Homily on the Feast of the protection of the Holy Theotokos
Luke 10: 38-42; 11: 27-28.
Today the Holy Church celebrates one of the great Feasts in Her calendar – that of the protection of the Holy Theotokos. One thing that is certain by our membership of the Holy Church we the members of Christ’s body gain the protection of the All-Holy Trinity. However, from the Holy Cross our Lord and Saviour promised us the assistance of another – the Holy Theotokos (John 19:26). Now this is a great gift to the Holy Church and Her members - because we have someone who is in heaven who can intercede to the All-Holy Trinity through Christ. In all honesty, many might wonder why does a human being hold so much sway in Heaven? Why does the Lord listen to this creature who like all of us was created by Him?
Well put simply the Holy Theotokos represents man co-operating with the will of the All-Holy Trinity. The Holy Theotokos by her yes was the first point in the Lord’s plan of Salvation. Without her yes our Lord and Saviour could not have come into the world in the way He did. Indeed, our Lord and Saviour by being born of a woman and becoming man, shows us that He wants man to co-operate in His salvific plan. In other words – our Lord and Saviour wants man to be a direct participant in his own salvation, in that He wants man to approach Him freely and by his personal choice in so doing man co-operates with the All-Holy Trinity’s grace. This shows us that Christ has desired us to be more than just simple subjects – instead He desires that we become closer for John 15:15-17 says:
‘No longer do I call you servants, for a servant, does not know what his master is doing; but I have called you friends, for all things that I have heard from my Father I have known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed that you should go and bear fruit and that your fruit should remain, that whatever you ask the Father in My name He may give you. These things I command you, that you love one another.’
What a great and encouraging gift He has given us by these words; for these words genuinely do make us understand why we are created in Gods image (Genesis 27). God made us in His image so that we could know Him and have a relationship with Him. This is why the All-Holy Trinity wants man to choose to love Him – He does not want subjects that have no choice in the matter (free-will).
Oftentimes people reject the love of the All-Holy Trinity because they feel that if He is there shouldn’t He produce great miracles on demand to show us that He is present. However, have they never looked at the sky and all that is around them and marvelled at its great beauty whilst wondering who could have created all that is around them? For one thing that is clear, not only to us the Body of Christ but to those who are engaged in the natural sciences is that something (creation) cannot have come out of nothing. In many ways man has gotten arrogant and way above his station – sure we can do so many things that were impossible millennia ago. However, just because we can do many more things now does not make us better than our ancestors or indeed does not make us ‘gods’ – for in the eyes of the All-Holy Trinity all living and dead have equal value. In many ways we as a society need to start to realise just how dependent we are on the All-Holy Trinity - for all that there is comes from the All-Holy Trinity and without the All-Holy Trinity, we would not be in existence. Furthermore, the scriptures are clear that man is not to test his Lord and God (Deuteronomy 6:16; Luke 4:12). However, it appears that we have become a faithless generation that desires to have it all and not be thankful for what has been given. One only has to go online these days and read the comments on any blog or video about faith and see the really mean-spirited and downright blasphemous comments written by atheists and people who would rather that the truth - Christianity did not exist! However, what they do not realise is that Christianity is built on the law of Divine Love which is the All-Holy Trinity. One thing is clear without this Love creation would not exist; also, people have free-will, and as such, they can act in any way they wish. However, each action has a consequences in this life and the next and that is the great responsibility the All-Holy Trinity has placed on the shoulders of us His people. In short, the All-Holy Trinity has given us the power to choose and determine how we will live our lives – what a great gift, yet at the same time, what a great responsibility we have not only to ourselves but others as well!
Finally, as Christ’s Body, the Church let us be grateful for the intercessions of the Holy Theotokos for being God’s Mother gives her great sway with Christ our Lord. One thing I know from my life as a priest and my life before is that every time I have needed her help by her intercessions, she has helped me. We as a Church need to teach our children to love her and to pray to her for Christ was clear from the Holy Cross that she is now our mother (John 19:26). Let us as the Church bring her our prayers for she will surely help and she will all ways protect those that love her Son.
Kontakion of the Holy Virgin:
'Today the Virgin stands forth in the Church, and with the choirs of the saints, she invisibly prays to God for us. Angels and hierarchs offer homage, and the Apostles and Prophets join the chorus, for our sake, the Holy Theotokos entreats the pre-eternal God.'
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