The Theotokos is our protection and shelter, because of her relationship as mother to Christ Himself, He Who is our salvation. She is our first intercessor before God. She gave birth to God and no other saint has that relationship with God. Her life is an example for us, freely choosing God’s will each and every day.
The Theotokos has a twofold motherhood. Her prayers are bold before God like in the wedding in Cana, being Christ’s mother, when she said, “Do whatever he tells you.”(2) without having discussed it further with Jesus, She told the servants to do whatever Christ tells them, implying that He will do something. This is her ‘motherly favor’ or ‘boldness’.
She also is our Spiritual Mother as we see at the foot of the Cross(3) when Christ says to St John, “behold your mother”. We are like St John the Evangelist, since we receive ‘adoption’ through baptism(4). The Theotokos endured the unthinkable, seeing her son beaten, crucified, dead and buried. She faced these things with Faith, hope, love of God and neighbor, with certainty and joy in the Resurrection. When we cry out in our troubles and sorrows, she empathizes with us (she is human like us) and prays to her Son and our God for us as our compassionate mother.
She leads us to unity with Christ our God. The verb “save” aside from its principle meaning, also can be used for one who assists in saving, who is an instrument in salvation. Just as St Paul can write, “I have become all things to all men, that I may save some.”(5) The Theotokos ‘saves’ as a vehicle of prayer to Christ, with the most unique relationship to Him.
Reading through the Divine Liturgy, we see how significant her role is in our relationship with her son, and our God. The Ever-Virgin Mary the Theotokos is our advocate and cares for us like a mother, a mother that has been through so much, empathizing with our pain and sorrows, praying to her son and our God on our behalf whenever we ask her to.
The closer we grow with Christ and our neighbor, the more we realize the significant role of the Theotokos in our lives, and in our unity with Christ our God. May the Holy Spirit reveal to us the role of the Theotokos in our lives, since the better we understand her role and significance, the better we come to know Christ and the Mystery of His Church.
References:
1) History of the Small Paraklesis the Service Text and one version of recording Here . Buy the book by calling our Life Giving Spring Monastery 559-338-3110 or online Here or Here - both are same translation.
Here is a classic you-tube of the original setting.
2) John 2:3-5 When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, “They have no wine.” And Jesus said to her, “Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.” His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”
3) John 19:25-27
4) Galatians 4:4-5
5) 1 Corinthians 9:22
