Often people think that miracles are something from the realm of legends and fairy tales. Or at least something very old, ancient, forgotten. But, oddly enough, real miracles are happening in our time. Parishioners of Orthodox churches and monasteries from time to time become witnesses of healing from illness through prayers before the icons of the Virgin.
Custom to pray to the Virgin
Along with the adoption of Christianity in the tenth century, the tradition of veneration of the Mother of God came to Russia. Along with temples in honor of Christ the Savior, temples appeared on our earth dedicated to His Pure Mother. The domes of such temples are customarily painted in blue, which is considered the color of the Virgin. Images of the Blessed Virgin are always present in the iconostasis of any Orthodox church.
There are many options for images of the Mother of God, which are considered miraculous. According to rough estimates, there are about six hundred of them. People often ask: "What icon needs to be prayed in each case?" Priests usually answer this question this way: you can pray for all the needs of any icon to which the soul lies. The virgin is alone. Before whatever icon we offer our prayer, it is addressed to the very Mother of God, who is always ready to put in a word for us in front of her Son.
However, there is a tradition of referring to different icons in different everyday needs. Some of the icons of the Virgin were specially "approximated" to one or another of the needs of people. For example, the “Mammal” is being sought for help from the mother of the infant. Pray for older children in front of the icons "Parenting" and "Add mind." There are other cases. Someone, turning with a prayer to the Virgin, received miraculous help from Her. A person seeks to tell others about the miracle that happened. Another person who has a similar problem, having heard about the mercy of God through the prayers of the Virgin, turns to the same icon and by his faith also receives the request. So the people are fixed tradition. In front of the Tikhvin icon they pray for children, in front of the Kazan - for healing eyes. As for the healing of tumors, according to tradition, the akathist "The Tsaritsa (Pantanassa)" is read.
Icon of the Virgin "All Tsaritsa (Pantanassa)" and Mount Athos
According to folk tradition, pray for the healing of cancer patients in front of the icon "The Tsaritsa" or, in Greek, "Pantanassa". This icon appeared and gained fame in the Vatopedi Monastery, located on Mount Athos. According to legend, the Blessed Virgin Mary, accompanied by John the Theologian, went to Cyprus in 48. However, the ship, caught in a storm, was forced to moor to Athos. Admired by the extraordinary beauty of the peninsula, Blessed Mary wished to stay here to lead the gospel sermon. It is generally believed that Jesus Christ himself, at the request of His mother, made Athos its inheritance.
Athos is still considered a special place among Christians. Since 1046, it officially acquired the name "Holy Mountain". Life here flows according to its own special laws. This is a place of special monastic prayer. On Athos today there are twenty male monasteries, and both the creation of new monasteries and the abolition of existing ones are prohibited by the Athos laws. A large number of Orthodox shrines are kept in the monasteries of Athos . Among them, about sixty revered icons of the Blessed Virgin Mary. One of these icons is Pantanassa.
The icon of the "All-Tsaritsa" is known since the seventeenth century. The story of Elder Joseph Hesychast, who had lived on Athos for many years, to his disciples has been preserved. Once (in the seventeenth century) a strange-looking young man appeared in front of the icon "The Tsaritsa". For a long time he stood before the icon of the Virgin, muttering something. Suddenly, something like lightning flashed in the face of the Virgin, and the young man was thrown to the ground by some unknown force. Recovering, the young man wished to confess and admitted to the priest that he was fond of magic and arrived at the monastery to test his magical abilities in front of holy icons. After a miracle happened to him, a man completely changed his life, left his magical pursuits and remained in the monastery. This was the first miracle descended from the "Tsaritsa".
All in the same seventeenth century, one of the Greek monks made a list with a miraculous icon. People praying in front of the icon began to notice that its effect on patients with malignant formations is especially beneficial. Over time, the icon of the Vsetsaritsa gained fame as an assistant in the healing of cancer patients.
Iconography of the All-Tsaritsa
The Blessed Virgin Mary is depicted on the icon in clothes of a crimson color. The icon painter depicted Her sitting on the royal throne. The Divine Infant holds a scroll in the Mother’s hands, blessing the worshipers in front of the image of the faithful with their right hand. The Mother of God with her right hand points to Her Son, as if to say: "Here is your Savior, who has come to deliver you from sin, disease and death." In the background of the icon there are two angels overshadowing the Blessed Virgin with their wings and holding out their hands to her. The halo above Christ contains an inscription in Greek: "The one from whom everything is around."
