Poems for God's glory

[Daniel Hoseiny]

For the Holy Trinity


Life is buried in the tomb,
And risen up again in glory,
To grant His Life to humankind,
To snatch from hell the fallen Adam.

The Son of God and Son of Man,
He was betrayed for 30 coins,
He humbly stood before the evil judges,
And paid the prize of sins that we committed.

He took our sentence in our stead,
Enduring all the pain, our shame, humiliation.
Being lifted high upon the Cross,
He shed His blood as Lamb of God.

You took our sins upon Yourself,
And going down into hell,
You set the captives free.
Your lifeless body, buried in the tomb,
Was resting on the Sabbath day,
Awaiting Resurrection Day,
Your splendid victory of fame.

You were triumphant over death;
It was predicted by the prophets.
Condemned is satan by Your death,
And death is trampled by the death,
Cause You are only Sinless One,
So devil couldn't catch You,
Your life will reign for evermore,
Cause You are Judah's Lion.

On Judgement Day we shall arise,
Like You arose before us,
Ascending high above the sky,
You are the Universal King
Along with God the Father.

With God the Father and the Holy Ghost,
You are the God eternal.
And Judge of living and the dead,
Your second coming is at hand.

On Pentecost You sent Your grace of Holy Spirit,
You built Your Church on You as cornerstone,
You took our human flesh and blood through Virgin Mary,
And was conceived by Holy Ghost,
While still remaining God forever.

Your precious Body, holy Blood,
You gave for us as bread of life,
Imparting life divine and everlasting,
For the forgiveness of our debt,
To make us sons of God of Heaven.

You wash our sins away from us in holy waters of the baptism,
When we sincerely convert to You,
Renouncing evil, devil, all his pride,
Along with worldly passions,
Repenting of our formal sins,
Confessing them aloud.

You give Your grace of Holy Ghost,
Proceeding from the Father,
As earnest of the inheritance above,
Until salvation is accomplished.
Like with apostles long before,
You are with us forever,
Performing miracles and signs,
Expelling evil spirits.

We magnify and thank You, Jesus, Lord of hosts,
And hymn and praise Your Holy Ghost,
Exalt and worship God the Father,
For who You are and what we are in You,
For what You do for us,
Both now and forever.

Let all the people say 'amen', so be it, halleluYah!


Thanksgiving for the Law and deliverance from slavery


To Him who led His people through the desert,
Destroyed His proud enemies in sea,
Conferred His blessings on the chosen people.

To You be all my adoration,
My praise, my love, my jubilation,
My thanks, my song and admiration.

You brought us out of damnation,
Delivered us from condemnation,
And saved Your slaves from slavery.

To You we sing the hymn of worship,
And eat the holy paschal sacrifice,
Of Lamb, whose blood redeemed us from Thy wrath.

On Sinai-mountain You revealed Your presence,
In darkness of Your brightful light,
As Moses has related us.

On holy path of righteousness,
In justice of the covenantal Law,
You have instructed us in order to obey.

By Moses You predicted coming of Messiah,
The One prefigured by the paschal lamb.
We cherish hope for freedom
From devil, sin and all the evil.

The freedom, lost through Adam's fall in Eden,
our lost and sweetest paradise,
where we will hopefully return forever.


For the memory of saint Willibrord


Saint Willibrord had a great desire,
To turn the heathens from darkness unto Light.
Christ's faithful servant, Willibrord had travelled,
From native England down to the Frisian lands

From early childhood he desired,
To know nothing but Christ alone.
Being pious son of pious parents,
He chose the narrow path of Christ.

On Irish soil he labored like a great ascetic,
Acquiring patience, love, humility.
His lamp could not remain under a bushel,
And Willibrord was made a priest.

Like another Paul being sent to other nations,
He travelled far for the sake of Truth by him so loved.
Like the Apostles, all of them were twelve,
And they departed for a missionary work.

Their labor was by God rewarded,
And many Frisians, Danes and other Germans were converted.
And Willibrord was consecrated as a bishop,
His name being changed to Clement by the Pope.

