Wednesday, November 30, 2011

Theotokos

Last night I attended another of my wife's Spirituality Tuesday presentations. I've missed a few because of my crazy work schedule, but I was able to attend this meeting. The speaker was a priest who shares one of the churches in our parish, where he celebrates Mass following the Byzantine Rite.

The Byzantine Rite is followed exclusively by all Orthodox Churches, as well as others, and is sometimes referred to as the Rite of Constantinople. It is, after the Roman Rite, the most widely spread in the world. It is not one of the original parent-rites but is derived from an early liturgy found in Antioch. St. Basil reformed the liturgy of his church, the Church of Caesarea in Cappadocia, and the Byzantine service named after him represents this reformed Liturgy. Since then it has undergone further modification, principally by St. John Chrysostom.

The presentation compared their understanding of Mary, the Mother of Jesus, with our understanding, and explained the various Feast Days of the Holy Theotokos. Theo, or God, combined with tokos, or birther, means God Birther or God Bearer. These feast days are spread through the year and he presented them in the order of their significance rather than in chronological order.

These feasts begin with The Conception of Saint Anna (Dec 7-9). Anna had been unable to conceive a child, and the conception of the Virgin Mary is an important event in the plan of God for the salvation of mankind. This is followed by the Nativity of the Theotokos (Sept7-8). The Mother of God also plays an important role in God's plan for our salvation. In the prayers of this feast day the ever-Virgin Mary is called the Chariot upon which the Son of God came to us, and she is the Door through which He entered the world.

The main theme of the Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple (Nov 20-21) is that the Virgin Mary is the true Temple of God. The temple in Jerusalem was made of stone and was lifeless, but Mary is the living temple and her womb is the Tabernacle of the Word of God. The Annunciation to the Theotokos (Mar 24-25), takes its inspiration from the Holy Gospel of Luke, chapter 1. The archangel Gabriel greeted the Virgin, "Hail! O full of Grace, the Lord is with you". He went on to tell her that God desired that she be the Mother of the Word, our Savior. With faith and humble courage she said, "Yes" to God.

This is followed by the Christmas period (Dec 18-26). Before the dawn of time he was begotten of the Father without a mother, now on earth He is born of a mother without a man. The Dormition of the Theotokos (Aug 14-15) is focused on the falling asleep of the Mother of God, and is described as the greatest feast. Her passing is called dormition, or falling asleep, because her body was not subject to decay, but was taken into Glory.

The death of a Christian is called sleep because we who are in Christ will not remain in death, but like the Theotokos, we will be awakened by Him to eternal life in the Kingdom of God.  A star announced the good news to the wise men, while the Angels and shepherds sang the glory of her giving birth, O Woman full of Grace. Rejoice, for your Son has risen from the grave on the third day and has raised the dead. Let all nations rejoice! The oldest surviving written prayer to the Mother of God is from a Syrian, mid-third century papyrus; "Beneath your compassion we take refuge, O Virgin Theotokos. Despise not our prayers in our need, but deliver us from dangers, for you alone are pure and blessed".

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