Homily on the Akathist to the Theotokos (Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov)

Homily on the Akathist to the Theotokos

By Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov

(Delivered in 1963 on the Friday of the Week of the Paralytic)

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!

Christ is Risen!

"Let us run to the gracious and quiet haven, the quick helper, ardent and eager to save all. Let us run to the Virgin’s protection and hasten to repentance." (Kontakion to the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God.)

Dear brothers and sisters, once a woman, delighted by the wondrous teaching of Christ the Savior, raised her voice and exclaimed: "Blessed is the womb that bore you, and the paps that suckled you" (Luke 11:27). These few words express the greatness and glory of the Mother of God with which the whole world, visible and invisible, has given her for her love and mercy to suffering humanity.

It is always a joy for the believing Christian heart to remember this love and mercy of the Most Holy Theotokos, but it is especially joyful for us, the inhabitants and visitors of this Holy Monastery, to remember this, which was honored with a wondrous visit from the Mother of God, over whom She promised to constantly extend Her Divine protection.

The Orthodox Church of Christ honors above all creatures of the earth and heaven She who is more honorable than the Cherubim and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim, our Most Holy, Most Pure, Most Blessed, Glorious Lady the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary. According to the teachings of the Church, She is the singular hope of sinners, the salvation of all who turn to Her from misfortunes and calamities, the source of mercy and an unassailable wall, an unchanging intercessor before the Creator, the hope and advocate for the faithful, the Joy of all who mourn, and the Defender of the afflicted. She tirelessly intercedes in prayer for us before God. Before Her gaze, each day, every night, every hour, and moment stands an innumerable multitude of people, some surrounded by countless legions of invisible enemies seeking their destruction, others burdened by excessive sorrows and tribulations, while others suffer from severe ailments and diseases; and all of them are seen by the Most Blessed Mother of God.

In her boundless love for the human race, she takes every tear, every misfortune and every sigh to heart and continually prays to her Divine Son and Lord that He may be merciful to human iniquities and deliver His servants from all evil. Saint Dimitri of Rostov writes: "Being the Mediator between God and our sins, the Most Holy Mother of God does not allow our sins to rise close to God and with the voice of her prayers for us reflects the voices of our sins, crying out to God against us." Therefore, there is not a single true Christian who would not offer his private and public prayers to the Mother of God with complete trust and love and would not feel her gracious help.

Dear brothers and sisters, the word of God proclaims to us that there is a world of evil spirits who constantly care for the destruction of human souls. The Holy Apostle Peter says to Christians: "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walkes about, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Pet. 5:8). Therefore, where can a poor and feeble person hide and find refuge from the wiles of these adversaries? A Christian finds refuge from them only in the protection of the Mother of God. In the Akathist we just read we heard the following words: "Rejoice, wound bitterly lamented by demons" (1st Stasis), "Rejoice, deposer of the inhuman tyrant from his rule" (2nd Stasis), "Rejoice, defense against invisible enemies" (2nd Stasis), "Rejoice, the downfall of demons" (2nd Stasis). These words assure us that the Mother of God drives demons away from us, Her name alone puts evil spirits to flight. And the Holy Church of Christ knows of many cases when the Most Blessed Mother of God delivered people from invisible enemies. The Prologue tells of a certain man named Kodratos. He was possessed by demons, and one day the demons drove him through the desert for ten weeks. He was dying of hunger and was already expecting death. But then, in a moment of enlightenment of mind, he turned with a prayer to the Mother of God, and the Most Holy Virgin Herself appeared to him in the desert, cast out the demons from him, strengthened him, showed him the way to his parents' house, and he became completely healthy. There are many other similar examples.

But the Most Holy Mother of God delivers not only from invisible enemies, She delivers pious people from visible enemies as well. In Alexandria there lived a pious, merciful, Christ-loving man who had a wife who was humble in disposition and a faster, and a daughter of about six years old. One day he had to go on business from Alexandria to Constantinople. When he was already leaving, his wife asked him: "To whom do you entrust us, our lord, during your absence?" "To our Lady the Mother of God!" the husband answered. Leaving one slave in the house, he left. The enemy of all good, the devil, inspired this slave with the evil thought of killing his master's wife and daughter, robbing the estate and running away with the stolen property. For this purpose, he took a knife and went to the room where the mother and daughter were. But as soon as he approached the door of the room where they were doing their handicrafts, he was suddenly struck blind and, seeing nothing, could not move forward or backward.

Exhausted and unable to find a way out, he began to shout and call his mistress to come out to him and help him. Not suspecting any evil intent, she nevertheless answered him: "Come to us." Then he began to call her daughter, but the mother did not let her daughter come to him. Finally, seeing that his plans had not been fulfilled, in a fit of anger he stabbed himself with a knife and fell to the ground with a terrible cry. The neighbors came running to the noise, his mistress came out, and he, still alive, told them about his evil intent and the misfortune that had befallen him. And all who had gathered glorified God and His Most Pure Mother, who had saved the lives of their pious servants. This example teaches us, dear ones, that we too should always resort to the help and intercession of the Mother of God. There was and still is a pious custom among Christians - to entrust their relatives and children to the protection and cover of the Most Holy Theotokos, sending them on a long journey, or, on the contrary, leaving them for some need.

Dear brothers and sisters, our earthly life is full of sorrows and griefs. It is not for nothing that it is often called the vale of tears and lamentations. Man is born with tears and goes to the other world with many sighs and torments. So no one can avoid sorrows and tears in this life; a person has far more troubles and misfortunes than joy. Everyone knows from experience how sometimes the sorrow of life presses on the soul from all sides, the heart is exhausted from melancholy and grief, and sometimes tears involuntarily flow from the eyes. It is difficult for a person to endure misfortunes, and he sometimes falls into despondency, and a feeling of sadness takes hold of him. But, my dears, the most important thing is not to despair, and be courageous! When a cloud of sorrows surrounds you so that it seems there is no way out of this situation, then remember that you have a Mother in heaven, the Queen of Heaven, Who sees you, hears you and knows all your spiritual movements. Call upon Her with faith, and She will immediately come to you and deliver you from troubles and misfortunes.

Let us pray to Her, that She may hear us at this hour and deliver us from every sorrow and misfortune, cleanse us from every vice and sin and grant us joy in the eternal Kingdom of Her Son, so that we may always cry out to Her with love: "Rejoice, all-good one Quick to Hear, who fulfills our petitions for good." Amen.

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.