Just As The Rock Which Moses Struck Bring Forth The Spring For The Israelites,

Just as the rock which Moses struck bring forth the spring for the Israelites,

so too did the Virgin Maiden bring forth the Living Water for the salvation of the world.

+ Icon of the Life Giving Spring +

Speechless be the lips of impious ones,

Those who do not reverence your great icon, the sacred one,

Which is called Directress (Hodegetria) and was depicted for us,

By one of the Apostles, Luke the Evangelist.

(from the Megalynaria for the Theotokos)

Byzantine icon of the Madonna (Theotokos) and Child, of the type known as Hodegetria (Our Lady of the Way): Mary gestures toward the infant Christ, who in turn raises his hand in a sign of blessing. The type originated in a now lost icon from the Monastery of the Panagia Hodegetria in Constantinople that was said to have been painted by St. Luke. This example, by an unknown artist, dates to the 14th century and is in the MUZA, Valletta, Malta.

Monastics (monks and nuns) don’t say “thank you” as an expression of gratitude to others.

The monastic expression for gratitude is typically “May God forgive you.”

“But seek first the kingdom [of God] and His righteousness, and all these things will be given to you besides.”

Matthew 6:33