Christianity is one of the three world religions. It is based on the teaching of the God-Man Jesus Christ. According to Christian dogmas, Christ atoned for the sins of mankind by his death and opened the way for reunion with God. Jesus came into the world through the virgin birth of an earthly woman whose name is Mary.
Virgin Mary and her earthly path
The Blessed Virgin was a girl from Nazareth. The story of her conception of her Son is amazing. Without the participation of an earthly man, through the Holy Spirit, a new life was born in her womb. Thus the Blessed Virgin became the mother of Jesus Christ. She is one of the most revered saints in the Christian religion. All believers worship the image of the Virgin, imprinted on the icons. In Christian churches there are more than one hundred of them. Some of them are more common, such as Kazan or Iverskaya, while others have not been heard of. The latter include the icon of the “Three Years”.
What do they pray for in front of different icons
In fact, it is not so important which icon you pray in front of. The main thing is with what heart you do it. After allin fact, a person brings prayers not specifically to the icon, but to the image that stands behind the image on it. You need to pray with faith in your heart, while having pure thoughts.
Only in this case, the prayer will be heard. However, nevertheless, there are generally accepted recommendations regarding what you need to ask the Mother of God in front of this or that icon. For example, in front of the “Blessed Sky” icon, people ask the Virgin Mary for guidance on the true path, leading to the Kingdom of Heaven; the icon "The Tsaritsa" helps to heal cancer patients; before the icon "Fadeless Color" it is customary to pray for the gift of a righteous life and the resolution of family problems. The Most Holy Theotokos is our intercessor, helping all those who suffer, and the prayer of everyone who sincerely believes in the Grace of God will be heard.
The “Three Years” Icon
Among all the other icons of the Most Holy Theotokos, there is one very interesting one, which, perhaps, not everyone has heard of. She is not traditional. This icon depicts a three-year-old girl with huge brown eyes in a blue tunic with a snow-white lily in her hand. The girl's hair is loose, her head is uncovered.
Evidence that this image is classified as an icon is a halo and an inscription. Otherwise, it could be mistaken for a picture, so it does not fit into the framework of icon painting. This icon depicts the little Virgin Mary at the age of three. Its name is taken from the canon of the Feast of the Entry into the Temple of the Blessed Virgin. Mary. It mentions the word "three-year-old" because it was at this age that the introduction of a little girl into the House of God took place. Even as a child, the Mother of God already had such greatness and spiritual maturity that highly experienced clergymen bowed before her.
The history of the icon
The Icon of the Mother of God "Three Years" was painted not so long ago with the blessing of a nun from a monastery in the Ukrainian city of Rivne. Its prototype was a postcard that was brought from Jerusalem. There are also sources claiming that this icon is Catholic. A white lily in a child's hand is a sign of purity and purity. A blue tunic symbolizes virginity. According to many critics, the icon of the little Mother of God is just a plot that reflects the events of the Feast of the Entry into the Temple.
It is absent in the iconography of the Russian Orthodox Church.
Why the icon is prohibited for distribution in the diocese of the Russian Orthodox Church
The ban on its use and distribution is due to the fact that it is not an Orthodox icon. She is seen as just a picture of a little girl. From the point of view of icon painting, it does not coincide with canonical examples and is completely unconventional. The blue tunic on the girl is the only attribute taken from the iconography.
On traditional Orthodox icons, the Mother of God, regardless of age, is depicted with her head covered. According to some clergy,this representation lacks many details that reflect the essence of the events taking place. The Three Years Icon, whose meaning for Orthodox Christians is ambiguous, reflects the age of the Virgin, but spiritual beauty, according to many, is not fully shown on it. The vocation of iconography is the disclosure of the height and grandeur of the feat of the Mother of God, her spiritual maturity, and only traditional Orthodox icons fulfill this mission in full. The “Three Years” icon has little relation to icon painting in its traditional sense. She's getting out of the mainstream.
The "Three Years" Icon: what do they pray for before it?
Since the image of a little girl depicted on this icon is associated with motherhood, the prayers born at the sight of her correspond to this feeling. Most often, she is approached by women who really want to get pregnant and give birth to a child, but for some reason they do not succeed. It is this icon that touches the most intimate feelings in their souls, and they believe that when they turn to the Most Holy Theotokos through this image, their prayers will certainly be heard. Also, this image is popular with already established mothers with small children. In this case, mothers ask for he alth, chastity and long life for their babies. They especially love to place the “Three-year-old” at the head of the crib, as they believe that then their children will be under the protection of the Most Holy Theotokos, and she will protect them from all troubles.
The opinions of the clergy about the icon of the "Three years"
Servants of the Church ambiguouslyrelated to this image. It is clear that the “Three Years” is absent from iconography and cannot be considered an Orthodox icon. However, many parishioners are interested in how they should relate to this image, if it was presented to them, for example, or they simply like it very much. Should I keep it at home or not? Many priests are inclined to believe that there is nothing unequivocally wrong in this image, therefore they cannot forbid keeping the “Three Years” icon at home. But they advise to treat it accordingly. The clergy offer to consider it as an artistic illustration of the events of those days, and they see nothing wrong with this. However, they still advise praying in front of icons, which are accepted and distributed in all Orthodox churches.
How to properly honor the Blessed Virgin Mary
When we turn to the Most Holy Theotokos through prayer, we must first of all remember that we do not honor a specific icon, but the image that stands behind it.
T. e. we are not referring to the icon, but directly to the Virgin Mary, her image only helps us to better feel the spiritual connection. The icon "Three years" should also not be an exception in this regard. If this image inspires you to the right spiritual thoughts, you can keep it at home. The main thing is that you must be pure in heart and thoughts, believe in God's Grace. Only faith and love can work miracles. Whatever the icon, if you are not a deeply religious person in your soul, it is unlikelywhether something will help you. Improve spiritually, never stop in your development, work on yourself - and you will certainly be heard in your prayers.
