth of wings shall my gentle utterance rise, up to You, the Holy One, the great Bridegroom of the worlds. I find no likeness of Your name in words. Only the thought of the mind in the speechless heart calls You in a peaceful spirit, clinging to the breath. And, Lord, daring with Saint John as our navigator, we row to the rhythm of the great eagle, potter of the heavens. Come to our new Jerusalem, to Your wedding under the branch of welcome, that we may sing to You: Alleluia!
Ikos 8
The ruby, Holy John, bears in its fiery clarity the Apocalypse of the passion and wine. For the mind of every man, debauched from its roots, imagines her as a stately, crowned woman, in a hypostatic robe of scarlet purple, riding astride with regal skill the beast with many heads and ten horns, her worldly kingdom of lust and flesh. Drunk on her own power, her cup of fornication, the proud mind, a slave to her own demon, only misfortune, only temptation can deliver us, for only a broken heart will not be tormented. But, Holy One, help me to humble myself, to conquer myself, and to the praise of now other flowers I shall gather for you:
Rejoice, for we take shelter under the seven horns of the crown of thorns
Rejoice, for we receive discernment from the sieve of holy torment
Rejoice, for we dare to the asceticism of the nights of desolation
Rejoice, for we hasten to the harshness of the springs of incorruption
Rejoice, for we dedicate ourselves to the three vows of the angels
Rejoice, for we desire the gift of martyrdom and of defeats
Rejoice, for we strive for the worthiness of virginal adoption
Rejoice, for we desire also the belt of pectoral girding
Rejoice, for we have fashioned for ourselves a lamp of ceaseless vigil
Rejoice, for we labor to possess the oil of the five virgins
Rejoice, for we long for the nuptial virtues of waiting
Rejoice, Saint John the Theologian, Father of Blessing!
Kontakion 9
The great halo of the apparition is as an emerald ring, the concentrated, mysterious presence of the distant, the strange gem of the vision of the Holy Throne, the virginal peak of the inner ascent to Eleon. A single wave of His, and behold, a sky of vision, open to see through the transparencies of prayer, how the whole body of Babylon, the mighty city, falls and perishes in the turmoil of the defiled seas. Holiness and sin cannot dwell together; gentleness scorches and avenges only by its touch. Under your protection, Saint John, may you guide us, that we may receive the tenderness of divine powers. And strengthened by the Spirit of the Dominions, may we murmur, in the twilight of emerald ecstasy: Alleluia!
Ikos 9
And through the aura of topaz, luminous, golden, the line of the Virgin’s cheek undulates vividly. And with her palms joined in prayer, in the cradle of her womb she holds a miracle. The full sun, blinding and like a deifying engolpion, the Holy Child, king in Zion. The Mother of Light and of the World stands upon the crescent moon in the great sign specifically raised by wisdom. The Mother of Light and of the World weeps in silence, for the Son of Man is born in us with pain. Our birth from the living font, which, O Saint, you nurture in us as an unblemished virginity. You, adopted by God on the Cross to the Virgin, the pinnacle of the Church, whom we praise purely: Rejoice, for the Lord of Golgotha named you His Son with a single word
Rejoice, for the word that made you a brother of God
Rejoice, for the Most Pure One has agreed to be your heavenly Mother
Rejoice, for you have fulfilled the divine image and likeness
Rejoice, for you have revealed your Tabor through the passion of the Lamb
Rejoice, for we too have set our sights on the ladder from above, the head of Bethel
Rejoice, for we too have made a good start on spiritual fruitfulness
Rejoice, for the angel of the Good News has also visited us
Rejoice, for we shall prepare the stable of our minds as brightly as possible
Rejoice, for in our manger too the Lord Christ wishes to be swaddled
Rejoice, for in us too Bethlehem has opened the heavens of song
Rejoice, Holy John the Theologian, Father of Blessing!
Kontakion 10
Awake, three sapphire stars of betrothal blossom upon the shoulders and anointing of the daughter of Jerusalem. Wrapped in spotless linen snow, a sticharion is her sign, illuminated holiness, golden majesty chosen by the Spirit, may she be the Sophia-like Bride of the Lamb. She stands, adorned with the full procession of nuptial honor, fixed upon the lofty vigil of her wedding. Under the gaze of the white-robed Priest-Father, you bring her the torch of unceasing prayer, placing it in her palms like a living heart of gold, filled with the myrrh of the Name of Him who is to come. And the grace burning in the embers of the prayer will ring out, rising in a long lily, a thanksgiving: Alleluia!
