Memory icons Holy Mother of God"Unexpected Joy" takes place in Russian Orthodox Church May 14 and December 22 according to the new style.
The history of the iconography of the image "Unexpected Joy"
The Unexpected Joy icon was created in the second half of the 17th century. The reason for creating this image was the story written down by St. Dmitry of Rostov in his work “Irrigated Fleece”. This book includes stories about the miracles revealed by the Most Holy Theotokos in the Holy Eliinsky Monastery in Chernigov, where the saint served for some time and witnessed which he was. The name of the saint's literary work goes back to the Old Testament story about how, at the prayer of the Israeli judge Gideon, Divine dew sprinkled the fleece. Since before each miracle performed by the Mother of God in the monastery, people saw tears on the icon of the Queen of Heaven, St. Dmitry of Rostov compared this wondrous phenomenon with the Old Testament miracle of the appearance of dew.
About the amazing incident that formed the basis of the iconography "Unexpected Joy", the saint reports the following. A certain person lived wickedly, committed evil and unrighteous deeds. However, he was distinguished by great love for the Mother of God and, each time before going to an unrighteous deed, he prayed before the image of the Queen of Heaven. Once, during a prayer, he saw that the icon seemed to come to life: terrible wounds appeared on the arms and legs of the Divine Infant, from which blood flowed. Frightened by this phenomenon, the sinner asked the Mother of God to explain the terrible image he had seen, and then received the answer that people still continue to crucify the Lord Jesus Christ with their sins and unholy life. The man realized that, by the grace of God, that terrible spiritual state was revealed to him, in which he was due to his ungodly deeds. With tears, the sinner asked for mercy, but he saw that the Divine Infant turned away from him and, only when the Mother of God asked for Her Divine Son, did he receive forgiveness, as a sign of which he was commanded to touch the wounds of the Savior. When the miraculous vision disappeared, the man felt great joy. Saint Dmitry of Rostov testifies that after this, the former sinner completely changed his life and became a pious and righteous person.
Description of the image «Unexpected Joy»
The composition of the icon is quite complex, since the image belongs to the so-called event icons, which depict not only a saint or the Mother of God, but also some kind of plot that served as the reason for writing the icon-painting image.
On the right, the icon of the Mother of God Hodegetria or the Guide is written, which is very symbolic, since on this image the Queen of Heaven points to the Divine Infant as the true path to salvation. We do not know in front of which icon of the Mother of God the person about whom St. Dmitry wrote was praying, but the story itself with the miraculous admonition of the sinner says that the Mother of God calls every person to turn to Christ, because only in Him can one find salvation and deliverance from eternal life. death. The icon depicts the Infant of God with bleeding wounds and in a torn robe, as a symbol of the torment that people inflict on Him with their wicked deeds.
On the left in front of the image is a figure of a man kneeling in front of the miraculous image and praying with his hands raised to heaven for forgiveness. On the icon are also written the words of the prayer that the sinner addresses to the Mother of God, and at the bottom of the image is written the beginning of the story from the book “Irrigated Fleece”.
This icon is very revered and loved by believers, since the very name of the image gives joy and hope. There are a large number of lists with this icon, many of which are considered miraculous.
Troparion, tone 4:
Today faithful people / we spiritually triumph, / glorifying the zealous Intercessor of the Christian race / and flowing to Her most pure image, we cry out to the mother: / O Merciful Lady Theotokos, / give us unexpected joy, / burdened with sins and many sorrows, / and deliver us from every evil, / pray to your Son, Christ our God, to save our souls.
Kontakion, tone 6:
Not imams of other help, / not imams of other hope, / unless You, the Lady. / You help us, / we hope in You / and we boast in You, / Thy servants, / let us not be ashamed.
Greatness:
We magnify Thee, / Blessed Virgin / God-chosen Maiden / and honor Your holy image, / by which you heal healing / to all who flow with faith.
