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| Our Lady of Perpetual Help. File by Pablete [Public domain] |
Totus tuus ego sum et omnia mea tua sunt.
Tecum tutus semper sum.
Ad Jesum per Mariam
[ ] References in the text to numbered footnotes are not hyperlinked but may be found at the end of the relevant text.
Where is this icon today?
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| Sant' Alfonso Liguori, Rome.The nave. [2015] |
The church belongs to the Congregation of the Most Holy Redeemer, whose members are known as the Redemptorists and who operate throughout the world.
The motto of the Redemptorists is ‘Copiosa apud Eum Redemptio’ The phrase is taken from Psalm 129 (130)[1] and may be translated as ‘With Him is plentiful Redemption’.
Livioandronico2013 [CC BY-SA 4.0]
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| Closer view of the icon. Fczarnowski 2017 [CC BY-SA 4.0] |
The church was designed in 1855–1858 by George Wigley, famous for his involvement in the foundation of the Society of St Vincent de Paul.The scheme was paid for by Fr Edward Douglas (1819-98), who used his personal fortune to finance the project, and served as the superior of the order subsequently.
This was the last new church built within the walls of Rome before the suppression of the Papal government by Italy in 1870.
St Alphonsus (1696-1787) was the original founder of the Redemptorist order. We followed the Lenten meditations of Alphonsus earlier this year: see here. Originally the church was dedicated to Christ the Redeemer, but this was changed to honour St Alphonsus after a major restoration was completed in 1900. There was another restoration in 1932, when the entrance staircase was provided; and a further restoration for the centenary of the enthronement of the icon of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour in 1958. The last restoration was in 1964.
Notes
[1] De profundis. Ps 129. A prayer of a sinner, trusting in the mercies of God. The sixth penitential psalm.
[1] Out of the depths I have cried to thee, O Lord:
Canticum graduum. De profundis clamavi ad te, Domine;
[2] Lord, hear my voice. Let thy ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication.
Domine, exaudi vocem meam. Fiant aures tuae intendentes in vocem deprecationis meae.
[3] If thou, O Lord, wilt mark iniquities: Lord, who shall stand it.
Si iniquitates observaveris, Domine, Domine, quis sustinebit?
[4] For with thee there is merciful forgiveness: and by reason of thy law, I have waited for thee, O Lord. My soul hath relied on his word:
Quia apud te propitiatio est; et propter legem tuam sustinui te, Domine. Sustinuit anima mea in verbo ejus;
[5] My soul hath hoped in the Lord.
speravit anima mea in Domino.
[6] From the morning watch even until night, let Israel hope in the Lord.
A custodia matutina usque ad noctem, speret Israel in Domino;
[7] Because with the Lord there is mercy: and with him plentiful redemption.
quia apud Dominum misericordia, et copiosa apud eum redemptio.
[8] And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
Et ipse redimet Israel ex omnibus iniquitatibus ejus.
What is the history of this icon?
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| Site of Mary's house, Ephesus. |
Photo 2005. Dennis Jarvis from Halifax, Canada [CC BY-SA 2.0]
960: possible date of creation (see the website: Sant' Alfonso)
1495: The image was by this date located in a church on the island of Crete. When the island was threatened by the Muslim Turks, the icon was carried off by a merchant who took it with him to Rome. Shortly after his arrival, the man fell seriously ill. He instructed a friend to take the icon to one of the churches in Rome so that it might be venerated publicly by the faithful.The friend's wife, however, persuaded her husband to keep the icon in their home. It required a miraculous intervention by the Blessed Virgin Mary herself to command the woman to place the icon in a certain church 'between St. Mary Major’s and St. John Lateran’s'.
1499: The icon was taken in solemn procession to the said church, which was dedicated to St. Matthew the Apostle. For the next three hundred years, this tiny church was one of the most popular pilgrimage places in Rome and many miracles, including cures, were reported by pilgrims.
1798: The Church of St. Matthew was destroyed by Napoleon’s invading forces. The icon was rescued and preserved but it was lost to the rest of the world
1850-51: A student monk, who had seen the icon as an altar boy in 1840, recognized it in the monastery of Santa Maria in Posterula. [2]
1855: the Redemptorists acquired the Villa Caserta in Rome along the Via Merulana and converted it into their headquarters. This was the site of the church and monastery of Saint Matthew.
