Akathist to Saint Maximus the Confessor

For all Akathists published on our site, click here. This Akathist was recently provided in English by Maxim, who kindly asks all Orthodox Christians to keep him in their prayers for his repentance.

Romanian icon of Saint Maximus the Confessor. On his scroll it is written: “For the Mystery of Christ All things were made in Heaven and on Earth.”

Feast Days: 21 January and August 13

Kontakion 1

You have shown yourself to be the strength of priests, the foundation of dogma, the trumpet of wisdom, and the shepherd of the Church, Father Maximus, overcoming unseen enemies and heretical notions with the power of the knowledge of God. And into a battle like the fire of a martyr you threw yourself in for the love of Christ, that we may rejoice in Him with you as righteous and holy. For this we sing to you: Rejoice, Holy Pious Maximus, lyre of the Holy Trinity, great illuminator in deed and word!

Ikos 1

Adorned from youth with a good nature and a righteous mind, you became the first royal counselor, for the grace of God shone powerfully from your heart, strengthening you at all times:

Rejoice, youth who reached the age of a perfect man

Rejoice, you who have turned away from the pleasure that brings death

Rejoice, you who have purified yourself of passions through spiritual struggles

Rejoice, light that has reached the mountaintop

Rejoice, skilled writer of divine dogmas upon the tablets of the heart

Rejoice, furnace kindled by the fire of heavenly love

Rejoice, melting of hardened thoughts

Rejoice, silence that lets the Lord’s will be heard

Rejoice, grace and the unspeakable joy of its fulfillment

Rejoice, strength of humility that opens hearts

Rejoice, for you were clothed with power from on high

Rejoice, unceasing remembrance of God

Rejoice, Holy Pious Maximus, lyre of the Holy Trinity, great illuminator in deed and word!

Kontakion 2

Seeing the decline of faith and the rise of heresies harmful to the soul, you, Saint Maximus, renounced the honor of high office to become a monk, and taking upon your back the blessed cross of love, you rejoiced to sing: Alleluia!

Ikos 2

You became an unshakable pillar of the Church, Venerable Maximus, strengthening many in the faith through your letters. Emperor Heraclius himself renounced heretical doctrines, as did Patriarch Pirus, whom you defeated in the Assembly of Carthage. For you clearly showed that just as there are two natures in Christ, so too are there two wills and operations in one indivisible Person:

Rejoice, unconquered soldier of Christ

Rejoice, tireless zeal for the salvation of your neighbor

Rejoice, lament and prayer for the souls of your enemies

Rejoice, clothing of those stripped of spiritual knowledge

Rejoice, support of those shaken by the storm of persecution

Rejoice, wondrous healing of the diseases of the mind

Rejoice, heart made a stone altar

Rejoice, word who has made a bridge over the abyss of death

Rejoice, longing for the completion of the Body of Christ

Rejoice, guardian of the treasures of the Church

Rejoice, mind inseparable from grace

Rejoice, love that embodies Christ

Rejoice, Holy Pious Maximus, lyre of the Holy Trinity, great illuminator in deed and word!

Kontakion 3

Drawing holy boldness from the spirit of obedience, you have revealed, Father Maximus, the divine and deifying power that flows from the mysteries of the Church. And we, partaking of it, sing with thanksgiving: Alleluia!

Ikos 3

Because of the Holy Angels who are present and record those who enter the church and present themselves before God, and who pray for them, you advised Christians not to be absent from the Holy Liturgy. But especially for the outpouring of the Holy Spirit, who transforms those present and renews them in Christ, according to their dispositions:

Rejoice, casting away of unbelief and diminishing of sinfulness

Rejoice, increase of virtue and banishment of ignorance

Rejoice, increase of knowledge and obedience to the divine words

Rejoice, training and disposition of the heart, strengthened and unshaken in holy things

Rejoice, inclination of the will with delight toward the things above

Rejoice, end of worldly thought and settlement in spiritual things

Rejoice, closing of the door of the senses and cleansing of them from the idols of sin

Rejoice, icon of love for God and for people

Rejoice, gratitude for the wondrous images of salvation

Rejoice, unity and equal honor with the Angels in the praise of the Holy Trinity

Rejoice, adoption into the grace of the Holy Spirit and communion with Christ

Rejoice, communion and likeness with God

Rejoice, Holy Pious Maximus, lyre of the Holy Trinity, great illuminator in deed and word!

