"But one thing is needed,

and Mary has chosen that good part, which will not be taken away from her."

(Luke 10, 42)

"But He said,

More than that, blessed are those who hear the word of God and keep it!"

(Luke 11, 28)

The Mother of God - example of obedience

which bears fruits unto eternal life

At the beginning of each Church year, we have the opportunity to remember and celebrate the Mother of God. On September 8, we celebrate the feast dedicated to the Nativity of the Mother of God.

Why is this celebration important at the beginning of the new Church year?

The Church year is a spiritual pilgrimage for the whole Church, for each of us Christians. One of the verses of the Gospel from St. Luke read on this occasion says: Mary, the sister of Martha, the one who chose to listen to the word of Christ the Savior rather than to deal with material serving, is the image of the Mother of God, that is, of obedience to God which brings spiritual fruit.

If our human history is marked by sin and fall through disobedience to the word of God by the first people - Adam and Eve[1] - with the consequences that followed[2] and which we still see today - conflicts, passions, malice, envy, lies, pride, etc. , here at the beginning of the new ecclesiastical year the Church puts before us the example of the Mother of God who gave birth to the Son of God, our Savior Jesus Christ.

The birth of the Mother of God is the result of the wonderful work of God and the faith of St. Joachim and Anna. This shows us the need for faith in God throughout our lives, but especially in moments of difficulties and doubt. At the same time, the biblical pericope draws our attention to one of the special virtues of the Mother of God, which was obedience. Because of her perfect obedience to the announcement of the conception of the Son of God in the Virgin's womb, the curse of disobedience was untied, and death was destroyed by the gift of eternal life.[3]

The Mother of God was obedient not only at the time of the announcement of the Archangel Gabriel, but throughout her life. She is the image of our obedience. The Church presents her to us as the embodiment of the perfect model of obedience to God the Father who is the Son of God. He became obedient unto death, and death on a cross.[4] This together with His resurrection from the dead gave us the possibility of eternal life.

The obedience of the Mother of God is the precursor to this great gift of eternal life. Without her contribution, without the fulfillment of God's word in her life, none of this would have been possible. Her obedience abolished Adam and Eve's disobedience in heaven. In this way God's work is fulfilled and man's freedom of choice is untouched. Passionate and sinful man sees an antinomy between freedom and obedience. In real life, in spiritual life, the one who practices it sees and understands that there is no contradiction between human freedom and obedience to the word of God. The latter, if fulfilled, brings man true freedom, makes him understand how the two can coexist in his life. Man understands that to have a fulfilled, perfect life, he needs the presence of two simultaneously in his life.

Also from the pericope we read, we understand that in the Church, true relationships between people must be rebuilt on listening to the word of God, because those who live in this way are blessed by God.[5] Without this unity or foundation of obedience to the word of God, our society, our human relationships, will be built on principles or private, selfish interests, on conflicting opinions and views that will bring tension, disorder, internal strife, hidden jealousies, desires of dominance, unreal or even false self-views, etc. Listening to the word of God, obeying it, brings back to unity the whole understanding, life and existence of our human nature and the world. We and the world need coherence, harmony, and unity in what we do and are. The world is God's creation and man is His image and likeness. That is why we need faith and obedience because they always remind us and make us aware of this reality according to which we must live. Without the two this achievement cannot be accomplished according to the plan of their Creator.

The Church offers us a way through which we can acquire all these. She offers us the means of grace - the Holy Liturgy, the Holy Mysteries, the prayers of the Church, blessings, asceticism, etc. - which make possible the redemption and restoration of man, his transfiguration like the Son of God on Mount Tabor. She gives us the examples of saints who have lived in the Church throughout time. The Church is a true depth of endless spiritual wealth because it has her source of acting in the breeze of the Holy Spirit through which we feel the presence and inspiration of the Holy Trinity.

This is the true life that the Church proposes to us through the direct acting of God. The Church is the mediator of this great blessing of the restoration of our true life. And the Mother of God is the one who, through perfect obedience to the word of God, was the forerunner and preparer of this achievement.

Therefore, let us be grateful to God and address prayers to the Mother of God at the beginning of this Church year so that we can follow the path of obedience to the word of God, a path that will make us grow spiritually from the image to the likeness of God which means the fulfillment of our vocation as creatures made by Him.

† Ioan Casian

Romanian Orthodox Bishop of Canada

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[1] Genesis 3, 6-7

[2] Genesis 3, 16-24

[3] Your Nativity, O Virgin, has proclaimed joy to the whole universe! The Sun of Righteousness, Christ our God, has shone from you, O Theotokos! By annulling the curse, He bestowed a blessing. By destroying death, He has granted us eternal Life. (troparion of the Nativity of the Mother of God)

[4] Philippians 2, 8

[5] Luke 11, 28