Orthodox Reflections

For all Akathists published on our site, click here. This Akathist was contributed by Maxim, who kindly asks all Orthodox Christians to keep him in their prayers for his repentance. See bottom for original source. Explore more prayer: Akathists to the Apostles, Akathists to Early Christian Martyrs, and Akathists to New Testament Saints.

Feast Day 11 June

Troparion of Saint Barnabas the Apostle

Tone 3

Holy Apostles, pray to the merciful God that He may grant forgiveness of sins to our souls.

ODE 1

Tone 2

Irmos: Long ago, Pharaoh’s mighty army was cast into the depths, but when the Word became flesh, the evil sin was destroyed, O Most Glorious Lord, for He was glorified with glory.

Stich: Holy Apostle Barnabas, pray to God for us!

As a good man and a son of comfort, drive away the wickedness of my soul and the soul-destroying sorrow of my sin, so that, filled with joy, I may praise you.

Stich: Holy Apostle Barnabas, pray to God for us!

Receiving the glorious radiance of Christ, the King of all, Who sprang from the house of Judah, most blessed one, and being of the Levitical lineage, you proclaimed the change of the priesthood and the Law.

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

Your radiant life, O wise one, has revealed you as a second God of the first goodness and of the natural being, from whom you have obtained the second birth of divine salvation, which is blessed with gifts, O great Apostle Barnabas.

Now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

The host of divine virgins, divinely praises you, the best among women, O Mother of God, Mistress, You who are adorned with the ornaments of Divinity; for You gave birth to the Word, the Maker of all ornaments, beyond all words.

ODE 3

Irmos: Long ago, Pharaoh’s mighty army was cast into the depths, and when the Word became flesh, the evil sin was destroyed, O Most Glorious Lord, for He was glorified with glory.

Stich: Holy Apostle Barnabas, pray to God for us!

Cloud, who brings us rain of your own free will, you have seen yourself, Holy Apostle Barnabas, from the springs of grace, and you water us with the flow of delight.

Stich: Holy Apostle Barnabas, pray to God for us!

Seeing you enlightened and shining with beauty, the Almighty Lordship of the Spirit appointed you, most honored one, as a minister of the mysteries of Christ.

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

Enlightened by the grace of Your Cross, O Lord, the great Apostles, Saints Barnabas and Paul, enlightened by God, brought the Gentiles to You through faith.

Now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

You have shown yourself to be pure, O Lady, like a lily shining amid thorns with the radiance of virginity, Most Holy Mother of God.

ODE 4

Irmos: You came from the Virgin—neither a messenger nor an angel, but You Yourself, O Lord—You became incarnate and saved me, a mere human. For this, we sing to You: Glory to Your Power, O Lord.

Stich: Holy Apostle Barnabas, pray to God for us!

Following the Lord’s commandments, O most-praised Apostle Barnabas, you distributed all your wealth to the poor and proclaimed Christ with a mighty voice.

Stich: Holy Apostle Barnabas, pray to God for us!

Reaching the lofty heights of virtue and meeting the Apostle Paul, the spokesman of God, you preached to all the depth of the ineffable mystery.

Stich: Holy Apostle Barnabas, pray to God for us!

Like a sun shining across the ends of the earth, O Most Glorious Saint Barnabas, following the Apostle Paul, you have illuminated them with the radiance of your words, like rays of light.

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

Having become a partaker of the Savior’s sufferings, O Most Praised Saint Barnabas, together with Him you were exalted in the heavenly places, filled with joy beyond all understanding.

Now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

The curse of our foremother Eve was broken through your Only-Begotten Son, O you who are wholly blameless. For you gave birth to the Word, who existed before all ages, in the flesh, and He crowned the world with blessings.

ODE 5

Irmos: You have become a Mediator between God and men, Christ our God. For through You, O Lord, we have found deliverance from the night of ignorance to Your Father, the source of light.

Stich: Holy Apostle Barnabas, pray to God for us!

As the shadow of the Law passed away and was illuminated by grace, proclaiming the fulfillment of the Gentiles, the Apostle Barnabas, enlightened by God, illuminated it through his preaching of Christ.

Stich: Holy Apostle Barnabas, pray to God for us!

Appearing clothed with the mighty power of the Holy Spirit, O Apostle, you crushed the spirits of deceit, saving the world from their wickedness.

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

You were the voice that cried out among the desolate nations, O wise one, proclaiming to all the unfathomable mystery of the divine Incarnation, O most blessed Holy Apostle Barnabas.

Now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Behold, in your womb you bore Christ God beyond all words, O Most Pure Mother of God, as Isaiah foretold, and beyond nature, O Mother of God, you gave birth to Him.

ODE 6

Irmos: Surrounded by the depths of my sins, I call upon the unfathomable depths of Your mercy; deliver me from corruption, O God.

Stich: Holy Apostle Barnabas, pray to God for us!

Rising upon the world, Christ our God, Sun of righteousness, Lord, You have revealed the Holy Apostles Barnabas and Paul as shining rays.

