Synaxis of the Most-Holy Mother of God – Metropolitan of Strumica Nahum
Posted By Macedon on January 8, 2024
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“What shall we offer to You, Oh Christ,
Who for our sake has appeared on earth as a man?
Every creation which You have crafted offers You thanks.
The angels offer you a song.
The heavens, their star.
The wise men, their gifts.
The shepherds, their wonder.
The earth, its cave.
The wilderness, the manger.
And we offer You a Virgin Mother.
Oh Pre-eternal God, have mercy on us!”
This sticheron from the evening service for the Nativity of Christ made me thinking and gave me an inspiration to write the following lines. I ask for great forgiveness from God and from you that I dare to write on the topic of the Mother of God (Theotokos) at all; it’s a lot easier for me to write about anything else. Some things simply require worthiness from the writer – as real and continual repentance. But such is the teaching service – a double-edged sword: a man blankly signs that he accepts the verdict for himself, according to the criteria he preaches.