Prayer:
O Blessed Virgin, the All-Blessed Son of the All-Blessed Mother, the Patroness of the city of Moscow, all those who are in sins, sorrows, troubles and illnesses, Faithful to the Representative and Intercessor! Receive this prayer singing from us, unworthy Thy servants, lifted up to Thee, and like a sinner of old, praying many times before Your honest icon every day, Thou hast not despised, but Thou hast given unexpected joy to him and bowed Thy Son to Him with many and zealous petitions for the forgiveness of this sinful and erring one, so now do not despise the prayers of us, Your unworthy servants, and implore Your Son and our God, and to all of us, with faith and tenderness, bowing before Your wholesome image, He will give unexpected joy for everyone: a sinner mired in the depths of evils and passions - all-powerful admonition, repentance and salvation; those who are in sorrow and sorrow - consolation; those who find themselves in troubles and bitterness - these perfect renunciations; cowardly and unreliable - hope and patience; in joy and abundance to those who live - incessant thanksgiving to the Benefactor; distressed - mercy; those who are in sickness and long-sickness and abandoned by doctors - unforeseen healing and strengthening; dependent on the illness of the mind - the mind return and renewal; departing into eternal and endless life - the memory of death, tenderness and contrition for sins, the spirit is cheerful and firm hope for the mercy of the Judge. O Holy Lady! Have mercy on all who honor Your all-honorable name, and reveal to all Your almighty cover and intercession; keep in piety, purity and honest living until their last end in goodness; do evil good; guide those who have gone astray to the right path; To every good work and to Your Son, please, advance; destroy every evil and ungodly deed; in perplexity and difficult and dangerous circumstances, those who receive invisible help and admonition from Heaven sent down; save from temptations, temptations and death; from evil people and protect and preserve from enemies visible and invisible; float floating; traveling travel; be the Nurse who exists in need and hunger; for those who do not have shelter and shelter, wake up cover and refuge; give a robe to the naked; offended and unjustly persecuted - intercession; slander, reproach and blasphemy of the sufferer invisibly justify; slanderers and detractors in front of all guise; grant an unexpected reconciliation to those fiercely hostile, and to all of us for each other love, peace and piety and health with long life. Keep marriages in love and like-mindedness; spouses, in enmity and division of existence, die, unite me to each other and put them an indestructible union of love; mother, children giving birth, give permission soon; raise babies; young chaste, open their minds to the perception of any useful teaching, instruct the fear of God, abstinence and industriousness; From domestic strife and enmity of consanguineous people, protect the world and love. Motherless orphans, wake up the Mother, from all vice and filth, I turn away and teach everything good and pleasing to God, seduced into sin and impurity fallen, having taken away the filth of sin, from the abyss of death lead. Wake up the widow's Comforter and Helper, wake up the rod of old age, deliver us all from sudden death without repentance, and all of us the Christian death of our belly, painless, shameless, peaceful and a good answer at the terrible Judgment of Christ grant. Having reposed in faith and repentance from this life with the Angels and all the saints, make life, who died a sudden death, be merciful to be Your Son, and for all the dead, who do not have relatives, for the repose of their Son of Your begging, Be yourself an unceasing and warm Prayer and Intercessor Yes, all in Heaven and on earth lead Thee, as a firm and shameless Representative of the Christian race, and, leading, glorify Thee and Thy Son, with His Beginningless Father and His Consubstantial Spirit, now and ever and forever and ever. Amen.
IN Orthodox tradition the icon becomes especially revered or even miraculous after certain supernatural events. But there is one image, the creation of which was preceded by a miraculous incident. The icon itself is not only the traditional face of the Mother of God and the Infant Christ, but is a whole iconographic composition.
"Fleece Irrigated"
Among the many literary heritage Metropolitan Dmitry of Rostov, according to Academician D.S. Likhachev, the last significant writer of Orthodox Eastern and Southern Europe, there is a description of the miracles that were from the icons of the Most Holy Theotokos. The book is called "Irrigated Fleece" and tells about the extraordinary events that took place in the Ilyinsky Monastery in the city of Chernigov. Saint Dmitry tells about the numerous miraculous healings that took place during the reading of prayers before the icon of the Mother of God, which he himself witnessed.
Describing 24 miracles in succession, the author attaches to each of them two soulful words with instructive examples from the life of the saints. In the last chapter, he gives a description of an incident that happened to one sinner. The source of this information, the place of events and the name of the person are unknown. The book was published in 1683 and is dedicated to the glorification of the locally venerated icon of the Mother of God (however, information about which one was also not preserved).
