Almost everyone has situations when all that remains is to trust only in the Lord, nothing depends on the person, but you need to get support or advice from somewhere. In such situations, Orthodox Christians turn to various images in prayer, and the icon of the “Desperate One Hope” is one of such images. The miraculous effect has been recorded by believers many times, so it is quite important to consider further how one should pray in front of this icon and what the meaning of the image is.
What does an icon help with?
When Orthodox Christians talk about how the Icon of the Desperate One Hope helps, they most often note help in situations where there is nowhere else to turn.
We can talk not only about some kind of everyday problem, but also about spiritual torment.
After all, often a modern person simply has nowhere to turn. Nowadays, not many people can boast of having sincere communication; confession is often also something not quite familiar and does not bring significant joy, and going to a psychologist is a completely different choice. It is then that you should pray in front of the icon.
What's wrong with the image
On many icons “Desperados have the same hope” around the heads of St. Mary and the Child lack the traditional halos and necessary inscriptions for Orthodox icon painting. Many are also confused by the clothing of the Mother of God. The cape is blue, the tunic is red. Usually depicted the other way around.
On the head is a simple scarf, when usually outerwear covers both the head and hair, also almost completely hiding the figure and hands. Here the cape is open. On the icon of the Mother of God “Desperate One Hope,” Mary’s hair is visible, it comes out from under the scarf. The crown, which is present on a number of options, does not fit into the overall meaning of the composition at all. It is small, decorated with a cross (not always) and pearls.
Crowns are not present on all icons of the Virgin Mary; usually this is an attribute of Jesus, as the king of heaven and earth. The icon of the Mother of God “Desperate One Hope” depicts Christ Himself as an unreasonable child, which runs counter to Orthodox theology. The image is not officially recognized by the Russian Orthodox Church, so it cannot be found in any church in Russia.
However, there is an akathist on the Internet, under which there is a blessing from Metropolitan John of Kherskon and Tauride. You can read it at home, in front of the “Desperate One Hope” icon. Still, you can find versions of this face in which all the shortcomings are smoothed out, the image is as close as possible to the Byzantine style of icon painting.
Features of the icon
As Orthodox sources testify, it is not known for certain how the Eternal Hope icon was found and where it came from. Some talk about the territory of present-day Ukraine, but without any special details. In some ways, the image is a little similar to the Catholic one, since the face of the Blessed Virgin is written more expressively and there are some artistic elements.
In general, there is still some disagreement about whether the icon of the Mother of God of Desperate United Hope is canonical. Nevertheless, the image is still highly revered along with miraculous icons, and in this context it is important to touch upon the topic of symbolism and the meaning of the icon.
Feast of the Virgin Mary
You can see the face of the Mother of God, including on this icon, in various countries throughout the country and the world. In Russia, in almost every Orthodox church there is at least one icon dedicated to the mother of Christ.
There is even a special day set for the Mother of God. It's November 18th. Every year on this day, Orthodox believers come to the temple to turn to the Mother of Christ with their most cherished requests, to share their deepest desires. After all, they understand who, like a mother, can feel the most severe pain and suffering.
The meaning of the icon of the Mother of God “Desperate One Hope”
The meaning is determined by the special type of composition in which the Virgin Mary holds the baby more tightly. The result is something between the canonical images of Hodegetria and Eleusa.
As we see, the icon of the Mother of God of Desperate United Hope offers an image in which the infant Christ is tenderly squeezed in his arms and He himself also clings to the Mother of God. It would seem that such a simple and banal image, in fact an everyday scene, of which there are a huge number in the world, but we should remember that these are not ordinary people. Therefore, the meaning of the icon of the Desperados of “One Hope” is not entirely simple.
On a superficial level, we really have before us simply the relationship of a mother with a small child, but we also have before us the personification of man’s eternal desire for the Lord and also the eternal mercy of the Almighty towards man. They clung to each other, and this position on the icon of the Mother of God Eternal Hope symbolizes this inextricable connection, which is timeless.
After all, on the one hand, the Mother of God was able to embody the Savior in created form, and He appeared in a body, although divine in essence. On the other hand, the Lord condescended to people and they showed their own mercy. The result of this act was the hope of salvation in the Kingdom of Heaven, the possibility of a happy repose of the soul.
That is why many often pray for peace of mind in front of the icon of the Eternal Hope of the Most Holy Theotokos. When you are tormented by any doubts and even turning to a priest does not seem relevant, you should pray in front of this image. Often (after sincere prayer) the answer appears by itself and allows you to get rid of mental torment and choose the right path.