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

You were a sharp axe cutting at the roots, cutting away deep-rooted deceit with miracles beyond words, O wise and marvelous Barnabas.

Now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

He who stretched out the heavens by His will revealed you as another earthly heaven, O Mother of God, Most Pure, and from you He was born and revealed Himself.

KONTAKION

Tone 3

Tone: The Virgin today…

You were a most faithful servant of the Lord, and among the seventy Apostles you were the first to appear; together with the Apostle Paul, you illuminated your preaching, proclaiming Christ the Savior to all; for this reason, with hymns, we celebrate your divine commemoration, Holy Apostle Barnabas.

ODE 7

Irmos: The commandment contrary to God, issued by the pagan tyrant, kindled a raging fire; but Christ, the One who is blessed and glorified, bestowed the Dew of the Spirit upon the young men who worship God.

Stich: Holy Apostle Barnabas, pray to God for us!

You, Apostle Barnabas, preached the Holy One who rests in holiness among the saints, the Word who is co-eternal with the Father and co-seated on the throne, Who became Man and wrought salvation for us.

Stich: Holy Apostle Barnabas, pray to God for us!

The radiant rays of divine light, the most honored Saint Barnabas and the Apostle Paul, accepted by God, shone forth like a light, illuminating with the word of grace the inheritance of the nations, as preachers of Christ.

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

Today rejoices the one who gave birth to you, offering fragrant incense to the faith, raising you up to Christ, blessed by God; deliver her, through your prayers, from her present bondage, as a reward.

Now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Guide my life, Most Pure One, to your haven, leading it with peaceful guidance, you who gave birth to God, the Source of virtues, who grants all believers the incorruptibility of virtue.

ODE 8

Irmos: The fiery furnace in Babylon, by God’s command, stopped its workings, burning the Chaldeans and refreshing the faithful, who sang: Bless all the works of the Lord, O Lord.

Stich: Holy Apostle Barnabas, pray to God for us!

To stir up the sea of the pagans, as a doer of good, you brought forth the great Saint Barnabas and the brilliant Apostle Paul, who drove away the deception of the multitude of gods with the teachings of the true faith, O Giver of Life.

Stich: Holy Apostle Barnabas, pray to God for us!

You have placed, O God, Comforter and All-Powerful Spirit, in Your Church radiant luminaries who proclaimed Your power and that of the Son and the Father, crying out: “Bless all things of the Lord, O Lord.”

Stich: Holy Apostle Barnabas, pray to God for us!

You shone brightly like the sun in the world, having united yourself with the Sun of understanding, embraced by God. For by partaking of His radiance, you became a second light, revealing to all the power of the mystery.

We bless the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, the Lord.

Illuminating the whole world with your teachings, you have, as is fitting, attained the happiness beyond comprehension in the heavenly mansions, O most honored Saint Barnabas, receiving from the Lord a most beautiful crown.

Now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

To destroy the first curse and the condemnation of death of our forefather of old, from the Virgin, the Mother of God, the Word of God, You were born, granting to all imperishable immortality.

ODE 9

Irmos: The Son of the Father without beginning, God and Lord, having become incarnate from the Virgin, has appeared to us, to enlighten what is dark and to gather what is scattered. For this, we glorify the Mother of God, the Most Praised.

Stich: Holy Apostles, pray to God for us!

Having become a light, Holy Apostles, through good deeds and now standing before the Great Light, pray to the Lord to grant peace to the world and to save the churches you have gathered.

Stich: Holy Apostle Barnabas, pray to God for us!

You have extinguished the fervor of the rhetoricians with the flames of your enlightened wisdom, O God-speaking Apostle Barnabas, who have gained within yourself a fountain of radiance. For this, we magnify your most holy commemoration.

Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit.

Now, as we celebrate your memory with faith, Apostle, we place you as our intercessor before the Lord, asking that through your intercession we may receive forgiveness of sins, Holy Barnabas, Most Honored, preacher of God, most holy.

Now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.

Like a morning star you appeared in the night of life, shining with the rays of virginity, revealing to us the rising Sun of righteousness, the All-Understanding One, the Mother of God, Most Honored.

SITTING TROPARION

Tone 8

Melody: Shepherd’s Flutes…

Leaving behind the shadow of the Law, like a wise man, you walked in grace, O Holy Barnabas, bearer of God, through cities and towns, bearing the name of the Crucified One and bringing the disobedient to the truth through miracles and signs; you appeared in Christ as a comfort to the world.

And if it is Fasting Season:

SITTING TROPARION of the Most Holy Mother of God

Tone 8

Paraphrase:  The commandment that is a mystery…

To God the Incomprehensible, the Son and the Word, Who was born of you in a manner beyond description and beyond the understanding of the mind, O Mother of God, pray together with the Apostles that He may grant the world pure peace and give us, before the end, the correction of our sins; and, through His great goodness, may He make your servants worthy of the kingdom of heaven.

SOURCE: https://doxologia.ro/canon-de-rugaciune-catre-sfantul-apostol-barnaba