A Homily on the Consolation of the Mother of God
On the Beneficial Effect of the Temple of God on the Soul of Man
By Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov
On the Beneficial Effect of the Temple of God on the Soul of Man
By Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov
In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!
Dear brothers and sisters, it is with indescribable joy and delight that we have just glorified the Intercessor of the Christian race, the Most-Blessed Virgin Mary, who was vouchsafed to be the Mother of our Incarnate Lord Jesus Christ. The Most Holy Virgin Mary, as you know, was given to the Temple of God as a three-year-old Maiden, where She remained until Her maturity. In the Temple of God, under the guidance of pious priests and other righteous men and women, as well as invisible instructors – the Angels of God and the Lord Himself, She acquired those spiritual and moral qualities that made Her the Mother of the incarnate Son of God.
Her upbringing in the Temple made Her so wise in the Lord, so pure and holy, that the Most Holy of Holies did not hesitate to fit into Her virgin womb, to borrow His flesh from Her pure blood, and, after His birth, was brought up under Her holy guidance. This beneficial influence of the Temple on the upbringing of the Most Holy Virgin Mary leads to the conviction that the churches of God have a very important educational significance for every Christian. And if we really pay attention to the influence that the churches of God have on the formation of the mind, the development and disposition of the heart and will of Christians, then we cannot but recognize in the churches of God the best and highest educational institutions. Amen.
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.