Among the many icons of the Mother of God there are two, in the plot of which symbolic signs are laid the prophecy of St. Simeon the God-Receiver about heavy torments, which, like weapons, pierce the soul of the Blessed Virgin Mary, and about the grace of God that will be revealed to people. They are called “Seven-shot” and “Softening of evil hearts,” the latter giving the name to a special prayer that has become widespread in the Orthodox world. About her and about the icons, before which it is customary to exalt, will be discussed in this article.
Prophecy of the Righteous Elder
When reading the Mother of God’s prayer, “Softening Evil Hearts,” it’s useful to know not only its text, but the gospel story, which formed the basis of the writing. It is detailed in chapter 2 of the Gospel of Luke, which tells how on the fortieth day after the birth of the Eternal Infant, the Blessed Virgin Mary and Her betrothed, St. Joseph, brought Him to the Temple of Jerusalem, as required by Jewish tradition. There, the Holy Family was met by the righteous old man Simeon, who once received a prediction that he would not taste death until he saw the Mission.
Realizing from a hunch from above that this hour had come, he received the Infant Christ in his arms (why he became known as the God-Receiver) and uttered the very prophecy mentioned above. The righteous old man said that upon seeing the crucified Her Son, the Mother of God would be filled with suffering and sorrow that would cause Her unbearable torment, but they would further soften and open the hearts of people who accepted Christian teaching for God's truth. That is why the prayer of the Theotokos "Softening of Evil Hearts" is filled with extraordinary gracious power, and uttered with sincere faith, is always heard.
Seven swords piercing the chest of the Blessed Virgin
As scientists suggest, the pictorial image of the prayer of the same name, the plot of which is associated with the gospel story described above, first appeared in the South-West of Russia, but there is no reliable information confirming this hypothesis. Moreover, it is not even known when this happened.
As for his composition of the icon, it traditionally includes an image of the Blessed Virgin with seven swords embedded in Her heart, symbolizing the transferred mental torment. At the same time, three of them are placed on the left side, three on the right, and one on the bottom. The celebration of the icon takes place on February 2, as well as on the first Sunday after Pentecost.
Magic number
The number "seven", which is given the meaning of the completeness and excess of something in the Holy Scriptures, in this case reflects the infinity of grief that filled the heart of the Virgin at the foot of the Cross, on which Her Eternal Son was crucified. We note in passing that the figure of the Infant Christ sitting on the lap of His Mother is also included in the composition of some icons.
Another version of the same image
An icon called “Seven-shooter” (celebration of August 13), which is almost a complete analogue of “Softening Evil Hearts,” is also widespread. In both cases, the prayer of the Most Holy Theotokos is the same, the difference is only in minor compositional differences. Unlike the first icon, the swords on it depict three on the right side of the Virgin’s chest and four on the left.
The origin of this iconographic type is also not entirely clear, but in this case the lack of scientific data is compensated by Holy Tradition, which tells about its miraculous attainment and strengthens the faith of those who pray before him to soften evil hearts.
Finding a miraculous icon
As the ancient books narrate, a peasant once lived on Vologda land, suffering from limp, but who did not lose hope of receiving healing. He offered many prayers before the holy images, but relief did not come. And then one day, in a subtle dream, a mysterious voice ordered him to go to the nearby Theological Church and, after finding on the bell tower among the old icons stored there, the image of the Most Holy Mother of God with swords pierced in Her, pray earnestly before him.
Early in the morning he appeared at the indicated place, but received a categorical refusal of the church watchman to let him go to the bell tower. The peasants present, in general, raised the peasant to laugh. It is not known what prayer for softening the evil hearts of these people he made in his soul, but they finally fell silent, and the rector appeared and listened to him and held where he indicated.
What was the general amazement when, under a layer of dust and various rubbish, the ancient image of the Virgin was discovered, which, by mistake, was used as a stair step, and for a long time the ringleaders walked along it, like on a regular board. Having repented of involuntary blasphemy, the church attendants, and with them all who attended, performed a prayer service before the newfound icon, after which the peasant was completely healed of limp.
Icon that saved the city from cholera
Subsequently, this image, placed in Vologda in the church of Dmitry Prilutsky, on Navoloka, became famous for the fact that during the cholera epidemic that swept the city in 1830, it saved the lives of many of its inhabitants. The illness that caused the death of several hundred citizens, suddenly receded after he was carried by a procession on the main street.
