The Theotokos – Holy Mother of God

The Theotokos – Holy Mother of God

 

Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign: A young woman is with child, and she will bear a son, and will call him Immanuel (Isaiah 7:14).

One of the most ancient icons is of the Mother of God of the Sign. Mary is in the classical posture of prayer, standing with upraised hands, totally open and willing to surrender to the Will of God.

Within her, in a heaven-like circle, we see Christ revealed,  shown not as an unborn child curled up in his mother’s womb, but as Christ Immanuel, “God with Us,” vested in golden robes and looking outward while His right hand offers a blessing to the entire cosmos.

Through Mary the prophecies of redemption are fulfilled. Mary, the daughter of Israel, is the virgin when Isaiah saw in the distance of time. The icon is one of circles, symbols of wholeness and perfection. Mary’s torso has a circular quality, as do the heads of both figures. There is a circle around Christ. The two halos are circular. Mary’s hands are arched as if holding a still larger circle. Wholeness and meaning in our lives comes only in and through Christ.

The icon reminds us of the words of St. Paul: “It is no longer I who live but Christ who lives in me” (Gal 2:20). While Mary is uniquely the Savior’s mother, it is as His faithful disciple that she serves as the primary model of a Christ centered life. The Mother of God helps us to discover our true worth in discovering Christ at the center of our lives.  In the Gospel of St. Luke (11:28) we hear Mary praised for

having given birth to Jesus and for having nursed Him. Christ responds rather: “Happy are those who hear the word of God and keep it.” No one listened to the word of God better than did Mary — and the Word took flesh within her. She is truly the first Christian and the greatest example of how we are to live as Christians. The last words the Mother of God speaks in the Gospels are at the wedding feast at Cana when she says: “Do whatever He tells you” (Jn 2:5).

If we seriously listen to the Word of God as Mary did, and act according to the word we hear, Christ will be at the center of our lives, and joy and peace will reign in our world.

 

Akathist Hymn

 

An Archangel was sent from heaven to greet the

Mother of God, and as he saw you assuming a

body at the sound of his bodiless voice, 0 Lord,

he stood rapt is amazement and cried out to her

in these words:

Rejoice, 0 you through whom joy will shine forth:

rejoice 0 you through whom the curse will disappear!

Rejoice, 0 Restoration of the fallen Adam;

rejoice, 0 Redemption of the team of Eve!

Rejoice, 0 Peak above the reach of human thought;

rejoice, 0 Depth even beyond the sight of angels!

Rejoice, 0 you who have become a kingly Throne;

rejoice, 0 you who carry Him who carries all!

Rejoice, 0 Star who manifest the Sun;

rejoice, 0 Womb of the divine incarnation!

Rejoice, 0 you through whom creation is renewed;

rejoice, 0 you through whom the Creator becomes a Babe!

Rejoice, 0 Bride and Maiden ever pure!

Reprinted with permission from “Awakening Our Treasures” published at the Sower, Stamford, Ct.