Description
In one of the evening services of the Orthodox Church known as Compline, we speak these words to Mary, the Theotokos and Mother of God, “Do not turn from me, an unclean sinner...but have compassion on me, O Theotokos, and accept the prayer of a sinner…exercise your boldness and pray to your Son our Lord and Master that He will make known to me also His compassionate goodness.”
This beautiful icon of the heart of Mary, shows her heart is centered in Her Son and His mercy through her intercessory prayer for the Church, her children. For Orthodox Christians, icons of our Blessed Lady the Mother of God will almost always have the image of Christ Her Son centered upon her heart in the icon for Her servanthood for the world and her prayers for us always find their fountain of being and Grace in the Son she bore for us. His Grace makes powerful her intercessions for us. This icon shows her tenderness, her love and devotion toward her Son, such a devotion that would bring her agony and tears as she watched Him later suffer on Holy Friday and so she too would fulfill the words of Simeon, “And a sword shall pierce your heart also.” In some Russian piety, this icon is also depicted with seven swords piercing her heart.
From the Akathist Service for the Mother of God, Softener of Evil Hearts:
Soften our evil hearts, O Mother of God,
And quench the attacks of those who hate us
And loose all straitness of our soul.
For looking on thy holy icon
We are filled with compunction by thy suffering and loving-kindness for us
And we kiss thy wounds;
We are filled with horror for the darts with which we wound thee.
Let us not, O Mother of Compassion,
According to the cruelty of our hearts, perish from the cruelty of heart of those near us,
For thou art in truth the Softener of Evil Hearts.
Details
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