 

[Lees]

For the Holy Trinity


Life is buried in the tomb,
And risen up again in glory,
To grant His Life to humankind,
To snatch from hell the fallen Adam.

The Son of God and Son of Man,
He was betrayed for 30 coins,
He humbly stood before the evil judges,
And paid the prize of sins that we committed.

He took our sentence in our stead,
Enduring all the pain, our shame, humiliation.
Being lifted high upon the Cross,
He shed His blood as Lamb of God.

You took our sins upon Yourself,
And going down into hell,
You set the captives free.
Your lifeless body, buried in the tomb,
Was resting on the Sabbath day,
Awaiting Resurrection Day,
Your splendid victory of fame.

You were triumphant over death;
It was predicted by the prophets.
Condemned is satan by Your death,
And death is trampled by the death,
Cause You are only Sinless One,
So devil couldn't catch You,
Your life will reign for evermore,
Cause You are Judah's Lion.

On Judgement Day we shall arise,
Like You arose before us,
Ascending high above the sky,
You are the Universal King
Along with God the Father.

With God the Father and the Holy Ghost,
You are the God eternal.
And Judge of living and the dead,
Your second coming is at hand.

On Pentecost You sent Your grace of Holy Spirit,
You built Your Church on You as cornerstone,
You took our human flesh and blood through Virgin Mary,
And was conceived by Holy Ghost,
While still remaining God forever.

Your precious Body, holy Blood,
You gave for us as bread of life,
Imparting life divine and everlasting,
For the forgiveness of our debt,
To make us sons of God of Heaven.

You wash our sins away from us in holy waters of the baptism,
When we sincerely convert to You,
Renouncing evil, devil, all his pride,
Along with worldly passions,
Repenting of our formal sins,
Confessing them aloud.

You give Your grace of Holy Ghost,
Proceeding from the Father,
As earnest of the inheritance above,
Until salvation is accomplished.
Like with apostles long before,
You are with us forever,
Performing miracles and signs,
Expelling evil spirits.

We magnify and thank You, Jesus, Lord of hosts,
And hymn and praise Your Holy Ghost,
Exalt and worship God the Father,
For who You are and what we are in You,
For what You do for us,
Both now and forever.

Let all the people say 'amen', so be it, halleluYah!


Thanksgiving for the Law and deliverance from slavery


To Him who led His people through the desert,
Destroyed His proud enemies in sea,
Conferred His blessings on the chosen people.

To You be all my adoration,
My praise, my love, my jubilation,
My thanks, my song and admiration.

You brought us out of damnation,
Delivered us from condemnation,
And saved Your slaves from slavery.

To You we sing the hymn of worship,
And eat the holy paschal sacrifice,
Of Lamb, whose blood redeemed us from Thy wrath.

On Sinai-mountain You revealed Your presence,
In darkness of Your brightful light,
As Moses has related us.

On holy path of righteousness,
In justice of the covenantal Law,
You have instructed us in order to obey.

By Moses You predicted coming of Messiah,
The One prefigured by the paschal lamb.
We cherish hope for freedom
From devil, sin and all the evil.

The freedom, lost through Adam's fall in Eden,
our lost and sweetest paradise,
where we will hopefully return forever.


For the memory of saint Willibrord


Saint Willibrord had a great desire,
To turn the heathens from darkness unto Light.
Christ's faithful servant, Willibrord had travelled,
From native England down to the Frisian lands

From early childhood he desired,
To know nothing but Christ alone.
Being pious son of pious parents,
He chose the narrow path of Christ.

On Irish soil he labored like a great ascetic,
Acquiring patience, love, humility.
His lamp could not remain under a bushel,
And Willibrord was made a priest.

Like another Paul being sent to other nations,
He travelled far for the sake of Truth by him so loved.
Like the Apostles, all of them were twelve,
And they departed for a missionary work.

Their labor was by God rewarded,
And many Frisians, Danes and other Germans were converted.
And Willibrord was consecrated as a bishop,
His name being changed to Clement by the Pope.

​

Your poem reminded me of the old hymn, 'Stricken, Smitten, and Afflicted'. Best sung, I believe by Fernando Ortega.

