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Vimaorthodoxias · Aug 19 View source View full article on hyper.nooz.ai

Η μεγίστη θεομητορική εορτή του καλοκαιριού στην Μονή Κύκκου - Βήμα Ορθοδοξίας

🌐 Quote shown in the original Greek — English translation below

Ολοκλήρωσε δε την ομιλία του με την προτροπή «να παρακαλέσουμε την Υπεραγία Θεοτόκο...

▲ For · Theotokos
Sentiment: positive

The speaker calls for prayer to the Theotokos to protect the Church, the homeland, and bring peace.
🇬🇧 English translation

The Greatest Theotokos Feast of Summer at Kykkos Monastery - Step of Orthodoxy

HOLY MONASTERY OF KYKKOS: With spiritual exultation and in a joyful atmosphere, the greatest and most festive Theotokos feast of the summer, the life-giving Dormition of the Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, Lady of the Angels and Mother of God and of mankind, was honored at the historic, holy, and venerable Monastery of the Eleousa of Kykkos.

On the occasion of this Theotokos feast, His Eminence the Metropolitan of Kykkos and Tylliria, Niciforos, led the Great Panegyrical Vespers from vespers and presided, on the feast day, over the thanksgiving liturgy, accompanied by the Cypriot Metropolitans: Athanasios of Kyrenia (Patriarchate of Alexandria), Chrysostomos of Kyrenia and Tamassos, and Isaiah of Oreno.

The Complex of the Holy Royal and Crucifixion Monastery of the Eleousa Panagia of Kykkos and its open spaces were filled with hundreds of faithful, who gathered to venerate her grace-filled Icon, as well as to participate in the glorious feast, to pray together, and to seek the grace and blessing of the Lady Theotokos.

The Divine Word was preached, with the blessing of His Eminence, by the Superior of the Monastery, Archimandrite Fr. Agathonikos Kykkotis.

In his sermon, the Most Reverend spoke of the holy person of the Theotokos and the unique and special place she holds in the life of the Church. At the same time, he spoke of the joyful message emanating from her Dormition, as well as the timeless relationship of our faithful people with her all-immaculate person.

"Our Holy Orthodox Church encompasses the entire soteriological meaning of today's great Theotokos feast and calls us, intuitively and mystically, to the side of the all-encompassing deathly bier of the Mother of Life, not to mourn a loss, but to celebrate the Pascha of the Panagia, whose translation constitutes the beginning of our own resurrection in Christ," he emphasized, adding that "the Church calls us to face death illuminated by the uncreated light of the Resurrection. It is a life-giving death, which transfers into heavenly and immortal life. Where human eyes see an end, Orthodox faith sees a passage, and where the world sees a grave, the Church sees a heavenly door. It sees the 'Higher than the Heavens and purer than the shining suns, the most God-loving of the God-loving and the holiest of the holy, the most Honored of the Cherubim and incomparably more glorious than the Seraphim.' It sees, ultimately, the mighty hope of eternity."

"And the foremost Apostle, Paul of the Nations, reminds us that we should not grieve 'as the others who have no hope.' It is this very hope of incorruptibility that the Full of Grace Theotokos reveals today with her entire existence. She, who gave birth to Life, passes today into Eternal Life. She, who contained the Uncontainable in her immaculate womb, is not abandoned to corruption. She, who became the bridge through which God descended to man, now becomes a vessel of hope for man, who journeys toward heaven."

Subsequently, Fr. Agathonikos spoke of the "holy icon of the Panagia of Eleousa, which was recorded and painted by the holy Apostle Luke. This holy icon bears imprinted the touch and her own blessing through the Theotokos' word: 'May the grace of Him who was born of me be with them through me.'"

"This grace-filled icon constitutes the Holy Palladium of the Island of Cyprus and the entire Oikoumene. It is life-giving through faith and fragrant with tears, repentance, thanksgiving, and doxology for victories over enemy invasions and personal passions. It is the guide of prudence and peace for all generations until the end of ages. It is the answer to the supplication for the resolution of turbulence. It is the pen of history, which redeems peoples and nations from distress and suffering. It is the venerable pride of the priests. It is the great trophy, through which 'trophies are raised and enemies fall.' It is the evening star that leads 'all toward divine knowledge.'"

He concluded his speech with the exhortation "to pray to the Most Holy Theotokos to cover and pacify our Church, to protect our homeland, to bring peace to peoples and to cease wars, to soften hard hearts and to become a bridge of reconciliation where walls of enmity have been raised. To always lead us to her Son and God and to make us worthy to become a little more humble, more patient, purer in heart through our repentance, more ready to forgive, and more sensitive to the pain of others. And then this feast of the Dormition will become a way of life for us. It will become the passage from corruption to incorruptibility and from the 'I' to the 'we.'"

"Looking, therefore, with compunction toward the Eleousa of Kykkos, we deposit before her grace-filled icon our pain, our hopes, and our sorrows. We beseech her to intercede with the Philanthropic Lord for the cessation of the world's trials, for the spiritual progress of our Holy Monastery, and for the justification of our much-suffering homeland."

It is worth noting that the Holy Analogia (lecterns) were once again adorned by the beautiful chanters of the Byzantine Tradition, the members of the Choir of Psaltis of the Holy Monastery of Kykkos, under the direction of Mr. Aristos Thucydides and Mr. Nikos Panagiotou.

In his statements, after the conclusion of the worshipful feast, His Eminence the Metropolitan of Kykkos and Tylliria, Niciforos, emphasized to the media that "the feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos is not a mournful lamentation; on the contrary, it is a joyful feast, a feast of joy and gladness. Why? Because the Panagia, through her Dormition, transitioned into life. That is, the body of the Panagia, which took flesh and gave birth to the Savior of the World and our Redeemer Christ, could not be corrupted in the earth and decay. Thus, the Panagia transitioned bodily to Heaven and sat at the right hand of the throne of her Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, and intercedes for the whole world, and especially for us who honor her devoutly. Do not forget that 'much avails the prayer of a Mother for the favor of the Master'; the maternal plea to her Son has the power of boldness."

"This is also the reason why today thousands of faithful flock to our monasteries and churches, as they do here at the Holy Monastery of Kykkos, this primatial Monastery of the Church of Cyprus and Hellenism; they come here precisely to kneel before her Holy Icon, before her all-holy form, and to seek her help, her mercy, and her forgiveness. To confide their dark thoughts in our Panagia, who, we repeat, with her maternal boldness has great power and can help each one of us, provided we venerate our Panagia with faith and respect."

"But our people come to our monasteries these days to pray to our Panagia for another reason. Today, as Cypriot Hellenism and generally as the nation of Greeks, we are going through a very difficult period of our historical journey. Therefore, they come here to ask for her help to once again become the Defender General of our race and to give conscience and enlightenment to the powerful of this world so that they stop shedding the blood of peoples. To find their justice, even if they are small peoples, like us. Furthermore, our people come here because there is international unrest, wars, such as the Iran-America, Russia-NATO, as is known, to pray to our Panagia to intercede with our Lord and to finally bring an end to this difficult era, so that reason may reign, and peace and love may reign in the whole world."

Text: Loukas A. Panagiotou

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