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| Sant Alfonso Church. Justin Ennis. CC BY 2.0 |
1863: Fr. Francis Blosi gave a sermon about famous pictures enshrined in the churches of Rome. He described the miraculous painting of Our Lady of Perpetual Help that was once enshrined in the old Church of St. Matthew.
He appealed for information on its whereabouts and reminded everyone that the Blessed Virgin had commanded that it be placed in a cerain church 'between St. Mary Major’s and St. John Lateran’s'. (see 1495: above).
COPIOSA APVD EVM REDEMPTIO: These words in the arch, over the rose window, are the motto of the Redemptorists. 'with Him plentiful redemption'. [3]
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| Image over doorway. Livioandronico2013 [CC BY-SA 4.0] |
1866 April 26: a solemn procession and the formal enthronement of the icon took place. Along the procession route the buildings and the roadsides were decorated with flowers, vines and banners. For three days the celebration continued, with solemn High Masses, Benediction, special devotions and sermons each day.Many miracles were reported by pilgrims.
S. MARIA DE PERPETVO SVCCVRSU. Holy Mary of Perpetual Help
1867 June 23: the image was granted a Canonical Coronation. Two golden, jewel-encrusted crowns were blessed, with one crown being placed on the head of the Blessed Virgin and the other on the head of the Infant Jesus.
Notes
[1] [26] When Jesus therefore had seen his mother and the disciple standing whom he loved, he saith to his mother: Woman, behold thy son.
Cum vidisset ergo Jesus matrem, et discipulum stantem, quem diligebat, dicit matri suae : Mulier, ecce filius tuus.
[27] After that, he saith to the disciple: Behold thy mother. And from that hour, the disciple took her to his own.
Deinde dicit discipulo : Ecce mater tua. Et ex illa hora accepit eam discipulus in sua. [John 19]
[2] Demolished in 188 for the Tiber embankment extensions.
[3] De profundis. A prayer of a sinner, trusting in the mercies of God. The sixth penitential psalm.
[1] Out of the depths I have cried to thee, O Lord:
Canticum graduum. De profundis clamavi ad te, Domine;
[2] Lord, hear my voice. Let thy ears be attentive to the voice of my supplication.
Domine, exaudi vocem meam. Fiant aures tuae intendentes in vocem deprecationis meae.
[3] If thou, O Lord, wilt mark iniquities: Lord, who shall stand it.
Si iniquitates observaveris, Domine, Domine, quis sustinebit?
[4] For with thee there is merciful forgiveness: and by reason of thy law, I have waited for thee, O Lord. My soul hath relied on his word:
Quia apud te propitiatio est; et propter legem tuam sustinui te, Domine. Sustinuit anima mea in verbo ejus;
[5] My soul hath hoped in the Lord.
speravit anima mea in Domino.
[6] From the morning watch even until night, let Israel hope in the Lord.
A custodia matutina usque ad noctem, speret Israel in Domino;
[7] Because with the Lord there is mercy: and with him plentiful redemption.
quia apud Dominum misericordia, et copiosa apud eum redemptio.
[8] And he shall redeem Israel from all his iniquities.
Et ipse redimet Israel ex omnibus iniquitatibus ejus. [Ps 129]
The 'Indicator of the Way'
Measuring 17 x 21 inches (43.2cm x 53.3cm), the icon is painted on poplar wood with a gold leaf background. The Blessed Virgin Mary is depicted wearing a dress of dark red with a blue mantle. She is supporting the infant Jesus with her left arm and his hands are intertwined with her right hand. On the left side is Saint Michael the Archangel carrying the lance and sponge of the crucifixion of Jesus. On the right is Saint Gabriel the Archangel carrying a cross and nails.
This style of icon is known as a 'hodegetria'. This word is based on the Greek ὁδηγητρία which means 'Indicator of the Way'. In these icons, Mary is the 'Indicator of the Way'.
Our Lord spoke of 'the way' in words that may at first seem daunting:
How narrow is the gate, and strait is the way that leadeth to life: and few there are that find it![1]How fitting that Mary our Mother should offer us help and encouragement by pointing out to us the 'Way' in the very person of Jesus Christ, her son, who said:
I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father, but by me. [2]The presence in the of the instruments of Christ's Passion, borne by St Michael and St Gabriel, reminds us of Christ's invitation to follow Him in His Way of the Cross.
