Mary, We Hail Thee
The feast of the Assumption (August 15) is one of the great and holy days of the Church's calendar. So much so that the Orthodox Church enters a two week fast in anticipation of this day beginning on August 1st. For family reasons, my family and I have been exempted from this fast this year, but I have nevertheless used the fasting season as an opportunity to prepare my heart through an increase in my own Marian devotion, chiefly by praying (and singing) the Rosary and Hail Mary's throughout each day. (For those who don't know, the Rosary is a series of 1 Our Father and 10 Hail Mary's prayed repeatedly.) And as I've done so, I've found myself reflecting on my devotion to the Blessed Virgin and on the joy that such a devotion has brought me since becoming Orthodox.
While I was an Anglican, I discovered for the first time the Church’s historic love for St. Mary, the Mother of God. It was a massive shock to me, and definitely it took some getting used to. But eventually, I too grew quite fond of Mary. Indeed, I myself came to love her as I understood more and more with time that she was truly my mother and I was truly her son. And as my beloved mother, I learned to entrust myself to her as she quickly became my solace, my comfort, in whose gaze and embrace I found rest. It was truly an unexpected bond, but one that became a wellspring of joy.
And yet, I had no one with whom I could share this joy. Who among my fellow Anglicans would be able to receive such news — that I loved and even invoked the intercessions of the Blessed Virgin and thought to call her Mother. My love for the Blessed Virgin would be perceived as scandalous, or at the very least rather concerning; calling her Mother would be a complete oddity; and my prayers to her would be seen by most as nothing short of damning. So, I was doomed to drink from this wellspring of joy in solitude and in the privacy of my own home and my own devotion. But upon converting to Orthodoxy, that was no longer the case.
If ever someone love the Blessed Virgin, it was the Orthodox Church, and not long after my wife and I had decided to become Orthodox, that truth dawned upon me. And I remember I expressed the thought my wife on an evening walk that I was quite glad to become Orthodox precisely because of this love for Mary in the Orthodox Church which had been all but absent in Anglicanism. “I love Mary,” I told her, “and I long to be like her. And the Orthodox Church tells me that’s a good thing.” I realized that at last I could express and live out my profound love for Mary, that I didn’t have to hide it or be ashamed of it. I could at last entrust myself wholeheartedly to her intercessions and her protection. I could at last hymn her with songs of praise and thanksgiving. I could at last bow before her in loving humility and honor her with the kiss of a beloved son. And what a joy it has been to love her so! What joy to be loved by her! And what awesome joy it has been to be led again and again by her to the blessed fruit of her womb, Jesus!
Mary, we hail thee, Mother and Queen compassionate; Mary, our comfort, life and hope, we hail thee. To thee we exiles, children of Eve, lift our crying. To thee we are sighing, as mournful and weeping, we pass through this vale of sorrow. Turn thou therefore, O our intercessor, those thine eyes of pity and loving-kindness upon us sinners. Hereafter, when our earthly exile shall be ended, show us Jesus, the blessed fruit of thy womb. O gentle, O tender, O gracious Virgin Mary.
Pray for us, O holy Mother of God.