The entire icon is executed in bright, warm colors. Here is a scarlet robe, indicating royal dignity, and the full perfection of the Virgin, and a golden background, symbolizing eternity.
The first appearance of the icon in Russia
The first list of the Vatotsaritsa icon for the Russia was made in 1995. On August 11 this year, the icon painted with the blessing of the governor of the Vatopedi Monastery, Archimandrite Ephraim, was delivered to Moscow, to the children's oncological center on Kashirka. Employees of the center noticed: after the children adhered to it, many had noticeable improvements, which are difficult to attribute exclusively to the action of drugs.
Nunnery in honor of the icon "All the Tsaritsa" in Krasnodar
There is a monastery in Russia dedicated to the famous icon of the Virgin "All Tsaritsa". It is located in Krasnodar. The main shrine of the monastery is "The Tsaritsa" - an exact copy of the Athos icon. The list was made in 2005 by the Russian master icon painter from Pereslavl-Zalessky Valery Polyakov. On Easter, the Vatopedi archimandrite Ephraim served a special prayer service on which the newly painted icon was consecrated. After the service, the icon was applied to more than one hundred Vatopedi shrines, including the Belt of the Blessed Virgin Mary.
With great honors, the icon was delivered from Athos to Krasnodar. Since then, the services of Vetsaritsa are regularly performed in the monastery: akathist, prayers, prayers. Patients of the Krasnodar Regional Oncology Center became frequent participants in prayer service. Many of them came to the temple recently, learning about their terrible diagnosis. In the hope of a miracle, they turn with sincere prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos.
Church of All Saints in Novoalekseevsky monastery in Moscow
In this temple, one of the most famous miracles of Pantanassa happened - the image suddenly pacified. Only a few drops of the wonderful world appeared on the icon, and an unusual fragrance from it spread throughout the temple.
In the temple, the akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos "The Tsaritsa" is regularly served. Oil is consecrated at the prayer to anoint all the sick and afflicted. Not only cancer patients, but also other painful ones can anoint blessed oil.
The image of the “Tsaritsa” from this temple is often delivered to the nearest oncological clinic for prayers.
Novospassky Monastery in Moscow
This is one of the oldest Moscow monasteries, the site of the oldest burial places of royalty. There are a lot of miraculous icons and relics. Since 1997, among the shrines of the monastery there is also a list with the Vatopedi icon. Her image is revered as miraculous. Every Sunday in front of the holy image, the akathist to the Theotokos "The entire Tsaritsa" is read, blessed prayers take place. The ministers of the monastery here, as in other places, keep a special book in which they note cases of miraculous help with prayers in front of the Pantanassa icon.
Once a year, the icon from the Novospassky monastery is delivered to the Institute of Oncology. Herzen. A prayer service and an akathist "All Tsaritsa" are performed in the hospital church of the institute. After the prayer, everyone can join the miraculous image and ask for help and healing in the fight against the disease.
Can church prayer really cure cancer patients?
It can be argued that in some cases this really happens. Mother Superior of the Krasnodar Monastery Neonilla can tell about cases of amazing help from the Blessed Virgin Mary. It happens that a sick person turns to “The Tsaritsa”: an akathist reads, prays earnestly, and suddenly the tumor either disappears without a trace or stops its development, as if “freezing” at the stage at which the person began his prayer feat. The nuns diligently collect evidence of the miraculous help of the monastery shrine and post them on the monastery website.
Despite the fact that the icon is known, first of all, as a deliverer from tumor diseases, there have been recorded cases when an akathist in front of the icon "The Tsaritsa" heals other various diseases as well. There are known cases of getting rid of heavy addictions - alcoholism and drug addiction. Mindful of the first miracle of the icon, believers turn to her with prayers for practicing magic and also receive help from the "Tsaritsa".
To get help from above, it is advisable that not only the relatives of the sick read or sing the akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos "The Mother of God", but also the sufferers themselves, wishing to get rid of the disease, prayed to her.
Why is healing done?
