There is no other woman the prophets had prophesied about and the Bible took great care of, like the Virgin Mary. Many symbols and types are mentioned about her in the Old Testament.
Many beatitudes, glorification were mentioned about her in the writings of the Church fathers. How excellent are the titles, which the Church calls here inspired by the spirit of the Bible. She is our mother and the glory of our race, the Queen who sits at the right hand of the King, the ever virgin, the pure, the full of grace, St. Mary. She is the strong and merciful helper, the mother of the true light, the true vine and the mother of salvation.
The Church elevates her above the rank of the Archangels, the Cherubim and the Seraphim.
Mary who was raised inside the Temple, and lived the life of prayer and meditation from her early childhood, was the holy vessel, which the Lord had chosen to dwell in.
Many generations have waited for the birth of this virgin that the fullness of time may be fulfilled in her (Gal. 4:4). She is the one who removed the reproach of Eve and saved the reputation of the woman after the fall.
It is the mother of God who came to our Country, Egypt, during the childhood of Christ and lived in our land some years and blessed and sanctified it. She is the same virgin who performed many apparitions and miracles of healing and salvation at Zeitoun, Egypt thirty years ago.
St. Mary is not a stranger to us, but she deeply lives in the hearts and minds of the Copts to the point of change from just being a Dogma to the level of the personal the emotional experience.
There is no such human personality; people have loved in Christianity like the Virgin Mary.
In Egypt all Churches celebrate her feast. In the rites, there are many praises, songs, glorifications and doxologies focused on her especially in the month of Kiahk. Our brothers the Catholics give her one whole month named the Marian month. In Egypt, one quarter of the current monasteries are called after her name. In the West, thousands of Churches, schools and hospitals are named after her blessed name.
The most ancient Church which was built after the name of Virgin Mary in the apostolic era, was the Church of Philippi, and in Egypt at the time of Pope Theonas, the 16 Patriarch in the year 274 AD. We have two churches in Europe called Virgin of Zeitoun, one of them in France and the other in Vienna, Austria.
The Greatness of the Virgin:
The greatness of the Virgin was decided by the Ecumenical Counsel of Ephesus, which was held in the year 431AD, and attended by 200 Bishops from all over the world. They add the introduction of the Creed that says, “We magnify you, the mother of the true light, and glorify you the Theotokos, the Holy Virgin, for you bore for us the Savior of the world who came and saved our souls…”
On what basis did the Counsel issue this introduction?
- The Virgin is the blessed saint, whose blessedness will continue throughout all generations according to her song, “For behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed” (Lk. 1:48).
- The Church gave the Virgin the title of the Queen who stands at the right hand of the King according the Psalm 45:9. Therefore, many artists when they draw the picture of the Virgin they depict her with a crown on her head as a Queen and place her on the right side of Christ the King.
- The praising of the Virgin is also clear from the salutation of the angel Gabriel, Hail to you O full of grace, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” (Lk 1:28).
- Before the greatness of St. Mary, St. Elizabeth felt so lowly and witnessed to her, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy…” (Lk. 1:42-45).It is really an amazing greatness that just her greeting caused Elizabeth to be filled of the Holy Spirit and the babe in her womb to leap for joy! When Elizabeth was filled of the Holy Spirit, it was revealed to her that St. Mary will be the mother of her Lord!
- The greatness of St. Mary is shown by: God’s selecting her out of all the women; Of the world and favoring her above all
- It is written, “Many daughters have done well, but you excel them all” (Prov. 31:39).