Narrative of a miracle as presented by Dmitry, Metropolitan of Rostov
The saint describes it this way. One person had the habit of praying every day before the image of the Mother of God with the words of the gospel of the Archangel Gabriel: “Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you!” After such a pious exercise, he went to do some bad deed. One day, while praying, he saw blood flowing from the wounds on the body of the Infant. The vision plunged the unfortunate man into horror. In a frenzy, he turned to the Mother of God with the question: "Who committed this crime?"
The Mother of God answered that sinning people are like the ancient Jews who sentenced Christ to a painful death: “You and sinners like you are crucifying My Son.” The man began to pray for mercy and forgiveness, to which he was answered: “You call Me the Mother of Mercy, but at the same time you bring sorrow to Me with your deeds.” The insight descended upon man that sinful acts have truly universal consequences. He began to beg the Mother of God for intercession before the Savior.
Only after the third petition did the Infant Christ agree to accept the petition of the Mother of God. The divine institution commands that the Son honor the Mother. And the One who established the Law must Himself fulfill it. For the sake of the prayer of the Virgin, this man was forgiven of sins. The vision is gone. The icon drenched in blood was also cleansed. The unexpected joy of the forgiveness of sins transformed inner world person. Inspired by supernatural intervention and intercession, from that moment the sinner began a new life.
Unique iconographic rendition
A sudden inner illumination and the subsequent repentance and correction of a sinful person were the reason that the icon "Unexpected Joy" appeared in the liturgical practice of the Russian Church. The meaning of the new image was so close to the believers that by the end of the 18th century, almost every church had a list of this icon. Who was the author of the pictorial image of the miracle is unknown. The Mother of God herself is called Joy, so the word in the title is capitalized.
The icon "Unexpected Joy" is a unique phenomenon in church art. The image is a dynamically developing plot. On the image there is an icon of the Mother of God in an icon case. As a rule, one of the three most common types is used - "Hodegetria", which in Greek means "pointing the way to the salvation of the soul." It is depicted, as it were, an icon in an icon, and the action takes place in a temple.
In the lower part of the floor icon case with the image of the Virgin Mary, icon painters place the initial phrases of the story of the miracle, taken from the book “Irrigated Fleece”, or the words of the Archangel Gospel, or an excerpt from the prayer before the icon “Unexpected Joy”. Sometimes the story of the salvation of the sinner in a summary is placed at the bottom of the composition.
An integral part of the plot is the figure of a man kneeling before the holy image. His repentant appearance is turned to the Mother of God with the Child. On the icon in the form of a narrow stripe-ribbon, the words of the speech of the man himself to the Mother of God and Her answer are written. The Infant Christ is depicted with open bleeding wounds-ulcers on his body, which later appeared on Him when he was crucified on the cross.
The unique feature of the icon lies precisely in the fact that the image to which the man appeals is turned directly to the sinner. This icon "Unexpected Joy" differs from the canonical image of Hodegetria, in which the Mother of God bows over the Divine Infant. Such an artistic technique made it possible to depict the essence of a miracle - the appeal of the Virgin and the Son of God to a praying person.
The miraculous icon "Unexpected Joy" in the Church of the Prophet Elijah
On the outskirts of the capital in Ostrozhye, more than three hundred years ago, on the site of a dilapidated wooden temple, a new stone one was erected in honor of the prophet Elijah. Today, this parish church is known as the temple of Elijah the Ordinary. Many pilgrims flock here because perhaps the most revered icon in Russia, "Unexpected Joy", is located here. About who and when the miraculous image was written, the history of information has not been preserved.
Initially, the icon was kept in the church of St. Tsars Constantine and Helena, at the southern wall of the Kremlin in the lower garden. At the end of the 19th century, the famous Moscow preacher and spiritual writer, Archpriest Valentin Amfiteatrov, served here. Father Valentine regularly read akathists in front of the icon. Prayers gathered a large number of believing townspeople. After the destruction of the Church of Constantine and Helena in 1928, the image was transferred to Sokolniki to the Church of the Resurrection, which had an altar "Unexpected Joy". Only at the end of the war did the icon take its current place of honor in the Elias Church.
The holy image is decorated with a silver frame and many lamps. The decorations left by grateful believers testify to the numerous miracles that the Unexpected Joy icon performed. The significance of this shrine is truly all-Russian. On the salary there is an inscription stating that in 1959 with the blessing His Holiness Patriarch Alexy I, a riza was installed on the icon. Patriarch Pimen, who humbly considered himself a parishioner of this church, was very fond of praying before this icon. The church itself was never closed in Soviet times, and services in it did not stop. Many shrines from the destroyed and closed churches and monasteries of Moscow were preserved here.
