ABOUT OUR HEAVENLY PARENTS
St. John of Kronstadt Cathedral, Gai City, 03.12.2022
If people who do not attend Church become frightened or something unexpected happens to them, what will they scream? They will scream, “Mum!” (in the Russian language). A member of the Church will cry instead, “Lord” or “Mother of God,” but a non-believer will cry “mum.” This is because this word is the dearest and the warmest to any person. All hope is in this word. Friends, acquaintances and colleagues come and go, but a mother will always remain a mother. This is why a person will involuntarily scream out “mum.” While a church goer will cry “Lord,” as everything changes for a believer. The Lord is both father and mother, and everything else for him or her is Jesus the Sweetest.
Moreover, a church person may cry, “Mother of God!” Those people who have a very sincere, warm and trusting relationship with the Holy Theotokos need no explanations as to why. Sometimes people come and ask, “Whom should I pray to?” This is probably the silliest question I hear when people come to Church, “Whom should I pray to?” You should pray to God and the Holy Theotokos. I do not like when people pray to one saint who is responsible for the liver, to another one who takes care of their vision, and to one more who helps in business. All saints are in God. I can ask St. John of Kronstadt about the business, health, and wellbeing of my family. In the same way you may say, “O Most Holy Theotokos” or “Sweetest Jesus.” You haven’t finished yet and He already answers back to you, “I know this all. You may not say anything more.” You only say, “Sweetest Jesus” and He answers, “I’m doing everything for you already.” If only you had this relationship.
There are many people here now and most of us do not have our mums with us already. Sometimes we wish we could come to our mum. But she is gone. And the Holy Theotokos is always there. She is always, everywhere, and in any case “O Most Holy Theotokos!” This is so secure, warm and holy. This is so holy that I want to say this repeatedly “O Most Holy Theotokos, Most Holy Theotokos…” If someone keeps bothering and calling a person, he may become irritated and say, “Listen, enough is enough. Stop calling me every moment!” Meanwhile motherhood has everlasting patience and the motherhood of the Holy Theotokos and the fatherhood of the Sweetest Jesus possesses this eternal patience. There are billions of people who live on earth and who say and cry “Lord” every minute and every second but this does not irritate Him. Every moment He answers back, “I am hearing you. I am already taking care of this. I am here with you.” Every moment, 24 hours, “Lord, Lord, Lord.” From every corner of earth and every point of the universe, “Lord, Lord, Lord.” In different languages, people of different creeds and cultures. How many people on earth say “O Most Holy Theotokos!” at the same time? She does not become tired, nor does She become irritated. She answers at once, “I hear you.” O Most Holy Theotokos, save us!
We should only make our Heavenly Parents happy. Our Heavenly Parents work and work hard and we should make Them happy. We should come up to Them and say, “Lord, I have received a good mark today. I overcame myself and read the prayer rule, regardless of being tired and lazy.” “O Most Holy Theotokos, I know how You love me and You also love my enemy the same way. For Your sake, I came to him today and we made peace. This is my small present to You as a present to My Mother.” She is a Mother who is worried about the quarrel between Her children. There is no mother who does not worry when her children are quarreling. Surely, She becomes sad and feels sick at heart. Every day we should be grateful and simply say, “Thank You for having heard my request.” We should answer Them with something, we should bring Them our gratitude. Lord Jesus Christ we thank thee!
It is a pity not all the inhabitants of Gai are here. The Holy Theotokos has come to your place. Such a wonderful icon! All this case is soaked with myrrh because it streamed from the icon. It did not just appear drop by drop, but it streamed. For fifteen years, this Iveron Montreal Icon traveled in this case all around the world, giving strength to people in all countries. In the end, the keeper of this icon, José Muñoz, an Orthodox Spaniard who lived in America, was ritually killed by satanists on the day of the horrible feast of Halloween. This day is celebrated in the West and even here, in the Holy Rus, they began to celebrate this disgusting feast and this is frightening. On that very day, 25 years ago, José Muñoz was murdered in his room at a hotel in Athens and the icon disappeared without a trace. The icon is gone and the keeper was cruelly murdered. Glory to the Providence of God, he left the case before going to Athens. Perhaps, he did not realize why he left it and the people to whom he entrusted the case did not see the whole picture. After his death, the friends of José Muñoz, who were now the keepers of the case soaked with myrrh, went to Holy Mount Athos, to the same hermitage where the missing icon was painted and found its twin sister there. The Elder painted two icons. The Greek monks gave that icon to José’s friends. The icon was put into that very case instead of the stolen one and now it began to travel giving us joy and strength. And when we see it we say at once, “O Most Holy Theotokos, save us!”