April 8 - Lazarus Saturday PRAYER TO THE RIGHTEOUS SAINT LAZARUS

 

April 8 - Lazarus Saturday

PRAYER TO THE RIGHTEOUS SAINT LAZARUS

O righteous and excellent friend of Christ, holy Lazarus, a boast to Bethany and a wonder to the whole world! Blessed is thy house, which our Lord Jesus Christ in the days of His flesh visited with love, seeing the faith and goodness of thy soul and of thy godly sisters Martha and Mary, for thou hast loved Him with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy mind; and thou hast loved Him to the end.

Wonderful are your mysteries, which were revealed to you by your Divine Friend and our Lord, because before His Cross and Resurrection He deigned to show His Glory on you to the whole world, and to make you the forerunner of his triune Resurrection from the dead. For this reason, He, as the Lord of life and death, let thee be put to sleep in death, and be buried, and let thee descend even to the depths of hell, where thou hast seen those who were dead of old in innumerable numbers, held in chains of hell, and hast seen the fearful fears thou hast faced.

And thou, when thine body was already delivered up to mortal death, in the four days thou didst hear the divine voice of thy friend at thy grave: "Lazarus, get thee out!" And at that voice thou didst awake suddenly from the tomb; and so thou didst make Bethany joyful, thou didst quench the tears of Martha and Mary; and thou didst scare the Pharisees and the scribes, who were hardened in their hearts. Assuage, O holy friend of Christ, our tears which are shed for our sins; give life to our souls and bodies, and raise us up out of the tomb of despair and bitter despondency; deliver us all from eternal death, as our Lord raised you up from the death of death.

And beseech merciful God, that He may grant us to be partakers of eternal life, in which also thou, through thy saintly labors on the island of Crete, art now enjoying thyself in the abodes of paradise, praising the Most Holy Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.