Tuesday S Divine Praise and

👉🏾👉🏾👉🏾#Tuesday's Divine #Praise and Mystical Interpretation Beloved and pious flock of Christ, grace unto you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ be multiplied! On this sacred Tuesday, the third day wherein God commanded light to shine out of darkness (Genesis 1:3), we are gathered to undertake a most sublime contemplation - to plumb the unfathomable depths of the mysteries surrounding our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary. Let us approach with trembling hearts and purified minds, for we tread upon holy ground. I. The Incomparable Supremacy of the Theotokos Over All Creation Come, let us reason together, O lovers of God! Consider with the eyes of faith how all the righteous men and women of old - though shining like brilliant stars in the firmament of virtue - pale in comparison to the radiance of the Mother of God: 1. King David - Anointed with holy oil (1 Samuel 16:13), yet could not bring forth the Oil of Gladness Himself 2. Joshua - Whose name means "salvation", yet could not become Salvation incarnate 3. Elijah - Ascended in fiery chariot (2 Kings 2:11), yet could not bring down the Fire of Divinity to earth But Mary, the humble daughter of Joachim and Anna: - Became the living Throne of the Cherubim - The Bridal Chamber of the King of kings - The animate Ladder joining earth to heaven - The spiritual Paradise containing the Tree of Life II. The Unfathomable Mystery of the Divine Incarnation O depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! (Romans 11:33). The eternal Word, through whom all things were made (John 1:3), deigned to be made flesh in the womb of the Virgin: 1. The Miracle of Virginity Preserved - Before conception: Sealed as Ezekiel's shut gate (Ezekiel 44:2) - During birth: As light passes through glass without breaking it - After birth: Remaining inviolate as an unplucked lily 2. The Paradox of Containment He whom the heavens cannot contain (1 Kings 8:27) was contained in a virgin's womb! The Bush burned with fire yet was not consumed (Exodus 3:2) - this was Mary's womb bearing the Divine Flame. 3. The Union of Opposites - Mother yet Virgin - Servant yet Queen - Creature yet Bearer of the Creator III. The Prophetic Foreshadowings of the Theotokos All Scripture breathes of her, if we have eyes to see: 1. Jacob's Ladder (Genesis 28:12) - The wooden ladder: The flesh of Christ from Mary's flesh - The angels ascending/descending: The divine ministry surrounding the Incarnation 2. The Ark of the Covenant - Containing the manna: As Mary contained the Bread from Heaven - Holding the tablets: As Mary held the Living Law - Bearing Aaron's rod: As Mary bore the true High Priest 3. The Golden Lampstand (Exodus 25:31-40) - The pure gold: Mary's sinless purity - The seven lamps: The seven gifts of the Spirit resting upon her - The continual light: Her perpetual virginity Continues👇🏾