Mother of God Archives - Page 11 of 14

The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary (V)

08/11/2017

The church of the Dormition of the Theotokos has the following dimensions: in length it is 48 arshin, and in breadth 8 arshin [1 arshin = 28 inches]. At an earlier time the church had also windows beside the doors. The whole temple was adorned with a multitude of lampadas and offerings. Two small entrances lead into the burial-chamber of the Mother of God. One enters through the western doors, and exits at the northern

The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary (IV)

08/10/2017

The Feast of the Dormition of the Most Holy Theotokos is celebrated with special solemnity at Gethsemane, the place of Her burial. Nowhere else is there such sorrow of heart at the separation from the Mother of God, and nowhere else such joy, because of Her intercession for the world. The holy city of Jerusalem is separated from the Mount of Olives by the valley of Kedron on Josaphat. At the foot of the Mount

The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary (III)

08/09/2017

Miraculous was the life of the All-Pure Virgin, and wondrous was Her Repose, as Holy Church sings: “In Thee, O Queen, the God of all hath given thee as thy portion the things that are above nature. Just as in the Birth-Giving He did preserve Thine virginity, so also in the grave He did preserve Thy body from decay” (Canon 1, Ode 6, Troparion 1). Kissing the all-pure body with reverence and in awe, the

The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary (II)

08/08/2017

The circumstances of the Dormition of the Mother of God were known in the Orthodox Church from apostolic times. Already in the first century, the Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite wrote about Her “Falling-Asleep.” In the second century, the account of the bodily ascent of the Most Holy Virgin Mary to Heaven is found in the works of Meliton, Bishop of Sardis. In the fourth century, Saint Epiphanius of Cyprus refers to the tradition about the

The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary (I)

08/07/2017

The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary: After the Ascension of the Lord, the Mother of God remained in the care of the Apostle John the Theologian, and during his journeys She lived at the home of his parents, near the Mount of Olives. She was a source of consolation and edification both for the Apostles and for all the believers. Conversing with them, She told them about miraculous events: the

Why the Orthodox Honor Mary (Part II)

08/02/2017

By Father Stephen Freeman This is information that points to the unique place of Mary in the first century Christian community. How can the Church not venerate one whom John the Baptist greeted with a leap of joy when he was in the womb? How can the Christian community be rightly centered on the Crucified Christ and ignore the soul-pierced Mother? The material in Luke is prima facie evidence of the primitive veneration of the Mother of God.

Why the Orthodox Honor Mary (Part I)

08/01/2017

By Father Stephen Freeman Today (August 1) marks the beginning of the Fast of the Dormition, the annual preparation for the feast of the Falling Asleep of the Virgin Mary. I offer this article as reflection. The most difficult part of my Orthodox experience to discuss with the non-Orthodox is the place and role of the Mother of God in the Church and in my life. It is, on the one hand, deeply theological and

Angels (Part II)

11/08/2016

By Nabil Semaan GLADNESS OF ANGELS (17) “Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation” (Hebrew 1:14). St. John Chrysostom comments on this verse by saying, “Look how God loves man so that He created holy creatures to serve the man created according to His image.” Humans, although heavier than angels by their body and in a state of sin, death and corruption, when they

Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite the Bishop of Athens

10/03/2016

St Dionysius lived originally in the city of Athens. He was raised there and received a classical Greek education. He then went to Egypt, where he studied astronomy at the city of Heliopolis. It was in Heliopolis, along with his friend Apollophonos where he witnessed the solar eclipse that occurred at the moment of the death of the Lord Jesus Christ by Crucifixion. “Either the Creator of all the world now suffers, or this visible

Meditation and Worship (Part XI)

09/21/2016

The icons seen on church walls are not merely images or paintings: an icon is a focus of real presence. St John Chrysostom advises us, before we start praying, to take our stand in front of an icon and to shut our eyes. He says ‘shut your eyes’, because it is not by examining the icon, by using it as a visual aid, that we are helped by it to pray. It is not a

Archive

The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary (V)

The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary (IV)

The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary (III)

The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary (II)

The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary (I)

Why the Orthodox Honor Mary (Part II)

Why the Orthodox Honor Mary (Part I)

Angels (Part II)

Hieromartyr Dionysius the Areopagite the Bishop of Athens

Meditation and Worship (Part XI)

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