Ikos 10
Fixed from above, at its core, the amethyst sparkled* and opened its wide, crystal-clear gaze. Beyond all the play of veils and glimmers, you show us through the crack of the blissful light how the Lord sends the way of renewal to earth, the heavenly Jerusalem, with a floating descent. From the highest peak of the mountain of knowledge, you rise of gold and crystal, a city, the spring of the mind, as the eye has never truly seen nor has it ever appeared in the mirrors of dreams. All the preciousness and treasures of the Incarnation, brought forth and made into the signs of the Transfiguration. And the measure of the golden reed has been given to you, for which we praise your prophecy:
Rejoice, for the righteous Lord has opened Paradise within us
Rejoice, for the wise One has planted the unwritten Logos within us
Rejoice, for the new world has a heart, one filled with gifts
Rejoice, for in the life to come the heart is the only altar
Rejoice, for in the midst stands Jerusalem, a translucent flower
Rejoice, for the twelve Apostles are its foundation stones
Rejoice, for the number of man is analogous to that of the angel
Rejoice, for instead of the sun, the Lord will be the treasurer of the noonday
Rejoice, for in Him the steps of contemplation descend and ascend
Rejoice, Saint John the Theologian, Father of Blessing!
Kontakion 11
The gates of heaven are open, and in the rapture of the Spirit, behold the face of the wedding king; the procession of holiness descending upon the thrones, as light glides from the curve of gentle wings. The entire white court of the living God has set out to welcome His Son as the bridegroom. At this hour, eight hundred and eighty-eight violins, in ascetic hands, call out in anticipation of thrills. With deep thirst, souls open up, blossoming to the melody of the eighth millenium. The call of the Name, the Lord’s presence in His absence, will not bring the peace of the dawn without an eclipse. And as the cup is full, His coming will pour forth, and all the heavens will sing of His peace: Alleluia!
Ikos 11
He will come revealed and determined with new clay, a new heaven, a new eternity, a fresh future grown, the body of a living church. The whole world will be an unceasing ark, only the Holy of Holies, only a holy throne everywhere. And since life itself is an eternal liturgy, the mystery of the work here is the mystery of the wedding. For the wine of praise is the sacrifice without Calvary, the mind serving as liturgist and the heart as altar. At the wedding of the pure Bride to the Word of God, it is given to the virginal nature to endure forever. From the cave on the island, Patmos of exile, you write to us on Sundays the eternity of the wedding. Just as the great angel gave you a scroll of words as food, I call out to you with seven churches and this hymn:
Rejoice, for we will weave a soft white wedding procession
Rejoice, for we will all be united in the dance of Isaiah
Rejoice, for in chorus we shall unite in musical harmony
Rejoice, for mystically we shall accompany the Lamb from afar
Rejoice, for in Christ, the One in all, we too shall be one
Rejoice, for to each He will give the ring, the sash, the crown
Rejoice, for from Edenic gold our foreheads will be crowned
Rejoice, for by donning the breastplate, we will be reborn
Rejoice, for becoming angels in the flesh, we will all be deified
Rejoice, for at the stage of union, we will all sing in the Trinity
Rejoice, for the Spirit will place His sygil in the fabric of the ring finger
Rejoice, Saint John the Theologian, Father of Blessing!
Kontakion 12
A tremor shook the lock of my soul; a single thought dripped right onto its hinge. But I did not have time to ask, “Who could it be?” For the Lord’s joy overwhelmed me like myrrh. Here, at the threshold of my being, kindness reigns; my hardness has been struck by its starry hand. I am not worthy, Lord Jesus, to have You enter my chamber, but how can I leave You, Lord, outside my door? The silence from the depths and the raptured prayer, they direct their sharpness toward the gifted moment. Holy Abba John, guide me well, how to make the Lord’s rest eternal within me, so that I may intertwine with it in a breath of grace, in fruitful stillness and mystery: Alleluia!
Ikos 12
In the noonday of that tomorrow of the miracle, if we are in Paradise at the Throne of Wisdom, we shall hear the voice of the Lord in the quiet garden, the zephyr of the heart, awakening the harps of light. From His psalm of the sun, the springs of beauty flow into the river of living water as well as into the Tree of Life. And rising from trunk to flower, from fruit to delight, in the sweetest firstfruits the name of blessing, thus tasting from the musty core, the immeasurable song, thus calling with holy verse, the name that never fades, the dew of creation’s dawn will shine upon us again. And as you, O Saint, write for us the ultimate truth of Scripture, “Come, Lord!”, to which the Lord replies: “Behold, I come!”, so shall we too utter this verse of Amen!
Rejoice, for the Lord’s name is a victorious flame
Rejoice, for His watchfulness remains awake even in the midst of sleep
Rejoice, for healing powers flow from the utterance of His name
Rejoice, for He is the quintessence of our faith, without wavering or fading
Rejoice, for my soul craves a nourishment above of Being
Rejoice, for in His blessed utterance we drink from the spirit of resurrection
Rejoice, for the purple of self-giving is shed by the one Holy One
Rejoice, for we eat the bread of immortality from His burning word
Rejoice, for the Name is light that reveals and shows
Rejoice, for in Him all those with pure desire are saved
Rejoice, for in Him you teach us the heavenly manner of communion
Rejoice, Saint John the Theologian, Father of Blessing!
