Very often people turn to God precisely in the moments of difficult life trials. Then they come to church and try to order some prayer in the hope of alleviating their position and finding peace in the soul. However, not all believers know exactly what problem it is necessary to address to one or another saint. After all, far from every icon prayer can be effective, this is often said by Orthodox clergy. Today we will tell you about the icon of the Virgin of the Three Hands. Prayer before this image can contribute to the solution of many problems, because many consider this image not only unusual, but unique.
How to pray before the images?
Before proceeding directly to the prayer to the Virgin Mary of Three Hands, it is worthwhile to find out how to properly turn to the saints for help. Often the Orthodox do this thoughtlessly, under the influence of fashion, the advice of friends or relatives, as well as in situations where going to church is considered the only straw that a person clings to. But this is fundamentally the wrong approach, because any appeal to God should not only be sincere, but first of all conscious.
If you turn to the clergyman for advice on how to pray in this or that situation, then most likely he will answer you that any appeal to the Creator is already correct. Indeed, not once in the history of mankind faith has saved people from illness, death and other misfortunes. Many Orthodox can testify of miracles that happened in their lives after sincere prayer. Moreover, in this case it does not matter to which of the saints she was addressed. Therefore, if trouble has come to your home and you ask God for help, then just do it with faith and an open heart. As the priests say, the Lord will surely hear such a prayer and extend a helping hand.
However, one should not forget that there is such a thing as “miraculous icons”. Prayers (to the Mother of God Three Hands, for example) in front of such images have a special power. Indeed, often the very appearance of these icons is associated with miracles, and then they were prayed by thousands and thousands of people. Therefore, they possess extraordinary grace and the ability to help suffering souls in the most hopeless situations.
Orthodox Christians often say prayers to the Most Holy Theotokos in front of her icon, without even knowing exactly what to ask for. In the following sections of the article, we will tell the story to which this unique image owes its origin. And also give some of the most common prayers to the Virgin Mary of Three Hands.
Image description
Today, there are several icons of the Virgin Mary of the Three Hands, however, all of them are made in accordance with the first image, which, unfortunately, is not stored in Russia. However, at one time several copies were saved from it, which have been preserved to this day.
The central place on the icon is occupied by Jesus sitting on the hands of the Mother of God. With one hand she blesses everyone who approaches the image, and the other is directed towards the Baby. By this, the Mother of God wants to show that the path to salvation is prepared for every believer, and this path is faith. It can be gained only through conversion to Jesus.
It is noteworthy that the third hand is also depicted on the icon. Sometimes it is made of gold and silver, and sometimes it is prescribed in accordance with the anatomical details. Sometimes icon painters depict her in such a way that she becomes like the third hand of the Virgin. To understand what this image means, it is necessary to study the life story of St. John of Damascus (we will give it in the next section).
The image itself is considered miraculous, and the prayer of the Blessed Virgin Mary in front of the Three-Handed icon can heal from many diseases. However, we will talk about this a little later.
John of Damascus in the fight against heresy
There were many moments in Orthodoxy when believers were persecuted. These dark periods were filled with tragic events, but often in difficult times the Lord showed miracles that helped strengthen the faith. This is how the story of John of Damascus is interpreted.
The Monk John lived in Damascus and was known as a very religious man who had condemned heresy and persecution of Christianity all his life. During this period of time, the new emperor, Leo III, entered the throne of Byzantium. The ruler decided that the veneration of icons can be equated with the worship of pagan idols and led the fight against holy images. He destroyed icons and imprisoned thousands of believers who did not obey him. This outraged John and began to write numerous letters to his friends and acquaintances in Byzantium.
His wise speeches penetrated directly into the hearts of the emperor's believers and minions. Many of them began to doubt the correctness of their actions and with each new letter such people became more and more. This led the ruler of Byzantium into a rage.
Martyrdom of John of Damascus
Leo III understood that the monk would not stop and would continue to write his letters, so he decided to destroy John. In order to get rid of the saint, the emperor wrote a fake letter. His text allegedly contained a proposal for help in the conquest of Damascus from John to the ruler of Byzantium himself. Slander reached the mouth of the caliph of Syria, as a proof he was presented with a letter. For treason, the reverend was instantly removed from his post as minister and imprisoned.
He tried to justify himself, but the caliph was furious more and more and ordered John to be cut off his right hand so that he could never write again. The sentence was carried out, and the brush was hung out on the square as a warning to the townspeople.
The monk himself suffered very much and prayed to the caliph for the return of the severed brush to him, in order to avoid shame on himself and his family. The ruler of Syria took pity on his former minister and ordered his limb to be thrown into prison.
Miraculous healing
Having regained the brush, John fell to his knees in front of the image of the Virgin and began to pray her for the increment of the hand. He read many prayers and in all warmly regretted that now he could not do anything useful for the Creator. Exhausted from pain, the monk fell asleep and in a dream the Virgin Mary appeared to him. She promised to heal John, but only if he would still be more diligent in doing his work in the name of the Lord.
