Holy Righteous Princess Sofia Slutskaya

Righteous Sophia of Slutskaya, Princess

Service to Saint Righteous Sophia, Princess of Slutsk

The text was approved by the Holy Synod of the Russian Orthodox Church on December 25, 2013 (magazine No. 146)
The month of March on the 19th day of St. Sophia, Princess of Slutsk

At Great Vespers

Blessed is the husband: 1st antiphon. to the Lord: stichera, tone 8:

God-blessed, honest Princess Sophia, / sincere mercy / and the love for God you have acquired, / for this reason, the grace of God / abundantly be upon you, mother.// Still praying by your faith preserve the blessed one.

Your relics, by the grace of God/ exude sight to the blind/ and give healing to all who come with faith/ and ask for your visitation,/ venerable mother Sophia,/ praise to the city of Slutsk and all lands to Belorus Russian decoration./ Moreover, with your prayers// ask us for great mercy.

Blessed Sophia, God-wise,/ standing from the heavenly inhabitants to the Throne of the Lord and Lord,/ constantly praying for us/ and interceding for all who flow to you with faith and love./ Moreover, as I never sleep in prayer and warm intercessor, // we all honor you, wonderful one.

Blessed Sophia,/ you were richly adorned with virtues in your present life,/ with humility, meekness, hard work and non-covetousness./ Moreover, as I was filled with the great gifts of God when I was on earth/ living, // we please you all, wonderful one.

O blessed righteous Sophia!/ From her youth, the chosen vessel of the Lord’s appearance,/ by standing in the Orthodox faith,/ by patience, prayer, almsgiving,/ by purity of soul and body./ Moreover, to the Heavenly Ts Aryu and the Lord of all you have pleased,/To Him now you pray// grant us peace and great mercy.

Let every tongue move / to praise our most glorious mother Sophia: / young men and virgins, spouses and widows, / we magnify the saint and righteous woman of Christ with praises, / having labored zealously / and Having rejected the weakness of women,/ through alms and temple building/ the beauty of the land of Slutsk has increased ./ And, adorned with the most radiant Heavenly crown,/ asks from Christ God/ the Church for unanimity and peace,// and great mercy for our souls.

Glory, the same voice:

Suffering illnesses,/ you have received grace/ to heal mental and physical ailments,/ honorable mother Sophia,/ and drive away unclean spirits with prayers,/ and represent all who mourn before God.// This one For the sake of asking for healing for us and great mercy.

And now, Theotokos: King of Heaven:

Entrance. Prokeimenon in the afternoon. And there are three readings.

Wisdom of Solomon reading (chapter 3):

The righteous souls are in the hand of God, / and no torment will touch them. / They did not die in the sight of the mad, / and their exodus was imputed to their bitterness. / And even the procession from us is contrition, / they are in me Re./ For before the face of man, Even if they suffer torment,/ their hope of immortality is fulfilled./ And even though they were punished a little, they will be great benefactors,/ for God will test me and find them worthy of Himself./ Like gold in the mountains Le, tempt them / and, like the fruitfulness of the sacrifice, I am accepted. / And during their visitation they will shine / and flow like sparks along a stem. / They judge with their tongues and rule over people, / and the Lord will reign in them forever. / Those who hope in Nan understand the truth / and are faithful in love They shall abide unto Him, as grace and mercy among His saints/ and visitation among His elect.

Wisdom of Solomon reading (chapters 5 and 6):

The righteous women live forever, and their reward is in the Lord,/ and their care is with the Most High./ For this reason they will receive the Kingdom of splendor/ and the crown of kindness from the hand of the Lord,/ the right hand will cover me and the arm of protection and He will take full advantage of His zeal and arm them the creature will take revenge on the enemy./ He will put on the armor of righteousness/ and put on a helmet, the judgment is unfeigned./ He will take an invincible shield, like honor./ He will sharpen vain anger into weapons;/ He will bring peace with him against the foolish./ They will go right-handed lightning arrows/ and, Like clouds from the well-rounded bow, they will fly towards their intention./ And from the fury of stone-throwers, cities will fall,/ the water of the sea will be indignant at them,/ and the rivers will be drowned by me insolently./ This spirit will resist them. ly/ and, like a crown of hair, will scatter them,/ and lawlessness will devastate the whole earth,/ and wickedness will transform the thrones of the mighty./ Hear, O king, and understand,/ learn, O judges of the ends of the earth./ Inspire, you who hold multitudes/ and who are proud of the people There are nations, / for there is a power given to you from the Lord, / and strength from the Most High.

