The Orthodox Veneration of the Mother of God by St. John MaximovitchFor He hath looked upon the lowliness of His handmaiden; for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. (Luke 1: 48) A right understanding of Mary, the Mother of God is essential for a right understanding of Jesus Christ, the incarnate Son of God. When her image is distorted, the image of her Son also becomes distorted. This concise little book is a classic exposition of how the Orthodox Christian Church has venerated the Mother

then the experience of the apparent withdrawal of grace (second stage)

We imitate ‘as much as possible’ the sufferings

a pair of rondelle beads per gold ball are reminiscent of a pair of wedding rings

he co-suffered with his people

Elder Thaddeus lived through all the suffering endured by Serbia in the twentieth century

when that devotion

more than ever before

Let us say to them in Him

After the closure of Optina Hermitage as a monastery by the Soviets in 1918

the intertwining of this prayer rope represents the married couple becoming one flesh

Through the wondrous narrowness of its path and the foolishness of obedience

Through God's grace a new and distinct icon emerged