Humankind – in the Image and Likeness of God: By accepting death on the cross, Jesus Christ transformed the instrument of death, the cross, into a “tree of life;” The Church witnesses to this in the Feast of the Exaltation of the Precious and Life-Giving Cross (September 14/27), when we contemplate the Life-Giving Cross in light of Holy Pascha: “To your Cross, O Master, we bow in veneration; and we glorify your Holy Resurrection.” The Lord voluntarily took upon himself the sin of the world and transfigured the cross of death into a sign of the Resurrection, having trampled death by death, and granted us eternal life. (Christ Our Pascha, 140)
The Fall: God created everything good (see Gn :1: 31). According to the testimony of Holy Scripture, evil appears later – through the rejection of good. “Evil does not exist by nature, nor is anyone naturally evil, for God made nothing that was not good.” Evil is the limitation and corruption of that which already exists: “Evil has its existence in non-being.” Sin strips us of life —of God. Evil emerges as a result of personal sin, as we read: “From where did this [evil] come? Is it not the obvious consequence of your libertinism and your choice? It is certainly thus and no one can claim the opposite. Ask yourself.” As a consequence of the Fall, evil enters into the world; it is permitted by God for the sake of repentance and the conversion of humankind : “From this proceed illnesses in cities and countries, droughts, bad harvests, the destruction of cities, earthquakes, floods, the vanquishing of armies…” (Christ Our Pascha, 141)
Post-feast of the Dormition: A Prayer to the Mother of God
O gracious Mother of the gracious God, O most pure and blessed Mary, the Mother of God, pour the mercy of thy Son and our God upon my impassionate soul, and with thine intercessions set me unto good deeds, that I may pass the rest of my life without blemish and, with thine aid, attain heaven. O Virgin mother of God, the only one who art pure and blessed. O Queen of the Heavenly Host, Defender of our souls: being delivered from evil, as thy servants, O Mother of God, we offer unto thee the hymns of thanks and victory; but as thou hast power invincible, deliver us from all calamity, that we may cry unto thee: Rejoice, O ever-Virgin Bride!