Then Jesus said to his disciples: If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.[3]There are numerous references to 'the way' throughout Scripture. I have included a small selection below.[4]
Notes
[1] [14] How narrow is the gate, and strait is the way that leadeth to life: and few there are that find it!
Quam angusta porta, et arcta via est, quae ducit ad vitam : et pauci sunt qui inveniunt eam!
14 ⸀ὅτι στενὴ ἡ πύλη καὶ τεθλιμμένη ἡ ὁδὸς ἡ ἀπάγουσα εἰς τὴν ζωήν, καὶ ὀλίγοι εἰσὶν οἱ εὑρίσκοντες αὐτήν.[Matt 7]
[2] [6] Jesus saith to him: I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No man cometh to the Father, but by me.
Dicit ei Jesus : Ego sum via, et veritas, et vita. Nemo venit ad Patrem, nisi per me.
6 λέγει αὐτῷ ⸀ὁ Ἰησοῦς· Ἐγώ εἰμι ἡ ὁδὸς καὶ ἡ ἀλήθεια καὶ ἡ ζωή· οὐδεὶς ἔρχεται πρὸς τὸν πατέρα εἰ μὴ δι’ ἐμοῦ. [John 14]
[3] [24] Then Jesus said to his disciples: If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me.
Tunc Jesus dixit discipulis suis : Si quis vult post me venire, abneget semetipsum, et tollat crucem suam, et sequatur me. [Matt 16]
[4] Some references to the 'way' in Scripture:
"My foot hath followed his steps, I have kept his way, and have not declined from it." [Job 23:11]
"Blessed is the man who hath not walked in the counsel of the ungodly, nor stood in the way of sinners, nor sat in the chair of pestilence."
[Psalms 1:1]
"Set me, O Lord, a law in thy way, and guide me in the right path, because of my enemies."
[Psalms 26:11]
"Conduct me, O Lord, in thy way, and I will walk in thy truth: let my heart rejoice that it may fear thy name."
[Psalms 85:11]
"I have restrained my feet from every evil way: that I may keep thy words."
[Psalms 118:101]
"I will shew thee the way of wisdom, I will lead thee by the paths of equity:"
[Proverbs 4:11]
"The voice of one crying in the desert: Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make straight in the wilderness the paths of our God."
[Isaias (Isaiah) 40:3]
"They shall come with weeping: and I will bring them back in mercy: and I will bring them through the torrents of waters in a right way, and they shall not stumble in it: for I am a father to Israel, and Ephraim is my firstborn."
[Jeremias (Jeremiah) 31:9]
The words on the icon
There are five sets of Greek letters on the icon. They are abbreviations of words and the two largest are at the top in capitals:
Mother of God (ΜΡ ΘΥ)
These are abbreviations for : Μητηρ Θεου (Meter Theou), signifying Mother of God.
This title had been confirmed by the Council of Ephesus in 431 AD which rejected the heretical statements of Nestorius, Patriarch of Constantinople. It solemnly affirmed that Jesus was one person and not two separate persons, yet possessing both a human and divine nature. It published 12 anathemas, the first of which was:
If anyone will not confess that the Emmanuel is very God, and that therefore the Holy Virgin is the Theotokos, inasmuch as in the flesh she bore the Word of God made flesh [as it is written, "The Word was made flesh"] let him be anathema.[1]Theotokos is often translated as 'Mother of God' or 'God-bearer'. A literal translation, however, would be 'Birth-giver to God'.[2]
Jesus Christ
Next to Mary's son are two abbreviations signifying Jesus Christ. "Jesus" is a transliteration of the Latin Iesus,from the Greek Ιησους (Iēsoûs). This itself is a Hellenisation of the Hebrew יהושע (Yehoshua) or Hebrew-Aramaic ישוע (Yeshua ), (Joshua), meaning "the Lord saves".
"Christ" is His title derived from the Greek Χριστος (Christós), meaning the "Anointed One", a translation of the Hebrew-derived Mashiach ("Messiah"). In the Old Testament, priests, prophets and kings were anointed.[3] These were types of the threefold role of the Christ. Both the Prophet and the priest stand between God and man. The prophet delivers the word of God to men. In the case of the priest, he offers the sacrifices of people to God. Christ, accordingly, is a prophet who delivers the word of God to us, and He is also the priest who delivers His sacrifice, on our behalf, to God the father.
