Mother of God – Victorious Prayerful

9/8/13

His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church delivered a sermon in the end of the paraclis service of the Mother of God, celebrated after the Vesper, in the Patriarchal Cathedral. 

In the sermon delivered His Beatitude spoke about the importance of the feasts celebrated in August: “The feast of the Falling Asleep of the Mother of God is a feast celebrated on the last month of the church year; this month we have two more important feasts: the Transfiguration of the Lord on 6 August, and the Beheading of Saint John the Baptist on 29 August. These three feasts in August make a triptych, a bundle of three feasts spiritually focused on the end of the world, on the second coming of Jesus Christ, our Lord, and on the Last Judgement. This is why, the Mother of God and Saint John the Baptist are painted in the triptych icon as intercessors to Christ, the Judge of the living and the dead. Therefore, during this period of the last month of the church year, after the feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord we have the feast of the Falling Asleep of the Mother of Lord scheduled on this month to show that the Mother of God who passed through death, but did not remain in the grave, having been raised with her body to Heaven by her Son, represents the moving of the Christians fulfilled in the Church from the temporary earthly life to the eternal heavenly life. This is why the troparion of the Falling Asleep of the Mother of God says: You moved to life, you who are the Mother of Life. Therefore, the Mother of Life who expiates with her prayers our souls from death is venerated during the year through nine feasts, especially during this fasting for her, which is a mystery of the life of the Church too. The Mother of God is an icon of the Church who is praying, who bears Christ in her and shows Him to the world and helps us too to pass from this earthly life to the heavenly one.

His Beatitude has also spoken about the significance of the paraclis service of the Mother of God: “During this period, the Church bedecked her prayers and multiplied them as special veneration of the Mother of God. The Mother of God is venerated all the yearlong and at every religious service, and especially during this fortnight. The Paraclis of the Mother of God is read at the end of the Vesper during this period, besides Saturdays and on the eve of the feast of the Falling Asleep of the Mother of God. The word paraclis means comfort, strengthening or consolation, especially for the sick, for those in trouble, distress, danger or helplessness, in any sort of limitation of the life through adversities. The paraclis as strengthening in faith, in prayer, as well as in the power to overcome the temptations, diseases and troubles, is a source of light, peace and joy of the soul. This is why the people get used to this paraclis as source of joy of the soul. This paraclis is read all the yearlong, but especially during this period of the fasting for the Falling Asleep of the Mother of God.”

His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel has also shown that: “The Mother of God has been venerated ever since the first centuries of Christianity, according to the prophecy that she made when she said: All the nations will bless me, namely all the generations, because the Powerful and Holy One glorified me. “Therefore, the veneration of the Mother of God does not come from the people, but from God who chose her for the Incarnation of His Son, the Saviour of the world, Jesus Christ, our Lord. This is why she is called Talking Heaven, Temple which enclosed the unlimited one in her, the Son of the Eternal God, as a cup. The Mother of God is an icon of the life of the Church and she is calledVictorious Prayerful in all her work”, His Beatitude Daniel said.

Then, His Beatitude explained the significance of the expression Victorious Prayerful ascribed to the Mother of God: “What does this expression Victorious Prayerful mean? It means she prays and is never refused. Where does this name come from? It is from the first wonder of Jesus Christ, our Saviour, namely the wonder at Cana Galilee where He changed water into wine, asked by the Mother of God. Having been like a careful attentive mother she noticed that the wine was over and a certain embarrassment of the new family and of all the organisers of the wedding party. Then, the Mother of God said: They have no wine, and the Saviour answered: “Woman, what concern is that to you and to me?, and He explains: “My hour has not yet come”, namely His hour to make wonders. The Mother of God has not explained anything more, but continued her prayer silently. Then, the Son could not refuse His mother’s request, and made the wonder. Thus, we see that the prayers of the Mother of God cannot be refused by Jesus Christ, our Saviour, and that she knows the needs of the family, poor, the diseases and sufferance of the sick and that she is a protective mother for children and young people, because she grew up Jesus Christ, our Saviour as a child, and then as a young man. She is the protector of the young men and women who live in purity in monasteries, of the new families, of the parents, poor, widows, orphans, so that she is Always Victorious Prayerful.

His Beatitude announced within the sermon delivered a new editorial publication dedicated to the feast of the Falling Asleep of the Mother of God: “We prepare a new editorial publication including the Akathistos of the feast of the Falling Asleep of the Mother of God which we know from our books, as well as a second akathistos from the Greek tradition and a special paraclis. All the three of them belong to the feast of the Falling Asleep of the Mother of God, different from the other akathistoses and paraclises of the year. So, we want to relate our prayer to the mystery of the feast of the Falling Asleep of the Mother of God even more”.

To end with his speech, the Patriarch of Romania urged the faithful to pray Holy Virgin Mary who is fast helper and protector: “Let us pray during this period Saint Virgin Mary to strengthen our faith, to increase the good deeds in our life, to help us grow and educate the children, to help the families, widows, poor, sick and to protect all the servants of the Church. She is the protector of the hierarchs, priests and deacons because Christ, our Lord, her Son of the Eternal Hierarch is also called High Priest and Deacon. Thus, all these titles of Hierarch, Priest and Deacon are Christological titles referring to Christ, and Christ is present, through His servants and with His grace in His Church, so that the Mother of God is the protector of the entire Church, of the clergy and of all the faithful.

The paraclis of the Mother of God is celebrated in all the monasteries and sketes of the Archdiocese of Bucharest every day during the fasting period for the feast of the Falling Asleep of the Mother of God.

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