Human Nature Transfigured Through the Theotokos

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When we think about salvation, redemption, atonement, Christianity says all of this activity of God happens in this world, within our history, in and through us human beings. God’s plan for salvation may come from all eternity and heaven, but it is realized only in time on earth. The hymns of Great Lent dealing with redemption remind us how our salvation is worked out through the Virgin Theotokos.

Human nature was counted worthy of God’s revelation
through you, Virgin full of divine grace,
for you are the only mediator between God and man,
rightly glorified by us all as the Mother of God!

In choosing the Virgin Mary for the incarnation, God shows His love for the world He created. God shows creation, particularly humans are worthy not only of God’s revelation but of union with God. Mary is the very sign that God sees in her person as well as in her humanity the creation worth saving and capable of being in union with the Creator. God sees in Mary exactly what God created humans and the world for: to share in the love and life of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

Adam’s nature was made divine, Virgin,
when God took flesh without change in your womb!
And we who were deceived of old by the hope of becoming gods
have been set free from the ancient condemnation.

Both of the above hymns are taken from the Canon for the 2nd Sunday of Great Lent. God is united to humanity in the womb of the Virgin – Adam’s human nature is made divine in the union with God. Eve was tricked by the Serpent into thinking she could become like God by disobeying God. In Christ the hope of our being god-like becomes a reality for in Christ God submits Himself to taking on human nature. Christ, the incarnate God, conforms humanity to God’s will that we would become divine.

A pain causing lesson: we don’t become divine by asserting our will against God but only by submitting our will to God’s will.

Fr. Ted's Blog

Fr. Ted Bobosh

4/7/2017

See also
Fathers from the Monastery of Saint Paul who have been found worthy to see Our Most Holy Lady here on earth (Elder Andreas, former Abbot) Fathers from the Monastery of Saint Paul who have been found worthy to see Our Most Holy Lady here on earth (Elder Andreas, former Abbot) Fathers from the Monastery of Saint Paul who have been found worthy to see Our Most Holy Lady here on earth (Elder Andreas, former Abbot) Fathers from the Monastery of Saint Paul who have been found worthy to see Our Most Holy Lady here on earth (Elder Andreas, former Abbot)
Many monks, giving their lives in dedication to the Lord and His Mother on holy Mount Athos have been vouchsafed to see the Mother of God herself.
The All-Pure One The All-Pure One
Abbot Tryphon
The All-Pure One The All-Pure One
Abbot Tryphon
The holiness and purity of the Ever Virgin Mary
Virgin Mary: mother of all Christians Virgin Mary: mother of all Christians
Fr. Barnabas Powell
Virgin Mary: mother of all Christians Virgin Mary: mother of all Christians
Fr. Barnabas Powell
Right after Christmas, Orthodox Christians celebrate a feast of the Ever Virgin Mary. Ironically, some who are far from orthodoxy assert that’s when she and Joseph began eyeing each other with a twinkle and trying to make a sibling for Jesus.
The Veneration of the Theotokos According to the Bible The Veneration of the Theotokos According to the Bible
Archimandrite Cleopa (Ilie)
The Veneration of the Theotokos According to the Bible The Veneration of the Theotokos According to the Bible
Archimandrite Cleopa (Ilie)
We Orthodox Christians honor the Theotokos Mary more than all the saints and angels of heaven for she was found worthy to give birth to Christ, the Savior of the world by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit. The honor we render to the Mother of the Lord is exceptional, most honorable and most revered, for she is not only "a friend of His,” as are the other saints, but she is Most Holy (Panagia) above all the saints and all the angels.
Why the Orthodox Honor Mary Why the Orthodox Honor Mary
Fr. Stephen Freeman
Why the Orthodox Honor Mary Why the Orthodox Honor Mary
Fr. Stephen Freeman
The most difficult part of my Orthodox experience to discuss with the non-Orthodox is the place and role of the Mother of God in the Church and in my life. It is, on the one hand, deeply theological and even essential to a right understanding of the Orthodox faith, while, on the other hand, being intensely personal beyond the bounds of conversation. I am convinced, as well, that the Orthodox approach to Mary is part of the apostolic deposit, and not a later accretion.
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