Also, the icon of the Most Holy Theotokos of Desperate helps in strengthening faith (especially for those of little faith) and overcoming various sinful inclinations. When it is difficult to instruct yourself in the right way, when you want to believe more and have good intentions, but it doesn’t always work out, you should appeal to this image.
In an amazing way, this icon allows people to see their own sins or sinful inclinations, that is, it contributes to the opportunity to repent and become a more righteous person.
Canonicity is a big question
Having been in disgrace for a long time, Orthodoxy in Russia only began to come to its senses in the early 90s. After a fairly long break, we have to revive traditions among people who never had them because they grew up in atheistic families. It's quite difficult. Therefore, there are still disagreements on issues such as the canonicity of icons. We can definitely say that any icon of the Mother of God:
- is a shrine;
- it is also a subject of church use;
- piece of art.
How does this apply to the image of Desperados One Hope? Obviously, it gained recognition among the population quite quickly; the degree of canonicity will be determined over time. Many modern masters do not want to study for a long time, arguing that ancient models are “outdated.” The images created in modern times have, in the opinion of the clergy, a number of significant shortcomings.
- Luxuries in the depiction of the environment.
- Excessive decoration, excessive use of gilding.
- Glamor and kitsch style.
- Lack of expressiveness of faces.
Concentrating to pray in front of such a “shrine” will indeed be quite difficult. Some editions of the icon of the Mother of God “Desperate One Hope” also have a number of these shortcomings. The baby, for example, is depicted very similar to the angel from a popular print postcard. A half-naked plump body and at the same time a completely thoughtless look. This actually happens in babies. But could it be like that of Christ, the Savior of the world?
Short description
The mother named her daughters after three Christian virtues. This image is recognizable at first sight: in the foreground there are three girls: to the left of the person looking at the icon is 12-year-old Vera, to the right is 10-year-old Nadezhda, and in the center - in front of Sofia hugging her daughters by the shoulders - is the youngest, 9-year-old Lyubov . In various variations of the iconographic image, the sisters may have crosses in their hands - as a symbol of martyrdom. Sometimes Vera holds a volume of Holy Scripture, which can be considered a symbol of the spirit of the council.
Another image represents Love holding an unrolled scroll with the inscription from the Epistle of the Apostle Paul to the Romans: “Neither height, nor depth, nor any other creature can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”
PRAYER TO THE VIRGIN - APPEAL TO THE QUEEN AND PROTECESS ABOUT ALL NEEDS
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The Most Holy Theotokos, having conceived the Son of God from the Holy Spirit without male seed, remained a Virgin. Having given birth to the God-man Jesus Christ, She walked next to Him on His earthly path, had compassion for Him at the Crucifixion, and adopted the entire human race in the person of the Apostle John the Theologian. Hanging on the Cross, Christ said to His Mother: “Behold Your son,” pointing to His beloved disciple John the Theologian. From then on, She accepted him as a son, and she accepted all the apostles and all the disciples of Christ as Her children. Now, from Heaven, She looks at us as a kind, fair and merciful Mother.
The Mother of God was not only purer than all people in her earthly life, according to the testimony of the apostles, but she also did many works of mercy, not shutting herself up in a seclusion like a hermit, but helping people.
The story of the martyrs Vera, Nadezhda, Lyubov and Sophia
The holy righteous women are revered throughout the Orthodox world as the personification of holiness and purity, devotion to the Lord and courage in serving Him.
In the 2nd century, during the reign of Emperor Hadrian (117–138), the pious widow Sophia lived in Rome (the name Sophia means “wisdom”). She had three daughters who bore the names of the main Christian virtues: Faith, Hope and Love. Being a deeply religious Christian, Sophia raised her daughters in the love of God, teaching them not to become attached to earthly goods. The rumor that this family belonged to Christianity reached the emperor, and he wished to personally see the three sisters and the mother who raised them.
All four appeared before the emperor and fearlessly confessed their faith in Christ, risen from the dead and giving eternal life to all who believe in Him. Surprised by the courage of the young Christian women, the emperor sent them to a pagan woman, whom he ordered to convince them to renounce their faith. However, all the arguments and eloquence of the pagan mentor were in vain, and the Christian sisters, ardent with faith, did not change their convictions. Then they were again brought to Emperor Hadrian, and he began to insistently demand that they make a sacrifice to the pagan gods. But the girls indignantly rejected his order.
“We have a Heavenly God,” they answered, “we want to remain his children, but we spit on your gods and are not afraid of your threats. We are ready to suffer and even die for the sake of our dear Lord Jesus Christ.”
