MONKS AND MERMAIDS (A Benedictine Blog): APRIL 23rd : OUR LADY OF MONTSERRAT: & THE ROSARY IN THE EASTERN ORTHODOX TRADITION

On the mountain named Montserrat, near Barcelona, in the Catalonia region of Spain, a church now contains a 'miracle- working' statue of the Madonna and Child known as La Moreneta, that is: the dark little one.

Legend relates that the miraculous image was first known as La Jerosolimitana (the native of Jerusalem), since it is believed to have been carved in that city during the early days of the church.

Another account, seemingly well-attested, indicates that the image was moved to Montserrat in 718, to avoid the danger posed by invading Saracens. The image disappears from the historical record at this point, to reappear in a legend holding that shepherds found the lost statue under supernatural guidance in 890:

While tending their flocks that night the shepherds were amazed to see lights and to hear singing coming from the mountain. When this was repeated, the shepherds reported the situation to their priest, who investigated. When the priest also heard the singing and saw the mysterious lights, he informed the Bishop, and he also witnessed the phenomenon. The statue of Our Lady was discovered in a cave and was brought out and placed in a small church that was soon erected.

However, the statue presently kept at the Montserrat shrine [at left] appears to have been introduced in the twelfth or thirteenth century. Its Romanesque style is consistent with this estimate. Beyond general style, the genre of the statue is certainly that of an 'enthroned virgin', typical of the earliest icons of Mary.

THE ROSARY OF OUR LADY

in a Russian Orthodox tradition

Praying in the Balkans

my source: Vultus Christi,

thanks to Fr Mark of Silverstream Priory

Yesterday, a dear friend of mine, an Orthodox Christian -- husband, father, and physician serving in the U.S. military in the Balkans -- shared with me his powerful experience of the Rosary of the Blessed Virgin Mary during this Great Lent. (Orthodox Pascha falls on May 5th this year. Orthodox Christians are, therefore, still in the compunctionate labours of Great Lent.) Yes, some Orthodox Christians do pray a version of the Holy Rosary of the Mother of God. One form of the Holy Rosary, promoted by none other than Saint Seraphim of Sarov, incorporates fifteen mysteries; each mystery being meditated during ten Angelic Salutations.

Father Zosima, a spiritual son of Saint Seraphim, is quoted as having said:

I forgot to give you a piece of advice vital for salvation. Say the O Hail, Mother of God and Virgin 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 St. Seraphim has reminded me of this Rule. In my hands I have a hand-written book from the cell of St. 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 O Hail, Mother of God and Virgin. 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 doors of thy loving-kindness. Whomever he spoke to about this miracle-working Rule remained grateful to him.

A Healing Prayer

Make no mistake about it: the Holy Rosary is a prayer that heals the deepest wounds and traumas. In the Rosary, the Mother of God presents us to Christ, the Physician of our souls and bodies, who touches us through the grace of His mysteries. In the Rosary, Christ, the Physician of our souls and bodies presents us to the Mother of God; He entrusts us to her maternal Heart. Certain deliverances from habitual sin, and certain healings come only through the Immaculate Virgin Mary. Why? Simply because it pleases God that it should be so.

Orthodox Pascha and the Month of May

As Orthodox Christians enter into the radiant brightness of Pascha, Western Christians will be entering into Mary's month, the month of Mary. What better time to take up our beads and, with Mary, enter into the healing, illuminating, and deifying mysteries of Christ?

Some Orthodox Christians use the following form in praying the Rosary:

Opening

+ In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Our Father....

Holy God,

Holy and Mighty,

Holy Immortal One,

Have Mercy on Us. (3x)

Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit, both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages.

Meditation 1- The Birth of the Theotokos

("Let us remember the birth of the Mother of God. Let us pray for mothers, fathers, and children.")

Mother of God and Virgin, hail, Mary full of grace, the Lord is with thee. Blessed art thou amongst women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb, for thou hast given birth to the Saviour of our souls. (10x)

Our Father...