Behold the handmaiden of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.” (Luke 1:38)

Such was the principal rule of the life of the most-blessed Virgin Mary. Thus did she feel and speak, and not only when the Archangel Gabriel announced to her that she would conceive and give birth to the Son of God, but throughout her entire life. Having once and for all devoted herself to the Lord, she drew from that very devotion to God’s will, the courage and strength to endure all her sorrows, an unshakeable resolve, and steadfastness to submit to His will and to obey all of the Lord’s Commandments.

Such complete dedication to the Lord should be the virtue that is first and foremost in every follower of the Savior. The Lord said of Himself, “…I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father, which hath sent Me…” (John 5:30), and He concluded his final prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane with the words “...nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou wilt…” (Matthew 26:39) Such complete devotion to God, devotion that is the fruit of total, selfless, love toward Him, is the fundamental basis of Christian life, the finest adornment to the soul. In that complete dedication to God lies the source of ultimate consolation and strengthening in all of the difficulties we encounter in life.

Holy devotion to the Lord engenders steadfastness and keeps one from turning away from the path God’s providence has revealed. One who is truly dedicated to the Lord follows without deviation the path upon which the Lord has placed him. For one devoted to God, any station in life, be it exalted or lowly, is a path to life eternal, is a means toward obeying God’s holy will.

One who is devoted to God fears nothing in life. He knows that we brought nothing with us into this world, and that upon our departure from the world, we cannot take anything out of it. He knows that sooner or later, we will have to leave all of our earthly acquisitions here, on this side of the grave. He knows that every loss we have suffered for the Lord here will be returned one hundred fold there, where nothing is temporal and changeable, where everything is eternal and immutable.

Such is the marvelous power of true, utter devotion to the will of God. It desires nothing on earth, and fears nothing earthly. Not seeking after anything, it is incapable of losing anything. It leaves everything for the sake of the Lord, and in so doing, finds the Lord Himself. Let us also strive to acquire this truly holy and great virtue of the Most-blameless Virgin Mary, the Mother of our Lord. Let us follow her along this path of complete devotion to the will of God. By her prayers, she will bring us into the joy of her Son and our God.

Archpriest Victor Potapov