Open Unto Us the Doors of Mercy: A Homily on the Nativity of the Theotokos (Sept 8/ Sept 21) ✝️ Elder Cleopa (Ilie)
Beloved faithful!
This present day has come to us with spiritual light, with holy joy, for today is born the Mother of light and joy.
Today is proclaimed to mankind grace and deliverance, for the Mother of grace and mercy is born. We celebrate today not the birth of a saint, but the birth of Her Who is holier than all the saints. It is not a gathering of angels that is honored today, but the Nativity of the Queen of the angels—not the birth of the mother of an earthly king, but the very Mother of the Lord and God of glory.
Today the Queen of all and Mistress of the world has from a barren and withered womb shone forth. And who will be able to worthily sing Her Nativity? The Church of Christ itself shows that it is impossible, saying: “Verily, all tongues are at a loss to praise thee properly; and every mind, even though transcending the world, is distracted in thy praise, O Theotokos.
Beloved faithful!
This present day has come to us with spiritual light, with holy joy, for today is born the Mother of light and joy.
Today is proclaimed to mankind grace and deliverance, for the Mother of grace and mercy is born. We celebrate today not the birth of a saint, but the birth of Her Who is holier than all the saints. It is not a gathering of angels that is honored today, but the Nativity of the Queen of the angels—not the birth of the mother of an earthly king, but the very Mother of the Lord and God of glory.
Today the Queen of all and Mistress of the world has from a barren and withered womb shone forth. And who will be able to worthily sing Her Nativity? The Church of Christ itself shows that it is impossible, saying: “Verily, all tongues are at a loss to praise thee properly; and every mind, even though transcending the world, is distracted in thy praise, O Theotokos.
Truly today the All-Good and Most-Generous God has visited in His mercy His creation and called to rejoicing with a great joy not only the king and prophet David, but also the ancestors of God Joachim and Anna, with so many tears and lamentations having prayed to God to grant them fruit of the womb. All of human creation rejoiced, for the entire human race awaited the coming into the world of the Holy Virgin Who in time would bear Emmanuel, which is translated as “God with us” (Is. 7:14).
Today we celebrate the Nativity of the Queen of heaven and earth—the fruit of prayer, mercy and good deeds, received from God by the holy parents Joachim and Anna. How ought we today to celebrate; with what honor and reverence; with what holiness and purity?
Today may the barren and childless be comforted by the hope that through their alms and good deeds, fasting and prayers they too will be found worthy of children from God.
Today may the young remain in abstinence and may they celebrate in purity and honor the Nativity of the Mother of God.
Today may virgins and children exult in joy, for into the world for us has come the Mother of virginity.
Today may the old and the sick rejoice, for the staff of old age and comfort of the ailing has appeared to the world.
Today may those fallen into grievous sins and despairing of their salvation be comforted by hope, for the restoration of the fallen and the hope of the hopeless has been born on earth.
Each of you present, think about how many podvigs and acts of mercy were performed and how many tears the ancestors of God Joachim and Anna shed that God might grant them a Child. Then, for such zeal and such prayers from the depths of their souls they received a Daughter—the All-Pure Virgin Mary, of Whose birth the heavens and earth rejoiced!
Today may the barren and childless be comforted by the hope that through their alms and good deeds, fasting and prayers they too will be found worthy of children from God.
Today may the young remain in abstinence and may they celebrate in purity and honor the Nativity of the Mother of God.
Today may virgins and children exult in joy, for into the world for us has come the Mother of virginity.
Today may the old and the sick rejoice, for the staff of old age and comfort of the ailing has appeared to the world.
Today may those fallen into grievous sins and despairing of their salvation be comforted by hope, for the restoration of the fallen and the hope of the hopeless has been born on earth.
Each of you present, think about how many podvigs and acts of mercy were performed and how many tears the ancestors of God Joachim and Anna shed that God might grant them a Child. Then, for such zeal and such prayers from the depths of their souls they received a Daughter—the All-Pure Virgin Mary, of Whose birth the heavens and earth rejoiced!
The Feast of the Natvity of the Theotokos is for us the beginning of feastdays. Serving as boundary limit to the law and to foretypes, it at the same time serves as a doorway to grace and truth.” “[L]et all together keep the feast in honour of the Maiden, the Mother of God and the Prophetess: from Her hath issued forth the Prophet, foretold of by Moses, Christ God and Truth (Deut. 18: 15). Amen.”
✝️ St Andrew of Crete
✝️ St Andrew of Crete
"Lord Jesus Christ, joy of my heart, my hope, in peace receive Thou my soul!" ✝️Saint Menodora (Sept 10/Sept 23), her final words at martyrdom (with her sisters, Saints Metrodora and Nymphodora)
“The heart that has learned to love feels sorry for every created thing…
Once I needlessly killed a fly. The poor thing crawled on the ground, hurt and mangled, and for three whole days I wept over my cruelty to a living creature, and to this day the incident remains in my memory…
The Spirit of God teaches the soul to love every living thing so that she would have no harm come to even a green leaf on a tree, or trample underfoot a flower of the field. Thus the Spirit of God teaches love towards all, and the soul feels compassion for every being.”
✝️ St Silouan of Mt. Athos (Sept 24)
Once I needlessly killed a fly. The poor thing crawled on the ground, hurt and mangled, and for three whole days I wept over my cruelty to a living creature, and to this day the incident remains in my memory…
The Spirit of God teaches the soul to love every living thing so that she would have no harm come to even a green leaf on a tree, or trample underfoot a flower of the field. Thus the Spirit of God teaches love towards all, and the soul feels compassion for every being.”
✝️ St Silouan of Mt. Athos (Sept 24)
Posing as a man in order to become a monk can present inevitable and sometimes unforeseen problems. St Theodora (Sept 11/ Sept 24), known in her monastic life as monk Theodore, was thrown out of the monastery on a false accusation that “he” had impregnated a young woman. The infant was given to Theodora and she humbly submitted to this new trial, settling with the child in a hut near the monastery.
After seven years in banishment, the hegumen allowed her to return to the monastery with the child, and in seclusion she spent two years instructing the child. Soon all the monks became witness to the signs worked through the prayers of St Theodora. The boy she raised later became the hegumen of the same monastery.
After seven years in banishment, the hegumen allowed her to return to the monastery with the child, and in seclusion she spent two years instructing the child. Soon all the monks became witness to the signs worked through the prayers of St Theodora. The boy she raised later became the hegumen of the same monastery.
Now is such a time that we know many prayers but we barely pray. We eat fasting food but we don’t fast. We amass information about the spiritual life but have no experience with it. We confess our sins but don’t repent. We go to church and stand throughout the services but our soul is not humbled before the Trinity. This is all because the heart is closed. It must open up to allow Christ in.
Metropolitan Nicholas of Mesogaia and Lavreotiki, Attica
Metropolitan Nicholas of Mesogaia and Lavreotiki, Attica
"Whoever sorrows over losing money never finds it again.
Whoever feels sorry for his own person who has died, does not give him life again.
Anyone who sorrows over an illness not only does not cure it, but also makes it worse.
But whoever is sorry for his sins, he alone achieves something greater than sorrow. It wipes out sins.
Therefore only one thing should truly grieve us: sin. Everything else is dust and smoke."
✝️ St John Chrysostom
Whoever feels sorry for his own person who has died, does not give him life again.
Anyone who sorrows over an illness not only does not cure it, but also makes it worse.
But whoever is sorry for his sins, he alone achieves something greater than sorrow. It wipes out sins.
Therefore only one thing should truly grieve us: sin. Everything else is dust and smoke."
✝️ St John Chrysostom