September 8: Nativity of the Theotokos.
“Δόξα Πατρὶ καὶ Υἱῷ καὶ Ἁγίῳ Πνεύματι.
Καὶ νῦν καὶ ἀεί καὶ εἰς τοὺς αἰώνας τῶν αἰώνων Ἀμήν”.
Πῶς μὴ θαυμάσωμεν τὸν θεανδρικόν σου τόκον πανσεβάσμιε;
Πείραν γὰρ ἀνδρός μὴ δεξαμένη Πανάμωμε, ἔτεκες ἀπάτορα Υἱόν ἐν σαρκί, τὸν πρὸ αἰώνων ἐκ Πατρός γεννηθέντα ἀμήτορα, μηδαμῶς ὑπομείναντα τροπῆν, ἤ φυρμόν, ἤ διαίρεσιν, ἀλλ’ ἑκατέρας οὐσίας τὴν ἰδιότητα σώαν φυλάξαντα. Διό Μητροπάρθενε Δέσποινα, Αὐτόν ίκέτευε, σωθῆναι τάς ψυχάς τῶν ὀρθοδόξως, Θεοτόκον ὁμολογούντων σε.
—
“Glory to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit;
Both now and ever and unto ages of ages amen”.
How should we not marvel at your Offspring, who is both God and man, all-honoured one? For without knowing man, 0 all-blameless, you gave birth in the flesh to a Son without father, begotten from the Father before the ages without mother, in no way undergoing change, or mixture or separation; but preserving intact the identity of either nature. Therefore, Sovereign Lady, Virgin-Mother, implore Him that the souls may be saved of those who with right belief acknowledge you as Theotokos
*The icon is of the Jerusalem Theotokos.
“The Virgin Mary looks a lot like the one on the icon of the Virgin Mary of Jerusalem. She is exactly the same. I have seen her many times and I don’t know of any other icon resembling her so much”.
Elder Paisios the Athonite (1924 — 1994)