The next morning the saint saw that his hand had grown, and only a barely noticeable scar remained at the wound site. This miracle struck everyone around, and John of Damascus was released from prison.
The fate of the saint
After all that happened, John of Damascus went to the monastery and took tonsure there. After some time, he made a brush from silver and attached it to the miraculous icon, near which he prayed. From that time on, they began to call it the Three-Handed. It is also believed that in honor of the Mother of God, he wrote a song of praise, which is still used in various divine services.
The icon itself was donated to the monastery, where it remained after the death of John.
The fate of the unique image of the Virgin
Until the thirteenth century, the icon did not leave its place, requests and prayers for the Virgin Mary of Three Hands were always echoed. Everyone who came to the image with misfortune found comfort and salvation here. Therefore, the fame of this amazing icon gradually grew throughout the Christian world.
Around the middle of the thirteenth century, the monastery presented it to Savva the Serbian, who gratefully took her to his country. There she was before the invasion of the Turks. Frightened that the miraculous image would be destroyed, the Orthodox placed her on a donkey and sent him away.
Surprisingly, by some miracle, the animal managed to pass the difficult path to Athos and stopped right in front of the Hilendarsky monastery. The brothers who went outside the gates of the monastery were surprised by what they saw and offered a prayer of thanks to the Lord before accepting the image of the Mother of God in the monastery.
Miracles in the Hilandar monastery
Very soon after its appearance in the monastery, the icon began to work miracles. After the death of the rector of the monastery, the monks could not decide who would take his place. Not coming to a consensus, they were amazed to see that the Mother of God icon was on the rector’s chair. The monks put her in her place, but for several days she again appeared on the armchair. This continued even when the monks at the castle closed the monastery.
One of the nights, the Virgin appeared to the monk. She said that she herself would manage the monastery and should not look for a new abbot. Since that time, in the Hilendarsky monastery there is no position of rector, only his assistant exists.
Icon in Russia
A copy of the famous image came to our country only in the second half of the seventeenth century. With great reverence, the icon was placed in the New Jerusalem Monastery. Until the mid-nineteenth century, several copies were made from it, which were sold in Russian churches.
Unfortunately, the original image brought from Athos was lost over time. Therefore, now the Orthodox can only see lists from the first copy of the image of the Three Hands.
What are the Theotokos praying for?
Prayers to the Virgin Mary Three hands, people consider the most powerful. They address her with various requests, but first of all they ask the Most Holy One about intercession from enemies. She always helps those who need it. The Orthodox believe that the Mother of God can shelter the supplicant from anger and the gaze of his enemies.
You can also pray for the Mother of God of the Three Hands to ask for support in the following situations:
- for healing;
- to wish health to loved ones;
- for the sake of welfare;
- with a serious threat to family well-being.
Especially helps the prayer to the Virgin Mary of Three Hands from hand diseases. At the same time, it is believed that in case of problems with the limbs, you should immediately turn to this icon. Hot prayer will contribute to the quick healing of the afflicted. In subsequent sections of the article, we will tell you exactly how to pray the image in different situations.
Prayer of the Three Hands to the Virgin for healing
It is impossible to imagine human life without disease. However, some of them are fatal and even modern medicine sometimes can not save the sufferer from ailments. Therefore, people see the only way out in prayer. The Virgin Mary Three-armed from diseases helps well and it is to her image that the Orthodox carry their requests for health. In this case, read the next prayer.
This text must be read before the icon itself, it is best to do this in the church. However, in cases when it is impossible to do this, get a small image of the Mother of God home and do prayer work in front of him. This prayer should be read every day in the morning. In order to enhance its effect, you can say the following text several times during the day.
Prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos of Three Hands to increase wealth
It is known that in our world it is difficult to do without money. Sometimes people remain in such need that only a miracle can help them. So they follow him to church. In this case, you should turn to Three Hands for help. But keep in mind that your request should be sincere and not carry self-interest. The Virgin Mary will not help people if they ask for prosperity, when things are going well with them. Before the icon you need to read troparia, it is best done twice a day.
Prayer for the health of loved ones
Sometimes a disease doesn’t make us sick, but our beloved people. It is very difficult to cope with such a situation, because you really want to give everything to help a close and dear person.
If you have someone sick, or you just want to ask the Virgin for the health of loved ones, then in front of the icon you can read the prayers that we have already given in the article. In addition, some Orthodox are advised to pronounce an akathist to the Most Holy Virgin. We provide his text below.
Appeal to the Virgin in case of threat to the family
The Blessed One has always patronized families and women. After all, they are the guardians of the hearth and raise children. Therefore, almost any woman feels great when disaster strikes her house and the world disappears in it. If you feel that someone wishes you evil or is jealous of your happiness, then ask for the intercession from the Most Holy. The most effective in such a situation will be the prayer of the Mother of God the Three-Handed, which we give below.
We hope that our article will help you in a difficult situation, and you can correctly turn to higher forces for help.