“In her belly came and dwelt He Who is uncontainable. And by her breasts was nourished God Who sustains the whole creation. On her hand she carried God Who is carried by the Seraphim. And her knees became His throne.” ~  St. John of Damascus

We live in a culture that often passes by important holidays without a second thought.  How many of us really stopped to reflect on the importance of the Fourth of July?  How many of us paused in prayer and reflection to remember and honor those who contributed in shaping this beautiful country?

For many, it was a day off filled with outdoor parties, hot dogs, hamburgers and colorful fireworks. Often, holidays like Labor Day, Memorial Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas and even Easter merely become a venue for huge store sales luring us to buy products that we really don’t need. We all agree that holidays are wonderful opportunities for family and friends to gather, but the essence of the holiday celebration is many times forgotten.

Our Holy Orthodox Church never forgets important people and events that has shaped and formed us.  The Church doesn’t forget but makes it a priority for her faithful to remember and honor the sacred in life.  We ‘honor’ because we love Christ, His mother, the martyrs, all of the men and women saints that have paved the path before us.  We are family - and that is what family members do!   We show respect for one another and continue year after year to honor those we love.  As Christians we must show respect, we must give recognition to the sacred and holy members of God’s family.

What a privilege to belong to a church that honors the Virgin Mary with such style and grace!  The Lord would have it no other way; because we should celebrate those we love.   In the month of August our church sets aside 15 days to pray, reflect and fast as we remember and honor the Theotokos, the first person who accepted Jesus, who said “yes” to God and became the “scroll  for the Word, as well as “the bridge who unites heaven and earth.”

I hope we can grow daily to love the Panayia and to appreciate her faith and humility.  Many of our Christian friends feel that we elevate the Theotokos with God.  This is not the case!  But indeed, we do honor and respect her since she is the one who God chose and was the first person to receive Christ in the most spectacular and mysterious way.  We give great honor and respect to the Theotokos because this is what love naturally calls forth from all of us.

Let us reflect on the wise words of  Elder Cleopa of Romania:

“We do honor the All-holy Virgin Mary and Birth-giver of God  (Theotokos) more than the other holy saints and angels, yet, nevertheless, we do not ascribe to her the same veneration as we do to God.

The veneration that we render to her is called honorific and reverential, as she is the Mother of the Lord, having not only a spiritual relationship with Him, as happens with other saints, but also a physical union with Him.

For this reason we chant in the Church’s hymn to her: “It is truly right to call you blessed, the ever-blessed and  all-pure Mother of our God. More honorable than the Cherubim, and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim, you without corruption gave birth to God, the Logos, truly the Theotokos, you do we magnify.” 

The Holy Virgin herself prophesied in the Holy Spirit that all generations would honor her: “for behold, from henceforth, all generations shall call me blessed. For He that is mighty has done to me great things...”   Hence, the honor rendered her is according to the will of God.”

St. John Maximovitch says, “From Apostolic times and to our days all who truly love Christ give veneration to her, the one who gave birth to Him, raised Him and protected Him in the days of His youth.  If God the Father chose her, God the Holy Spirit descended upon her, and God the Son dwelt in her, submitted to her in the days of His youth, was concerned for her when hanging on the Cross- then should not everyone who confesses the Holy Trinity venerate her?”

Let us come and honor the Theotokos and show our love to Christ by remembering His mother.  Come to our services and pray that we may come to know Jesus as she did.  Make it your discipline to fast preparing our bodies to receive Him and be united with Him.  I am sure our Lord embraces those who give this love back to His mother.  May these holy days be filled with grace and a new appreciation for our Lord’s mother.  He would have it no other way.

+  Fr. Tom