#Saturday #Praise:
The Mystery of the Virgin and the Light of Our Salvation
Beloved in Christ,
On this blessed Saturday, the day on which the Church gathers in luminous praise of the Holy Theotokos, we lift our minds to the heavens and contemplate the mystery of the Virgin Mary, the Mother of our Lord, the pure tabernacle of the Most High. This is not a mere poetic remembrance, but an unveiling of divine truth, truth that angels once announced, prophets foresaw, and the Church continues to proclaim until the end of the ages.
Today, we stand in awe before her, for in her the atmosphere of light is spread, and the throne of light is lifted high. From this throne rises the hymn of thanksgiving, beginning not on earth, but in the eternal counsel of God.
1. The Purity of the Mother of God
The saintly Ephrem the Syrian, in his commentary on the Diatesaron, bears witness to her unparalleled holiness:
“The body of Mary is a temple on earth, in which the angel Gabriel sowed the seed of blessing instead of sin, death, and barrenness. You and your mother alone are pure in every way.”
Here we learn that her purity is not merely an outward chastity, but the inward radiance of a soul untainted by corruption. If God Himself chose her as His dwelling, how shall we not, with trembling voices, call her “blessed among women” (Luke 1:28)?
2. The One Who Held the Creator
O astonishing mystery! The One who contains the universe was held in the hands of a humble maiden. From her flesh and soul, the eternal Word took human nature, uniting heaven and earth in her womb. The angel’s message, “You shall call His name Jesus” (Luke 1:31), was not mere naming it was the proclamation of His mission: to save His people from their sins (Matthew 1:21).
The name Jesus Yeshua means Savior. In her, the Savior entered the world, and through her, reconciliation with the Father was accomplished.
3. Chosen from All Creation
Abba Hiriakos teaches that the Father looked across all the earth and found none like her. Her fragrance of holiness drew down the Beloved Son. The Holy Spirit overshadowed her; the Almighty clothed Himself in her flesh. Thus she became the living Ark, bearing the Word who abides forever.
4. The Daughter of David, Mother of the Eternal Word
She is of the royal lineage, the descendant of David, yet she bore the One who existed before David, the Word who is one in essence with the Father. When the Apostle says that Christ “emptied Himself” (Philippians 2:7), he does not mean that the Word ceased to be God, but that He took upon Himself our weakness to fill us with His grace.
He descended into our poverty, that we might be lifted into His glory He became man so that man might become god by grace.
5. The Second Heaven, the Sun of Righteousness
From her shone forth the Sun of Righteousness, Christ the Lord, who warmed a world frozen by sin. St. Cyril of Ethiopia rightly calls her “the second heaven above the earth,” for just as the first heaven contains the sun that lights creation, so she bore the true Sun who lights the souls of the saints.
6. The True Tabernacle
Scripture and the Fathers call her the Tabernacle of the Covenant, the dwelling of the great High Priest. Abba Giorgis Zegescha proclaimed her the “Tabernacle of Light,” for in her the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). She is holier than the gold of Solomon’s temple, for she herself became the temple of the living God a temple that can never be destroyed.
7. Virgin and Mother
After giving birth, she remained ever-virgin. St. Yohannes Afewerk teaches that her motherhood and virginity were united in a mystery given to no other woman: she bore God, yet the seal of her virginity remained untouched. This is the great sign of the new faith, for in her we see both the humility of man and the changelessness of God.
Continues 👇🏾