The feast of the Most Holy Theotokos of the Inexhaustible Chalice
“Today the faithful come
to the divine and miraculous image of Theotokos, which quenches the thirst of
the hearts of the faithful through the mercy of your Inexhaustible Cup” On May 18th (May
5th) the Orthodox Church commemorates the feast of
the Most Holy Theotokos of the Inexhaustible Chalice. This Holy image belongs
to the Orans type, referring to the image that is praying which due to the
raised hands of the Mother of God and the raised blessing image of Christ
inside the chalice.
The origins of the icon “Inexhaustable Chalice” are
usually closely connected to the Nicean Mother of God, which is also called “Your
Womb Becomes the Holy Table”, an icon that was venerated since the first
Ecumenical Council in the forth century.
“Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life” (John 6:54).The center of the icon is undoubtedly
– Christ. He is located inside the Chalice to denote that the only true and
unquestionable source for us to be healed and saved is the Lord. The icon reminds
us that the Eucharist is in the center of the everyday church life. We must
remember that Christ came to us, so that we can become one with him through the
Holy Mystery of Communion. This icon is not an exception as many icons lead us
to remember this important and vital aspect of our faith. “…but whoever drinks
the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will
become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life." (John
4:14)
The Mother of God revealed this miracle-working
icon in the end of the 19th century in Russian. A former soldier was
suffering from alcoholism subsequently losing his ability to walk because of
his drinking. One night, elder Varlaam appeared to him in his dream and told
him to visit a monastery in a town called Serpukhov. There he was to pray and
request a moleben in front of the icon of the Mother of God, called the “Inexhaustible
Chalice” so that he would be healed from his physical and spiritual illnesses.
The soldier did not listen to the dream right away, but after the elder
appeared to him a third time, he was sent “crawling” to the monastery.
As soon as he arrived to the monastery, he told of
his dreams and asked to see and pray in front of the Holy Icon. However, no one
in the monastery had ever heard of such an icon. Finally, after a long search,
an icon was found with an inscription on the back that said “Inexhaustible
Chalice”. After praying in front of the newly found icon, the former soldier
was healed from his drinking problems and was able to walk again. Since then
many faithful Orthodox Christians have prayed in front of the icon in order to
ask the Mother of God to help with the illnesses of alcoholism and drug
addiction.
Our convent runs a rehabilitation center for people
who are going through a difficult time in their life. Many of these people are without
shelter,
have been recently released from prison, or suffer from alcoholism and drug
addictions. The convent provides them with everything necessary to recover,
live comfortably and grow spiritually. This includes medicine, clothing food
and shelter. All of the residents work under the supervision of the monastics
of the convent and engage in daily prayer and church services. They have
various obediences including taking care of cattle, growing fruits, and working
in various workshops of St. Elisabeth convent.
The rehabilitation center also has a church in
honor of the Inexhaustible Chalice. Here all of these people can quench their
thirst at the Inexhaustible Chalice of Christ through the Holy Eucharist, where
a liturgy and an akathist will be served on this wonderful feast day!
More on the icon “Inexhaustable Chalice":
Help support the Rehabilitation Center for Men (run by St.Elsiabeth Convent) by ordering one of these items:
Icon of the Mother of God the Inexhaustible Chalice (Handpainted in Tempera)
Icon of the Mother of God the Inexhaustible Chalice (Handpainted with acrylic paints)
Movies about the Rehabilitation Center:
