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Departments Global Issues Institute Birth of Great Marian Liturgical Movement in Russia by Charles Mercieca, Ph.D. February 11, 2007 Charles Mercieca, Ph.D. President, International Association of Educators for World Peace Dedicated to United Nations Goals of Peace Education, Environmental Protection, Human Rights & Disarmament Professor Emeritus, Alabama A&M University Since the collapse of the communist system, Russia has emerged to become a spiritually oriented nation which has put a special focus on the Virgin Mary. In one of her apparitions to the six children of Medjugorje during the decade of the eighties, the Blessed Mother stated that the east is moving closer to God while the west is distancing itself from Him. All those religious and spiritual organizations that functioned underground during the communist era began to come out into the open to practice visibly and courageously their spirituality. Church of the Catacombs The church of the catacombs, which became later known as the Orthodox Mother of God Church Derjevnaya, was brought to light. It focused on the Virgin Mary who has been viewed to be not only the mother of Jesus but also the mother of all people from every walk of life, profession, and religion. In fact, this Blessed Mother told the children of Medjugurje: “I am the mother of all people, of those who know me and of those who do not know me, of those who accept me and of those who reject me; I love all these children of mine very dearly.” Through the Orthodox Mother of God Church Derjevnaya, who has been guided to this day by Archbishop John Bereslavsky, a great Marian liturgical movement came into existence. It has been growing since then spreading out not only throughout Russia but also in other countries as well. This movement is characterized by love and respect for one’s neighbors, which gives the Blessed Mother great joy and consolation. One of the greatest wishes of the Virgin Mary is to see all of us loving all of her children with that same genuine love of hers. At this stage of history, we should develop the habit of viewing all people, from every walk of life and profession, from every religion and nationality as the children of the Blessed Mother. We should never dream of ever hurting these beloved ones of hers. Hence, the concept of waging a war is equivalent to turning brothers and sisters against each other, which should be viewed as a heinous crime. This would jeopardize our happiness recklessly and unnecessarily. During the 20th century the Virgin Mary has appeared to a variety of her children numerous times. She conversed with them like an ordinary mother converses with her children at home. She even answered questions that dealt with a variety of topics, which were not necessarily spiritual in nature. And to prove that all people across every continent are her real and beloved children, she let herself be seen not only by Catholic and Orthodox Christians but also by Buddhist, Moslems and Jews, in addition to others. World-Wide Love for Mary In fact, in Islam the Koran speaks very highly of the Virgin Mary and several Moslems did not hesitate to express their genuine love for her. In Sri Lanka tens of thousands of Buddhists marched in the street following with pride and joy the statue of Our Lady of Fatima. Needless to say, a number of Protestants have claimed to have seen the Blessed Mother and afterwards they developed the habit of reciting the holy rosary on a daily basis. Those that may be interested about the apparitions of the Virgin Mary that took place in the 20th century are welcome to secure the videotape entitled: Marian Apparitions of the 20th Century: A Message of Urgency. This videotape is narrated by Ricardo Montalban and it covers the apparitions that took place in Fatima, Portugal; Garabandal, Spain; Medjugorje, Yugoslavia; Betania, Venezuela; Zeitun, Egypt; Banneaux and Beauraing, Belgium; Akita, Japan; Kibeho, Africa; and Naju, South Korea. This videotape may be secured from Marian Communications, Ltd., P.O. Box 8, Lima, Pennsylvania 19037, USA. If we were to understand what a genuine love for the Blessed Mother looks like, we need to participate in the celebration of the Russian Sobor, which takes place every now and then in Moscow, St. Petersburg, Kiev and other a few other cities. This Sobor is essentially a Marian Congress where some 20 to 40 priests concelebrate the Mass with Archbishop John Bereslavsky or some other designated bishop to direct the entire ceremony. We may also participate in the weekly liturgical Marian celebration where we have the Orthodox Mother of God Church Derjevnaya in operation. Numerous videotapes were made to commemorate such heavenly events and they are all different. Any sample of such videotapes may be secured from: The Orthodox Mother of God Church Derjevnaya, Russian Spiritual Center, 1st Khutorskaya, 5A, Moscow 103287, Russia. During such ceremonies, the participants tend to enter into a trance where the concept of time is totally gone. Minutes pass like seconds and hours like minutes. It’s an out-of-time experience that participants share at such liturgical events and there is always a feeling of heaven which cannot be expressed in words. It can only be felt. The participants communicate with the Blessed Mother like children at any ordinary home do. Needless to say, the presence of the Virgin Mary is fully there because it can be felt in a very tangible way. In fact, she does not hesitate to bestow on those present numerous spiritual gifts as several have attested. Of course, Marian movements have existed around the world for centuries and they have been a great spiritual asset to localities where such movements were. However, the Marian movement that has been contributed by the Orthodox Mother of God Church Derjevnanya is conspicuously unique. The way the members of this great, holy and providential church communicate with each other and with the Blessed Mother is highly inspirational. Great Marian Movement Benefits Those that genuinely accept this great Marian movement in their midst are bound sooner or later to be blessed with the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit. Such gifts may be outlined as follows: (1) Wisdom, which consists of our ability to distinguish between right and wrong, (2) Understanding, which enables us to comprehend the needs of our relatives as well as friends and everyone we come across, (3) Counsel, which provides us with needed foresight to give proper advice, (4) Fortitude, which instills in us great strength especially in spiritual trials, (5) Knowledge, which equips us with an ability to make appropriate judgments, (6) Compassion, which gives us the opportunity to assist everyone that is in need, and (7) Fear of God, which stems from our great concern of offending such a lovable heavenly Father. We should all feel grateful for all those Russians that were responsible in bringing about this great Marian liturgical movement. In particular, we should feel grateful for Archbishop John Bereslavksy who has allowed humbly the Blessed Mother to guide him so well. Needless to say, the government of Russia needs to express its gratitude to this holy and divinely inspired Orthodox Church of the Mother of God Derjevnaya, which has brought so many blessing to so many Russian families. Ascetical writers, Mariologists in particular, tell us that those who love genuinely from their heart the Blessed Mother are guaranteed numerous spiritual gifts in this world and an eternal life of bliss in heaven. There is one important item that we should point out. The Orthodox Church of the Mother of God Derjevnaya is not sectarian in its nature and character. Its liturgical functions are open to all people from every walk of life, profession and religion who would love to do anything to learn more about the Blessed Mother so as to love her and be closer to her. God had His eyes on the Virgin Mary from all eternity. He loved her so dearly as to accept her as His Mother and the Mother of all His beloved children till the end of times. 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Don't forget to check out articles from 2007 and 2008
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