Kontakion 4

Following the Mother of God, Venerable Maximus, you became a living book in which the Word of God was written by the pen of the Spirit and the blessing of the Father. For this, together with you, we sing: Alleluia!

Ikos 4

You have depicted the life of the Most Holy Mother of God in word as a most wonderful icon, which you have bestowed upon all who venerate her with faith:

Rejoice, virtue that embodies Christ

Rejoice, meadow dewed with the glory of the Holy Virgin

Rejoice, humility illuminated by the Face of the Mother of God

Rejoice, call and praise of the Queen’s name

Rejoice, victory over death mediated by the Mother of Light

Rejoice, communion with the Tree of Life from the Inexhaustible Chalice

Rejoice, prayer that brings down the mercy of She who became the Ladder from earth to heaven

Rejoice, worship of the Icon of the Virgin with the Infant Jesus in her arms

Rejoice, guide to the Fountain of healing

Rejoice, mind enlightened by the gaze of She who is full of grace

Rejoice, passion of divine love for the prayers of She who was taken up with body and soul into Heaven

Rejoice, hesychastic zeal, nourished by the Burning Bush

Rejoice, Holy Pious Maxim, lyre of the Holy Trinity, great illuminator in deed and word!

Kontakion 5

By uniting yourself with God through grace, you were freed, Saint Maximus, from the chains of the law of sin, and you proved yourself a skilled healer of souls. Through your guidance, you lead us to the Harbor of perfection, so that, strengthened in grace, we may rejoice in the Lord, singing: Alleluia!

Ikos 5

You loved all people equally, Venerable Father, and ceaselessly prayed to Christ for them. And many of them, captivated by your teachings and following your virtuous life, were inflamed with divine longing:

Rejoice, deep prostration that calls forth the depths of Christ’s humility

Rejoice, movement toward the divine, unburdened by passions

Rejoice, fear of the Lord that drives away the stubbornness of indifference

Rejoice, self-control that stands like a wall against the entry of passions

Rejoice, poor in spirit, which shelters the treasures of grace

Rejoice, obedience which is not shaken away from the light of truth

Rejoice, renunciation of the desire for pleasure and the fear of pain

Rejoice, desire for the all-holy divinity

Rejoice, zeal kindled by heavenly peace

Rejoice, saving ignorance of vain things

Rejoice, you who through knowledge dispel unseen accumulations

Rejoice, you fiery prayer that brings Christ down into the heart

Rejoice, Holy Monk Maximus, lyre of the Holy Trinity, great illuminator in deed and word!

Kontakion 6

Through the work of virtues, purification from passions; through contemplation, the discovery of divine reasons in things; through the suffering of rapture in the spirit, communion with God by grace—all these you have shown as steps toward perfection for those who sing in their ascent: Alleluia!

Ikos 6

You have testified about God’s great love for His creation, for this is why He became incarnate—that man might be deified and, through Him, bring creation as an offering of the Liturgy to Himself. And thus together they might paint the Image of Love, the icon of the kingdom:

Rejoice, flower of humility watered by the dew of repentance

Rejoice, water of virtue transformed into the wine of love

Rejoice, mind purified of imaginings

Rejoice, walking in the icon of stillness

Rejoice, birth from on high

Rejoice, transfiguration of nature in Christ

Rejoice, crucifixion on the Cross of Love

Rejoice, resurrection from the tomb of sin

Rejoice, ascension upon the clouds of spiritual vision

Rejoice, chosen vessel of the Spirit

Rejoice, filial embrace of the Incomprehensible One

Rejoice, heart in worship at the Threshold of Eternity

Rejoice, Holy Pious Maximus, lyre of the Holy Trinity, great illuminator in deed and word!

Kontakion 7

The darkness of deception desolated the altars of hearts, sowing with terror the abomination of heresies. But you, Saint Maximus, shamed the crooked thoughts with the light of the Spirit, and crushed them against the Rock of Christ. For this, with thanksgiving, we sing to God: Alleluia!

