1. St. Justin:
"We know that He, before all creatures, proceeded from the Father by His power and will, ... and by means of the Virgin became man, that by what way the disobedience arising from the serpent had its beginning, by that way also it might have an undoing. For Eve, being a virgin and undefiled, conceiving the word that was from the serpent, brought forth disobedience and death; but the Virgin Mary, taking faith and joy, when the Angel told her the good tidings, that the Spirit of the Lord should come upon her and the power of the Highest overshadow her, and therefore the Holy One that was born of her was Son of God, answered, 'Be it to me according to Thy word.'" - Tryph. 100.
2. Tertullian:
"God recovered His image and likeness, which the devil had seized, by a rival operation. For into Eve, as yet a virgin, had crept the word which was the framer of death. Equally into a virgin was to be introduced the Word of God which was the builder-up of life; that, what by that sex had gone into perdition, by the same sex might be brought back to salvation. Eve had believed the serpent; Mary believed Gabriel; the fault which the one committed by believing, the other by believing has blotted out." - De Carn. Christ. 17.
3. St. Irenaeus:
"With a fitness, Mary the Virgin is found obedient, saying, 'Behold thy handmaid, O Lord; be it to me according to Thy word.' But Eve was disobedient; for she obeyed not, while she was yet a virgin. As she, having indeed Adam for a husband, but as yet being a virgin ... becoming disobedient, became the cause of death both to herself and to the whole human race, so also Mary, having the predestined man, and being yet a Virgin, being obedient, became both to herself and to the whole human race the cause of salvation. And on account of this the Lord said, that the first should be last and the last first. And the Prophet signifies the same, saying, 'Instead of fathers you have children.' For, whereas the Lord, when born, was the first-begotten of the dead, and received into His bosom the primitive fathers, He regenerated them into the life of God, He Himself becoming the beginning of the living, since Adam became the beginning of the dying. Therefore also Luke, commencing the line of generations from the Lord, referred it back to Adam, signifying that He regenerated the old fathers, not they Him, into the Gospel of life. And so the knot of Eve's disobedience received its unloosing through the obedience of Mary; for what Eve, a virgin bound by incredulity, that Mary, a virgin, unloosed by faith." - Adv. Her. iii. 22. 34.
"As Eve by the speech of an Angel was seduced, so as to flee God, transgressing His word, so also Mary received the good tidings by means of the Angel's speech, as as to bear God within her, being obedient to His word. And, though the one had disobeyed God yet the other was drawn to obey God; that of the virgin Eve the Virgin Mary might become the advocate. And, as by a virgin the human race had been bound to death, by a virgin it is saved, the balance being preserved, a virgin's disobedience by a virgin's obedience." - Ibid. v. 19.
Monday, January 23, 2017
Tuesday, January 3, 2017
St. Pio of Pietrelcina on the Rosary
- Love the Blessed Mother and make her loved. Always say the Rosary.
- St. Pio
- The Rosary is a weapon in our hands with which we can overcome the devil's attacks.
- St. Pio
- Our Lady has never refused me a grace through the recitation of the Rosary.
- St. Pio
- Go get my weapon [the Rosary].
- St. Pio
- Love the Madonna and pray the Rosary, for her Rosary is the weapons against the evils of the world today.
- St. Pio
- The Rosary, that is my weapon.
- St. Pio
- Satan always tries to destroy this prayer [the Rosary], but he will never succeed. It is the prayer of her who triumphs over everything and everyone.
- St. Pio
- The Rosary is the weapon that wins all battles.
- St. Pio
- As recorded in the book Champions of the Rosary by Fr. Donald H. Calloway, MIC, page 287.
- St. Pio
- The Rosary is a weapon in our hands with which we can overcome the devil's attacks.
- St. Pio
- Our Lady has never refused me a grace through the recitation of the Rosary.
- St. Pio
- Go get my weapon [the Rosary].
- St. Pio
- Love the Madonna and pray the Rosary, for her Rosary is the weapons against the evils of the world today.
- St. Pio
- The Rosary, that is my weapon.
- St. Pio
- Satan always tries to destroy this prayer [the Rosary], but he will never succeed. It is the prayer of her who triumphs over everything and everyone.