Lees

 

[Daniel Hoseiny]

Ballad for the Superhero and great Star or simply prosaic prayer of doxology to Jesus Christ.


For the glory of the Holy Trinity
I want to sing a song to Jesus.
I will praise Christ in church,
I will praise him in the great assembly,
I will glorify You on the forum, on the Internet.

Mary gave birth to You
Near the city of Bethlehem of Judah,
But the Holy Spirit conceived You,
And the Power of the Most High overshadowed Mary.

You are predestined to all creation,
After all, Yourself are the Creator of the entire Universe;
You are the Word-Logos, who created everything from nothing,
According to the Father's plan, with the assistance of the Holy Spirit.

You have become a man,
You were like us,
But You didn’t experience our lust,
Nor did You inherit Adam's sin.

You came to save the human race from eternal death,
Introducing us, the fallen, to eternal life.
You Yourself, - the Truth, the Way, the Life, - descended,
Reviving us with Yourself, through the communion of Your blood and body.

You shared our sorrows with us,
Traveling through Canaan with Your disciples.
At night You felt the cold
And the heat of sun with its scorching rays during the day.

You had compassion for people's sorrows,
Healing the sick and disabled,
You raised the dead to life,
Giving bread and fish to hungry,
You forgave all the sins of humble.

You proclaimed good news to the world with a word,
Revealing nearness of God's Kingdom,
In figurative parables communicating Divine wisdom,
Heartily calling on the people to repent.

You taught love's commandment to keep,
To show love in word and deed.
To do everything to our neighbor
What we ourselves want from him to do for us,
So that we may store up treasures for ourselves in Heaven.

You revealed the meaning of the Old Testamental law,
Fulfilled the prophecies of prophets,
The Torah's entire Law prepared its doers for You,
And all the prophets spoke hundreds years before about You.

But the hour of the Cross has come for You,
Of bloody baptism to take place,
To give away Your life,
So that we may receive Your life.
To the villains You were delivered up to death.
They wanted to remove You.
You submitted meekly to the Lawyers that were lawless ones.

And You were tempted by the horror of fierce suffering,
In agony while sweating blood.
You were obedient to Heavenly Father,
Selflessly fulfilling His holy will.
And rejecting the fear of imminent suffering.

Vile Judas volunteered to betray the Teacher
To the priestly court of two-faced God-fighters.
Caiaphas began to interrogate
To ensnare You with deceit of the Christ-fighters.

The disciples left you at the fatal moment,
They were afraid to share Your cup;
Peter denied you, saying: “I don’t know him,”
Although he showed then secret repentance in tears.

You were faint-heartedly condemned by Pilate,
He cowardly sentenced You to death.
This is what the leaders of Your people wanted him to do:
Those slandering priests and hypocrite Pharisees.

You meekly endured the blows of their black envy.
And through experience you have known unbearable torments,
When with the whip You were scourged innocently,
When from the stick You received the wounds,
When You stood with a pricky crown of thorns,
When You were humiliated, dressed in scarlet robe.

You experienced the agony of torture, beatings, abuse.
As a self-proclaimed usurper You were slandered,
Like a blasphemer delivered to the slaughter,
With meekness You endured public shame,
Enduring all the bitterness of humiliation.

But You showed valor in trials,
By Your great courage You surpassed all men.
Putting all the warriors to shame with Your brave-heartedness.
And You looked death in the eyes,
Like the Lion of Judah, a Brave Champion Leader.

You suffered a cruel punishment unjustly,
You accepted our curse voluntarily,
Among two thieves You hung on the cross,
You were counted among the villains involuntarily.

Enduring heat and thirst and pain,
Smirks, swearing, insults,
The wrath of God for our sins You have endured,
Showing His Love for His creation.

You longed to save Adam and Eve,
To bring the lost sheep to the land of meek,
To find the human race for Heaven,
Adopting prodigal son again to the Father.

Experiencing our abandonment by God, You cried out:
“Eli, Eli, lema sabachtani?”
“Oh, God, my God, why have You forsaken me?”
“It is accomplished,” You said,
And You gave Your spirit to Yahweh.