One of the treasures of the great spiritual heritage of our pious ancestors is the icon "Unexpected Joy". A photo of this miraculous image, reverently revered by many Orthodox believers, is presented below.
Temple in Maryina Grove
To the north of the Garden Ring, on Sheremetievskaya Street, there is a temple of the icon "Unexpected Joy" built in the first decade of the last century. The magnificent church was erected with donations from the parishioners of Maryina Roshcha settlement. A plot of land for such a charitable cause was provided by Count AD Sheremetiev himself. The miraculous image “Unexpected Joy” painted in the middle of the 19th century was transferred to the new church. The icon, where there is also a particle of the relics of the martyr Tryphon, is highly revered among the believers of Moscow and pilgrims. Parishioners record the miracles taking place in the temple from this icon. One of the most striking occurred in 2003, when an elderly Jew wanted to be baptized.
Akathist to the icon "Unexpected Joy"
In the Orthodox liturgical tradition there is a special form of hymns called an akathist. For the first time such a work was created in the 7th century in Byzantium. Akathist in Greek means "non-sedal singing" (that is, one in which you cannot sit down, and you need to listen very carefully). In Hellenic liturgical practice, only the original chant is called an akathist.
In the Russian Church, this form became widespread at the end of the 19th century. By 1901, the censors of the Synodal Commission allowed about one hundred and sixty such works to be printed and subsequently used. By this time, an akathist to the icon "Unexpected Joy" had also been written. Like most of the creations of its era, the laudatory hymn in a solemn form retells the events described by Dmitry Rostovsky.
In church life, akathists are read at the end of Vespers, instead of kathismata at Matins, and most often at a prayer service after the Liturgy or at the request of parishioners. Reading an akathist, both in public worship and individually, helps to strengthen the prayer appeal, gather one's thoughts and clearly form the inner spiritual structure.
Why do Christians pray to different icons
The Christian faith testifies that the Most Holy Theotokos is the greatest Saint. Prayers for the people of the Blessed Virgin, or rather, intercessions for them before God, are the most effective. Believers in their appeals to the Mother of God ask Her not only to help or hear, but also to save. But only Christ God can save. There is no contradiction or distortion of dogma in this. When Christians call on the Mother of God to save, they believe in Her extraordinary spiritual power.
In this regard, icons are of particular importance for prayer practice. Icon, translated from Greek, means an image, not the very essence of an object, but its appearance. Giving honor to them, believers thereby express prayerful reverence for the person whose face is present on the shrine.
Each icon of the Mother of God is associated with one or more supernatural events. Believers in the history of the lives of saints and the Mother of God find examples of miraculous deliverance from disasters, illnesses, and the resolution of problems. Church prayers and images only help to correctly form and express their spiritual needs. So the prayer to the icon "Unexpected Joy" has its own characteristics. But we will talk about this a little lower.
The icon is a kind of window into another dimension. Holy images can be compared to a spiritual crutch for weak and wavering souls. This support contributes to the rejection of everyday fuss and the creation of a prayerful mood.
Who helps the miraculous icon
Many people mistakenly believe that miraculous icons are a kind of accumulator of grace, which can be used in case of need. That is, if you get to a particularly revered image, then a miracle will happen without fail, and everything that you wish will come true. Believers testify that the icon "Unexpected Joy" helps to find precisely the lost hope.
Grace does not come from a board covered with paints, help comes not from an image, but through an image. You can venerate an icon for years, light dozens of candles, travel hundreds of kilometers and still not have faith in the effectiveness of power. God's grace. And you can bow to the shrine once, without expecting any miracle, and get not what you want, but what you need.
The other extreme is overconfidence or insolence. Some believe that if you diligently fulfill all the external prescriptions of the church charter, then a gift from above will automatically be sent down. The icon of the Mother of God "Unexpected Joy" is not a kind of amulet that guarantees well-being or invisible protection. This is a symbol of grace-filled help, capable of providing this very help.
