In the tradition of Orthodoxy, there are a lot of different icon-painting images of the Mother of God. Most of them are little known, being purely local shrines. However, there are examples marked by general church veneration. Among them, with its unusualness, the image called the Seven-shooter stands out. This icon, as well as the prayers that are offered before it, will be discussed in this article.
Meaning of the image
The seven-shot icon of the Mother of God has another name - "Softener of Evil Hearts". More rarely, it is also called Simeon's prophecy. At its core, this icon is an illustration of the event of the Feast of the Meeting of the Lord, that is, the feast of the Meeting of the Lord, described in the Gospel. When Jesus Christ was still a baby, his mother, that is, the Mother of God, brought him for the first time to the Jerusalem temple. There they were met by a righteous man named Simeon. According to legend, this manwas one of the translators of the Holy Scriptures into Greek, which took place in Egypt three hundred years before the birth of the Savior. When Simeon translated the book of the prophet Isaiah, he doubted whether it was written correctly that a virgin would conceive and give birth to a son. After hesitating, he nevertheless decided that this was a mistake, and wrote the word "woman" in the translation. At the same moment, an angel appeared before him, who informed him that the original prophecy about the conception of a virgin was true, and in order to dispel his doubts, he would be given the opportunity to see this wonderful baby. And so Simeon had been waiting for this meeting (meeting - in Slavonic) for three hundred years at the temple. And finally, I waited. When Mary handed the baby to him in her arms, a prophetic spirit descended on him, and he spoke a prophecy about the newborn Jesus, noting that his mother's "weapon would pierce the soul." It is this weapon, that is, the suffering of the Mother of God, that is symbolically depicted on the Seven-shooter icon in the form of seven swords piercing her heart. There are exactly seven swords, since in the biblical tradition this number means completeness and completeness.
This legend is, without a doubt, apocryphal in relation to the original Christian tradition. But this does not detract from its moral significance, which gave birth to a second, more practical interpretation. Since Mary is revered in Orthodoxy as the heavenly queen and spiritual mother of all Christians, the weapon that pierces her is not only sorrow from the torment Jesus Christ accepted on the cross, but also human sins, for which he is crucifiedand endured. Seven swords in this context mean the seven deadly sins that pierce the loving and grieving heart of the Mother of God.
The origin of the image
Where this icon came from, no one knows. According to a pious legend, it was discovered by a peasant from Vologda, who was seriously ill with lameness and partial paralysis. No doctors could cure him. Once, in a dream, he was instructed to climb the bell tower of the local church of St. John the Theologian and take the icon from there. Of course, the clergy of the cathedral did not take this revelation seriously and twice refused the old man's request, knowing full well that there were no icons there. But the peasant was persistent, and in the end he was allowed to climb the belfry in order to ascertain for himself the meaninglessness of his own words. However, having barely gone upstairs, he recognized the icon in one of the boards, which served as a step on the stairs. The image was immediately lowered down, cleaned and served a prayer service. It was then that the first prayer of the Mother of God of the Seven Arrows was uttered, as a result of which the peasant was completely healed. Since then, miracles began to happen from the icon. And this, in turn, led to the spread of fame about the miraculous image. They began to make lists from it, of which there are now a huge number in several varieties. The original image after the repressions of the 1930s, unfortunately, disappeared, it has not yet been found.
What do they pray for in front of the Seven-shot image of the Mother of God
As before any icon, the prayer of the Mother of God of the Seven Arrowscan be dedicated to any occasion. However, the specificity of the image has formed a special sphere of needs, mainly in which they turn to Mary in front of this icon. First of all, these are requests for peace and for overcoming anger, hatred and revenge on the part of someone. Actually, that is why it was nicknamed "Softener of Evil Hearts." Offended people, stern bosses, strict parents and teachers - in all these cases, a prayer can be addressed to the icon of the Seven Arrows. How to pray to the Mother of God does not really matter. Examples of prayers will be given below, but in general you can refer to Mary in your own words, as long as they are sincere. What matters is not the beauty of prayer, but a fervent believing heart. If this condition is met, then without a doubt, the prayer to the icon of the Seven Arrows will be heard. When to pray, how, how much, it doesn't matter.
The text of the prayer in front of the Seven-shooter icon
For an example, we still give a few generally accepted texts that are read in churches at public services and at home by believers. The main prayer of the Mother of God of the Seven Shooters in Russian translation sounds like this:
"Oh, much-suffering Mother of God, surpassing all the daughters of the earth in her purity and in her sufferings that you endured on earth! Accept our sorrowful prayers and save us under the protection of your mercy. Because we have no other refuge and so we don’t know an ardent intercessor like you. You have boldness in prayers to your birth, so help and save us with your prayers so that we can easily reach the kingdom of heaven and there withall the saints to sing the one Trinity - God, now and forever and forever and ever. Amen!"
This is the usual prayer of the Mother of God of the Seven Arrows. The queen of the Christian faith is represented in it as an intercessor, which she is, according to the ideas of Orthodox Christians. There are also shorter prayers dedicated to this image. They have a special liturgical purpose and are called troparion and kontakion.
Troparion, tone 5
Soften our evil hearts, Mother of God, and destroy the attacks of those who hate us, and deliver our soul from embarrassment, looking at your holy image. By your compassion and mercy towards us, we are brought to tenderness and we kiss your wounds, but we are afraid of our arrows that torment you. Do not let us, good mother, perish in our hardness of heart from the cruelty of our neighbors, since you are truly a softening of evil hearts.
Kontakion, tone 2
By your grace, mistress, soften evil hearts, send down benefactors, protecting them from all evil, for good, praying to you diligently before your holy icons.
Kontakion, troparion and the official prayer of the Mother of God of the Seven Arrows reflect her main idea - overcoming evil in hearts. However, this icon also serves as a symbol of heartfelt sorrow, so any suffering of the soul can be poured out in front of this image. For example, it could be a request for help in arranging a happy personal life.
Prayer to the icon of the Seven-shot Mother of God from loneliness
Oh madam-Mother of God, pour out your great mercy on me, giving me the strength to get rid of the heavy burden of the loneliness of the soul. Free me from every evil curse, from the influence of unclean spirits, from the evil that has been brought to my life. Amen!