Wisdom of Solomon reading (chapter 4):

A righteous man, even if he dies, will be at rest./ For old age is not honest for many years,/ it is counted lower in the number of years./ Gray hair is the wisdom of a man,/ and the age of old age is not a bad life./ Good Having been given to God, he was loved,/ and living in the midst the sinner was quickly put to death./ He was caught up quickly, lest malice change his mind,/ or flattery deceive his soul./ The pain of malice darkens the good,/ and the soaring of lust changes the mind of the gentle./ Died in the small, fulfill the summer's debt./ Pleased with the Lord his soul, / for this reason, longing from the midst of wickedness. / But people saw and did not understand, / lower thought in such a way. / For grace and mercy are among those who are like Him, / and visitation among His elect ́.

On litia stichera, tone 8:

Praiseworthy and blessed Sophia, / of the honest origin of the holy, / you are called wisdom, / you were adorned with good deeds, / with alms, purity and truth, / the vessel of the Holy Spirit you were./ Where you work glorious miracles,/ by faith you come to the race of your relics,/ / and pray for our souls.

Glory, even now, Theotokos, voice 5: You are the temple and the door:

On the stichera stichera, tone 1:

Having truly desired the glory of the fathers,/ you have loved the Orthodox faith,/ and having retreated from the wicked,/ you have diligently served God with your life,/ the God-wise Sophia,/ and are now in Heaven You accept bribes, // You reign with Christ.

Verse: Honorable before the Lord // is the death of those who are like Him.

Having rushed to the Divine refuge, / you passed the waves of worldly revolts: / and you preserved your soul, the ship, all-honorable, / unharmed from the sinking of the sinful.

Verse: God is divine in His saints, // God of Israel.

The cancer of your relics, blessed Princess Sophia,/ just as an honest treasure has appeared,/ is now the reality,/ we accept healing from our illness// through your prayers.

Glory, voice 6:

Today the sun has risen brighter,/ your sacred triumph, righteous Sophia,/ praise of the land of Slutsk,/ illuminating the souls of those who live in darkness,/ always driving away the darkness of demons,// most wonderful.

And now, the Mother of God:

Mother of God, You are the true vine,/ Who has grown for us the Fruit of life./ We pray to You: we pray, O Lady,/ with the saints, the apostles,// to have mercy on our souls.

Troparion, tone 5:

Holy righteous mother Sophia, / God honors you with the incorruption of relics and miracles with radiance; / and we, remembering your righteous life, / pray to you to ask / for our health in our bodies, / and salvation for our souls.

Glory, even now, to the Mother of God: Rejoice , impenetrable door of the Lord:

At Matins

To God the Lord: the troparion is the same.

According to the 1st verse of the sedalen, tone 5:

Having endured courageous deeds through abstinence, / you overthrew the many-witted one / and, having lived piously in patience, / the righteous Sophia Princess of Slutsk, / now you have gone to God, / praying for fulfillment celebrating your sacred celebration. Twice.

Glory, even now, to the Mother of God:

All-immaculate mother, shine forth the ray of repentance/ and, having destroyed the darkness of my immeasurable evils,/ cast away the evil thoughts of my heart, O Virgin.

According to the 2nd verse of the sedalen, tone 2:

Behold the crayfish of grace-filled gifts, behold the healing spring, / the holy relics revealed, / also come, faithful ones, let us earnestly draw today: / for the sick - healing, and for those who are in trouble - joy ost./ Through the prayers of Blessed Sophia of Slutsk,/ Lord, preserve our Church unbreakable.

Glory, even now: Blessed are you:

Greatness:

We magnify you,/ holy righteous princess Sophia,/ and honor your holy memory,/ for you pray for us// Christ our God.

Selected psalm:

I have endured the Lord, and he has listened to me, and heard my prayer.

Set my feet on the stone, and straighten my feet.

According to polyeleos sedalen, tone 8:

Pre-chosen by God, righteous Sophia, / guided to the refuge of life, / you have flown through the storm of life. / And now with the Angels sing songs of praise to the Deliverer, / pray unceasingly for us, / for grace to be with us We will find holiness in Christ our God. Twice.

Glory, even now, to the Mother of God:

Rejoice, you who received the joy of the world as an angel./ Rejoice, you who gave birth to your Creator and Lord./ Rejoice, you who were made worthy to be the Mother of God.