What to pray for in front of the icon
What petitions should be addressed to the Mother of God in front of this icon, the canonical prayer says. In the liturgical text it is written that the icon of the Mother of God "Unexpected Joy", or rather, a prayer appeal through it to the Blessed Virgin, will help get rid of many diseases, primarily related to hearing. This refers not so much to the physiological ability of a person as to the ability to hear one's neighbor, and most importantly, to be spiritually receptive to the moral calls of the Lord and His saints.
For more than two hundred years of veneration of the shrine, a tradition has developed to pray in front of this image during the long separation of the spouses and the loss of contact with relatives. Prayer to the icon "Unexpected Joy" is especially effective in extremely difficult life adversities, in salvation from unfair accusations, in hopeless circumstances.
Relatives and relatives who are on the road and in difficult conditions need spiritual help and protection from dangers and various vicissitudes of fate. And also in a speedy and safe return. Sometimes we ourselves cannot imagine what troubles await us. It is in overcoming such obstacles that prayer in front of the icon helps. Unexpected joy - the one that we no longer expected, did not hope, did not expect - but it illuminated us.
A sudden joy for many is the birth of a child. There are many testimonies when, after prayers before the icon “Unexpected Joy”, children were born to desperate and hopeless spouses.
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The Icon of the Mother of God Unexpected Joy and its lists are a real miracle of physical and spiritual transformation. The image of the Saint has become a real symbol, which allows us to believe that anyone who turns to the Mother of God for help with pure thoughts and an open soul can receive bright and unexpected joy.
From this article you can find out what the image helps, the meaning of the face, O what they pray to the icon of Unexpected Joy when it is celebrated and not only.
One of the first mentions of a divine image appeared somewhere at the beginning of the 19th century, however exact date when the image was painted remains unknown to this day. But as for the verbal image of the Saint, he appeared almost a century earlier than his real incarnation in the wonderful work of Dmitry Rostov Russian saint.
The book of which is based on an amazing story about a repentant sinner. As a rule, on the shrine, the atheist is depicted standing before the face of the Mother of God, feeling incredible remorse and after that he received God's forgiveness and a chance for a new prudent life.
What helps the icon of Unexpected Joy and its meaning
Since some of the first icons created in the 18th century appeared, their miraculous properties. With the help of the image of the Queen of Heaven, various healings of the weak and sick people took place, and it was possible to protect oneself from all kinds of misfortunes by turning to the Mother of God in prayer.
The meaning of the icon Unexpected Joy
All human life consists of small joys that are not always noticed by people and, in pursuit of a ghostly dream, they forget to pay attention to their loved ones and express gratitude to them. This is precisely why cherished dreams are not fulfilled, as they become an obsession, and this just does not give a person the opportunity to rejoice in a new day.
Unexpected joy, the meaning and essence of her face, carries hope in God's will, as well as the renunciation of immoral deeds and sinful thoughts. Gratitude should come from every day spent in peace and warmth. Repentance for bad thoughts and criminal deeds, bitterness, envy and anger, which quite often overwhelm people's hearts.
It is not so hard to just come up and pray to the Holy Face, it will be much more difficult spiritual work, and daily. When you need to learn to pacify your envy and pride, not to be rude, and also to know when it is better to remain silent, learn to calm and restrain yourself, but also not to forget about a benevolent attitude, both to relatives and to strangers.
People by nature are prone to weakness and sin, and if you get used to this with humility and call for the help of the Intercessor, then even the most fallen of people can get a chance to be forgiven.
The divine image embodies the whole essence of spiritual transformation. Hard work on oneself and prayers said will allow a person to choose the right path, the path of goodness and love.
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What to pray for the icon of Unexpected Joy
Prayer before the divine image helps:
- Helps to gain inner spiritual strength and spiritual balance;
- Thanks to prayer, you can get everything that you have dreamed of for so long, but no longer hoped to receive, someone forgiveness, repentance or the salvation of a sinful soul;
- Prayer also helps in curing ailments, especially hearing loss;
- The Mother of God will help people who have lost their loved ones to find and return to loving relatives;
- Pregnant women will be helped to bear a child and give birth to him healthy;
- For parents whose children got out of hand, and also went along an immoral path, the image will help to reason and guide them on the right path;
- It resolves disputes, establishes conflicts, and, it would seem, failures can all turn out to a happy ending.
What a miracle did the shrine
Ultrasound examination of Xenia's unborn child revealed accumulation of fluid in the heart. The future mother, in prayer and forgiveness, tirelessly turned to the Most Holy Theotokos. At the next ultrasound session, the doctors found that the liquid had practically disappeared, and that nothing threatened the child's life.
