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Mary, save us? Understanding a misunderstood prayer

Mary, save us? Understanding a misunderstood prayer

Last updated on: May 22, 2025 at 1:37 pm by HJ Sandigo

Mary, save us? Understanding a misunderstood prayer 2025-05-22T13:37:41-07:00 HJ Sandigo

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This may contain: two hands holding a heart shaped stone with jesus on it in front of some rocks

The monks of Mt. Athos are known for their devotion to the Jesus Prayer. But a lesser-known and equally ancient prayer of the Holy Mountain is: “Most Holy Theotokos, save us.” Save us? At first glance, it might seem excessive. After all, Jesus saves—don’t you know?!

But consider this: if I were drowning and someone pulled me to safety, and I said, “Thank you! You saved me,” who would object? No one would accuse me of undermining the work of Christ. My gratitude wouldn’t negate the cross or the resurrection.

So too, when we cry out to Our Lady, “Most Holy Theotokos, save us,” we are acknowledging the power of her intercession, not replacing the Savior.

This is the prayer of a child, whispering to his mother, “Save me… from despair, from shame, from fear, from my own comforts.”

It is, at its heart, a plea:

“All is not well in my soul. Take me to Jesus, Mother.”

Just as in childhood we ran to our mothers with aches, wounds, and worries, trusting she would help, so too in the spiritual life, we turn to Mary with confidence.

Sometimes, in our desire to overcome sin, we give it too much power. We allow it to define us, forgetting that “waging war on the passions” is not about mere escape or suppression.

We’re not called to disembodiment or a gnostic detachment, but to union.

In Christ, heaven and earth are joined. God and man are wed. And just as Jesus came to us through Mary, so too our return to Him is facilitated through her. We can grow closer to Jesus by seeking her intercession.

The saints called her the Mystical Ladder, the one by whom we ascend to divine intimacy.

This may contain: a statue of the virgin mary is next to a telephone box with a phone on it

Today’s Challenge:

Reflect on this passage from Fr. F.W. Faber, meditating on Mary’s receptivity.

“The obstacles of the soul you, O Virgin most prudent, have always avoided. Never did you allow them to arise in you. Never was there the least hindrance to the entrance of God’s light in you, nor to the transmission of His light to the world. For you received God Himself. You conceived the very God in your heart, in your mind, and in your body, and you transmitted to the world the Incarnate Light.”

When we consecrate ourselves to the Immaculata and enroll in the school of Mary, we too can learn to magnify the Lord, not only in our soul but in the lives of those around us. Total consecration to the Blessed Virgin Mary, as advocated by St. Maximilian Kolbe & St. Louis-Marie de Montfor, is the surest path to Theosis: or sharing in the life of God, including His wisdom, love, justice, and glory.

I will delve into further information on Marian consecration in future installments, so be sure to subscribe.

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About H.J. Sandigo

H.J. Sandigo is a nomadic chronicler, originally from Placerville. The hearth that kindles his tales is John 1:14: The Word took on dust and sinew, walked among us, and made His dwelling in the wild. You can read more about the author here.

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