Degree, 1st antiphon of the 4th tone. Prokeimenon, tone 4: God is divine in His saints, // God of Israel. Verse: In the churches bless God, the Lord from the source of Israel. Gospel of Matthew, conception 104.

According to Psalm 50, stichera, tone 6:

Canon, tone 8.

Song 1

Irmos: Load up Pharaoh’s charioteer/sometimes wonder-working rod/Moses’ rod, striking it in the shape of a cross/and dividing the sea:/Israel the fugitive, saving the pedestrian,//singing the song of God.

I am immersed everywhere by passionate storms, and hesitating by sinful thoughts, / to the quiet refuge of Christ’s commandments, with your prayers, righteous Sophia, guide me, / so that I may sing to you worthily.

Enlightened by divine goodness, God-blessed Sophia, / You were ignorant of the Word of the Eternal, having lived a life pleasing to God, / And You followed His life-giving footsteps, confirming the Orthodox faith with your life yushchi.

You, glorious Sophia, followed the divine father’s punishment, / and you were jealous of their pure character, having lived righteously according to the law of God, / pleasing God with good deeds, God-wise, and truly humble ́niem.

Theotokos: We will glorify the divine camp and table, the bread of the animal, the unfinished field, the holy mountain, the Virgin Mary with songs.

Song 3

Irmos: In the circle of heaven, the Supreme Creator of the Lord,/ and the Creator Church,/ Thou hast confirmed in Thy love,/ the desires of the land, the true affirmation,// The One who is more loving of mankind.

Having settled into the heavenly palaces of light, / flowing rivers of healing for us, wise Sophia, passionate, drying currents.

You were adorned with extreme desire, desiring Christ, / with abundance of compassion for the flesh of the poor, / and you followed His living words, hating all the red things of life.

Having acquired virtues like a gilded krill, / you flew to the heights of Heaven, blessed Sophia, like an immaculate dove.

Theotokos: The human race is saved, O All-Immaculate One, by Thy all-glorious Nativity:/ We therefore honor Thee, and piously please, O Most Pure Virgin, O Most Pure God-Glorified.

Sedalen, voice 4:

Adorned with divine goodness/ and glorified by God by the incorruption of your holy relics, the righteous Sophia/ you entered into His imperishable palace,/ where you prayed unceasingly to be saved from every misfortune. I love you to those who honor you.

Glory, even now, to the Mother of God:

Pure, All-blameless and Unartificial Virgin, / the one Flightless Word of God who gave birth in the summer: / The same with the saints and honorable apostles, martyrs and prophets, and the venerables / pray to grant us purification and in I have mercy.

Song 4

Irmos: I have heard the Lord,/ seen Thy mystery:/ understood Thy works,// and glorified Thy Divinity.

Your bright triumph, shining with the light of the Spirit of God, / illuminates our souls, who sing to you in faith, O righteous Sophia.

You assured the ignorant of the Lord Christ with divine miracles,/ and you turned the darkness of those left behind to the knowledge of Him.

You brought gifts to Christ, prayers and labors of abstinence: / for this reason you received the Kingdom of Heaven, Sophia, and eternal pleasure.

Theotokos: With peace you saved me, with the lofty wisdom of the living, / who gave birth to the Ascension of our humble nature, the Most Pure One.

Song 5

Irmos: We cry out to You, / Lord, we are saved: / For You are our God, / / Do You know no other.

Your hands are like those raised up to the Creator, / mother Sophia, you have brought down the enemy’s vacillation.

Having held your hand on your gum, the Most High, / instructed you to eat, mother, to Heavenly pleasure.

Having traversed a narrow path in your life,/ you have come to the breadth of paradise, most honorable Sophia.

Theotokos: And those who do not know Theotokos, O Mother of God, / have no light to see Who was born from You, Most Pure One.

Song 6

Irmos: Give me a robe of light,/ clothe yourself in light like a robe,// most merciful Christ our God.

Having put to death the movements of the flesh, you reigned supreme over the passions, / and now, the all-pure Sophia, you live in the passionless luminaries.

You have learned to worship the image of Spasov, O glorious one, / through your deeds and words you have saved His teachings.

Oh , Christ showed you the clouds, mother Sophia, / the rain that flows to those who flow to you with faith, glorious one.

Theotokos: Thy Son, O Most Pure One, is to the races above all men, through the kindness of the Divine, even if he were made flesh for our sake.