About a year ago, Alla's nose began to hurt, no ointments and other medicines helped. Having gone to the temple of "John the Theologian", the woman was given little from the miraculous image of the Virgin. After that, Alla began to regularly smear her nose with church medicine and at the same time read a prayer service, and very soon the wound completely healed and stopped hurting.
When is the day of the celebration of the miraculous image of the Mother of God
The veneration of the divine image is carried out several times a year:
- May 14 / May 1, old style;
- December 22 / December 9, old style.
Which churches and temples have a divine face
The divine shrine can be seen in the church of Elijah the Prophet in Moscow. It was from this face that several images were painted, which, like the original, are miraculous.
Every day a large number of people come to the church who want to receive not only grace, but also forgiveness from the Lord. All your doubts, worries Orthodox people expressed in prayer.
Before the divine image, they receive hope, peace, humility, intercession and admonition.
The image of the Saint can be found in such temples:
- Unexpected joy in Maryina Grove is located in the Moscow Church;
- In the Grandmother's Church of the Martyrs Natalia and Adrian;
- There is also an image in Obydensky lane in the church of Elijah the Prophet;
- On the Gorokhove field in the Church of the Ascension of the Lord;
- On the Sands in the Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior;
- In the Danilovskaya Cathedral in the Cathedral of the Resurrection of the Word.
Prayers to the Holy Face
“O Blessed Virgin, the All-Blessed Son of the All-Blessed Mother, the Patroness of this city and holy temple, all those who are in sins, sorrows, troubles and illnesses, faithful to the Intercessor and Intercessor! Receive this prayer singing from us, unworthy Thy servants, lifted up to Thee, and like a sinner of old, praying many times before Your honest icon every day, Thou hast not despised, but Thou hast given him the unexpected joy of repentance and bowed Thy Son to many and zealous to Him intercession for the forgiveness of this sinner and erring one, so now do not despise the prayers of us, Your unworthy servants, and implore Your Son and our God, and to all of us, with faith and tenderness, bowing before Your wholesome image, will grant unexpected joy for everyone: a sinner, mired in the depths of evils and passions - all-effective admonition, repentance and salvation; those who are in sorrow and sorrow - consolation; those who find themselves in troubles and bitterness - these perfect renunciations; cowardly and unreliable - hope and patience; in joy and abundance living - incessant thanksgiving to the Benefactor God; distressed - mercy; those who are in sickness and long-sickness and abandoned by doctors - unforeseen healing and strengthening; dependent on the illness of the mind - the mind return and renewal; departing into eternal and endless life - the memory of death, tenderness and contrition for sins, the spirit is cheerful and firm hope for the mercy of the Judge.
O Holy Lady! Have mercy on all those who honor Your all-honorable Name and show to everyone Your omnipotent cover and intercession: in piety, purity and honest living, keep them in goodness until the end; do evil good; guide those who have gone astray to the right path; To every good work and to Your Son, please, advance; destroy every evil and ungodly deed; in perplexity and difficult and dangerous circumstances, those who receive invisible help and admonition from Heaven, save from temptations, temptations and death, protect and save from all evil people and from enemies visible and invisible; float floating, traveling travel; be the Nurse who exists in need and hunger; for those who do not have shelter and shelter, wake up cover and refuge; give a garment to the naked, to the offended and unjustly persecuted - intercession; slander, reproach and blasphemy of the sufferer invisibly justify; slanderers and detractors in front of all guise; give fiercely hostile unforeseen reconciliation and to all of us - love, peace, and piety, and health with long life for each other.
Keep marriages in love and like-mindedness; spouses, in enmity and division of existence, die, unite me to each other and put them an indestructible union of love; grant quick permission to mothers of childbearing children, raise babies, young chaste, open their minds to the perception of any useful teaching, instruct the fear of God, abstinence and industriousness; from domestic strife and enmity, consanguineous world and love fence; motherless orphans wake up Mother, from all vice and filth, I turn away and teach everything good and pleasing to God, seduced and fallen into sin and impurity, having taken away the filth of sin, from the abyss of death lead; Wake up the widows Comforter and Helper, wake up the wand of old age; from sudden death without repentance, deliver us all and all of us the Christian death of our belly, painless, shameless, peaceful and kind answer at the Terrible Judgment of Christ, grant: repenting in faith and repentance from this life with the Angels and make all the saints live; who died a sudden death, be merciful to be Thy Son, and for all the departed, who do not have relatives, for the repose of their Son of Thy begging, Be yourself an unceasing and warm Prayer and Intercessor: yes, all in Heaven and on earth lead Thee, like a firm and shameless Representative of the race Christian, and, leading, glorify Thee and Thee Thy Son, with His Father Without Beginning and His Consubstantial Spirit, now and forever, and forever and ever. Amen".
