The Holy And Glorious Prophet Elijah

My father, my father: the chariot of Israel,

and the horsemen thereof !

Troparion - Tone 4

An angel in the flesh and the cornerstone of the prophets, the second forerunner of the coming of Christ, Glorious Elijah sent grace from on high to Elisha, to dispel diseases and to cleanse lepers. Therefore, he pours forth healings on those who honor him.

Kontakion - Tone 2

Prophet Elijah of great renown, seer of the mighty, mighty works of God, by your command you held back the rain ! Pray for us to the only Lover of mankind !

From a Prayer to Saint Elijah:

We confess that, just like the Israel of old, have we estranged ourselves from the Lord our God, through our iniquities, and, though we do not worship Baal, and other unworthy idols, yet, nevertheless, through the slavery of passions, and our lustful desires, do we serve the idols.

We confess that therefore did the heavens close and became like unto brass and copper, for our hearts have closed before the mercy and true love for our neighbor. Therefore did the earth dry and became unfruitful, for we have not brought to our Lord the first-fruits of good deeds. Therefore doesn’t He give us rain and dew, for we did not have tears of humility and the life-giving dew of our minds and thoughts towards God. Therefore did all food sear, and all the grass of the field wither, for all good thought in us has dried-out. Therefore did the sky darken, for our mind has been darkened by evil thoughts, and our heart has been stained by unlawful lusts and defiled by wicked desires.

We confess that, even unto thee, Holy Prophet of our Lord, are we unworthy to raise our prayers: for you, being a man just like unto us, according to the passions, yet with your life have you likened yourself unto the angels, and just like a bodiless one have you ascended to the heavens; yet we, through our shameful deeds and thoughts, our soul just like unto the body have we made. You, through fasting and wakefulness, have made angels and men wonder, yet we, slaves to our immoderate excesses and lustful desires have we made ourselves. You coveted the Lord’s glory, yet we, on the other hand, distance ourselves from the glorification of our Lord and Creator, and shame ourselves from confessing His glorious Name. You eradicated unworthiness and evil habits, yet we only farther enslave ourselves to the vices of this hostile world, more than to the hearkening of His commandments.