Liturgical Illuminations : Discovering Received Tradition in the Eastern Orthros of Feasts of the Theotokos

The ancient Christian Church embodied the truths of God's revelation in prayer and hymns. Through the principle of "lex orandi, lex credendi (the words of prayer show the way of faith)" we can see the ongoing truths that were held sacred and dear by the faithful of early ages. Using this method in realizing the illuminations of early Christian liturgy, we discover in particular the truths found in the Morning Prayer that concern the Theotokos (an ancient term for the woman who bore God.) The ancient liturgy is a source that can become valuable to ecumenical understanding between Roman Catholic and Eastern Orthodox theology and the Reformation churches. The study of this liturgical source begins with a recommendation by Pope John Paul II who advised the search for beauty and truth in the ancient liturgical texts.