Prayer for children
“Oh, Blessed Virgin, the All-Blessed Son of the All-Blessed Mother, the Protector of this city, all who are in sins, sorrows, troubles and illnesses, faithful to the Intercessor and Intercessor!
Receive this prayer singing from us, Thy unworthy servants, lifted up to Thee: and like a sinner of old, praying many times before Your honest icon every day, Thou didst not despise, but Thou didst grant the unexpected joy of repentance, and with His zealous intercession to Your Son for the forgiveness of the sinner thou hast bowed thus, and now do not despise the prayers of us, unworthy thy servants, but implore thy Son and our God, and all of us, with faith and tenderness before the whole-bearing image of thy worshipers, according to whom you need, unexpected joy will grant: yes, all in heaven and on lands lead Thee, as a firm and shameless Representative of the Christian race, and this is leading, they glorify Thee and Thee, Thy Son with His Beginningless Father and His Consubstantial Spirit, now and ever and forever and ever. Amen".
God bless you!
Prayers always help believers. People turn to the Mother of God in moments of despair, when help is no longer available. One of the icons that can help in healing, giving peace to the soul is the icon of the Mother of God Unexpected Joy. Many people turn to her in the hope that she will give a joyful deliverance from troubles. This image is highly revered by the people.
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Historical facts about the miraculous icon
The first mention of the miraculous image goes back to the beginning of the 19th century, but the exact date of writing the face is still unknown to anyone. This is one of the holy images, in which the verbal description appeared earlier than its very incarnation. You can find it in the work of the Russian enlightener Rostovsky Dmitry, which he called "Irrigated Fleece".
This book tells the amazing story of a repentant sinner. On the image of the shrine itself, there is usually a sinner who stands before the Mother of God with a feeling of incredible remorse. After that, he receives God's forgiveness and a chance to start a new prudent life. In the work, the author also described twenty-four cases of miraculous healing.
Churches where the image is kept
Not all churches have an icon of Unexpected Joy. Her photo can be seen on the Internet, but her image can be found in:
During the revolution of 1917, many miraculous images were taken abroad. But many were ruthlessly destroyed. Fortunately, some of the icons have been preserved, and in certain churches you can see them with your own eyes, as well as pray to them.
The Church of Elijah the Prophet is one of the places where various relics from those churches that were not spared by the Soviet regime are kept. So that's how it got there. miraculous icon which has been preserved to this day.
The meaning of the shrine and its help
With the advent of the first icons in the 18th century, their miraculous properties began to spread. With the help of the saint Heavenly Queen various strange things happened. These included:
- miraculous healings of the sick;
- recovery of patients;
- people tried to protect themselves from various misfortunes, etc.
For all this, people turned to the Mother of God for help through prayers.
The whole life of a person is made up of various small joys and victories. But they do not always remain noticed by people. In pursuit of an imaginary dream, they forget about the need to pay attention to loved ones and give thanks for everything. Because of this, cherished dreams do not come true. They, becoming an obsession, do not give a person the opportunity to enjoy a new day.
The essence of the icon is in the hope of the will of the Lord and the renunciation of sinful deeds and thoughts and immoral deeds. The day should be spent in peace and gratitude should flow into each of them. It is necessary to repent of bad thoughts and criminal deeds, bitterness, envy and anger, because they are so often present in the hearts of people and overwhelm them.
Praying near the holy face is not difficult, but much harder spiritual work that is needed daily.
It is difficult to learn to pacify one's own envy, pride, anger and other sins. You need to learn to restrain yourself and understand when it is better to remain silent..
You always need to be calm and restrained and remember the benevolent attitude towards your loved ones and relatives and not only.