Kontakion, tone 4:

Come, all Russian women,/ let us praise Saint Sophia,/ who was likened to the wise virgins,/ who have acquired the oil of the grace of the Holy Spirit;/ wherefore, make the Lord wise/ to strive to establish the holy of the Orthodox faith / and to keep His Church / unshakable from heresies and schisms, / for this purpose Let us sing to her with gratitude:/ Rejoice, O city of Slutsk and all our lands // Joy and affirmation.

Ikos:

Give me streams of words, O my God, and create my mind as a source of decency,/ and bless my tongue, so that I may sing praises to Thy saint Sophia, the God-wise,/ who Thou hast crowned with Thy goodness:/ Except for Thy Thyself. I have a word worthy, / as I bring a gift, O beggar,/ also give me strength, to confess her deeds,/ for she has conquered the beasts of the mind./ With her prayers, O Savior, confirm my thoughts too.

Song 7

Irmos: O three Jews in the cave/ trampled the flame boldly,/ and turned the fire into the dew, crying out // Blessed are you, O Lord God, forever.

About the decaying kindness, blessed Sophia, you neglected here, / looking there at the existing rewards and light, / and the ageless glory of God and beauty, and the Divine village.

You have acquired the mind of the God-loving people, Sophie, / and, in the flesh of your being, you have become like an Angel, vigilantly vigilant and singing with love: / Blessed are you, O Lord God, forever.

Theotokos: In the end of my sorrow, O Virgin, we will bring upon me many of my evils, / and the kinship of the fire to snatch up me, crying: / Blessed art thou, O Lord God, unto the ages.

Song 8

Irmos: Blessed, the youths in the cave/ with fire, trampling the flame, bless the belt, the works of the Lord, the Lord.

Decorated with the radiance of purity, and enlightened by a pure life, / Sophia the God-wise, standing before Christ our God.

He heals people of various diseases, and drives away demonic misfortunes/ your holy body, gloriously preserved in the body.

You offered a sacred sacrifice, and a bright offering, O righteous Princess Sophia, / like a fragrant censer, to the Lord of all Christ our God.

Theotokos: Without corruption, the Word, more than words, gave birth to all things, / delivering us from all corruption: / for this reason we magnify You, O Virgin, by faith.

Song 9

Irmos: Every ear fears/ the indescribable condescension of God,/ as the Most High willed even to the flesh,/ from the virgin’s womb he was a man.// Moreover, the Most Pure Mother of God is of great greatness I eat.

You desired the mental kindness of Christ, and you loved Him purely./Where do you rest? where are you grazing? –/ You cried warmly, “Let me rest with You, and in Your luminosity I may enjoy,/ magnifying Your goodness.”

You had reason in your soul, and humility, and divine meekness,/ undoubting faith, and hope and love, even for God,/ standing before Him with all-night prayers,/ and heavenly lights May you, blessed Sophia, be illuminated and enlightened.

Today, people gathered/ magnify the Lord with praises, who magnified your holy triumph:/ in this remember us, who remember you,/ standing before Christ, righteous and all-honorable Sophia.

Theotokos: Spare me, O God, be born of a Virgin, when you sit to judge my affairs,/ and with your prayers despise my iniquities and sins, for I am Good and Many-Merciful.

Luminous:

The prince hid himself in the cold, and thus, in a wise manner of display, was mad,/ the wife of the being in soul and body, shone like a husband with reason and faith,/ mother Sophia, the adornment of righteous wives.

Glory, even now, to the Mother of God:

A day for me to shine with reasonable joy, / For you are, Pure One, the light and life of those who exist in darkness: / For you can create whatever you want, for the beings of all are the Mistress.

On the praises of the stichera, tone 4:

You built a sacred dwelling for God, which was the temple of the Holy Spirit, with all-wise purity of soul, and you guided souls to the Kingdom of Heaven, and you brought this, like a gift to Christ,/ O glorious Sophia.

The maidens loved the Bride and the Lord,/ repenting of your teaching,/ and despising carnal weakness,/ conquering the passions with pious zeal,/ and being introduced with you, O Sophia,/ into the palace of Heaven noble and divine, // always having fun.

You had great mercy for those in need,/ but true love for God,/ for this reason the grace of Christ/ rested in you, mother,/ also with your prayers// preserve the blessed ones by faith cha.

