O divinely wise Anna, in thy womb thou didst bear the pure Mother of God, who gaveth birth unto Life. Wherefore, rejoicing in glory, thou hast now been translated to the mansions of heaven, where is the abode of those who rejoice. O ever-blessed one, beseech thou cleansing of transgressions for those who honor thee with love. Glory…now…
O holy and righteous Joachim and Anna, the forbears of Christ, elect among the human race, who gave birth to the all-blessed, holy Maiden, of Whom the Son of God was born in the flesh. In that you have great boldness before Christ God and stand before His heavenly throne, earnestly entreat Him, that we may be delivered from misfortunes and thus may ever cry aloud to you:
An angelic messenger was sent to you by God, O holy and righteous ancestors of God, when ye both gave vent to your sorrow—thou, O Joachim, in the wilderness, and thou, O Anna, in the garden,—offering up supplication unto God. Thus the incorporeal one brought the joyful tidings that ye would give birth to an all-blessèd daughter, in whom the whole human race would be blessed. And with him we also offer you joyful praise:
Seeing himself belittled by the high priest in the temple of Jerusalem because of his lack of children, the holy Joachim was sore distressed. In bitterness of soul he withdrew to his flocks in the wilderness, and there he offered fervent supplication with tears, that the Lord grant that he might be called father by a child of his own. And thus he added fasting to prayer, and in the contrition of his heart cried aloud to God Almighty: Alleluia!
Knowing the extent of her husband’s grief, the holy Anna wept bitterly in her house and prayed that the Lord would remove from her the reproach of barrenness. And we, remembering the patience of the righteous ones, cry:
Filled with the power of God, the angel of the Lord appeared to the holy Joachim in the wilderness and said to him: “God has heard thy prayer and has been pleased to grant thee His grace! Behold, Anna thy wife shall conceive and bear thee a daughter, who shall be the joy of the whole world!” And having said these things, the incorporeal one commanded him to return to the temple of Jerusalem, where he would find his spouse praying, that with her he also might sing there the hymn of praise to the God of Israel: Alleluia!
Having great sorrow in thy heart, O holy Anna, thou didst enter the garden of thy home, where thine eye lit upon a bird’s nest in a tree, wherein lay little chicks; and straightway thou didst add supplications to thine entreaties, that the Lord might vouchsafe thee to become the mother of a child. And, lo! the angel of the Lord appeared unto thee, saying: “Thy prayer has been heard, thy sighs have passed beyond the clouds, and thy tears have come before God! Behold, thou shalt conceive and bear an all-blessèd daughter, in whom all the peoples of the earth will be blessed, and through whom salvation shall be given to the whole world! Her name shall be Mary!” Mindful of these most joyous angelic tidings, let us sing such things to the ancestors of God:
Beset by a storm of doubt and perplexed by the angel’s tidings to him, the righteous Joachim straightway set out for the city of Jerusalem, where he found before the gates of the temple the holy Anna, greatly glorifying the Lord, who declared to him the joy of the angelic appearance and prediction of her childbirth. Wherefore, when he had told his spouse of his own vision, he cried with her unto the Lord: Alleluia!
When Anna’s kinfolk and friends heard of her all-glorious conceiving, they glorified the God of Israel. And the divinely wise Anna promised the fruit of her womb to the service of God and offered up fervent thanks to the Lord. And hymning with splendor the most glorious conception of the divine Maiden Mary, we say unto her holy parents:
Ye were vouchsafed to give birth in the flesh to the all-holy Theotokos, the divinely radiant star who showed forth Christ God, the Sun of righteousness, O most blessèd Joachim and Anna, and have thus received the enviable title of ancestors of God. At her holy birth heaven and earth rejoiced, and the whole human race was sanctified, crying out to the God of Israel Who is wondrous in His saints: Alleluia!
Looking as parents upon the Mother of the Creator, the divine Maiden Mary who was born to you, ye reverently ministered unto her as the ark of God; wherefore, turn not away from us who fall down before you in prayer and say:
Ye were shown to be proclaimers of the wonders of God, O saints, when ye fulfilled your vow to God and with glory brought the three-year old divine Maiden Mary to the temple of God, that she might abide there in the Holy of holies; and for these things thou didst hasten with joy to sing unto the God of your fathers the glorification: Alleluia!
The divine Maiden shone forth like the full moon at her honored entry into the temple of the Lord, and the angels marveled at her beauty. And taking her from your hands, O holy Joachim and Anna, the High Priest Zachariah led her into the Holy of holies with honor, for she was truly the animate ark of God; and he blessed you as is meet with such praises as these:
Having fulfilled the desire of thy soul and given thy promise to God, O all-blessèd Joachim, thou didst depart this earthly life in holiness and righteousness, passing on to the Lord. Wherefore, make entreaty for us to Him, that we also may be counted worthy to receive a peaceful and unashamed end, crying out to Him: Alleluia!