St Michael and St Gabriel
The abbreviations here expand to ὁ ἀρχάγγελος Μιχαὴλ and ὁ ἀρχάγγελος Γαβριὴλ
ὁ ἀρχάγγελος Μιχαὴλ > archangel Michael
Μιχαήλ: מִיכָאֵל, Michael > quis ut Deus? > 'who is like unto God?'
ὁ ἀρχάγγελος Γαβριὴλ > archangel Gabriel
Γαβριὴλ:גַּבְרִיאֵל, > Fortitudo Dei, > 'strength of God'
Notes
[1] anathema: Latin anathema an excommunicated person, also the curse of excommunication, < Greek ἀνάθεμα , originally ‘a thing devoted,’ but in later usage ‘a thing devoted to evil, an accursed thing’ (see Rom. ix. 3). Originally a variant of ἀνάθημα an offering, a thing set up (to the gods), n. of product < ἀνατιθέναι to set up, < ἀνά up + τιθέναι (stem θε- ) to place.
The great curse of the church, cutting off a person from the communion of the church visible, and formally handing him over to Satan; or denouncing any doctrine or practice as damnable.
[2] Theotokos: Etymology: Greek θεοτόκος adjective, θεός God + -τοκος bringing forth, < stem τεκ-, τοκ-, of τίκτειν to bear. = Deipara n.
[3] Examples of anointing: the priest Aaron, the prophet Eliseus and the king Saul.
[7] And thou shalt pour the oil of unction upon his head: and by this rite shall he be consecrated.
et oleum unctionis fundes super caput ejus : atque hoc ritu consecrabitur. [Ex 29]
[16] And thou shalt anoint Jehu the son of Namsi to be king over Israel: and Eliseus the son of Saphat, of Abelmeula, thou shalt anoint to be prophet in thy room.
et Jehu filium Namsi unges regem super Israel : Eliseum autem filium Saphat, qui est de Abelmeula, unges prophetam pro te [3 Kings (1 Kings) 19:16]
[1] And Samuel said to Saul: The Lord sent me to anoint thee king over his People Israel: now therefore hearken thou unto the voice of the Lord:
Et dixit Samuel ad Saul : Me misit Dominus, ut ungerem te in regem super populum ejus Israel : nunc ergo audi vocem Domini. [1 Kings (1 Samuel) 15:1]
Symbolism
Composition
Our Lady is tenderly holding Jesus, her head inclined towards Him. She is supporting Him with her left hand and clasps His hands with her right. Mary is making direct eye contact with us but the fingers of her hands, together with her right arm, form diagonals that shift the focus our gaze towards her son: see our previous post on Our Lady as 'hodegetria' (the 'indicator of the way'). This focus on her son is reinforced by the downward gaze of the Archangels. The Christ Child, secure in the arms of His mother, is looking upwards over His shoulder to His left.
Seat of Wisdom
'One of Mary's titles is 'Sedes Sapientiæ,' the 'Seat of Wisdom'. Mary has this title in her Litany, because the Son of God, who is also called in Scripture the Word and Wisdom of God, once dwelt in her, and then, after His birth of her, was carried in her arms and seated in her lap in His first years. Thus, being, as it were, the human throne of Him who reigns in heaven, she is called the Seat of Wisdom. In the poet's words:—
His throne, thy bosom blest,
O Mother undefiled,
That Throne, if aught beneath the skies,
Beseems the sinless Child.'[1]
(From notes made by John Henry Newman (1801-1890) for his May meditations on Mary in the Litany of Loreto.)
[1] Verse seven from a seventeen verse poem: source,The Christian Year (1827). IX. “Bless’d are the pure in heart” By John Keble (1792–1866) (The Purification). John Keble, 1792-1866, ordained Anglican Priest in 1816, tutor at Oxford from 1818 to 1823, published in 1827 a book of poems called The Christian Year, containing poems for the Sundays and Feast Days of the Church Year.
At His right hand
In the icon, Our Lady is situated at the right hand of her son who is gazing heavenwards, towards His Father. Some years after His Ascension, His mother would be assumed into heaven, and take her place of honour at the right hand of her Son, there to be crowned Queen. In the Rosarium Aureum, we pray:
Qui te super aethera
potenter exaltavit:
et in sua dextera
decenter collocavit. Ave Maria.
Who now for thee to glory raised,
A blessed rest provideth,
At His right hand in honour placed,
Where He in bliss abideth. Hail Mary.
Eye hath not seen...
