HomeCommentaryAskAsk An Eastern Orthodox Christian: Do you pray "Hail Mary?"

Ask An Eastern Orthodox Christian: Do you pray “Hail Mary?”

By: Nicholas Damascus

Date:

February 17, 2016

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Modern rendition of the "Axion Estin" icon of the Theotokos

What would you like to know about the Eastern Orthodox Christian faith? Submit your question.

By Nicholas Damascus

Does Orthodox Church pray “Hail Mary”? I guess not.

You have guessed wrong.. The language of the Eastern Orthodox Church was written in ancient Greek. Mary, in the EOC, is first among saints.

See my previous article “Ask An Eastern Orthodox Christian: What are your thoughts on ‘Mary Did You Know?'”

When the Archangel Gabriel addressed Mary, “Rejoice, highly favored one (χαριτωμένη), the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women” (Luke1:28). “Highly favored” in the ancient Greek is translated “full of Grace” and “χαριτωμένη” is also the greeting “Hail Mary, full of Grace.”

In Luke 1: 26-28, Now in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by God ….the angel said to her (Mary), “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!”

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Nicholas Damascus

As an infant, I was baptized as an Eastern Orthodox Christian. However, I would say that becoming a Christian is a work in progress, and I often wonder would there be enough evidence to convict me of becoming a Christian. The Orthodox Church is the ancient Church that Christ and the Apostles established. It is not a religion but rather a way of life. It is not about rules and regulations but rather guide posts to make choices to transition to what we were designed to become. Becoming Orthodox is not a conversion but more so a transformation of self. It’s not about being right: it is about “right being.” In John 14:6, Christ says I am the Way (to love and serve one another), the Truth (there is only one reality), and the Life (that life source is love). I invite you to submit any topics or questions to “Ask An Eastern Orthodox Christian” on the website. Join me in finding our way back home to the original teachings of the Church. When you change the way you look at things, things change the way they look.

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