Did you know that, according to Scripture:
Mary is
crowned with glory and honor to rule over the works of the Lord’s hands, and
God has put all things under her feet. She will be given power over the
nations, she will judge the world, she will judge angels. Mary will be crowned
with life and righteousness and will sit with Christ on his throne. God’s
divine power has given to Mary all things that pertain to life and godliness.
Mary has been perfected forever. Mary is a member of Christ’s body, of his
flesh and bones. She cannot die any more for she is equal to the angels.
If that sounds
overstated, then read the scriptures for yourself: You’ll find all these things
boldly stated in Ps 8:5-8; Re 2:26; 1 Co 6:2,3; Ja 1:12; 2 Tim 4:8; Re 3:21; 2
Pt 1:2; Re 21:7; Heb 10:14; Ep 5:29-30; Lk 20:36.
“But wait,” you say,
“Those passages don’t mention Mary the mother of Christ! Those are descriptions
of humanity glorified in union with Christ!”
Yes. Yes they are.
And of course, if
these things are true of all Christians, or at least all those who persevere to
the end and are saved from their sins, then they are certainly true of the
first Christian, who received Christ into herself: Mary.
But the reason we are
uncomfortable with scripturally hailing Mary as being full of grace (Lk 1:28)
and blessed among women (Lk 1:42) is that our view of salvation is too small.
What was revealed in
the Transfiguration of Christ? What glory knocked the Apostles on their faces
in fear, awe and wonder? For just a moment, the eyes of their souls were opened
to the noetic reality of the divine nature in union with human nature in the
Person of Christ. The brightness and divine light streamed from a divine-human
Person.
And as the Church has
always taught, Christology is soteriology. That is: What you believe about the
union of the natures of God and humanity in the person of Jesus Christ is also
what you believe about salvation.
The vision that
brought the Apostles to their knees, the revelation that Saint Paul prays we
may somehow grasp (Ep 1:17-23), is the glory of redeemed humanity: purified,
illumined, and personally united to God, so that the glory of the Uncreated
Trinity shines through.
If these passages
about the exalted destiny of the human race in Christ are true of any of us,
then first of all they are true of the first person to receive Christ in
herself: His mother. If the altar of God in the temple was holy, and the Ark of
the Covenant, on which God’s glory was seen, was so holy that to touch it was
death — then what about the person who held her Creator and God within her body
for nine months, fed him milk and carried Him in her arms, and sang Him to
sleep?
Mary is not only a passive vessel through which
God once passed; she is a person and
for all her adult life she was the Mother of the divine, human Person Jesus
Christ. And because we worship the God of the living, not of the dead, remember
that she is alive and she still is His
mother. “Mother of God” is not only a dogmatic title teaching the divinity and
humanity of Mary’s Son; it also points out that her relationship to her Son and
God is unlike anyone else’s. Who else, at Cana, had the boldness to decide that
Christ will do a miracle here and now?
Don’t worship Mary as a goddess. The Orthodox
certainly don’t. But don’t be afraid to praise her. Not only God is worthy of
praise; rather, “Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest,
whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, whatsoever things are
lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if
there be any praise, think on these things” (Ph 4:8). Praise is an appropriate
response to virtue (Pr 27:2, 31:31). And, what Father is displeased when you
praise His daughters? God is not shortchanged; rather “God is glorified in His saints” (2 Th 1:9-12).
If you want a scriptural
example of how to respond to the wondrous works of God in the person of the
virgin who became Christ’s mother, then take the example of the Archangel
Gabriel and exclaim, “Hail, O full of grace! The Lord is with you!” And with St.
Elisabeth, exclaim “Blessed are you among women!” What could be more
authentically Christian? You’re quoting the Gospels.
In light of these
scriptures about the awesome glory of the saints who will judge angels, crowned
with glory and honor to rule the world, Orthodox hymns don’t sound so
startling:
“You are more
honorable than the cherubim and you are more glorious when compared to the
seraphim. Without defilement you gave birth to God the Word: True Birthgiver of
God, we magnify you.”
“Hail, O virgin
Birthgiver of God, Mary full of grace, the Lord is with you! Blessed are you
among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb for you have borne the
Savior of our souls.”
By Fr. Silouan Thompson
Source: http://silouanthompson.net/2018/10/should-we-hail-mary/
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