Our Lady is gazing directly and deeply into our hearts. The Archangels' gaze is fixed upon Christ. Christ's gaze is turned heavenwards. Which ever we look at it, we face vital questions for our conscience: In our own life, where do we choose to direct our gaze? What do we see? What are our blind spots? Where should we be looking?
The disciples once asked Christ why He spoke in parables. He replied to them:
[13] Therefore do I speak to them in parables: because seeing they see not, and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.We observe that the expressions in the icon are serious, because sin is deadly serious.With Our Lady's help and through her intercession, however, which she never ceases to offer us, we may yet hope for mercy from her Divine Son, in true contrition and in offering reparation. The Apostle takes up this theme of hope what we may dare to behold one day:
Ideo in parabolis loquor eis : quia videntes non vident, et audientes non audiunt, neque intelligunt.
[14] And the prophecy of Isaias is fulfilled in them, who saith: By hearing you shall hear, and shall not understand: and seeing you shall see, and shall not perceive.
Et adimpletur in eis prophetia Isaiae, dicentis : Auditu audietis, et non intelligetis : et videntes videbitis, et non videbitis.
[15] For the heart of this people is grown gross, and with their ears they have been dull of hearing, and their eyes they have shut: lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and be converted, and I should heal them.
Incrassatum est enim cor populi hujus, et auribus graviter audierunt, et oculos suos clauserunt : nequando videant oculis, et auribus audiant, et corde intelligant, et convertantur, et sanem eos.
[16] But blessed are your eyes, because they see, and your ears, because they hear.
Vestri autem beati oculi quia vident, et aures vestrae quia audiunt.
[17] For, amen, I say to you, many prophets and just men have desired to see the things that you see, and have not seen them, and to hear the things that you hear and have not heard them.
Amen quippe dico vobis, quia multi prophetae et justi cupierunt videre quae videtis, et non viderunt : et audire quae auditis, et non audierunt. [Matt 13]
[9] But, as it is written: That eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither hath it entered into the heart of man, what things God hath prepared for them that love him.
Sed sicut scriptum est : Quod oculus non vidit, nec auris audivit, nec in cor hominis ascendit, quae praeparavit Deus iis qui diligunt illum : [1 Cor 2]
Mary as the Gate of Heaven
Mary makes direct eye contact with us and draws our focus towards her son, Jesus ('God saves'). His heavenly gaze towards His Father should raise our own hearts and minds towards Our Father, in Heaven. Mary was assumed into Heaven after her death and received a Crown and royal privileges. She becomes for us a gateway to Heaven, a gateway through which divine graces are channelled so that we may come to know, love and serve God in this world and be happy with Him forever in the next.
Marian litanies, antiphons and hymns are rich in references to this role. For example:
Queen assumed into heaven : Regina in caelum assumpta;
HAIL, O Queen of Heav'n enthron'd: AVE, Regina caelorum. [Ave Regina Coelorum]
Blessed gate of heaven : felix caeli porta; [Ave Maris Stella]
Gate of heaven, R. pray for us. Ianua caeli, R. ora pro nobis.
Thou gate of heaven’s high Lord, the door through which the light hath poured.
Tu Regis alti janua, Et aula lucis fulgida: [O Gloriosa Virginum]
Hail, Gate of Heaven,
With glory now crowned,
Bring us to safety
Where thy Son is found,
true joy to see.
Paradisi
clavis et ianua,
fac nos duci
quo, Mater, gloria
coronaris. Amen [Flos Carmeli, 13th century]
Christ's Passion
The angels in the picture are holding instruments of His Passion and death, with the angel on the left bearing the gall, the lance and the reed, while the angel on the right holds the cross and nails. Christ's halo also features His cross.
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| IESVS NAZARENVS REX IVDAEORVM. JJ Tissot. |
The top one represents the plaque on which Pilate had ordered to be written: Jesus of Nazareth, King of the Jews.
[By User:Tadas12 - Own work by the original uploader. Public Domain]
The falling sandal
Some interpreters see the falling sandal as an indication of the haste shown by the child Jesus as He quickly fled into His mother's arms for safety when He saw the instruments of his own Passion for the first time.