It is generally believed that it was then that the prayer “Softening of Evil Hearts” was first sounded before the icon of the “Seven-shot”. Her full text is given in the article, and it can be seen from it that the Most Holy Mother of God is prayed for the intercession of Heavenly Son and the preservation of all those who seek salvation under the shelter of Her mercy. That was exactly what the inhabitants of the city covered by the epidemic were expecting from Her then.
Today this miraculous image is in Vologda in the church of the Holy Righteous Lazarus. It was moved there after the old village church, which became the place of its acquisition, was dismantled due to extreme decay. In the place where it was once located, a worship cross is established, to which numerous pilgrimages are made.
Russian icon on Italian soil
More than once the icon "Softening of Evil Hearts" was glorified by miracles. The prayer of God's Matter, offered before her with faith in the omnipotence of God, is also heard and fulfilled in most cases. This image is acquired relatively recently. During the Great Patriotic War in Belogorye - a vast area in the south of the Voronezh region, the Italian infantry unit was stationed, who fought on the side of the Germans. And then one day her officer, Lieutenant Giuseppe Perego, discovered in one of the caves on the banks of the Don an old image of the Virgin, which he carried to the chaplain, a military priest. His find turned out to be an ancient icon “Softening Evil Hearts”, which belonged to the Belogorsky cave monastery, evacuated in the early days of the war.
At the end of hostilities, the Italian chaplain returned to his homeland and took with him a found icon, which he called the “Don Madonna”. Since then, it has been stored in Venice, where a chapel was specially built for it, and is an object of pilgrimage for the relatives of Italian soldiers who died once in Russia. Our compatriots also come there to offer a prayer before the shrine to soften evil hearts and through it to solicit the intercession of the Queen of Heaven.
Torment of the Blessed Virgin
Often both icons - “Seven-shot” and “Softening of evil hearts”, prayers before which are equally gracious, are referred to under the general name “Simeon's prophecy”. This is due to their deep theological meaning. It is generally accepted that standing at the foot of the Cross, the Blessed Virgin became the Mother of all people born of earthly women, and despite the fact that the crucifixes of Her Eternal Son have long passed, continues to suffer.
The torment of the Virgin Mary is caused by her innumerable children on earth, who have corrected the commandments of Christ and do not cease to kill each other, deceive, create enmity and lawlessness. Each of their unrighteous acts and even sinful thoughts pierces with the sharp sword in the heart of the Virgin and inflicts unbearable torment on Her.
This is the whole essence of the prophecy of the righteous old man Simeon, who announced that when the thoughts of people are revealed, by Her "weapon will pass the soul." It is not surprising, therefore, that for the visual expression of such a deep idea, icon painters used an image in which the human soul, even the most hardened from sins, must flinch and turn to God. In this case, a form of lively communication with Jesus Christ can be a prayer for the softening of evil hearts, in which the petition of the Blessed Virgin before her Son is requested.
Earthly woman who contains God
In this regard, the question may arise: why is it customary to offer prayers to the Mother of God in those cases when, without the intervention and help of the Heavenly Forces, it is impossible to cope with the troubles that have encircled or destroy the intrigues that are repaired by the enemy of the human race? The answer in this case is quite obvious: being the native woman of the earth, the Blessed Virgin Mary, by the will of the Creator, has enclosed the infinite God in herself. Thus, she went beyond the framework of human nature and became a kind of higher being, superior in its holiness to angels, archangels and all other representatives of the Heavenly Forces.
In theology, there is a long tradition of associating the Blessed Virgin Mary with the Church founded by Her Son. This should be understood as follows: as through the feminine nature of the Virgin Mary Jesus Christ was embodied in His earthly guise, so through the body of the Church He continues to invisibly remain among us. At the same time, the sin that once invaded the world through the first woman, the foremother Eve, was completely redeemed by the Savior, embodied through His Most Holy Mother. That is why before the icons “Seven-shot” and “Softening of evil hearts” the prayer of the Mother of God is especially beneficial.
Afterword
At the end of the article, we remind you that before you turn to God, the Most Holy Virgin Mary or any of the saints in your prayers, you should always first come to terms with your neighbors and, if possible, do some good deeds, because without them faith is dead . Church fathers teach that it is better to pray less, but do good, than by demonstrating faith in words, neglecting God's commandments.