Our understanding of the place of the Virgin Mary in the life of the Church speaks tomes about how we view our own role as God-Bearer for the life of the world. Churches that tend to shy away from or deliberately bash a theology of the Virgin, tend to have little to say about the reality of bearing God in our flesh. There are all sorts of dogmatic proscriptions, but the powerful imagery that enables believers to humble themselves and be filled with God (the emptying of kenosis and subsequent filling with the Holy Spirit) has little concrete understanding beyond platitude. When believers have grappled with who Jesus' mother was in His life, they tend to find similarities in their own ability to bear Jesus within. Ultimately, a theology of the Theotokos (God-Bearer) is a theology about the person and Nature of Jesus Himself.
Saint Nectarios, the 20th century Greek Saint, wrote a beautiful hymn to the Virgin. The Hymn is included below. It is sung weekly - generally at the end of Friday's Vespers (but also in many other places as well). It becomes apparent that the role of Bearing God for the World changes who we are. Acknowledging God's presence within is often the first step of the divinization process known as theosis. We are all called to become by Grace, what Christ is by Nature. This is the seed to our spiritual growth.
O Virgin Pure
- by St. Nectarios
- Plagal First Tone (Tone 5)
Refrain: Rejoice, O Bride Unwedded!
- O Virgin pure, immaculate/ O Lady Theotokos
- O Virgin Mother, Queen of all/ and fleece which is all dewy
- More radiant than the rays of sun/ and higher than the heavens
- Delight of virgin choruses/ superior to Angels.
- Much brighter than the firmament/ and purer than the sun's light
- More holy than the multitude/ of all the heav'nly armies.
Rejoice, O Bride Unwedded!
- O Ever Virgin Mary/ of all the world, the Lady
- O bride all pure, immaculate/ O Lady Panagia
- O Mary bride and Queen of all/ our cause of jubilation
- Majestic maiden, Queen of all/ O our most holy Mother
- More hon'rable than Cherubim/ beyond compare more glorious
- than immaterial Seraphim/ and greater than angelic thrones.
Rejoice, O Bride Unwedded!
- Rejoice, O song of Cherubim/ Rejoice, O hymn of angels
- Rejoice, O ode of Seraphim/ the joy of the archangels
- Rejoice, O peace and happiness/ the harbor of salvation
- O sacred chamber of the Word/ flow'r of incorruption
- Rejoice, delightful paradise/ of blessed life eternal
- Rejoice, O wood and tree of life/ the fount of immortality.
Rejoice, O Bride Unwedded!
- I supplicate you, Lady/ now do I call upon you
- And I beseech you, Queen of all/ I beg of you your favor
- Majestic maiden, spotless one/ O Lady Panagia
- I call upon you fervently/ O sacred, hallowed temple
- Assist me and deliver me/ protect me from the enemy
- And make me an inheritor/ of blessed life eternal.
Rejoice, O Bride Unwedded!
(Source and translation: Holy Nativity Convent, Saxonburg, Pennsylvania, U.S.A.) http://www.serfes.org/spiritual/november1999.htm
I am including the Greek to this hymn. Some members of the Order of Saint Luke are working on their Greek, so this is for them.
- Αγνή Παρθένε
Αγνή Παρθένε Δέσποινα, Άχραντε Θεοτόκε,
- Χαίρε Νύμφη Ανύμφευτε.
- Παρθένε Μήτηρ Άνασσα, Πανένδροσέ τε πόκε.
- Χαίρε Νύμφη Ανύμφευτε.
Υψηλοτέρα Ουρανών, ακτίνων λαμπροτέρα
- Χαίρε Νύμφη Ανύμφευτε.
- Χαρά παρθενικών χορών, αγγέλων υπερτέρα,
- Χαίρε Νύμφη Ανύμφευτε.
Εκλαμπροτέρα ουρανών φωτός καθαροτέρα,
- Χαίρε Νύμφη Ανύμφευτε.
- Των Ουρανίων στρατιών πασών αγιωτέρα
- Χαίρε Νύμφη Ανύμφευτε.
Μαρία Αειπάρθενε κόσμου παντός Κυρία
- Χαίρε Νύμφη Ανύμφευτε.
- Άχραντε Νύμφη Πάναγνε Δέσποινα Παναγία,
- Χαίρε Νύμφη Ανύμφευτε.