Ikos 7

You skillfully steered the helm of the Church, as if it were a ship carrying to the harbor of salvation the treasure of faith and the adornment of the life according to God:

Rejoice, for you have reached the rank of the episcopate in spirit

Rejoice, steadfastness in virtue and contemplation

Rejoice, for your zeal has been transformed into love

Rejoice, for your desire has been transformed into heavenly joy

Rejoice, for your reason has been rightly imprinted upon the powers of the soul

Rejoice, for your care and seeking are directed solely toward the Kingdom of Heaven

Rejoice, for you were born in the Spirit from the Father of the Age to Come

Rejoice, key that unlocks the doors of salvation to the heart

Rejoice, righteous judgment that separates the wheat from the chaff

Rejoice, preacher of Christ in two natures, unmixed and inseparable

Rejoice, painter of the divine mystery of the unconfused union of the two natures, wills, and energies of Christ

Rejoice, leaven that ferments the dough of God-conscious thought

Rejoice, Holy and Venerable Maximus, lute of the Holy Trinity, great illuminator in deed and word!

Kontakion 8

You have confessed one nature, one will, and one operation in three Persons within the Holy Trinity, and you have proclaimed God incarnate as one Hypostasis with two natures, two wills, and two energies, crying out: Alleluia!

Ikos 8

Like a boat steered from Above, you traversed the ocean of the Spirit’s words and discovered the insights of the mysterious dogmas. Then, lifting the veil of the letter through God-inspired interpretations, you fulfilled, Father Maximus, the spiritual law:

Rejoice, heart devoted to the divine commandments

Rejoice, guardian against straying from the path of virtues

Rejoice, ever-moving repose from passions toward the things above

Rejoice, mind purified and adorned with divine reason

Rejoice, spiritual consumption of the sensible world

Rejoice, devout inquiry into the meanings of Scripture

Rejoice, circumcision of the heart through the word of grace

Rejoice, knowledge of divine causes through the contemplation of things

Rejoice, indelible memory of heavenly beauty

Rejoice, hesychastic ascent into the bosom of unapproachable silence

Rejoice, secret vigil in expectation of Christ the Bridegroom

Rejoice, walking in love in the light of the Holy Spirit

Rejoice, Holy Pious Maximus, lyre of the Holy Trinity, great illuminator in deed and word!

Kontakion 9

In all things you contemplated, Venerable Maximus, the mystery of the Incarnation of the Word, through which God gives being to creation, embracing it, and creation becomes the Church—the Body of Christ, receiving Him to whom the Holy Angels sing with trembling: Alleluia!

Ikos 9

You have shown, Holy Maximus, that God created the visible and invisible creation out of nothing, by His good will, and souls together with bodies, according to the rational principles subsisting in Him from before the ages. And the union of the Rational Createdness with the divine Logoi is itself the endless ascent in Christ toward the eternal communion of love:

Rejoice, work of virtue, through communion with Christ

Rejoice, mirror of the heart turned toward God

Rejoice, illumination of the conscience by the rays of the Word

Rejoice, imprinting of divine rationalities in the body through virtues

Rejoice, joy of rest beyond movement and stillness

Rejoice, for in the perfection of love there is no room for satiety

Rejoice, revelation within the world of the workings of uncreated energies

Rejoice, creation standing face to face with Love beyond nature

Rejoice, passage through the fearful fire of Love

Rejoice, mysterious depiction of the Last Judgment

Rejoice, transformation of nature through deifying union with Christ

Rejoice, Hesychastic cradle, resting place of the love of the Holy Trinity

Rejoice, Holy Pious Maximus, lyre of the Holy Trinity, great illuminator in deed and word!

Kontakion 10

You caused blessed Martin, Bishop of Rome, to convene a synod and anathematize the heretical confession of Emperor Constans. Despising the fleeting life, you laid down your soul for Christ, O Father Maximus, so that you might sing to God with an unblemished conscience: Alleluia!

