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Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos speaks to us
Saint Silouan the Athonite was a great and wonderful empirical theologian, who knew Christ and the Mother of God through the Holy Spirit. He wrote down the experiences he had, and after his repose, these notes were published by Saint Sophrony the Athonite.
Saint Silouan says that the Mother of God did not record her entire life in writing because we would not have been able to comprehend it. Her experience was so profound that she kept it in silence. He writes:
“The Mother of God did not commit to writing either her thoughts, or her love for her God and Son, or the sufferings of her soul at the crucifixion, for we would still not be able to comprehend them.”
But the life of the Theotokos was made known to the Church by Christ, and this explains why, although nothing about her has been preserved in writing and her words were not included in the Scriptures, nevertheless the saints wrote many things about her.
“Although the life of the Mother of God is as if covered by a holy silence, yet the Lord has given our Orthodox Church to know that She embraces the entire world in Her love, and in the Holy Spirit She sees all peoples on earth and, like Her Son, She suffers for all and shows mercy to all.”
This explains why the Holy Fathers and hymnographers wrote about the Mother of God and praised her so much.
Saint Silouan also testifies that he never saw the Mother of God, as he saw Christ, but the Holy Spirit gave him grace to know her. His testimony about how he came to know the Theotokos through the Holy Spirit is amazing:
“I have not seen her, but the Holy Spirit has given me to know her through Her graceful words, and my spirit rejoices, and my soul is drawn to Her with love, so much so that even the invocation of Her name is sweet to my heart.”
He himself received many blessings from the Theotokos. In his notes, we find the foundational teaching of the Church Fathers that the Prayer of the Mind is bestowed by God through His Mother. Here is what he writes:
“When I was still a young beginner, I once prayed before the icon of the Mother of God, and the Jesus Prayer penetrated my heart and began to recite itself there. And another time, in church, I heard the words of Isaiah’s prophecy, and at the words «Wash yourselves, make yourselves clean» (Isaiah 1:16), the thought came to me: «Perhaps the Mother of God once sinned, even in thought». And, a miracle, in my heart, along with the prayer, a clear voice spoke: «The Mother of God never sinned, not even in thought». Thus the Holy Spirit bore witness in my heart to Her purity.”
In another place, the saint speaks of a visitation by the Theotokos out of love, to enlighten him:
“Many miracles and mercies have I seen from the Lord and from the Mother of God, but for such love I can repay nothing. What shall I give to the Most Holy Mistress, for She was not disgusted by me when I was in sin, but mercifully visited me and enlightened me?”
And elsewhere he writes:
“Oh, if only we knew how much the Mother of God loves all who keep the commandments of Christ, and how she grieves and is sorrowful for those who do not amend their ways! I have experienced this myself. I do not lie, I speak before the face of God Whom my soul knows: in the Spirit I know the Most Pure Virgin. I have not seen her, but the Holy Spirit has given me to know her and to know her love for us. If it were not for Her mercy, I would have perished long ago; but She willed to visit me and enlighten me, so that I might not err. She told me: «It is not pleasing to me to look upon you and see what you are doing!». And Her words were pleasing, gentle, meek, and effectual upon my soul. More than forty years have passed, but my soul cannot forget those sweet words, and I do not know what I, the sinner, will repay for that love towards me, the impure one, and how I will thank the good, merciful Mother of God.”
About the glory of the Mother of God and her love for all humanity, Saint Silouan writes:
„A wonderful thing, and unattainable! She lives in heaven and incessantly sees the glory of God, but she does not forget us, the needy, and with Her mercy covers the whole earth and all peoples. And this Most Honored Mother of His, the Lord has given to us! She is our joy and hope. She is our Mother according to the spirit, and close to us by nature, as a human, and every Christian soul strives towards Her with love.”
The glory of the Most Holy Theotokos is very great, and her good deeds, as the saints bear witness, are innumerable. That is why we love her immeasurably, we pray to her at all times, and thus our mouth and heart are filled with sweetness...
From „Feasts of the Mother of God: a historical and theological perspective”, Bonifaciu Publishing House 2019
Translation by Diaconești Monastery