Your honest shrine, / in which you now rest with your relics, / exudes healing to all, / those who flow to you by faith, / an honest and worthy mother. /Also, with your prayers// save us who sing to you.

Glory, voice 8:

Oh, glorious miracle!/ You have zealously devoted yourself to God,/ having cleared the field of your heart/ from the thorns of soul-harming passions,/ you have fulfilled the commandments of God,/ and mind the Creator with alms You were kind, / for this reason you received a special reward / from God, / Sophia, God-blessed princess,/ pray to Christ God// to grant us great mercy.

And now, the Mother of God:

I received the voice of the Archangel Gabriel, saying:/ Rejoice, Mother of God, // even as the Giver of Life, Christ, was born to the world.

At the liturgy

Blessed are the canon, cantos 3 and 6. Prokeimenon, tone 4: God is divine in His saints, // God of Israel. Verse: In the churches bless God, the Lord from the source of Israel. Apostle to Galatians, conception 208. Alleluia, tone 1: The Lord is the shepherd of the righteous, and their Protector in time of tribulation. Gospel of Mark, conception 21. Communicated: Rejoice in the Lord, O righteousness:

Prayer

Oh, our holy righteous mother, blessed Princess Sophia, graciously accept the offering of our faith, hope and love and lift it up to the Lord, just as it was in your earthly life You are the helper and intercessor of all Orthodox Christians of your land, so now strengthen us firmly and Stand unwaveringly until death for the Orthodox faith, warm our hearts with love for the Lord and His Most Pure Mother. Pray to Christ our God, may he preserve His Holy Church from schisms and heresies, may he establish in her the spirit of right faith and piety, the spirit of knowledge and love, the spirit of peace and eternal joy, and all children I worship Him in spirit and truth, that He may strengthen the faithful in piety and holiness of life, may he convert those who have fallen away from the Orthodox Church to its holy bosom. O holy mother, praise and joy to the city of Slutsk, pray to the Lord that your city and our entire country will be delivered from famine, cowardice, flood, fire, sword, invasion of foreigners and internecine warfare, from death clear plagues, may our ruler send down zeal, wisdom and fidelity, that they rule and judge according to His will, and that they preserve the institutions of the Holy Church. Ask for all those who flow with faith to the race of your holy relics for a peaceful life, silence, enlightenment of minds and hearts, keep them from the snares of the enemy, from the temptations of the world that lies in evil, and from all I am in sorrow and need, turn us to repentance and correction, grant to those who have gone astray knowledge of the truth, healing for the sick. Save us with your grace-filled prayers from all enemies, visible and invisible, and deliver us from all evil, so that we may glorify all the days of our lives the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, and your intercession forever and ever ́v. Ah min.

Life

Having been left an orphan early, the rich heiress of the ancient princely family of the Olelkoviches who owned Slutsk, Saint Sophia became a bone of contention between two noble Polish families: her guardians the Chodkiewicz and the Radziwills. When she was still very young, they entered into an agreement under which, in payment of debts,

They promised to give Sofia and all her inheritance to the Khodkiewicz family as a wife to the Nesvizh prince Janusz Radzivvil.

Relations between the clans became strained, the Radziwills demanded repayment of the debt, an armed clash almost occurred, but the saint prayed that the Lord would not allow bloodshed because of her. Sofia agreed to the marriage on the condition that she preserve Orthodoxy and raise her children in the Orthodox faith. The circumstances of this inter-tribal and inter-confessional union became the subject of a brief correspondence between the Patriarch of Constantinople and the Pope. The wedding took place on October 1, 1600, according to the Orthodox rite, in one of the cathedrals of Brest.

The saint's life did not become any sweeter after marriage. Her only consolation was church activities. The saint defended the rights of the Orthodox during the Union of Brest in 1596, when a large territory of the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth came under the rule of Catholic Rome, and Orthodoxy began to be brutally oppressed: churches and monasteries were taken away, Orthodox priests were expelled. Churches were rented out to non-religious people, who demanded payment for each service. Saint Sophia made Slutsk, which belonged to her, a stronghold of Orthodoxy. She convinced her husband to petition the Polish king for a charter of freedom from the union and in every possible way defended the interests of Orthodoxy, both legally and financially.

The saint died during childbirth at the age of 26 and was buried in the Slutsk Holy Trinity Monastery. The Lord glorified the holy Princess Sophia with the incorruption of her relics and the working of miracles at the tomb. Now her relics rest openly in the Holy Spirit Cathedral in Minsk.