Ikos 10

Having been arrested along with your disciples and Bishop Martin, you were brought before the emperor and judged without shame. Yet in speech you remained unconquered and in the endurance of terrors undisturbed, for which you were exiled to Thrace:

Rejoice, unceasing call of God’s mercy

Rejoice, boundless trust in divine providence

Rejoice, bond with Christ that frees from delusion

Rejoice, holy boldness united with humble thought

Rejoice, unfailing path of truth

Rejoice, zeal to tear down the dividing wall of sin

Rejoice, pure fear of the Lord

Rejoice, race toward the crown of the heavenly calling

Rejoice, strength of gentleness and steadfastness of mystical vision

Rejoice, apostolic understanding and angelic service

Rejoice, clarity pierced by divine rays

Rejoice, voluntary suffering clothed only in the garment of love

Rejoice, Holy Pious Maximus, lyre of the Holy Trinity, great illuminator in deed and word!

Kontakion 11

Twice more were you brought to Constantinople to stand trial, and again you were exiled, for the deceivers could not stop the flood of divine teachings that flowed from your mouth, accompanied by the angelic song: Alleluia!

Ikos 11

You did not commune, being the light of the world, with those ruled by the darkness of false faith, receiving mockery for Christ and the breaking of your body. With your tongue and right hand cut off, through speech beyond nature without a tongue, you utterly put the heretics to shame, to the glory of God:

Rejoice, you who drowned false faith in martyric-like blood

Rejoice, you who spoke in the fiery tongue of the Spirit

Rejoice, you who were written in the Book of Life by the power of the Cross

Rejoice, for you counted great sufferings as nothing for Christ

Rejoice, for your ascetic struggles prepared you for martyrdom

Rejoice, deprivation of all human comfort for the heavenly Comforter

Rejoice, for through your countless wounds you became like Christ

Rejoice, you who by grace destroyed the powers of the enemy

Rejoice, you who sacrificially prepared the paths of the Word

Rejoice, you who descended into the depths of humility

Rejoice, you who heard the angelic psalmody beyond nature

Rejoice, fragrance of incorruption

Rejoice, Holy Pious Maximus, lyre of the Holy Trinity, great illuminator in deed and word!

Kontakion 12

Comforted beforehand by the divine revelation that showed to you the day and hour of your end, you joyfully prepared yourself for Christ the Bridegroom, O most suffering one. And at the appointed time, you gave your soul into His hands, singing with inexpressible joy: Alleluia!

Ikos 12

At your tomb three lights were seen, shining with wonder and assuring all of the heavenly glory to which the Most Holy Trinity has made you worthy. Having partaken of His grace, Venerable Maximus, enlighten our souls through your prayers:

Rejoice, dwelling in the unwaning light

Rejoice, sweetness of the Holy Trinity’s radiance

Rejoice, suffering for Christ transformed into riches of grace

Rejoice, for the Son Himself has testified for you before the Father

Rejoice, for you accompany Him into Eternity

Rejoice, icon of the world

Rejoice, reading in the Book of the Mystery of Eternal Life

Rejoice, worship of the Son

Rejoice, illumination of the Spirit

Rejoice, joy of the Father’s embrace

Rejoice, image clothed in the fire of divine love

Rejoice, image made an icon, heaven and earth in union

Rejoice, Holy Pious Maximus, lyre of the Holy Trinity, great illuminator in deed and word!

Kontakion 13

With holy confessions you have adorned yourself and risen, crowned, from the earth, toward the unwaning light and toward glory, Father Maximus. For this reason, the grace of God dwells in your holy relics, and we honor your memory and call upon you to intercede for our souls, asking Christ for mercy, singing with you: Alleluia!

This kontakion is sung three times.

Then again Ikos 1 and Kontakion 1 are said.

Ikos 1

Adorned from youth with a good nature and a righteous mind, you became the first royal counselor, for the grace of God shone powerfully from your heart, strengthening you at all times:

Rejoice, youth who reached the age of a perfect man

Rejoice, you who have turned away from the pleasure that brings death

Rejoice, you who have purified yourself of passions through spiritual struggles

Rejoice, light that has reached the mountaintop

Rejoice, skilled writer of divine dogmas upon the tablets of the heart

Rejoice, furnace kindled by the fire of heavenly love

Rejoice, melting of hardened thoughts

Rejoice, silence that lets the Lord’s will be heard

Rejoice, grace and the unspeakable joy of its fulfillment

Rejoice, strength of humility that opens hearts

Rejoice, for you were clothed with power from on high

Rejoice, unceasing remembrance of God