Thou didst lead a new and God-pleasing life in thy widowhood, O holy Anna, abiding at the temple of God and ministering to thine all-blessèd daughter; wherefore, we praise thee as a true and God-pleasing widow and the grandmother of Christ, and with love we fervently honor thee and thy husband, Joachim the grandfather of God, and offer thee such hymns as these:
Having reached the end of thine earthly sojourn in the arms of thy most divine daughter, the Theotokos Mary, O holy and righteous Anna, thou didst sleep the sleep of death and wast transported unto God with hope; wherefore, glorifying thy holy dormition, we entreat thee, O most honored grandmother of God: When we also begin to fall into the sleep of death, beseech Christ the Savior, that our soul may part gently from our body and escape the power of the demons, and that we may be vouchsafed eternal salvation, and may cry out to Him in the joy of the saints: Alleluia!
The whole Christian world blesses you as is meet, O holy and righteous ancestors of God Joachim and Anna, and in prayer glorifies your honored names; and the Church of Christ celebrates your memory with splendor and offers hymns of praise unto you:
All the angels of God and the choirs of the saints of God in heaven greet you, O holy and righteous ancestors of God Joachim and Anna, and on earth the generations of men praise you with prayerful hymns and cry out to God in thanksgiving for your intercession: Alleluia!
Our eloquence does not suffice to praise you fittingly, O holy forebears of Christ; yet as ye are merciful, reject not our poor laudations, but be ye fervent intercessors and advocates for us before the Lord, fulfilling the deficiency of our souls with your holy supplications, that we may cry out to you this hymn of thanksgiving:
O holy and righteous ancestors of God Joachim and Anna, ye have shown yourselves to be good helpers of those who desire salvation of soul and diligently strive therefor, being called the guardians of monks and nuns, and offering unto God common entreaty for all the faithful, that in thanksgiving unto Christ the King of glory, Who has glorified you throughout the world, they all may cry out: Alleluia!
With the bulwark of your prayers, O holy and righteous ancestors of God Joachim and Anna, preserve and protect us from the temptations of the diabolical foe who seeks the destruction of our souls; for we know, we know that your entreaty before the face of Christ our God, thy Grandson according to the flesh, is able to accomplish much. Never cease to make entreaty to Him on behalf of all who with love honor you and cry aloud:
Mercifully accept our hymnody of praise, and deprive us not of your compassions, O holy Joachim and Anna, ancestors of Christ: for though we are unworthy of your holy aid because of our sins, yet as ye are good and full of pity, grant it to us, and help us to cleanse ourselves of the defilement of sin through repentance, that in purity of heart we may sing unto our Creator the hymn of praise: Alleluia!
O brethren, let us recognize the holy ancestors of God, Joachim and Anna, as two radiant candles which lit the universal lamp, and, illumined with the effulgence of their heavenly glory, let us sing to them such things as these:
O holy ancestors of God Joachim and Anna, ask of the Lord, that He grant us divine grace and mercy, forgiveness of sins and correction of life; and cease never to entreat the countenance of Almighty God on our behalf, in that ye have acquired great boldness before Him. Falling down before you with fervor for this purpose, we beseech you as our true intercessors and helpers, and with goodly compunction cry out to the Creator of all: Alleluia!
Hymning the great might of your intercession before God, O righteous Joachim and Anna, we magnify Christ the Lord Who has magnified you; we hymn also His allimmaculate Mother who was born of you; and in our zeal we offer you these right fitting praises:
O holy and righteous ancestors of God Joachim and Anna! We entreat you with zeal and love, falling down before the footstool of your feet: Beseech the Lord God, that He may deliver us from the everlasting damnation prepared for sinners, that, saved by the lovingkindness of our God and aided by your holy prayers, we may sing in thanksgiving to Him the angelic hymn: Alleluia! (3)
An angelic messenger was sent to you by God, O holy and righteous ancestors of God, when ye both gave vent to your sorrow—thou, O Joachim, in the wilderness, and thou, O Anna, in the garden,—offering up supplication unto God. Thus the incorporeal one brought the joyful tidings that ye would give birth to an all-blessèd daughter, in whom the whole human race would be blessed. And with him we also offer you joyful praise:
O Ever-glorious and righteous grandmother of Christ, holy Anna who stands before the Heavenly throne of the great King and possesses boldness before Him; He was well pleased to become incarnate of your all-blessed daughter, the all-pure Theotokos and Ever-virgin Mary. We the sinful and unworthy, come to you as mighty intercessors and diligent advocates for us. Entreat His goodness, that He may turn us to the way of repentance and set us firmly upon the path of His commandments. By your prayers, preserve our lives in peace. Ask that we may be successful in good things. By your intercession, may God grant to us all things necessary for life and piety and may He deliver us from all peril, misfortune and sudden death. May He allow us to live out our lives in peace and tranquility in all piety and purity. Having thus passed, from this transitory life in peace, we may attain unto everlasting rest, where by your holy entreaty, may we be granted the Heavenly Kingdom of Christ our God, to Whom is due all glory, honor and worship with the Father and the All-Holy Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages.