🕀 The Protection of the Most Holy Mother of God; Holy Apostle Ananias, One of the Seventy Disciples; Our Venerable Father Roman Who Sang Sweetly.
Feast of the Mother of God. A day when the faithful are highly encouraged to participate in the Divine Liturgy.
Hebrews 9:1-7; Luke 10:38-42; 11:27-28.
Read Hebrews 9:1-7
Please read the following scripture texts:
But when He was alone, those around Him with the twelve asked Him about the parable. And He said to them, “To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables, so that ‘Seeing they may see and not perceive, and hearing they may hear and not understand; lest they should turn, and their sins be forgiven them.’” (Mark 4:10-12)
But although He had done so many signs before them, they did not believe in Him, that the word of Isaiah the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spoke: “Lord, who has believed our report? And to whom has the arm of the LORD been revealed?” Therefore they could not believe, because Isaiah said again: “He has blinded their eyes and hardened their hearts, lest they should see with their eyes, lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, so that I should heal them.” These things Isaiah said when he saw His glory and spoke of Him. (John 12:37-41)
In the year King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord sitting on a throne, high and lifted up. The house was full of His glory. Around Him stood seraphim; each one had six wings: with two he covered his face, with two he covered his feet, and with two he flew. And one cried to another and said, “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of His glory.” The lintel was lifted up by the voice of those who cried out, and the house was filled with smoke. So I said, “Woe is me, because I am pierced to the heart, for being a man and having unclean lips, I dwell in the midst of a people with unclean lips; for I saw the King, the Lord of hosts, with my eyes!” Then one of the seraphim was sent to me. He had a live coal in his hand, which he took with tongs from the altar. He touched my mouth, and said, “Behold, this has touched your lips. Your lawlessness is taken away, and your sin is cleansed.” I also heard the voice of the Lord, saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go to this people?” Then I said, “Behold, here am I, send me.” So He said, “Go, and tell this people, ‘You shall hear indeed, but not understand; and you shall see indeed, but not perceive.’ For the heart of this people has become insensitive, and their ears hear with difficulty. They have closed their eyes, lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and return, and I should heal them.” (Isaiah 6:1-10)
While he was saying this, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, “Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nursed you!” But he said, “Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it!” (Luke 11:27,28)
Today the church commemorates the Protection and Patronage of the ever Virgin Mary the Most Holy Mother of God. In St Paul’s letter to the Hebrews he describes elements of the Jewish Temple in connection with their Liturgical ritual and prayer. This reading is chosen to take our contemplation to the understanding that the Virgin Mary and Theotokos is the means and vessel of the coming of the new covenant and has become the Living Temple of Christ.
The other readings, as part of this reflection, are given to make the connection of the hiddenness of God’s Kingdom in which we can only know in part through images and parables and can only be fully known in eternity. Mary, however, is the one given to us in time, who knows those mysteries hidden in time. She is the one ‘full of grace.’ She is the one who ‘hears God’s Word’ and wholeheartedly acts upon them in ‘spirit and truth’ as this is what God desires. (John 4:23)
Truly the person of the Theotokos and ever Virgin Mary is hidden in the scriptures. But yet the tradition of the Church magnifies her in the context of salvation history. It could be said that Mary is very much like a ‘parable’ and like the ‘mystery of the kingdom of God’ only made known through Christ as revealed through His Church.
Lord Jesus Christ, open our hearts to Mary. Reveal her to us this day, so that which we are in most need of may be revealed and we may act upon in spirit and truth as she did. Most Holy Theotokos, save us.