РОСА МИЛОСТИВОГО ПРИЗРЕНИЯ

“Let the children come to Me and do not forbid them”: (Luke 18:16). Five-year-old Theodore, the son of the Chernigov man in the street Kostanty, was engulfed in a severe fever for quite some time. When various treatments did not help in any way, and the infirmity, having multiplied, almost killed him, the sorrowful parents entrusted the sick man to the good Healer, the Blessed Virgin, who, during the Akathist, before Her miraculous icon, they prayed with tears for the healing of their son. Which is what they got, because soon their child regained its original health. “See that you do not despise one of these little ones,” says the Lord (Matthew 18:10). The Mother of the Lord did not despise little Theodore, but gave him quick health, for whom does that merciful Visitor despise? No one. But, on the contrary, He looks at everyone with His merciful eye. She looks graciously at the old: “The rod of old age is the Mother of the Most High God” (Canon of Hodegetria). On the young: “Rejoice, good nurse of young virgins” (Akathist, ikos 10). On the righteous: “Rejoice, Divine fertilizer for all the righteous!” (Canon, canto 9). He also looks down on sinners, accepting their prayers. He looks at the whole world: “Rejoice, purification of the whole world!” (Akathist, ikos 3). It was not in vain that She put on the solar garment, for just as “the sun rises on the evil and the good,” so the Most Holy Virgin, “clothed with the sun” (Matt. 5:45; Rev. 12:1), embraces not only the good, but also the evil with Her protective gaze. Herod wants to kill the King born in Bethlehem - the Mother and the Child flee to Egypt (Matthew 2:13-15). Why? Or cannot She Who Covers and Preserves the Universe hide from Herod? Maybe. But may the Virgin Mary look at the evil Egyptians and, with Her mercy, correct them and make them good, crushing their idols! Therefore She sets off on the Egyptian journey. Now, O Mother of the Heavenly King... “We know that you are coming to Egypt with the Son of Xi: Yes, destroy all the Egyptian idols. Egypt is the heart, and idols are the passions, Here, having looked upon them, they commanded the idols to fall.” The sun, shining in the heights, illuminates the deepest lowlands with its light, which is why David says: “No one can hide from its warmth” (Ps. 18:7). The Virgin Mary, although she stands before God above all heavens, nevertheless sees those in the lowest valleys and provides for them. And there is no one who is alive without Her providence and prayers. So Blessed Augustine speaks to Her: “You alone in heaven take care of us and, by building our salvation, you deliver us from troubles.” O All-Good One! Do not despise me, a sinner, but look upon me and have mercy on me! If we want the Mother of God with Her Son and God to never turn Her bright and merciful eyes away from us, we will always be little children, but not with our minds, but with malice. That is, we will be gentle, and those who are gentle will cleave to the Lord. Gentleness is born from humility: whoever truly humbles himself is completely gentle. What other virtue will attract the merciful eyes of the Lord like humility? “Whomever I will look upon,” says the Lord, “the humble one” (Is. 66:2). And our Lady Herself, with this virtue, turned the eyes of the Most High to Herself. He looked upon the humility of His Servant. By this virtue we too will be made small, so that we may be pleasing to the eyes of God. You need to know that there are three degrees of perfect humility: First degree. Submit to your elders and not rise above your equals. Second degree. Submit to your equals and not exalt yourself over your lesser. Third degree. To submit to the lesser ones and to impute oneself to nothing, as one of the cattle, unworthy of being with a person. And whoever humbles himself in this way will be great in the eyes of his Lord and will see His glory. This is what Presbyter Isaac says: “Consider yourself nothing and you will see the glory of God in you, for where humility is born, there the glory of God shines.” Humility will save a person more than other good deeds; the demon has not loved him since forever. A demon once appeared to Father Macarius and said: “I suffer a lot of trouble from you, Macarius, and I cannot overcome you, but everything that you do, I do too: you fast, and I never eat; If you are awake, I never sleep; you are pure - and I do not know mixing with a woman; You have rejected possessions - and I have nothing in this world and do not seek riches. There is only one thing in you that can defeat me.” Macarius asked him: “And what is this?” The demon answered: “Your humility, which I cannot have; it defeats me. That’s why I can’t do anything to you.” You might be interested in: