Pray
to the Virgin Mary with her Salutations and the Intercession.
If
you do not have time, call out to her: “My Virgin Mary, my Virgin Mary has
arrived.” Her name has everything in it.
Say
“Rejoice O Bride Ever - Virgin” many times.
And
just say with your heart: “Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on
us”. It has such power that it can sustain you all day. It is enough to say it
as it is.
Type: Galaktotrophousa
One of the earliest extant of this subject matter is found in the church of the Karyes hermitage, belonging to the Hilandar Monastery on Mt. Athos. According to oral tradition, this icon eas originally in the Lavra of Saint Savvas, 18 versts from Jerusalem. On his deathbed Saint Savvas the Sanctified (d. 513) foretold that a royal son of the same name would come to the monastery and that at the moment of his praying tribute to the tomb the tied up episcopal staff of Saint Savvas would fall to the ground. He bequeathed the wonder-working icon of the Mother of God Galaktotrophousa
And the staff to the future monk with the name Savvas, as his blessing. Five centuries later the prophecy of Saint Savvas the Sanctified came true. The Serbian monk Sava Nemanja (d. 1236) came to the Lavra in Palestine. While he was paying tribute to the saint’s tomb, the episcopal staff fell down. When the miracle repeated the next day all doubts of the monks were gone. They knew for sure then that the Serb Sava was the one they had waited for. Returning to Serbia, Sava transferred possession of the icon to the Hilandar Monastery.
It is interesting, that, contrary to common practice in the Eastern Church, this sacred icon was placed, and remains till now, in the local row of the iconostasis, not on the left side of the Beautiful Gate, but on the right side where ordinarily the icon of Holy Trinity or the Savior is installed. The image of the Lord Almighty occupies the place on the left side where ordinarily there should be the icon of the Mother of God.
The icon’s miraculous power has been known in Russia since 19th century. In 1860, in the Kursk Gubernia a sick man who had been bedridden and unable to move for at least a year suddenly recovered when he kissed a copy of the holy image sent over from Athos. In 1862 the house of a certain believer was twice delivered from a fire due to his prayers before the icon.
Waves of
passion disturb my spirit, great sadness and anguish have overwhelmed my
soul. Embalm my soul with Thy Son's peace, O Most Holy One, and by His
Grace drive away every doubt and despair. Calm the storm of my sins that,
like a fiery worm, burn me, and quench its flame. Fill my heart with joy,
O Most Pure One, and disperse the fog of my iniquities before me, for it
confuses me. Illumine me with the light of Thy Son. Helpless is my soul,
and everything is cumbersome, even prayer. Here I am, cold as a stone, my
lips whispering prayers, while my heart remains immovable, for it is
smothered in anguish. Melt the ice which envelops my soul and warm my
heart with Thy love.
I rely not on human protection, but fall down before Thee, O Most Pure
Sovereign Mother of God; reject me not, but hearken unto the prayer of Thy
servant. Sadness has overcome me; I can endure the demonic attack no more.
I
have no protection; there is no shelter for this poor man, and in this
battle I am ever being wounded. I have no consolation, but in Thee, O Holy
Sovereign. O Hope and Protection of all who believe, reject not my prayer.
Amen.
O Most Holy Mother of Christ, Most Pure, Most Blessed Theotokos, Satan is
pounding at me like the waves of the sea against a ship, pursuing me by
day and tormenting me at night. I have no peace; turbulent is my soul, my
spirit
trembles. Hearken, O Most Holy One and help me. Intercede before the dear
Lord that He may have mercy on me and forgive the sins I have committed. O
Most Holy Mother of Jesus, Thy grace is great, and the mightiest opponent
to the powers of hades. Thou art able to save even the greatest of sinners
who, having been cast into the depths of hell by unclean powers, should
call upon Thee. So too, save me, for lo, Satan will have me stumble and
will destroy my faith, but I trust in the Lord. I magnify Thee, Who art
more holy than the Cherubim and the Seraphim.
The name of this icon comes from that of Mt. Kykkos
in the north-western part of Cyprus.
The holy image, which, according to a legend, was painted by the Apostle
St.Luke, was sent by him to the Egyptian Christians. In Egypt, however,
disturbances broke out and. in order to save the icon, it was translated to a
secluded island. On the way there it was seized by Arabs, but soon Byzantines
recaptured it and sent it to the imperial palace in Constantinople.
In the reign of Emperor Alexius Comnenus (1081-1118), the icon was translated
to Cyprus.
There exist numerous legends associated with this event, which tell about
countless cures of members of the imperial family and common people. This
miracle-working icon has one interesting feature: no one can see its original,
for it is kept under a coverlet. He who dares lift the coverlet will suffer
God's punishment. In 1699, Patriarch Gerasimus of Alexandria removed the
coverlet and was punished. Only after he offered a prayer to the Mother of God
was his wrongdoing forgiven. Apparently, it was in the 17th century that copies
of this miraculous icon appeared in Russia. Feast day; November 12/25.
Today we celebrate the Nativity of the most Holy Mother of God (8 September)
The most Holy Mother of God was born of her elderly parents Joachim and Anna. Her father was of the royal line of David, and her mother of the line of Aaron. Thus, She was of royal line on her father's side, and of hierarchical on her mother's side, with which She pre-imaged Him Who was to be born of Her, as a King and High priest. Her parents had been already grown old, yet, childless. Therefore, they were embarrassed before the people and humble before God. In their humbleness they prayed to God in tears to bring them joy in their old age and to grant them a child, as once before he had brought joy to elderly Abraham and Sarah granting them their son Isaac. And the Almighty God, Who sees everything, brought them joy that surpassed all their expectations and the most beautiful dreams. For He had granted them not only a daughter, but also the Mother of God; He lightened them not only with temporary bliss, but eternal as well. God granted them only one daughter who later gave birth to only one grandson - Yet, what a daughter and a grandson! Most blessed Mary, magnified among women, the temple of the Holy Spirit, the altar of the Living God, the table of the heavenly bread, the reliquary of the holiness of God, the tree with the sweetest fruit, the glory of men, the praise of women, the source of virginity and purity - that was the God-given daughter of Joachim and Anna. Born in Nazareth, and after three years taken to the Temple of Jerusalem, where from She returned to Nazareth later, only soon afterwards to hear the annunciation of the Holy Archangel Gabriel of the nativity of the Son of God, the Saviour of the world, of her most pure and chaste body.
