MOTHER OF GOD OF THE PASSION
April 30 / August 13 / 6th Sunday after Easter
The Theotokos of the Passion is one of the most recognized icons of the Mother of God. Traditionally, it is said to be one of the icons painted by St. Luke the Evangelist, and it is known in the Western Churches - primarily the Roman Catholic Church - as Our Lady of Perpetual Help. (1) The icon received its name because on either side of the Mother of God are two angels with the implements of the Lord's suffering: the Cross, the lance, and the sponge. There was a certain pious woman, Katherine, who began to suffer seizures and madness after her marriage. She ran off into the forest and attempted suicide more than once. In a moment of clarity she prayed to the Mother of God and vowed that if she were healed, she would enter a monastery. After recovering her health, she only remembered her vow after a long time. Afraid and mentally afflicted, she took to her bed. Three times the Most Holy Theotokos appeared to her, commanding the sick woman to go to Nizhni-Novgorod and to buy Her icon from the iconographer Gregory. After she had done this, Katherine received healing. From that time on, miracles have occurred from this icon. The Feast day of this icon is on August 13, commemorating its transfer from the village of Palitsa to Moscow in 1641. A church was built at the place where it was met at the Tver gates, and in 1654, the Strastna monastery was built. The icon is also commemorated on April 30, and on the sixth Sunday after Pascha (the Sunday of the Blind Man) in memory of the miracles which occurred on this day. Other "Passion" icons of the Mother of God have been glorified in the Moscow church of the Conception of St Anna, and also in the village of Enkaeva in Tambov diocese. (2) Source : (1) Theotokos of the Passion : Orthodox Wiki : (2) Icon of the Mother of God of the Passion : Orthodox Church in America |