Then the angry Adrian ordered the children to be subjected to various tortures. The executioners started with Vera. In front of her mother and sisters, they began to beat her mercilessly and tear off parts of her body, placing her on a hot iron grate. By the power of God, the fire did not cause any harm to the body of the holy martyr. Maddened by cruelty, Adrian did not understand the miracle of God and ordered the girl to be thrown into a cauldron of boiling tar. But by the will of the Lord, the cauldron cooled down and did not cause any harm to the confessor. Then she was sentenced to beheading with a sword. “I will gladly go to my beloved Lord the Savior,” said Saint Vera. She courageously bowed her head under the sword and thus surrendered her spirit to God.
The younger sisters Nadezhda and Lyubov, inspired by the courage of their older sister, endured similar torments. The fire did not harm them, then their heads were cut off with a sword. Saint Sophia was not subjected to physical torture, but she was doomed to even more severe mental torment from separation from the tortured children. The sufferer buried the honest remains of her daughters and did not leave their grave for two days. On the third day, the Lord sent her a quiet death and accepted her long-suffering soul into the heavenly abodes.
Saint Sophia, having endured great mental anguish for Christ, together with her daughters was canonized by the Church. They suffered in 137. The eldest, Vera, was then 12 years old, Nadezhda - 10, and the youngest Lyubov - only 9 years old. Thus, three girls and their mother showed that for people strengthened by the grace of the Holy Spirit, lack of bodily strength does not in the least serve as an obstacle to the manifestation of spiritual strength and courage. With their holy prayers, may the Lord strengthen us in the Christian faith and in a virtuous life.
The icon of Faith, Hope, Love and their mother Sophia appeared in Kievan Rus shortly after her baptism. For many centuries, the names of saints were considered common symbols of the main virtues of Christians, so it was not customary to give them to newborn girls. Later, these names began to gradually come into use. Therefore, the family icon, which depicted the martyrs Sophia, Vera, Nadezhda, and Love, became widely known. A holiday was proclaimed in honor of the saints, which falls on September 30.
Holy Martyr Sophia of Rome
- Article: 44389
- Material: Gold 585 "green"
- Height: 23 mm.
- Width: 12 mm.
A fine miniature of jewelry plasticity is reflected in this body icon, depicting a Guardian Angel with open wings. In the hands of the Angel is an eight-pointed Orthodox cross and a round medallion with the image of the holy martyr Sophia. The holy righteous woman was a Christian and raised three daughters in labor, fasting and prayer, named after Christian virtues: Faith, Hope, Love. On the reverse side of the icon, among the openwork ornament, are the words of the prayer of St. Sophia.
$430
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Prayer text
Oh, most pure Lady Theotokos!
To you, exhausted from despondency and relaxation, and convicted by our conscience, we fall with a contrite heart and cry out to You with tenderness:
do not depart from us, many sinners, in sight of our countless sins, in the image of the most bitter Trinitarian God and to you, the Queen of Heaven.
Deliver us, O our Intercessor, from sinful habits and captivity of passions, in which the enemies have captivated our will, tied us with strong bonds, forcing us to work in sin.
By our desire we have transgressed in great numbers the commandments of our Creator, and for our sins we have also lost the grace of Your Son, with which God protects those who love Him from the snares of the evil one.
The imams, O Lady, do not have the strength to free ourselves from this demonic rope, for our will is exhausted without the grace of Your Son and we know that we do not want, and like the enemy forces us to work for him, like his servants.
Do not leave us, O All-Merciful One, without Your help, for the Imams have no other hope except You, Most Immaculate.
If you do not implore Your Son to have mercy on us, we will all perish in our sins.
Deliver us from this sinful slavery, be the Liberator for us and the Decisiver of demonic bonds, enlighten our minds and the memory of the Imams,
just as everything on earth is dust and ashes, especially our mortal flesh, which the enemy forces us to serve like an idol.
We advise you to study the Icon of Roman the Sweet Singer
Awaken, O Lady, our sleeping conscience to repentance, fallen with the fear of the present Terrible Judgment Seat of God, where the imams will give an answer about all our deeds and words and thoughts.
Kindle our souls with the fire of zeal for God, which God kindled in us in the beginning.
We did not observe this gift and destroyed it through negligence;
Now, like five foolish virgins, we sit in darkness, not having anything to burn at the meeting of the Bridegroom Christ.
Oh, Mother of Light, Queen of Heaven, For the hope of those who are desperate and burdened with many sins, send us help from Your Son and our God, pray to the Sweetest Lord Jesus Christ, that he may not be very angry with us,
but He will lead us from the slavery of sin, and strengthen our will with His grace, as if, having been delivered through Your intercession from the network of the enemy, we will glorify God in the Trinity, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever.
Amen.