Others see a reference to covenants. According to the Book of Ruth, removing one's sandal means to conclude a contract. Here, Christ is establishing a contract with us, a new and everlasting covenant.[2]
Moses removed his sandals before approaching the burning bush,[3] The burning bush is sometimes seen as prefiguring Mary's perpetual virginity.[4]
We recall that Christ's cousin, the greatest of all the prophets, stated he was unworthy to loosen the straps of Christ's sandals.[5]
The colours
The colours used in the icon have been given various interpretations. Our Lady wears a red tunic and a blue mantle with a green lining. According to some commentators, red is said to be the colour worn by virgins in Palestine at the time of Christ, while blue was the colour worn by mothers. Others say that red represents divinity and blue represents humanity. Mary (blue) was the Theorokos; she carried God within her as her son.[4] Yet others see red as representing humanity and blue as the colour of the heavenly or divine. Adam was created from the earth and his name may derive from the Hebrew אדם ('adam) meaning "to be red", referring to his ruddy colouring or the colour of the earth from which he was formed. There may be a word play on the Hebrew אֲדָמָה ('adamah) "earth").
Notes
[1] [32] And all nations shall be gathered together before him, and he shall separate them one from another, as the shepherd separateth the sheep from the goats:
et congregabuntur ante eum omnes gentes, et separabit eos ab invicem, sicut pastor segregat oves ab haedis :
[33] And he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on his left.
et statuet oves quidem a dextris suis, haedos autem a sinistris.
[34] Then shall the king say to them that shall be on his right hand: Come, ye blessed of my Father, possess you the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
Tunc dicet rex his qui a dextris ejus erunt : Venite benedicti Patris mei, possidete paratum vobis regnum a constitutione mundi :
[41] Then he shall say to them also that shall be on his left hand: Depart from me, you cursed, into everlasting fire which was prepared for the devil and his angels.
Tunc dicet et his qui a sinistris erunt : Discedite a me maledicti in ignem aeternum, qui paratus est diabolo, et angelis ejus :
[46] And these shall go into everlasting punishment: but the just, into life everlasting.
Et ibunt hi in supplicium aeternum : justi autem in vitam aeternam. [Matt 25]
[2] [8] So Booz said to his kinsman: Put off thy shoe. And immediately he took it off from his foot.
Dixit ergo propinquo suo Booz : Tolle calceamentum tuum. Quod statim solvit de pede suo.
[9] And he said to the ancients and to all the people: You are witnesses this day, that I have bought all that was Elimelech's, and Chelion's, and Mahalon's, of the hand of Noemi:
At ille majoribus natu, et universo populo : Testes vos, inquit, estis hodie, quod possederim omnis quae fuerunt Elimelech, et Chelion, et Mahalon, tradente Noemi :
[10] And have taken to wife Ruth the Moabitess, the wife of Mahalon, to raise up the name of the deceased in his inheritance lest his name be cut off, from among his family and his brethren and his people. You, I say, are witnesses of this thing.
et Ruth Moabitidem, uxorem Mahalon, in conjugium sumpserim, ut suscitem nomen defuncti in haereditate sua, ne vocabulum ejus de familia sua ac fratribus et populo deleatur. Vos, inquam, hujus rei testes estis. [Ruth 4]
[3] [5] And he said: Come not nigh hither, put off the shoes from thy feet: for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.
At ille : Ne appropies, inquit, huc : solve calceamentum de pedibus tuis : locus enim, in quo stas, terra sancta est. [Ex 3]
[4] It is said of Christ that He is a “consuming fire” (Hebrews 12:29). The fire burning inside the bush is a symbol of Christ and the bush itself symbolizes the Virgin. In the song of The Burning Bush, sung during the fourth month of the Coptic calendar, the faithful chant:
The burning bush seen by Moses[5] [26] John answered them, saying: I baptize with water; but there hath stood one in the midst of you, whom you know not.
The prophet in the wilderness;
The fire inside it was aflame
But never consumed or injured it.
The same with the Theotokos; Mary
Carried the fire of Divinity
Nine months in her holy body.
Respondit eis Joannes, dicens : Ego baptizo in aqua : medius autem vestrum stetit, quem vos nescitis.
[27] The same is he that shall come after me, who is preferred before me: the latchet of whose shoe I am not worthy to loose.
Ipse est qui post me venturus est, qui ante me factus est : cujus ego non sum dignus ut solvam ejus corrigiam calceamenti. [John 1]
Totus tuus ego sum
Et omnia mea tua sunt.
Et omnia mea tua sunt.
Tecum semper tutus sum.
Ad Jesum per Mariam
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