Getting Comfortable With Mary
I just recently ordered a Jordanville prayer book, and after receiving it I have a clear goal in mind this Lenten season. My goal: get comfortable with the following prayers found on pgs 41, 42, and 55:
The door of compassion open unto us, O blessed Theotokos, that hoping in thee,we might not perish; but through thee may be delivered from adversities, for thou art the salvation of the Christian race. (pg 41-42)
To thee the Champion Leader, we thy servants dedicate a feast of victory and thanksgiving, as ones rescued out of sufferings, 0 Theotokos; but as thou art one with might which is invincible, from all dangers that can be, do thou deliver us, that we may cry to thee: Rejoice, thou Bride unwedded! (pg 55)
The door of compassion open unto us, O blessed Theotokos, that hoping in thee,we might not perish; but through thee may be delivered from adversities, for thou art the salvation of the Christian race. (pg 41-42)
To thee the Champion Leader, we thy servants dedicate a feast of victory and thanksgiving, as ones rescued out of sufferings, 0 Theotokos; but as thou art one with might which is invincible, from all dangers that can be, do thou deliver us, that we may cry to thee: Rejoice, thou Bride unwedded! (pg 55)
All my hope I place in thee, 0 Mother of God: keep me under thy protection. (pg 55)
When I was a Protestant, the phrase "get comfortable with the following prayers" was meaningless, simply because if a prayer was uncomfortable to pray than I had only myself to blame because all the prayers I prayed came from my own mind spontaneously. This is the evangelical way. But when I became Orthodox I didn't simply inherit some standard, pre-written prayers, I inherited tomes of prayers, beautifully etched in language that is simply beyond my artistic capabilities to compose. But it goes further than that. These prayers aren't simply the random thoughts of saints gone by, the prayers of the Orthodox Church are actually a vehicle for the transmission of theology. By reading and praying the prayers of the Church, the pray-er becomes engulfed by the Church's understanding of sacred theology. Prayer itself is no longer simply me asking God for things or praising and thanking Him, but the process of Prayer becomes sacramental, actually changing me, helping me to become united with Christ, partaking in His divine nature, which is the Orthodox understanding of the ultimate salvation of man. So, in that context, it now is possible for me to strive to get comfortable with the above prayers.
But what prayers they are! Every person has their own hurdles when becoming Orthodox, but a common hurdle amongst most former Protestants is the role of Mary, the Theotokos ("God-Bearer" or "Mother of God") as she is called. It starts with actually believing that she never lost her virginity. It then progresses to dealing with phrases like "O Most Holy Theotokos, Save Us!". That's where I thought it ended. Once I was comfortable crying out to her to save us, I thought I was done. Ha! If there's one thing I've learned (and should have realized earlier) is that I will probably never be done.
I became comfortable with asking Mary to save me by putting it into the context of "save me by your prayers". In this way, she would pray to Christ on my behalf and I would be saved. Easy? Of course. That is actually a decent explanation of what is going on, and all one really needs to feel comfortable with the prayers during the Divine Liturgy. Indeed on festal seasons dedicated to Mary we actually sing this explicitly: "Through the prayers of the Theotokos, O Saviour save us!"
But asking her to pray for us is a lot different than calling her the "salvation of the Christian race", or claiming that she is "one with might which is invincible", or putting all our hope in her. I was certainly confused when I read these things and they troubled me greatly. When I was a protestant I thought such language (which the Catholic church used all the time) was necessarily blasphemous because it was ascribing the characteristics of the Holy Trinity to a mere mortal, and obviously worshiping her. I mean, come on, how else can you say "You are invincible, save me, all my hope I put in thee" to someone who is not God and have that not be blasphemous. Surely this is the worship of someone other than God, and anyone who attempts such things is in gross error and in danger of losing their salvation, right?
Life was simple as a Protestant.
Orthodoxy is simple, too, but also ridiculously complex.
I'm going to end it here. I will continue my thoughts later...
When I was a Protestant, the phrase "get comfortable with the following prayers" was meaningless, simply because if a prayer was uncomfortable to pray than I had only myself to blame because all the prayers I prayed came from my own mind spontaneously. This is the evangelical way. But when I became Orthodox I didn't simply inherit some standard, pre-written prayers, I inherited tomes of prayers, beautifully etched in language that is simply beyond my artistic capabilities to compose. But it goes further than that. These prayers aren't simply the random thoughts of saints gone by, the prayers of the Orthodox Church are actually a vehicle for the transmission of theology. By reading and praying the prayers of the Church, the pray-er becomes engulfed by the Church's understanding of sacred theology. Prayer itself is no longer simply me asking God for things or praising and thanking Him, but the process of Prayer becomes sacramental, actually changing me, helping me to become united with Christ, partaking in His divine nature, which is the Orthodox understanding of the ultimate salvation of man. So, in that context, it now is possible for me to strive to get comfortable with the above prayers.
But what prayers they are! Every person has their own hurdles when becoming Orthodox, but a common hurdle amongst most former Protestants is the role of Mary, the Theotokos ("God-Bearer" or "Mother of God") as she is called. It starts with actually believing that she never lost her virginity. It then progresses to dealing with phrases like "O Most Holy Theotokos, Save Us!". That's where I thought it ended. Once I was comfortable crying out to her to save us, I thought I was done. Ha! If there's one thing I've learned (and should have realized earlier) is that I will probably never be done.
I became comfortable with asking Mary to save me by putting it into the context of "save me by your prayers". In this way, she would pray to Christ on my behalf and I would be saved. Easy? Of course. That is actually a decent explanation of what is going on, and all one really needs to feel comfortable with the prayers during the Divine Liturgy. Indeed on festal seasons dedicated to Mary we actually sing this explicitly: "Through the prayers of the Theotokos, O Saviour save us!"
But asking her to pray for us is a lot different than calling her the "salvation of the Christian race", or claiming that she is "one with might which is invincible", or putting all our hope in her. I was certainly confused when I read these things and they troubled me greatly. When I was a protestant I thought such language (which the Catholic church used all the time) was necessarily blasphemous because it was ascribing the characteristics of the Holy Trinity to a mere mortal, and obviously worshiping her. I mean, come on, how else can you say "You are invincible, save me, all my hope I put in thee" to someone who is not God and have that not be blasphemous. Surely this is the worship of someone other than God, and anyone who attempts such things is in gross error and in danger of losing their salvation, right?
Life was simple as a Protestant.
Orthodoxy is simple, too, but also ridiculously complex.
I'm going to end it here. I will continue my thoughts later...