As priests say, according to the faith of Orthodox Christians, grace from God is sent from their labors and sincere prayers. The Lord will certainly turn his gaze towards the person aspiring to him. What does it mean to strive for the Lord? First of all, it is to try to regularly participate in the sacraments established by Christ for his Church. First of all, this is the Sacrament of Confession, established for the cleansing of believers from sins, and the Holy Communion granted to us for union with our Savior Christ. The Sacrament of Unification was also established to help the sick. It is performed in all churches during Lent. Some churches also celebrate Christmas fasting. For severely ill bedridden patients, you can invite a priest to your home to perform catholicity. In this case, the sacrament is performed regardless of calendar dates. In addition to church ordinances, you can make an intensified prayer to Jesus Christ and the Virgin. One of these additions is an akathist to the icon of the Virgin "The Tsaritsa".
How to read akathist "Vsetsaritsa"
Serious prayer work is not customary to begin without blessing. Therefore, first of all, it is advisable to turn to the Orthodox priest and ask for blessings to read the akathist "The Tsaritsa". The text of an akathist can be purchased at the church shop.
Reading the akathist to the Mother of God "The Tsaritsa", it is logical to have this icon before my eyes. It does not matter whether it is an icon made on the board by a professional icon painter using special paints, or a small-sized reproduction. However, it is advisable that the acquired icon be consecrated in the temple. All icons sold in church shops are already consecrated.
In front of any icon, it is quite possible to pray in your own words - the main thing is that prayer comes from the heart. However, among the Orthodox, “book” prayers are very popular, composed in ancient times by famous or unknown saints. Reading these prayers, we kind of pray together with our fellow believers who composed the prayer text, as well as with generations of people who once read these prayers.
To perform services before this or that icon, special prayer texts were compiled - canons and akathists. An Akathist, for example, consists of twenty-five small prayers in volume, called ikos and kondaky. In any akathist, there are thirteen kondakas and twelve icos. Ikos are usually read, kondakas are chanted. However, if the worshiper is deprived of musical abilities or simply does not know how to sing an akathist, you can refuse to sing and just read the akathist "The Tsaritsa". If a person prays alone, it may be more convenient for him to read the text of an akathist to himself. This option is also possible. The Lord and Theotokos hear silent prayer. The main thing is that our heart should scream.
It is worth remembering that the word "akathist" in translation means "do not sit." Akathists are always read standing. However, many priests do not get tired of reminding that this rule applies only to healthy people. If for health reasons it is difficult or impossible for a person to stand, one can read the Mother of God akathist "The Tsaritsa" sitting, lying or reclining.
When reading the “All-Tsaritsa” akathist, canon, or any other prayer, one should definitely not expect any special feelings or strong emotions from the prayer. Such sensations are possible, but not necessary at all. Orthodox priests, following the holy fathers of antiquity, warn against specifically seeking such feelings or giving them some special significance. The Lord often quite invisibly touches the soul of a person, not accompanying what is happening with extraordinary sensations. At the same time, it is possible that a person, in pursuit of the sweetness of prayer, gradually forgets about God and, as the holy fathers say, “falls into charm”, putting his soul in serious danger.
Like any prayer, the akathist of the "Tsaritsa" requires full attention. The prayer must try to understand every word read. It is known, however, that our thoughts tend to scatter and "fly away" quite far from the content of prayer. Do not despair because of this. Simply, having noticed the “disorder”, you need to return the thought to the required course and do this every time we catch ourselves on the fact that we are distracted from prayer.
In Lent, it is not customary for akathists to read in the temple, except for the akathist "Passion of Christ." However, for home prayer, a Christian has the right to choose the rule on his own. Therefore, if a sick person reads the Akathist icon “The Tsaritsa” at home, this cannot be considered a sin or a violation of church canons.
There is a tradition to read an akathist for forty days. However, this is not a law; prayer times should be chosen according to strength. You can pray for fewer days or more if you wish.
Reading prayers, one should not "beg" for the solution that seems to us the only one we want. Expressing his ardent request to the Mother of God, one must nevertheless leave a place for the will of God, which does not always coincide with our desire, but is always aimed at the benefit of our soul. Some priests recommend that after praying for forty days, temporarily leave the intensified prayer and wait a while. If the situation has not changed and the person who has prayed hasn’t come to some important conclusions during this time, you can resume the prayer works and re-read the “Tsaritsa” akathist.