Current Orthodox bishops on "Mediatrix"

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I’m looking to see what some contemporary Orthodox priests or bishops have to say about the early Church’s teaching on Mary as “Mediatrix” or the one “through whom” God operates.

I am thinking of St. Andrew of Crete who said she was “Mediatrix of the law and grace,” or St. John Damascene referring to Mary’s “office of Mediatrix,” or St. Germain of Constantinople’s “O Theotokos, no one secured a gift of mercy, save through you…in you all peoples of the earth have obtained a blessing,” etc…

Can anyone provide links or post things written by modern Orthodox bishops/priests that have discussed Mary’s role in the operation of grace? Thanks!
 
There is an entire chapter on this in the excellent book THE LIFE OF THE VIRGIN MARY, THE THEOTOKOS by Holy Apostles Convent in Buena Vista, Colorado.

To summarize: Christ is the one mediator between God and mankind. The Theotokos is the special and unique (that is, only one like her) intercessor and mediatrix for those in the Church.
 
Just what I was looking for! Do you have the book that you could cite a couple quotes on the matter?
 
bpbasilphx said:
There is an entire chapter on this in the excellent book THE LIFE OF THE VIRGIN MARY, THE THEOTOKOS by Holy Apostles Convent in Buena Vista, Colorado.

To summarize: Christ is the one mediator between God and mankind. The Theotokos is the special and unique (that is, only one like her) intercessor and mediatrix for those in the Church.
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I own the book, it’s Volume 4.

In it is an Epilogue, not a chapter, that is entitled: The THEOTOKOS as Mediatress and it begins on page 507 and ends on page 523.

A quote from paragraphs 1&2 of page 516:

"Saint Gregory of Palamas (+1359) saw her "standing alone between God and the whole human race, " making God the Son of man and men the sons of God. He is not thinking of the person of Mary taken by herself but of “her who begat God”. Thus, for St. Gregory and for the whole tradition of the Orthodox Church, this Mariology asserts both the full divinity and full humanity of Christ; without Mary, this union could not have been realized in the person of Jesus.

Thus St. Gregory will write that the Mother of God “is the source and root of the race of liberty;” her body, the temple of God, is “the saving balsam for our race;” and “the Virgin Mother alone dwells on the frontier between created and uncreated natures, and those who know God recognize also in her the habitation of the infinite;”

A quote from paragraph 3 on page 518:

“SUMMARY
The Eastern Fathers, using the Apostle Paul’s word mesitis, borrowed it without stirring the slightest fear that the dignity of the One Mediator or Mesitis would be compromised. Although throughout, the context of the word varied, certain essential aspects are clearly distinguishable: The role of the Theotokos in the work of salvation and her ceaseless and heavenly activity on our behalf.”
 
There are about 20 pages in this chapter, each page loaded with quotes from the Fathers and hymnographers (and many were both simultaneously). So it wouldn’t be practical, My OCR isn’t working.

However, there are these paragraphs, which are pertinent:

+++++++++

**Christ also works and rests in His saints, thus, vouchsafing them the role of mediator or mediatress. Therefore when we read the words of St. Paul that “there is ooen God, and one (EIS) Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave Himself a ransom for all” *, we understand the use of “one” as emphasizing our Savior’s transdendence as a Mediator. The word “one” was translated from the Greek wone EIS meaning the numeral “one,” and not MONOS, meaning “only” or “alone.” We must also understand the context of this verse by the Apostle’s verses preceding it. Saint John Chrysostom remarked that the divine Paul is referring to the salvaiton of the heathen, when he wrote: “(God, our Savior), Who will have all men to be saved and come unto the knowledge of the truth” *. Hence, when the Apostle is speaking of the perfect Mediator, he is referring to the unique value of Christ’s redemptive death. Christ, since He is the true God and true Man, is the only ransom for the Jew and Gentile alike.
…

Therefore, the practice of addressing the Theotokos as a mediatress or the saints as intercessors, need not be impeded by either text, since their relationship is to those of the Church. Hence, throughout Church history, to Mary Theotokos, the word mediatress or MESITEVSASA (in Latin translations, mediatrix) will be used.

P. 508.**

Then there’s this beautiful quote from St. John of Kronstadt:

We pray to the all-merciful and most pure Mother of God—and she prayes forus. We glorify her—she who is above all glory—and she prepares eternal glory for us. We often say to her, “Rejoice,”, and she asks her Son and God, "My beloved Son, give them everlasting joy in return for greeting me with joy."

P. 518

This might require some explanation. The Angelic Salutation in Greek contains the word “XAIPE”, which can mean either “hail” or “rejoice.” The Slavonic renders this by a word simply meaning "rejoice."**
Does this help?**
 
Christ is born! Glorify Him!

Isn’t the book beautiful, Monica?

Most Holy Theotokos, save us!
 
bpbasilphx said:
Christ is born! Glorify Him!

Isn’t the book beautiful, Monica?

Most Holy Theotokos, save us!
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The 7 Volume set together is beautiful beyond compare. Each volume is my favorite in some way! My patron is found on the pages 236 through 250 of Vol. 7: The Lives of the Holy Women Martyrs.

I was recommend to purchase the set by a Melkite Catholic Priest whose Church I was attending while I was still Catholic, but on my way into the Orthodox Church. He did tell me to not read Volume 5. Being unaccustom to “obedience”, I read it first and it drove me further into Orthodoxy. He & I had many discussions about it and he confirmed that Vol. 5 contained nothing but Truth. He then admitted to me sorrowfully that the only reason he was not an Orthodox priest instead of Catholic is because his parents, still living, were Roman Catholic and he’d made them a promise. If he didn’t feel bound to honor the promise to his parents, he would have followed his heart and mind long ago into Orthodoxy…I had made no such promise to my parents…Unlike him I was unable to believe one thing in my heart and mind, but remain in union with a Church that believed something different.
 
\I was recommend to purchase the set by a Melkite Catholic Priest whose Church I was attending while I was still Catholic, but on my way into the Orthodox Church. He did tell me to not read Volume 5. \

**Odd, because two of them are on the calendar of the Melkite Church, and the third is the patron of a Melkite priest I know and respect.

As regards your Melkite priest acquaintance, remember God isn’t finished with any of us yet.
I don’t pretend to know the mind of God, but maybe this priest is where he is to help prepare the way for reconciliation.**
 
eOxy said:
Could you point where exactly he did that? Thanks in advance.
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I don’t have that book with me right now, but I found another website that says St. John Damascene uses that term here:

The title of mediatrix is given by St. John Damascene also, who asserts that we owe to her all the benefits conferred on us by Jesus (In dormit. B.M., hom. 1, 3, 8, 12; 11, 16; P.G., t. XCVI, cols. 705, 713, 717, 744).
 
bpbasilphx said:
\I was recommend to purchase the set by a Melkite Catholic Priest whose Church I was attending while I was still Catholic, but on my way into the Orthodox Church. He did tell me to not read Volume 5. \

Odd, because two of them are on the calendar of the Melkite Church, and the third is the patron of a Melkite priest I know and respect.
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St. Photius and St. Gregory Palamas?

I think the reason was because he knew that the content would send me directly into the Orthodox Church…which it eventually did. I think he didn’t want that out of jealously since that’s where he made it perfectly clear he longs to be, yet because of a promise, not the Truth, he’s decided to stay where he is. That is my* opinion* based on the many conversations I had with him.
 
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