- St. Pio
- The Rosary is the weapon that wins all battles.
- St. Pio
- As recorded in the book Champions of the Rosary by Fr. Donald H. Calloway, MIC, page 287.
The Prayer Rule of the Theotokos of Saint Seraphim of Sarov
History of the Prayer Rules of the Theotokos:
Very little is, indeed, known about the history of the Prayer Rule of the Theotokos. There is a tradition that the Egyptian monks of the Thebaid prayed 150 Angelic Salutations grouped into 15 groups of ten, after the pattern of the Psalms. Beyond this, what we do know has come down to us from a certain Father Zosima. He was a spiritual son of the great 19th Century Russian Orthodox said, Seraphim of Sarov. Here is the message left to us from the holy priest, Father Zosima:
I forgot to give you a piece of advice vital for salvation. Say the Rejoice, O Virgin Theotokos one hundred and fifty times, and this prayer will lead you on the way to salvation. This rule was given by the Mother of God herself in about the eighth century, and at one time all Christians fulfilled it. We Orthodox have forgotten about it, and Saint Seraphim has reminded me of this Rule. In my hands I have a hand-written book from the cell of Saint Seraphim, containing a description of the many miracles which took place through praying to the Mother of God and especially through saying one hundred and fifty times the Rejoice, O Virgin Theotokos. If, being unaccustomed to it, it is difficult to master one hundred and fifty repetitions daily, say it fifty times at first. After every ten repetitions say the "Our Father" once and "Open unto us the door of your loving-kindness." Whomever he spoke to about this miracle-working Rules remained grateful to him.
The Prayer Rules as prayed by Saint Seraphim has come down to us by means of his notebook. The fifteen mysteries and the prayers introducing each mystery are those of our holy father, Saint Seraphim himself. The prayers which follow each decade were composed by an Orthodox nun who was a spiritual disciple of Saint Seraphim.
- As written in the book The Prayer Rule of the Theotokos of Saint Seraphim of Sarov published by Chi Rho Publishing
(From the blogger: This is proof of ancient devotion to the Mother of God, especially through the Angelic Salutation, from the Orthodox East and demonstrates that devotion to the Mother of God is universal in both the Eastern and Western Church. Ave Maria!)
Very little is, indeed, known about the history of the Prayer Rule of the Theotokos. There is a tradition that the Egyptian monks of the Thebaid prayed 150 Angelic Salutations grouped into 15 groups of ten, after the pattern of the Psalms. Beyond this, what we do know has come down to us from a certain Father Zosima. He was a spiritual son of the great 19th Century Russian Orthodox said, Seraphim of Sarov. Here is the message left to us from the holy priest, Father Zosima:
I forgot to give you a piece of advice vital for salvation. Say the Rejoice, O Virgin Theotokos one hundred and fifty times, and this prayer will lead you on the way to salvation. This rule was given by the Mother of God herself in about the eighth century, and at one time all Christians fulfilled it. We Orthodox have forgotten about it, and Saint Seraphim has reminded me of this Rule. In my hands I have a hand-written book from the cell of Saint Seraphim, containing a description of the many miracles which took place through praying to the Mother of God and especially through saying one hundred and fifty times the Rejoice, O Virgin Theotokos. If, being unaccustomed to it, it is difficult to master one hundred and fifty repetitions daily, say it fifty times at first. After every ten repetitions say the "Our Father" once and "Open unto us the door of your loving-kindness." Whomever he spoke to about this miracle-working Rules remained grateful to him.
The Prayer Rules as prayed by Saint Seraphim has come down to us by means of his notebook. The fifteen mysteries and the prayers introducing each mystery are those of our holy father, Saint Seraphim himself. The prayers which follow each decade were composed by an Orthodox nun who was a spiritual disciple of Saint Seraphim.
- As written in the book The Prayer Rule of the Theotokos of Saint Seraphim of Sarov published by Chi Rho Publishing
(From the blogger: This is proof of ancient devotion to the Mother of God, especially through the Angelic Salutation, from the Orthodox East and demonstrates that devotion to the Mother of God is universal in both the Eastern and Western Church. Ave Maria!)
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