St. Gabriel’s Prayer To The MOTHER OF GOD
09 March 1999 10:54
Jim Peters sends the following prayer and story:
Recently, I came across a short prayer, of the type one finds printed on a small pocket size card, while I was perusing goods for sale at a Roman Catholic bookstore. I immediately recognized the prayer, as one that sung as part of the Orthodox Service, at High Mass, on Sundays, immediately after the Consecration of the Holy Gifts of the Eucharist.
It then occurred to me, how unusual it is that this prayer should be found in a Roman Catholic bookstore, even though it is part of an Orthodox Service? It also occurred to me that my Roman Catholic brothers and sisters might be unaware of the prayer itself and of the story behind it. So I decided to share it with my TLIG fellowship!
The Prayer:
It is truly right
to bless You,
Oh Theotokos (*1)
as the Ever Blessed and
most pure Mother of our God.
More honorable than
the Cherubim, and
by far more glorious
than the Seraphim;
Who without corruption
gave birth to
God the Word;
Oh, true Mother of God,
We magnify You.
The Story:
In the 1700’s there was an Orthodox Monk — Priest (*2), in solitary seclusion at a remote monastic site on Mount Athos, a monastic community in Northern Greece.
According to the Orthodox Tradition, a priest can only perform the Sacrament of the Holy Eucharist, in a Eucharistic Liturgy (*3), if there is at least one other person (lay or consecrated) that can represent the ?people’. Thus the Eucharistic Christ, the Consecrated Servant Priest, and at least one of the lay people constitute a complete Church assembly. By implication, an Orthodox priest is not permitted to celebrate the Holy Eucharist on his own!
Thus, this Elder Monk — Priest suffered for years in solitude, WITHOUT the Blessed Sacrament, but otherwise in complete communion with the Holy Spirit. However, he did miss the Holy Eucharist! And so, he fervently prayed for some other Monk to pass by his retreat, and thereby have a full Eucharistic Mass.
A number of years passed, and then one day, the prayers of this Elder were answered. A young Monk knocked on his door one evening and requested hospitality for one night, as he was on his way to some other monastery? The elder Monk — Priest readily agreed, but requested the favor that the younger Monk joins him in early morning Eucharistic Liturgy. That agreed upon, they retired for prayer and rest.
The next morning, the full Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom was celebrated. However, at the point right after the consecration, the young Monk burst into a beautiful melodic singing of the above noted prayer! The Elder was astounded, as he had never heard such a hymn, and especially sung in such a beautiful voice. In spite of his surprise, he did not interrupt the service, but continued with Mass to its completion.
When completed, he begged the young Monk to wait a few more minutes, as the Elder wished to obtain writing implements to record this beautiful hymn. The younger Monk said not to bother as he was going to write it on a slate that formed part of the floor of that Chapel. With that he proceeded to write on the slate using his finger and etching the Greek words of the hymn on the stone, while in so doing he revealed himself in his full splendor as St. Gabriel, the Archangel? When he finished, he disappeared into the thin air!
The Elder was so moved that he decided to brake his solitude, and having pried loose the slate slab, he hastened to the nearest Bishop to report these extraordinary events. The Bishop was also moved, and he instructed that this hymn form part of the St. John Chrysostom Liturgy, and be sung at the exact place in the Liturgy introduced by the Archangel.
>From that diocese the practice spread to all Orthodox and this prayer forms part of the regular Orthodox Liturgy, at present!
- Theotokos is a Greek proper noun that literally translates as ?She who gave birth to God?.
- Orthodox Priests are allowed to be married, if they have received the Sacrament of marriage, prior to being ordained.
-
A Greek word for Mass, that literally translates into ?The work of the
people?