The earth did not tolerate this lawlessness,
She suddenly began to shake,
Exposing the abomination of deicide.
The veil in the Temple was split apart,
By an invisible hand and the power of God into two parts.

And the light disappeared in sky in broad daylight,
The sun darkened in the radiant azure.
And stars and moon did not give shine,
Their Creator seeing as a slain Man.

You died on the tree of the cross on Paschal Day,
The chosen disciples and the women who served You were weeping.
And mortal sorrow struck Mary, Your Mother, on this day,
Your torment pierced her with an invisible weapon.
As Simeon once predicted it,
And now the prophecies of the God-receiver came about.

Joseph of Arimathea sacrificed his tomb for You,
And he wrapped Your relics in a snow-white shroud.
He honored You with oily fragrance,
Having anointed Your body with expensive and fragrant myrrh.

Mary Magdalene bade You farewell with tearful sobs,
She wanted to smear your corpse with greater costly myrrh,
After the Sabbath day, having honored it with lawful rest,
She dared to return to the grave with her friends on the third day.

The devil saw Your death,
The demons rejoiced triumphantly.
He thought: “You are finished forever,
You are dust, I have destroyed You, clod of earth.

With crafty malice I killed You,
You will come to hell to be my prey forever.
There is no salvation for you, earth-born, from me;
You will never return to Garden of Eden,
My power and darkness are over you forever.

Adam, his whole race I destroyed,
I deceived Eve with evil cunningness,
I prompted them to break the commandment of Creator,
I stole Adam's honor and glory.

Now the whole world has become mine forever,
I forced Adam's race to sin,
By the fear of death I forced it into carnal slavery,
But none of you escaped the hour of death,
I will rightfully torture you in hell forever!”

But You broke the backbone of his kingdom,
His gloating You imperiously put to shame,
You raised Your servants from the hell,
You moved their souls to Garden of the Eden,
And God gave them to appear to many in Judea.

Your enemy did not know that You are blameless,
Absolutely good and perfect in Your goodness
Which you chose from very beginning,
Being not involved in Adam's sin,
You are Man and God in a single God-human hypostasis.

And now You, Lord, have revealed yourself alive,
Having been dead in Joseph's tomb yesterday,
You have revealed yourself again healthy, resurrected and revived,
Despite the fact that You fell in sleep of death the day before the yesterday.

The Heavenly Father raised You up at night,
As a testimony that we will be resurrected with You.
You established the rite of baptism in Your churches,
So that we may partake of Your death and rise up with You forever.

On that first day of week, the angel announced to the disciples:
“Why do you consider the Living Lord from heaven to be dead?
Didn’t He speak about His uprising in advance?!
Tell the apostles, to Peter, quickly: Christ is risen from the dead!
And on the mountain He will precede you in Galilee.”

You appeared to the apostles, eleven in number,
Walking through the locked doors of the house.
You filled our hearts with unexpected joy,
Our Teacher rose from grave unharmed!

You appeared to them for forty days,
Dispelling their fear with words of life.
The doubts left their minds,
You miraculously strengthened all their hearts.

Thomas the Apostle did not show faith in miracle,
Until he felt the wounds of Your hands and ribs.
Feeling your body, he declared:
My Lord and God You are, now I believe forever!

And forty days later You ascended to heaven,
To sit forever at the right hand of God the Father.
Being Yourself the Son of God and God, You are the Son of Father,
Eternal Lord You are, Wisdom of Yahweh, Lord of Hosts.

You are the King of kings, the most holy priest of God,
Like the once mysterious Melchizedek of Salem.
You are meek Lamb of God and warlike Lion,
You are the Bridegroom of the Church, the Sun of New Jerusalem.

You sent the Holy Spirit from God to the apostles,
So they could speak in other tongues.
So that apostles could proclaim the Kingdom of Trinity to world,
So that apostles could be fishers of men for God eternal.

For all this I thank the Father,
And with this verse I glorify the Son of God,
I give honor to the Holy Ghost
And I magnify God the Trinity forever.