By nature, a sinful person has a tendency to weakness, but when you treat this with humility and get used to it, then, calling for the help of the Intercessor, even the most fallen person can deserve a chance to be forgiven.
The divine holy face personifies essence of transformation in the spiritual sense. With hard work on oneself and one's deeds, as well as reading prayers, everyone is allowed to choose the right path, on which love and goodness will be present.
What can the shrine "Unexpected Joy" help with?
People are always interested in what prayers should be read in front of the Unexpected Joy icon. You can pray to her for many things. You can select a whole list of problems with which the icon is addressed. How does it help:
Icon of the Mother of God "Unexpected Joy"
Akathist to the icon
Every believer knows that each icon has its own Akathist. Akathist are laudatory and joyful words that are able to convey how strong gratitude is. The Akathist to the Most Holy Theotokos Unexpected Joy consists of several prayers, which are usually read standing up. It should be noted that the Akathist is not read on those days when church people stick to the post.
Akathist is usually pronounced in Sundays in front of the icon. However, there are days on which it is read for several days in a row. Before reading, the blessing of the priest is required. He can tell you on what days it will be necessary to do this.
Prayer words must be pronounced before the divine face. Akathist is considered one of the strongest prayer appeals. This is a kind of prayer for help in various matters, cases, addressed to the Mother of God, who acts in the form of an icon of Unexpected Joy.
On May 14, June 3 and December 22, the Orthodox Church celebrates the feast of the icon of the Mother of God "Unexpected Joy". The first part of the image is a man standing in front of the icon, whose eyes and hands are turned to the Mother of God. It is located in the lower left corner. The image of the Mother of God herself belongs to the Hodegetria type. Below is usually either the beginning of the story about the miracle of St. Demetrius of Rostov, or part of the prayer to the icon "Unexpected Joy". The Divine Infant is depicted on the icon with open wounds on his body.
The History of the Icon of the Mother of God "Unexpected Joy"
The legend tells of the appearance of the Mother of God with the Divine Infant to a man. It was described by St. Rostov in his work Irrigated Fleece. The man suffered from which he could not overcome in any way. After each violation of the promise, he asked for forgiveness from the icon of the Mother of God. One fine day, before committing a sin, the man again turned to the icon and, leaving, he noticed that the Mother of God turned her face towards him, and wounds appeared on the body of the Divine Infant, from which blood flowed. This event seriously affected the man, and he felt spiritual cleansing and forgot about his sin forever. This story became the basis for writing the famous icon.
The most famous image is located in the temple of Elijah the Prophet, which is located in Moscow. Several lists were made from this icon, which also showed their power and worked miracles. Every day people come to the image and turn to the Higher powers with their problems.
What helps the icon "Unexpected Joy"?
Throughout life, a person performs various actions and experiences feelings, for example, envy, anger, etc. All this negatively affects the internal state. By turning to the icon, the believer can find joy, peace, find his true path and destiny. For example, in different historical periods during wars, women prayed at the image for the return of their husbands, and the desired result became a reality.
To receive help, it is necessary to read a prayer in front of the icon of the Virgin “Unexpected Joy”, and then state everything that lies on the soul with a stone. Many women who want to get pregnant make this request to the face and soon the desire comes true. The icon helps to heal from various diseases, for example, there is evidence that people got rid of deafness and blindness. The icon of the Virgin "Unexpected Joy" will help strengthen faith and give hope in better times. If you read a prayer for the family before this image, then you can improve relationships, get rid of enmity, conflicts and other problems. You can pray in front of the icon about various family problems, the main thing is to do it from pure heart. Lonely people can ask Higher powers help in finding a soul mate. Prayers about earthly affairs are read before the icon. For example, you can get protection from existing enemies, gossip and various troubles. The face will also help in solving material problems.
There are no definite rules, as it should be before the icon “Unexpected Joy”. The clergy say that the main thing is to do it from the heart. It is recommended that you first contact the priest in order to receive a blessing from him. If the text of the prayer is difficult to remember, then you can read it from the sheet, but it is important to write everything with your own hands. It is also allowed to address the face in your own words, most importantly, to speak from the heart without any thoughts.
Prayer to the icon "Unexpected Joy" sounds like this:
This is the most important prayer for turning to this icon, but there are also other texts that are used depending on the situation, that is, considering what exactly you need to ask the Higher powers. You can also read the Akathist to the icon "Unexpected Joy".
