On April 4, at the Metropolitan Cathedral of St. Great Martyr Nedelya, Patriarch Daniel of Bulgaria celebrated the Little Compline together with the Akathist Hymn to the Most Holy Theotokos.
The Akathist was read successively by Archimandrite Ioan, Protosyncellus of the Holy Metropolis of Sofia (first stasis); Bishop Tikhon of Tiberiopolis (second stasis) and Bishop Gerasimos of Melnik (third stasis). The fourth stasis, including the kneeling prayer to the Most Holy Theotokos, was read by Patriarch Daniel.
The hymns were prayerfully performed by the Sofia Priestly Choir under the direction of Protopresbyter Dr. Kiril Popov.
At the conclusion of the service, the Patriarch delivered a sermon in which he highlighted the example of the Most Holy Theotokos as a model of virginity and chastity — a source of complete, true, and everlasting joy in God:
“No matter how many songs and praises we offer to the Holy Theotokos, it will never be enough to express our gratitude or describe the greatness of what she has done for us all. She, who was the beginning of Christ’s miracles, has never ceased to perform miracles; she, through whom ‘joy has shone forth’ (from the Akathist), continues even today to bring us joy and to be a source of unceasing gladness; she, who is the bridge that leads people from earth to heaven, never ceases to guide all who seek God and desire to live a heavenly life; she, the teacher of chastity, intercedes for all through her prayers.
Perhaps many in our time have not truly encountered this joy. We venerate the Holy Theotokos mostly with our lips, but how much do our souls partake in the abundance of spiritual gifts she has brought us? Perhaps the real indicator of whether we receive these blessings and strive to live by them is the number of people who dedicate themselves to a chaste, virgin life. Indeed, according to the testimony of those who live in chastity and virginity, such a life is both a blessing and a joy. Even in places where the Orthodox tradition was once unknown — like North America or Western Europe — today we find more spiritual lights and more people striving to live pure, chaste, and virgin lives than in Bulgaria, which has been enlightened by Orthodoxy for over a thousand years.
We praise the Holy Theotokos with our lips, singing: ‘Rejoice, you who make the paradise of delights to bloom’ (from the Akathist), but do we understand and taste this paradise of delights?
Have we trusted in and followed her yearning for God? Do we strive to imitate her zeal and total devotion to God, her attentive prayer, her humble and quiet life — instead of worldly vanity?
For if we sincerely and wholeheartedly imitate her and entrust ourselves to such a life, there is no way that the grace of God will not stir in us a longing for chaste, virgin, monastic life and give strength to many Orthodox Christians in our country to follow her example.
The Holy Fathers call her the first monastic — she is the archetype of the chaste, virgin life, which brings forth spiritual fruit and enlivens both soul and body, allowing one to live in joy. Communion with God allows us, even in this earthly life, to taste, acquire, and possess within us the joy that springs from the source of life — our Lord Jesus Christ.”
The Patriarch concluded his homily with the words:
“We glorify and thank the Mother of God, and through every sincerely offered praise to her, as an expression of true veneration, we partake of the joy that filled her womb. For the Lord has said: ‘He who receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man’s reward’ (Matt. 10:41).
If we honor the Mother of God as the Bearer of God and hymn her as Full of Grace, then a portion of that blessedness will touch and fill our souls. Let us not squander it, but preserve it through steadfastness and patience in prayer, in a quiet and chaste life, so that love for God may grow and take root in us — and the blessings that she brought through the birth of the Savior may be deeply planted within us, so that the fire of God’s grace and God’s love may ignite the hearts of those around us.”
Source: Patriarchate of Bulgaria
Photos: Vesela Ignatova