Trust my words, o friend of mine,
Do not doubt the Holy Gospel.
On Day of Judgment everyone will be rewarded for their deeds,
So hurry up to justify yourself before the God for free,
by virtue of the blood of Jesus.

 

[Daniel Hoseiny]

Saint Barbara

Rejoice most blessed Barbara,
Heroically you bore the pain.
So strengthened by God’s saving grace,
Your witnessing was not in vain.

Being born from father Dioscorus,
You lived in luxury and wealth,
And being renowned for your beauty,
Your pagan father locked you up in his estate.

While contemplating from the tower
The wooded hills and coloured meadows,
As well as stars that twinkle in the nightly sky,
You came to know the only one Creator
Rejecting idols, useless as they are.

One day you held a conversation
With maidens of your city Heliopolis.
And they revealed to you the way of God’s salvation,
While certain priest baptized you in God’s holy name.

And when they were building up a bathroom,
You told the workmen of your absent father
To add third window to the two existing ones,
Thus honoring the Holy Trinity, Existing One.

You chose the Christ of God, our Holy Jesus,
To be your Bridegroom once for all,
Rejecting other bridegrooms, remaining virgin
To be His spotless bride for evermore.

When facing pagan Dioscorus,
You told him truth of Christianity,
And being enraged, he almost killed you,
Had you not fled and took a refuge
In hill that opened up itself
And took you in its crevice,
And then it closed itself before your father’s face.

Being found once again by evil father
And fiercely beaten at the end,
You were delivered up to evil prefect Martianus,
Who tortured you and you were healed.

Your martyrdom was shared by fearless Juliana,
Who joined you and embraced the holy faith.
And being beheaded by your evil father,
You are both rewarded by God, your Holy Father.

Beholding face of Christ, the Holy Bridegroom,
You both received the crown of victory.
And while beholding Uncreated Light,
Remember us in presence of the Triune God.

Who was Saint Barbara? — St. Barbara Orthodox Church

www.saintbarbarafw.org

Holy Barbara is commemorated on December 4. My congratulations and best wishes to all who have their name-day on December 4 and who are called after the holy Barbara.

 

[Daniel Hoseiny]

Saint Catherine

Praise be to you, o holy martyr Catherine,
Steadfastly you stood up for Christ.
Despising threats of emperor Maximian,
Your lofty memory will ever last.

You blossomed forth as offspring of the wealthy parents,
Being highly educated like no other girl.
Excelling women with supremely beauty,
You have rejected bridegrooms asking for your hand.

You dreamed of Bridegroom who is equal
In wealth, in wisdom and the noble birth you have.
Your mother took you to her Christian elder,
Who knew the Man, Him who surpasses all herein.

You fell asleep after you prayed before an icon,
And in your dream your Bridegroom didn’t want to look at you.
When you were thoroughly in Christian piety instructed,
Then Jesus lifted up his face and kindly smiled at you.

Courageously confessing Christ before the assembly of pagans,
You fearlessly exposed the vanity of idol worshipping.
You challenged emperor to summon up philosophers in Alexandria,
Whom you converted through debate to Jesus Christ, true God.

With bravery enduring threats and floggings,
You were confined in dungeon without food to eat.
From there you preached God’s word to Roman soldiers and Augusta,
Who were impressed by you, embracing Gospel’s faith.

A friend of emperor invented cruel torture:
To tear your flesh to shreds by means of pricky wheels.
But when they strapped you underneath the engine,
God’s holy angel freed you, shattering into the bits the wheels.

Weak maiden put the mighty emperor to shame:
Horrific threats and torture were of no avail,
Just like the flattery or sweet, seducing talk.
And so he ordered her to be beheaded.

Triumphantly you faced the death,
It brought you safely home forever.
Victoriously now you rejoice,
O Catherine, pray for us to God in Heaven.​

Her life and martyrdom: Great Martyr Katherine of Alexandria

Holy martyr Catherine is commemorated on November 25 . My congratulations and best wishes to all who have their name-day on November 25 and who are called after saint Catherine.