Eastern Catholic Prayers to Mary

The fact that Eastern Catholics don’t traditionally pray the Rosary can give some the impression that we have no devotion to the Mother of God.

But nothing can be further from the truth.

Anyone even casually familiar with our liturgical services – from our Divine Liturgies to our Divine Offices – knows that our prayers are replete with references to and praises of the Mother of God.

Some of the Eastern Catholic (and Orthodox) Churches even have more-or-less lengthy paraliturgical services entirely devoted to the Mother of God. As the Catechism points out:

In the East, the litany called the Akathistos and the Paraclesis remained closer to the choral office in the Byzantine churches, while the Armenian, Coptic, and Syriac traditions preferred popular hymns and songs to the Mother of God. But in the Ave Maria, the theotokia, the hymns of St. Ephrem or St. Gregory of Narek, the tradition of prayer is basically the same. (CCC, 2678)

This begs the question: Apart from the Akathist and Paraclesis – which are distinctly Byzantine services to the Mother of God – what are some other Eastern Catholic prayers to Mary that show our devotion to the Mother of God?

It Is Truly Meet

This theotokion – a part of a collection of troparia specifically dedicated to the Mother of God – is sung at nearly every Divine Liturgy in the Byzantine tradition.

Additionally, it is often included in many prayer rules associated with the Jesus Prayer. It’s not uncommon for one to end one’s prayer rule with the following theotokion and then the prayer, “Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers, O Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us.”

It is truly meet to bless you, O Theotokos. You are ever blessed and all blameless, and the Mother of our God. Higher in honor than the Cherubim, and more glorious beyond compare than the Seraphim, you who without stain bore God the Word. You truly the Theotokos, you do we exalt.

The Angelic Salutation and the Jesus Prayer

Given that the words of the Hail Mary are taken directly from the Scripture, it’s not surprising that the East has its own version of Gabriel and Elizabeth’s words of praise to the Mother of God.

Commonly referred to as the “Angelic Salutation,” this Eastern version of the Hail Mary is prayed in both the Byzantine and the Syriac traditions:

Hail Virgin Theotokos, Mary full of grace, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, for your have borne the Savior of our souls.

In the Byzantine tradition itself, there’s also a common practice of modifying the Jesus Prayer to include a request for the Mother of God’s intercession:

Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, through the intercession of the Theotokos, have mercy on me a sinner.

The great Russian Orthodox saint, Seraphim of Sarov, also recommended that after supper one pray quietly to the Mother of God:

Most Holy Theotokos, save me a sinner.

Syriac Supplication to the Mother of God

Another beautiful Eastern Catholic prayer to the Mother of God that I came across recently is titled simply “A Supplication to the Holy Virgin Mary.” I won’t quote the whole thing here because it is somewhat lengthy.

What stood out to me the most is the biblical typology throughout the prayer:

Hail, O bush that was set aflame, but was not consumed. Hail, O depth which is difficult to be perceived by sight. Hail O bridge that leads to the height and the ladder that lifts up into heaven. Hail, O vessel in which the Divine Manna was preserved.

This is quite in line with St. Ephrem (the Syrian) of Nisibis’s own praises of the Mother of God from his 8th Hymn on the Nativity quoted below.

Coptic Prayer to the Mother of God

I admit that I’m not terribly familiar with the Coptic Catholic and Coptic Orthodox tradition. I’ve only ever been to a single Coptic Vespers service.

That being said, I came across this prayer to the Mother of God while researching this article:

O, Virgin Mary, Mother of God, the faithful intercessor of the human race, intercede for us in front of Christ, Whom you have born, that He may bestow upon us the forgiveness of our sins.

Lift up our prayers to your Beloved Son.

Ask the Lord to show mercy towards our souls.

Intercede for us infront of our Savior that He may confirm us in the upright faith.

Intercede for every sinner that he may repent and return to God.

Intercede for every needy and suffering person that God may fulfill his or her needs.

Intercede for every soul walking in darkness that he may see the True Light, Whom you gave birth to, and believe in Him.

Intercede for the whole world.

Amen.

Sub Tuum

Commonly referred to by Roman Catholics as the “Sub Tuum,” this originally Eastern Catholic prayer to the Mother of God is the oldest known written prayer to Our Lady. Originally written in Greek, the Sub Tuum dates from around 250 AD and is believed to have been part of the Coptic Vespers service for the Christmas season.

We fly to your protection, O Holy Mother of God. Do not despise our petitions in our necessities, but deliver us always from all dangers, O Glorious and Blessed Virgin.

Interestingly, Pope Francis recommended that Catholics East and West return to this ancient prayer to ask Mary’s intercession for the end of the COVID-19 pandemic. He’s continued to encourage its recitation in times of spiritual trouble.

Qurbono for the Announcement to Mary

The Qurbono – the Syriac-Maronite name for the Mass or the Divine Liturgy – contains a catechetical prayer known as the Hoosoyo or “Prayer of Forgiveness.”

During the Season of Announcement – in which we celebrate God’s economy in preparing the way for the Incarnation, as well as prepare ourselves for the celebration of the birth of our Lord – the Hoosoyo for the Annunciation to Mary has a beautiful hymn of thanksgiving to God and praise to the Mother of God that, again, is full of biblical typology:

Glory to you, O Exalted One, for you chose to live among us. You are the power who dwelt in the pure Virgin Mary and appeared from her as God Incarnate. Today we cry out, proclaiming:

Blessed are you, O Mary, because the Son of God has chosen you as his mother!

Blessed are you, O Mary, because of you Adam has been freed!

Blessed are you, O Mary, because you are the glory of nations and the pride of all generations!

Hymn 8 On the Nativity

And so you can see closely the theological tradition in which many of these prayers were first composed, here is just one quote, among many, from St. Ephrem (the Syrian) of Nisibis in which he praises the Mother of God because from her came the Savior:

A wonder is Your Mother. The Lord entered her, and became a servant: the Word entered her, and became silent within her; thunder entered her, and His voice was still: the Shepherd of all entered her; He became a Lamb in her, and came forth bleating.

The Belly of Your Mother changed the order of things, O You that orders all! The rich went in, He came out poor: the High One went in, He came out lowly. Brightness went into her and clothed Himself, and came forth a despised form.

The Mighty went in, and clad Himself with fear from the Belly. He that gives food to all went in, and got hunger. He that gives all to drink went in, and got thirst. Naked and bare came forth from her the Clother of all.

I also highly recommend checking out this beautiful excerpt from St. Ephrem’s Hymn on the Angel’s Announcement to Mary.

Eastern Catholic Prayer to Mary

So, despite the fact that we don’t traditionally pray the Rosary, it should be clear that Eastern Catholics have a long tradition of prayer to the Mother of God. And this shouldn’t be surprising considering that the dogma of the Divine Maternity was defined in the East.

Some of our prayers to the Mother of God are little more than short “ejaculatory prayers.” Others are moderately lengthy supplications. And some of the longer Eastern Catholic prayers to the Mother of God can last an hour or more when fully sung in the “choral tradition” of the Byzantine tradition.

What do all of these Eastern Christian prayers to the Mother of God have in common? They are all, to a greater or lesser extent, liturgical.