Who is Theotokos? God did not create any other purer and more honored being than Theotokos. She alone proved to be full of grace and blessed among the chosen of God. And for that great holiness she became worthy to give birth without seed to the Emperor of the entire creation. And she was crowned Empress of Heaven and earth.
She is the Empress of the Cherubims, the Empress of the entire creation; the Chamber of God Word’s incarnation! The Door of Light, since the unreachable perceiving light came into the world through Her. The door of life, since Christ Life entered through Her! The closed gate through which nobody else passed but the Lord, as prophet Ezekiel says (chapter 44,2). Ladder to Heaven, bridge to the Sky; the Dove who put an end to the loss or the multitude of sins, as the dove of Noah announced the end of the Flood. Divine censer, since she received the fire of divinity and Church of the Holy Spirit. Who is Theotokos? She is the Bride of the Father, the Mother of the Word and the Church of the Holy Spirit. (elder Cleopa Ilie)
`Theotokos, I think, feels better among the downcast, the weak men, among those persecuted in all ways, than she would feel surrounded by angels.
Theotokos sacrifices herself all the time, suffers all the time and I think she even stands in front of the divine justice protecting the helpless who call for her help. She loves incredibly much and without discrimination even those who are wicked or reckless. So that no sinner, no matter how big he would be, loses himself, if the Mother of God protects him. (archimandrite Arsenie Papacioc)
`If we only knew how much the Mother of God loves all those who keep Christ’s commandments and how much she pities and grieves for those who don’t improve. I felt this on my own. I don’t lie, I say the truth before the face of God, whom my soul knows: I knew the most Holy Virgin by spirit. I didn’t see her, but the Holy Spirit gave me to know her and her love for us. If it hadn’t been for her mercy, I would have perished long time ago, but she wanted to come to me and enlighten me not to sin anymore. She told me: `It’s not pleasant for me to look at you and see what you do!` Her words were sweet, peaceful and gentle and they had influenced my soul. More than 40 years have passed since then but my soul could not forget these sweet words and I don’t know what I, the sinner, could give her in change for her love for me, the impure and how I will give thanks to the kind and merciful Mother of God. She is indeed our protector before God and even her name only gives joy to the soul. All the sky and earth enjoy her love. Wondrous and incomprehensible thing. She lives in Heaven and sees without cease the glory of God but she doesn’t forget us, the wretched and the covers with her mercy the whole world and all the peoples. And the Lord gave us this Most Holy Mother Who’s His. She is our joy and hope. She is our Mother in spirit and as a human she is closer to us by nature and all the Christians are drawn to Her with love. (saint Silouan the Athonite)