Μαρία Νύμφη Άνασσα, χαράς ημών αιτία.
- Χαίρε Νύμφη Ανύμφευτε.
- Κορή σεμνή Βασίλισσα, Μήτηρ υπεραγία,
- Χαίρε Νύμφη Ανύμφευτε.
Τιμιώτερα Χερουβείμ υπερενδοξοτέρα
- Χαίρε Νύμφη Ανύμφευτε.
- Των ασωμάτων Σεραφείμ των Θρόνων υπερτέρα,
- Χαίρε Νύμφη Ανύμφευτε.
Χαίρε το άσμα Χερουβείμ χαίρε ύμνος Αγγέλων
- Χαίρε Νύμφη Ανύμφευτε.
- Χαίρε ωδή των Σεραφείμ Χαρά των Αρχαγγέλων
- Χαίρε Νύμφη Ανύμφευτε.
Χαίρε ειρήνη και χαρά λιμήν της σωτηρίας
- Χαίρε Νύμφη Ανύμφευτε.
- Παστάς του Λόγου ιερά άνθος της αφθαρσίας
- Χαίρε Νύμφη Ανύμφευτε.
Χαίρε Παράδεισε τρυφής, ζωής τε αιωνίας,
- Χαίρε Νύμφη Ανύμφευτε.
- Χαίρε το ξύλον της ζωής, πηγή αθανασίας,
- Χαίρε Νύμφη Ανύμφευτε.
Σε ικετεύω Δέσποινα, Σε, νυν, επικαλούμαι,
- Χαίρε Νύμφη Ανύμφευτε.
- Σε δυσωπώ Παντάνασσα, Σην χάριν εξαιτούμαι.
- Χαίρε Νύμφη Ανύμφευτε.
Κορή σεμνή και άσπιλε, Δεσποίνα Παναγία
- Χαίρε Νύμφη Ανύμφευτε.
- Θερμώς επικαλούμαι Σε, Ναέ ηγιασμένε,
- Χαίρε Νύμφη Ανύμφευτε.
Αντιλαβού μου, ρύσαι με, από τού πολεμίου,
- Χαίρε Νύμφη Ανύμφευτε.
- Και κλήρονομον δείξον με, ζωής της αιωνίου,
- Χαίρε Νύμφη Ανύμφευτε.
[edit]English translation (with metrical notes)
(A, B, and C refer to the three distinct melodies within the hymn.)
(A) O pure and virgin Lady,/ O spotless Theotokos: Rejoice, O unwedded Bride!
O Virgin Queen and Mother/ O dewey fleece most sacred:/ Rejoice, O unwedded Bride!
(B) O height transcending heaven above/ O beam of light most radiant:/ Rejoice, O unwedded Bride!
O joy of chaste and virgin maids/ surpassing all the angels:/ Rejoice, O unwedded Bride!
(C) O brilliant light of heaven above/ most clear and most radiant: / Rejoice, O unwedded Bride!
Commanding chief of heaven above/ O holiest of holies/ Rejoice, O unwedded Bride!
(A) O ever-virgin Mary/ O Mistress of creation:/ Rejoice, O unwedded Bride!
O Bride all-pure and spotless/ O Lady all-holy:/ Rejoice, O unwedded Bride!
(B) O holy Mary, Bride and Queen/ O cause of our rejoicing/ Rejoice, O unwedded Bride!
O Maiden Queen most hon'rable/ O Mother most holy/ Rejoice, O unwedded Bride!
(C) More precious than the cherubim/ more glorious than the seraphim:/ Rejoice, O unwedded Bride!
Surpassing principalities/ dominions, thrones and powers:/ Rejoice, O unwedded Bride!
(A) Rejoice, song of the cherubim/ Rejoice, hymn of the angels:/ Rejoice, O unwedded Bride!
Rejoice, ode of the seraphim/ and joy of the archangels:/ Rejoice, O unwedded Bride!
(B) Rejoice, o peace; Rejoice, o joy/ and haven of salvation: Rejoice, O unwedded Bride!
O bridal chamber of the Word/ unfading, fragrant blossom:/ Rejoice, O unwedded Bride!
(C) Rejoice, delight of paradise/ Rejoice, life everlasting: / Rejoice, O unwedded Bride!
Rejoice, o holy tree of life/ and fount of immortality:/ Rejoice, O unwedded Bride!
Peace,
Tom +
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