Kontakion 13
O John, Holy Abba of the eagle-like countenance, my spiritual Father and builder of my soul, here I am, a lute tuned to praise, hoping that you will watch over my holy zeal. Defend me so that I may keep alive the arcane flame, the litany of the fiery Name with the sweetness of manna. Mighty voice of the Spirit with storms of sighs, reconciling the heart to speak of Him as is fitting. From the contemplative bow of the five words, drawing the unity of the harmonized senses. Only through song of praise may the evil of the world depart, the whirlwind of utterance banishing it as a phantom. May the lake of fire and the fountain of the deep drink it in, together with all the heavens when we endure: Alleluia!
This Kontakion is said three times.
Then again the First Ikos and the First Kontakion:
Ikos 1
We shall bless all who hate or love us; may the flood of blessing drown everything. Through blessing, the worlds are deified; he who blesses dwells in God. Blessing is a gift of grace, as well as a flaming arrow of the great leap. Blessing, a cross planted upon the crown, pours into us the grace of the Most High Name. But blessing is also a deep bow, a knee that has bowed in humility before another, so that it may reach the highest worship of the angels, the Most Pure and the Most Holy Spirit. Bless me, then, that I may dare to undertake this holy work, that I may sing to you in a single breath, with all my soul in the air:
Rejoice, theologically wise Apostle of the praying heart
Rejoice, guiding throne of bold minds
Rejoice, the white centennial crown of the presbyters
Rejoice, ancestral link of the arcane Tradition
Rejoice, paternal kindness bestowed with holy skill
Rejoice, alloy of charism veiled in the priesthood
Rejoice, tear from sanctifying hands
Rejoice, abundance of gentleness for inner discovery
Rejoice, radiance of myrrh necessary for renewal
Rejoice, seal of gnosis marked upon the sons
Rejoice, for it is given to you to keep the keys and the ark of the work
Rejoice, Saint John the Theologian, Father of Blessing!
Kontakion 1
Oh fiery Saint, servant of inexpressible sweet grace, and head of Jesus’ emerald love, white-haired elder bearing the petal of the mystical priesthood and teacher of the profound meaning of the sealed Theology, receive us under the shelter of the royal lily. The laying on of hands upon our heads enlightens us and adopts us into the virginity of Heaven, so that we may sing to you with all the strength of holy praise: Rejoice, John the Theologian, Father of Blessing!
First prayer to Saint John the Theologian:
With faith, love, and reverence, we come to you from the depths of our hearts, Holy Apostle and Evangelist John, God’s spokesman and Christ’s most beloved friend, and with all humility we ask you to help us, the unworthy, through your holy and all-powerful prayers, so that we may pass peacefully and with comfort through all the turbulent waves of the present age and not fall into the snares and traps so skillfully set by evil men and cunning demons. We ask you, the soaring eagle of theology, to intercede for us before the Most Merciful God and our Savior, Jesus Christ, that He may enlighten with His grace our minds darkened by passions, so that we too may receive the wisdom from the Spirit of God and know the dogmas of the true faith and the wonders of His Law, and so that we too may work, according to our strength, on that which we will understand. We ask you, the beloved disciple of Christ, who preached to the world the love of God and the love of neighbor, to help us through your intercession before the Lord, so that we too, through the gift of God, may come to love God with all our heart, with all our mind, and with all our strength, and our neighbor as ourselves. We place you, the most pure vessel of virginity, as our intercessor before the Most Good God, that through His help and mercy He may deliver us from the fierce wars of anger and carnal desires, as well as from the flood of impure thoughts, which ever spring from the heart and which, like clouds of darkness, disperse from the depths, darken our minds to the ruin of our souls. To you, most blessed disciple and apostle, whom the Lord named you the son of His Most Holy and Most Pure Mother and whom He appointed to serve her until her departure from this world, we fall with all humility and contrition of heart, that, together with the Most Pure Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary, who is also the Mother of the Lord, your Mother, and the Mother of all of us who have believed in Christ, you may intercede for us before our Most Sweet Savior, that through His mercy and compassion, He may not forsake us throughout all the days of our lives, nor at the hour of our passing, when we shall stand before Him and be judged. Amen.
Second Prayer to Saint John the Theologian:
Great and all-praised Apostle and Evangelist John, Spokesman of God, beloved disciple of Christ, our ardent defender and swift helper in times of trouble! Pray to the Lord God to grant us forgiveness for all our sins, which we have committed from our youth throughout our lives in deed, word, desire, and with all our senses, and when our souls depart from our bodies, help us sinners to be delivered from the toll-houses of the air and from eternal torments, so that through your merciful intercession we may glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.
Source: https://doxologia.ro/acatistul-sfantului-ioan-bogoslovul
Father Daniil Sandu Tudor:
Icon of Saint Daniil Sandu Tudor:
