The Veneration of the Holy Virgin Mary
“Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou among women (Luke 1:28).” This salutation addressed to the Virgin Mary by the Archangel Gabriel, forms a part of the hymn of the Church most frequently sung in her honor. Elizabeth, the Virgin’s cousin, considering it an honor for the Mother of her Lord to visit her, uttered the words, “And whence is this to me that the Mother of my Lord should come to me (Luke 1:43)?” It was during this visit by the Virgin Mary to her cousin, that the Holy Virgin spoke the words that serve as the principal hymn sung in her honor during the Matins service: “My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For He hath regarded the low estate of His handmaiden, for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed (Luke 1: 47-48).”
“Filled with the Holy Spirit”, Elizabeth cried out: “Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb (Luke 1:41, 42).” It is this same honor given the Mother of God by her cousin that has been the blueprint for all generations of the Church to call her blessed. Furthermore, when Our Lord spoke the words, “Behold thy Mother (John 19:27), to John, as He was hanging on the cross, she became the Mother of all Christians! It is clear that had she given birth to other children, there would have been no need for Christ to have asked John to take care of His mother, thus His words were spoken for the benefit of all His followers.
The Virgin Mary in the Orthodox view is not regarded as a mediatrix or co-redemptress, as she is seen in some Roman Catholic circles. We see her as an intercessor for us, and our prayers to her are in the form of requests for her intercession. The Orthodox concept of the Church is the basic reason for the invocation of the Theotokos and all the saints.
The Orthodox Church teaches that the Church Militant on earth and the Church Triumphant in heaven are not separated from one another, but are in fact united together in One Lord Jesus Christ. Just as we here on earth are charged with the task of praying for one another, so too do those who have gone on before us, continue to pray for us. We are united in prayer, and united in a mutual bond of love. Just as it is right that we who are members of the Body of Christ, pray for one another, we know that this Body, which is the Church, is united together, even in death. Thus, how much more profitable it is that we invoke the prayers of the saints, who’ve won the battle, and are in heaven with Christ.
The Scriptures make it clear that those who are in heaven remain aware of what happens here on earth, for how else would they know to rejoice over the conversion of one sinner? “Likewise, I say to you, there is joy in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents (Luke 15:10).” In Luke 20:36, we read, “nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.”
We honor and venerate the Virgin Mary as “more honourable than the Cherubim and more glorious without compare than the Seraphim …” and invoke her name in every service, seeking her intercession before the throne of God. We have given her the title “Theotokos” (Greek for “Birth-giver-of-God), and as the “Mother of God”, having given birth to Christ Jesus, Who is both True God and True Man, how could we simply lay her importance aside, and forget her?
How can we deny the Theotokos an important role in the life of the Church? Our historic theology has always insisted upon the two perfect natures of our Lord Jesus Christ; true God and true Man. The Virgin Mary gave birth to the humanity of the Incarnate God, and the redemption of the human race was made possible through the union of God and man in Christ. The emphasis of the sinlessness of Christ’s Mother, by Roman Catholics, and the insistence she had other children by Joseph, as demonstrated in the theology of many of today’s Protestants, are the result of a departure from the Ancient Church’s divinely guided recognition of the place of the Holy Virgin in the life of the Christian. The departure from the Ancient Church’s teachings regarding the Holy Virgin have even caused some to deny the virgin birth of Christ, leading many liberal protestants to ultimately question such basic Christian teachings as the divinity of Christ, the doctrine of the Trinity, and Christ’s resurrection.
Through the Prayers of the Holy Virgin, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us.
Love in Christ,
Abbot Tryphon
Thursday October 5, 2023 / September 22, 2023
18th Week after Pentecost. Tone eight.
Prophet Jonah (9th c. B.C.).
Hieromartyr Phocas, bishop of Sinope (117).
Venerable Jonah the Presbyter (9th c.), father of St. Theophanes the Hymnographer and St. Theodore Graptus.
Blessed Parasceve od Diveyevo (1915).
New Martyr Benjamin bishop of Romanovsk (1930).
Venerable Jonah, abbot of Yash Lake (1589).
Venerable Macarius, abbot of Zhabyn (1623).
Synaxis of All Saints of Tula.
Martyr Phocas the Gardener of Sinope (320).
St. Peter the Tax-collector of Constantinople (6th c.).
Hieromartyr Theodosius of Brazsk (1694) (Romania).
The 26 Martyrs of Zographou Monastery, Mt. Athos, martyred by the Latins (1284) (Greek).
Martyrs Isaac and Martin.
Venerable Theophanes the Silent, recluse of the Kiev Caves.
Venerable Cosmas, desert-dweller of Zographou, Mt. Athos (1323) (Greek).
Hieromartyr Emmeram, bishop in Gaul, martyred at Regensburg (690) (Bavaria)..
Icon of the Most Holy Theotokos “She Who is Quick to Hear” (14th C).
The Scripture Readings
Ephesians 5:33-6:9
33 Nevertheless let each one of you in particular so love his own wife as himself, and let the wife see that she respects her husband.
Children and Parents
6 Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. 2 “Honor your father and mother,” which is the first commandment with promise: 3 “that it may be well with you and you may live long on the earth.”
4 And you, fathers, do not provoke your children to wrath, but bring them up in the training and admonition of the Lord.
Bondservants and Masters
5 Bondservants, be obedient to those who are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in sincerity of heart, as to Christ; 6 not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but as bondservants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart, 7 with goodwill doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men, 8 knowing that whatever good anyone does, he will receive the same from the Lord, whether he is a slave or free.
9 And you, masters, do the same things to them, giving up threatening, knowing that your own Master also is in heaven, and there is no partiality with Him.
Luke 4:16-22
Jesus Rejected at Nazareth
16 So He came to Nazareth, where He had been brought up. And as His custom was, He went into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and stood up to read. 17 And He was handed the book of the prophet Isaiah. And when He had opened the book, He found the place where it was written:
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me,
Because He has anointed Me
To preach the gospel to the poor;
He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted,
To proclaim liberty to the captives
And recovery of sight to the blind,
To set at liberty those who are oppressed;
19 To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.”
20 Then He closed the book, and gave it back to the attendant and sat down. And the eyes of all who were in the synagogue were fixed on Him. 21 And He began to say to them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” 22 So all bore witness to Him, and marveled at the gracious words which proceeded out of His mouth. And they said, “Is this not Joseph’s son?”