A Hymn of Thanksgiving...From Prison

I first encountered this Akathist last year, as I prayed the words, in tears, with the brothers and sisters of my parish, on the eve of Thanksgiving.  I did not learn until afterwards that they were the words of a condemned man.  Condemned for his faith.  And that he was choosing gratitude in the most dismal of circumstances.  I begin this day here.  And I offer it to you, my friends.  I am thankful for you.

This Akathist, also called the "Akathist of Thanksgiving," was composed by Protopresbyter Gregory Petrov shortly before his death in a prison camp in 1940. The title is from the words of Saint John Chrysostom as he was dying in exile. It is a song of praise from amidst the most terrible sufferings.

Glory to God for All Things

Kontakion 1

Everlasting King, Thy will for our salvation is full of power. Thy right arm controls the whole course of human life. We give Thee thanks for all Thy mercies, seen and unseen. For eternal life, for the heavenly joys of the Kingdom which is to be. Grant mercy to us who sing Thy praise, both now and in the time to come. Glory to Thee, O God, from age to age.

Ikos 1

I was born a weak, defenseless child, but Thine angel spread his wings over my cradle to defend me. From birth until now Thy love has illumined my path, and has wondrously guided me towards the light of eternity; from birth until now the generous gifts of Thy providence have been marvelously showered upon me. I give Thee thanks, with all who have come to know Thee, who call upon Thy name.

Glory to Thee for calling me into being
Glory to Thee, showing me the beauty of the universe
Glory to Thee, spreading out before me heaven and earth
Like the pages in a book of eternal wisdom
Glory to Thee for Thine eternity in this fleeting world
Glory to Thee for Thy mercies, seen and unseen
Glory to Thee through every sigh of my sorrow
Glory to Thee for every step of my life's journey
For every moment of glory
Glory to Thee, O God, from age to age

Kontakion 2

O Lord, how lovely it is to be Thy guest. Breeze full of scents; mountains reaching to the skies; waters like boundless mirrors, reflecting the sun's golden rays and the scudding clouds. All nature murmurs mysteriously, breathing the depth of tenderness. Birds and beasts of the forest bear the imprint of Thy love. Blessed art thou, mother earth, in thy fleeting loveliness, which wakens our yearning for happiness that will last for ever, in the land where, amid beauty that grows not old, the cry rings out: Alleluia!

Ikos 2

Thou hast brought me into life as into an enchanted paradise. We have seen the sky like a chalice of deepest blue, where in the azure heights the birds are singing. We have listened to the soothing murmur of the forest and the melodious music of the streams. We have tasted fruit of fine flavour and the sweet-scented honey. We can live very well on Thine earth. It is a pleasure to be Thy guest.

Glory to Thee for the Feast Day of life
Glory to Thee for the perfume of lilies and roses
Glory to Thee for each different taste of berry and fruit
Glory to Thee for the sparkling silver of early morning dew
Glory to Thee for the joy of dawn's awakening
Glory to Thee for the new life each day brings
Glory to Thee, O God, from age to age

Kontakion 3

It is the Holy Spirit who makes us find joy in each flower, the exquisite scent, the delicate colour, the beauty of the Most High in the tiniest of things. Glory and honour to the Spirit, the Giver of Life, who covers the fields with their carpet of flowers, crowns the harvest with gold, and gives to us the joy of gazing at it with our eyes. O be joyful and sing to Him: Alleluia!

Ikos 3

How glorious art Thou in the springtime, when every creature awakes to new life and joyfully sings Thy praises with a thousand tongues. Thou art the Source of Life, the Destroyer of Death. By the light of the moon, nightingales sing, and the valleys and hills lie like wedding garments, white as snow. All the earth is Thy promised bride awaiting her spotless husband. If the grass of the field is like this, how gloriously shall we be transfigured in the Second Coming after the Resurrection! How splendid our bodies, how spotless our souls!

Glory to Thee, bringing from the depth of the earth an endless variety of colours, tastes and scents
Glory to Thee for the warmth and tenderness of the world of nature
Glory to Thee for the numberless creatures around us
Glory to Thee for the depths of Thy wisdom, the whole world a living sign of it
Glory to Thee; on my knees, I kiss the traces of Thine unseen hand
Glory to Thee, enlightening us with the clearness of eternal life
Glory to Thee for the hope of the unutterable, imperishable beauty of immortality
Glory to Thee, O God, from age to age

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Comments

[Gail Hyatt]

This hymn brings tears to my eyes. Thank you for posting it.

For those who may not know, the Akathist (Literally: not sitting. It is a hymn sung standing) in the Orthodox church is a hymn of thanksgiving or supplication used on special occasions, and has a standard form comprising 13 sections, each one made up of a Kontakion (Collect Hymn - collects the meaning of the hymn) and an Ikos (stanza).

Here is the best recording I've found. It's a recording of an actual service, meant more to be sung than listened to. I love singing along to it in my car.

http://www.liturgica.com/cart/musicInfo.jsp?catNo=AJ098

From my own research, there appears to be some confusion as to who actually penned the words to the hymn.

Some say, "The author of this Akathist was Metropolitan Tryphon (Prince Boris Petrovich Turkestanov). It contains biographical references to his child-hood illness and family life, as well as other material. It was written in perhaps 1934, the year of his death. (This is the then Bishop Tryphon who, on 9/22 April, 1910 blessed the Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna and her "miloserdia' sisters of the Mary & Martha convent to take up their work: ""These clothes will hide you from the world, and the world will be hidden from you, but at the same time it will be a witness of your charity, which will shine before the Lord, and in His glory."

At the death of Fr. Gregory Petrov, this hymn is said to be found among his few possessions.

Regardless, it is a glorious hymn written in times of suffering.

[Amanda]

Shelia - Elijah and I prayed this together last night. Every time the words touch me in a new way. Thank you for sharing - Happy Thanksgiving!

[Shelia]

Gail, thank you sweet friend for this.

Amanda, Happy Thanksgiving to you and your beautiful family.

[Julie B]

And I say "Glory to Thee, for Shelia's postings" :)
What you share always adds to my day, muchas gracias, Shelia, Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!

[Shelia]

Ah, Julie, you are the BEST! You are such an encouragement to me.

[Patsy]

I applaud a heart that continually seeks the deep streams of God's love. Your online contributions are salve to our wounded souls...thank you.

[Darlene]

This is my first time commenting on your blog. An Orthodox Christian sent me this akathist on cd and I listened to it numerous times as a catechumen. It helped to strengthen me in my struggles as my time drew near toward being received into the Orthodox Church on Lazarus Saturday of this year.

On Wednesday evening I attended the Thanksgiving service at my former Protestant church and read an excerpt from this akathist to those who were present. I spoke of this Orthodox Christian's desire to be thankful to God even in the midst of such horrific suffering, even unto martyrdom. I pray they received what I read with open hearts.

[Shelia]

Patsy, Thank you for your kindness. It is gift to me. And thank you for the delicious words and deep breaths you drop into my life daily, in 140 characters or less. :)

Darlene, I am so glad you are here. Thank you for telling me a bit of your story. Having lived in both the Protestant and the Orthodox traditions, I know we have so much to give to one another...and this is a beautiful place to start.

[Estrotone]

Oh I will download this hymn so that I can listen to this any time. :D