Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos speaks to us
There is no saint who does not love the Mother of God! And it is natural for it to be so, because when we love Christ, we will also love the Most Holy Theotokos, who gave birth to Him.
I would like to remind you of a saying about the Mother of God that we find in the writings of Saint Silouan the Athonite. He addresses a request to her – and what exactly does he ask of her? We usually ask her for all sorts of things, especially material ones. But what does he ask of the Mother of God? „Most Holy, Mother of Christ, you, as a merciful one, ask from your Son for us a humble spirit”. In other words: „We ask you, Most Holy, you who are most merciful” ‒ because, just as Christ is most merciful, so too is the Most Holy Theotokos ‒, we ask you to ask God to give us a humble spirit.” We ask, therefore, that He give us humility. You will see further on that it speaks about this, saying that when a person is humble, they do not have serious problems. All troubles arise because people are arrogant, selfish, proud. Therefore, when we have a humble spirit, all external problems are resolved, because temptations we go through no longer affect or concern us. We will say that „Thus has God willed it,” and thus we will acquire a humble spirit.
Saint Silouan himself writes somewhere about himself ‒ why does he pray to the Most Holy Theotokos to intercede with her Son to give him a humble spirit? He gives an example from his life: „When I was still in the world, I thought that happiness on earth meant being healthy, pleasant in appearance, wealthy, and loved by people. But these things brought me vainglory. After I knew the Lord in the Holy Spirit, I began to consider the glory of the world as smoke that the wind quickly scatters”.
Therefore, when we do not know the love of Christ and are interested in worldly things, then we consider external riches and joys to be significant and blessed things. The saint also believed this at first; but when the Holy Spirit revealed Christ and His glory to him, he considered all these things as smoke that the wind scatters. But to love Christ does not mean to deprive oneself of anything; rather, it is a blessing, because God gives us everything. Here is what he says: „The grace of the Holy Spirit gladdens, rejoices the soul, and it, in deep peace, sees the Lord and forgets the earth”.
This saying is very important, full of truth, essential, without many words, and is not born of speculation. It shows very clearly that when the Holy Spirit comes into a person's soul, He truly gladdens it, bestows upon it deep peace, and in this deep peace, the soul sees the Lord, the Creator of the world.
„When the soul humbles itself, the Lord hears its prayers”.
Saint Silouan also says that, coming out of our house and opening our eyes, we see the sun. But when, in the Holy Spirit, we see Christ, Who is the Sun of Righteousness, then the great brightness of the created sun pales, as if its light were very faint compared to the Light and glory of God. And this fills the soul with joy and peace. That is why, elsewhere, Saint Silouan writes: „Lord, bring Your people to You, so that they may delight in seeing You face to face even here, on earth, and, seeing You as You are, may become like You”. Behold what prayer he addresses to Christ and, of course, to the Mother of God! May the Mother of God grant him a humble spirit, so that he may see the glory of God. When a person sees the glory of God, nothing else is needed. Material things merely serve to comfort the body, but they do not give meaning to life and existence.
Of course, we ask the Mother of God for all sorts of things, just as we asked this evening at the Supplicatory Canon. Everyone has their own problems and asks for help either for themselves or for their loved ones. However, if a person has a humble spirit, then God will undoubtedly perform miracles.
Here is what Saint Silouan says: „The Lord performs miracles even with the sinner, as soon as he humbles himself. When the soul humbles itself, the Lord hears its prayers and will do whatever it asks of Him”.We ask of God in a proud and selfish, arrogant and haughty manner. We ask with pride and self-interest, as if it were only due to us, to satisfy our passions. But when man humbles himself and acquires the blessed state of the humble, then God will perform the miracle. How exactly? Saint Silouan says:“When man is humble and asks something of God, He will fulfill his request.”
You can observe this in your own life. When someone asks you for something in an impertinent way, with demands, then you do not fulfill their request. You will hardly do something that is asked of you with insolence, with anger and in a raised tone. But if someone comes smiling, with a humble spirit, then you rejoice and give them what they ask for.
Here is how significant Saint Silouan's prayer to the Mother of God is, with which I began my discourse:“Most Holy Theotokos, ask for a humble spirit for us, you who are most merciful.”For, when He gives us a humble spirit, we, humbling ourselves, will also obtain the miracles we ask of God.
May the Most Holy Theotokos, the most merciful, intercede for us. Amen.
From the sermon delivered at the Chapel of the Mother of God (August 3, 2023)
Translation by Diaconești Monastery