15 prayerful steps to the Most Holy Theotokos
Jacopo Tintoretto. A fresco of the Church of Santa Maria del Orto. 1555. Venice. Photo: gloria.tv
The God-chosen Maiden, the Virgin Mary, ascended the fifteen high steps to the Jerusalem Temple. The number of steps was equal to the number of the Psalms of Degrees, which the priests and Levites sang as they ascended the steps.
On the eve of this bright feast, let us also ascend these prayerful steps to the Mother of God, asking for Her protection and defence.
Step one
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Teach us, O Mother of God, to understand from experience that to struggle with people and display anger in defending oneself is a spiritual defeat, while to accept sorrow without complaint, relying entirely on the Lord, is a spiritual victory. Reveal to us that what happens around us is not as important as what is happening within us, and strengthen us in the courage to fight our own sins.
Step two
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Give us, Queen of Heaven, faith and understanding that without the will of God, no matter how hard we try, we can do nothing by our own efforts. Yet even what is according to God's will, we cannot avoid, no matter how hard we try.
Grant us to understand that the world is a willful thing that destroys its followers, while humility and entrusting ourselves to God's will is true freedom.
Step three
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Teach us, O Mother of God, to love God in such a way that, forgetting ourselves, we may understand who we truly are. Help us to reach spiritual maturity, where every obstacle becomes a source of grace for us, every sorrow a reason to thank God, and every reproach is transformed into an abundance of the Holy Spirit.
Step four
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Holy Virgin, do not let the devil deceive us. For people seek happiness in the world, which does not exist, instead of seeking God, who does. Becoming attached to the world, we find not joy but bitterness of sorrows, and then the burning from its "pleasures".
Sweetness exists only in the Holy Spirit, and everything that lacks holiness is also without sweetness. Only God is our true eternal happiness. Enlighten us, Queen of Heaven, to ask nothing from the Lord but to love Him with selfless and pure love, as our Heavenly Father.
Step five
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Keep us, Mother of Light, on the narrow path of salvation, and do not let us step onto the path of the proud, who push others aside and exalt themselves above one another. Help us walk the way of the humble, who give way to one another and, in the end, even renounce themselves.
Grant us to understand that the invincibility of a Christian lies not in the fact that he may fall, but in his ability to rise and continue moving forward, no matter what.
Here is the translation into British English:
Step six
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Help us, Pure Virgin, to labour not in acquiring the fleeting wealth of this temporary world, but in purifying our own hearts so that, finding goodness and mercy, it may acquire love for people and trust through this. For when the heart is pure, it is full of grace; when the heart is at peace, it is calm, deified, and finds the knowledge of God.
Step seven
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Looking at the world, we see only crooked mirrors that show everything in a distorted way. Until grace settles in the heart, it is limited by false understanding of both ourselves and others. But, looking within ourselves, we understand that somewhere deep within us, Christ Himself dwells. Queen of Heaven, lead us to Your Son through constant prayer and the purification of our hearts!
Step eight
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Lust and gluttony are evil friends that destroy us. Let our friends be chastity and self-restraint instead. Help us in this, O Mother of God! Let us be meek and humble, like precious fish living unnoticed in the depths of waters, rather than petty and vain, like loudly croaking frogs that love to live on the surface of the swamp.
Step nine
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Teach us, O Mother of God, to be good tradesmen, so that we may exchange the rusty coins of unfavourable circumstances for the golden coins of Divine grace in the bank of patience, humility, and perseverance. Grant us zeal, which will teach us to remain in prayer, to reject all worldly things from our hearts, to strive only for the spiritual, and to remember that our life is but a moment, through which Love and Humility, if we manage to acquire them, become for us Eternity and Salvation.
Step ten
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
On the Heavenly ladder, after each step, there is the next step. Lead us on it, O Mother of God, support us, and do not allow us to stumble and fall into the abyss of sin. The world, like a magnet, draws us to itself. But friendship with the world is enmity with God. It gives birth to self-love and extreme selfishness. Deliver us, O Mother of God, from this voluntary madness and help us in our spiritual ascent.
Step eleven
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
If we see sins in ourselves and in others, then this is hell. When we do not see our own sins but see them in others, this is self-deception. When we see our own sins but not those of others, this is holiness. O Mother of God, lead our souls to holiness, teach us humility above all, and everything else will be added to it.
Here is the translation into British English:
Step twelve
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
By distancing ourselves from God, we cling to the earth and become dust. By uniting with the Lord, we become gods by grace. When this world collapses, its ruins bury all who clung to it, but not those who found their support in God.
Help us, O Pure Virgin, to always remember our mortality and never take our mind off the Beloved Christ, for life has not been given to us to fight for itself, but to fight for our salvation.
Step thirteen
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Few people possess spiritual discernment, while most have worldly wisdom – the empty experience of this world. Queen of Heaven, lift our minds from the earth to Heavenly wisdom, let the grace of the Holy Spirit, which does not impose itself on anyone, does not contradict, does not seek its own, loves all, believes all, and is called Love, fill our hearts and make us new people – heirs of eternal life.
Step fourteen
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
The name of Jesus is the only refuge from sorrow for the heart and soul. If we continually carry it in our hearts, we are freed from the pressure of intrusive thoughts and desires until they completely disappear. Then the Kingdom of Heaven, which has no end, is revealed to man.
Help us, O Mother of God, to pronounce the holy Name of Your Son with love and repentance. May unceasing prayer become our breath, the breath of hidden, gracious Life.
Step fifteen
Most Holy Theotokos, save us.
Faith, like an unshakable spiritual stronghold, resists all passions and saves from the deceit of evil spirits. Perseverance in faith is an indomitable strength acquired through years of prayer and persistence. Strengthen us in all that is good, O Queen of Heaven, and guide us, like a loving Mother of Her children, to Salvation.
Most Holy Theotokos, save us!
Most Holy Theotokos, save us!
Most Holy Theotokos, save us!
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