Having learned the words of Paul, O ignorant Theklo,/ and having been strengthened by faith from Peter, O God-called,/ you appeared as the first martyr and the first sufferer among women;/ you ascended upon the flame, as upon a prosperous place,/ the animals and youths are afraid of you, armed with the Cross./ Thus pray, O all-honoured one, to Christ God, // that our souls may be saved.
You shone with the kindness of virginity,/ and you were adorned with the crown of martyrdom,/ you entrusted yourselves to the apostleship, O virgin, like a most glorious one;/ and you turned the flame into dew,/ You tamed the youth’s rage through your prayer, // like the first-suffering one.
O heavenly flower of chastity, o the first martyr of the New Testament, O Theklo, the bride of Christ, equal to the angels, purified by suffering and infused with the apostolic preaching, shone with purity, prosperous with many deeds and fragrant with glorious miracles!
To whom let us liken you, O God-called one, who has trampled upon every soul-destroying deception, filling the vessel with the Holy Spirit, a reservoir of wisdom, a source of healing, which cools the flame of all passions! Like a bright cloud, come and wash us with the rain of your prayer from mental and physical defilements. Like a fire of love kindled, keep our hearts chaste and ignite love for Christ. As a sign of unyielding courage in suffering, strengthen our wavering hearts with the saving power of the Cross of the Lord; as our strong champion, I will take out those who are at enmity against us, the weak, and give us an invincible fiery shield, so that the cold demons, scorched by your prayers, may flee from us, so that our bodies will be like temples of the Holy Spirit.
To her, Theklo, wise and virtuous, turn away our eyes from the lusts of this world, so that we may betroth ourselves to Christ with an immaculate conscience; Fill our lamps with the oil of chastity, we have sinned greatly by not maintaining fidelity to the Bridegroom Christ, and for this reason the Imams have shut themselves outside the Bridal Chamber. Otherwise, do not reject your children who pray to you, but, like a compassionate helper, clothe us in the vestments of the faith of strength, gird our loins with purity for the mortification of passions and the renewal of the spirit; Moreover, adorn our souls with meekness and humility, so that as children of God, like the lambs and sheep of Christ, we may pass through the temptations of this wicked world without restraint, and may we reach the longed-for Palace of Paradise, where all the wise virgins stand before the Throne of the Bridegroom of Christ, chanting the venerable Name of the Father, and the Son, and The Holy Spirit, now and forever. Amen.
Akathist to Equal-to-the-Apostles Thekla of Iconium, First Martyr
O blessed holy first martyr, virgin equal to the apostles, the most praiseworthy Theklo, the true bride of Christ, the beauty of the firmament of the church, the mental morning star of Heaven, the most luminous bead of purity and chastity, the fragrant blossom of the garden of Eden!
You, who loved the very life of the only Lord more than all the good things, who suffered kindly for His Name, who was wondrously crowned by Him with the crowns of virginity, martyrdom and apostleship, who are included in the face of Heaven, even though you now rejoice in eternal glory, but do not forsake us, who honor you, as a vigilant intercessor and our merciful one before God. representative.
And since your Bridegroom, sweetest Jesus, has given you the great grace, we humbly pray to you: heed the request of our hearts, do not leave us orphans in this world; visit us in the prison of existing sin, quickly raise us to vigorous repentance, teach our souls and bodies to maintain purity, direct us to the path of good deeds, inhale zeal towards the Gospel, infuse prayers with holy fire and lead us to Divine love.
She, the kindly victorious first sufferer, since you can ask for many benefits from the Most Merciful Jesus our Savior, be a quick helper in this life. Intercede for us with angelic protection, heal the wounds and ulcers of the sick, send down grace-filled consolation to those who mourn, protect youth and adolescence with purity, assist monks in labor and obedience, maintain indissoluble marriage, create invincible warriors in battles, and waste the enemies of the faith and the Holy Church.
Pour out, O chosen one of Christ, your prayer for us to the Lord, that He may grant us a blameless course of life, a painless, comfortable, and peaceful old age; I am not ashamed of the death, the Mysteries of the Most Holy, the Body and Blood of His Divine, I am a participant in, in the Kingdom of Heaven, we may abide there with the ranks of Angels, and sing together with the saints in the Trinity of the glorified God, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit, to the endless ages of ages. Amen.
Akathist to Equal-to-the-Apostles Thekla of Iconium, First Martyr