[Kolokotronis]

"Each has his own need; each his own desire or expectation, and each finds his or her own particular spiritual need satisfied and fulfilled in Our Lord and in the Mother of God. So too, each generation of Orthodox, and each particular person who has prayed the Akathist, has found in this hymn an inspired means of expressing gratitude and praise to the Mother of God for what she has accomplished for their salvation.(emphasis added)"

and

"Rejoice, Thou Who blottest out the stain of sin."

I am not at all surprised that these comments sprang out at you. The first sentence insofar as it relates to Panagia is an observation that among Orthodox people there is a devotion to the Most Holy Theotokos very like that we have to our own natural mothers. I've told stories here of how she comforted me as a homesick kid away from home for the first time, and ever since in those fox holes of life. What I find is the embrace of a mother. My wife spent all of one Great Lent chanting this Akathist as her father lay dying. She found a mother who was also a woman who also suffered great anguish, someone who "understood" her. Others experience variations on these themes. Where does this devotion come from, scriptually? If it matters, Jn.19:26-27. We think its simply a Δορο του Θεου, a gift of God to us, people who need that gift.

The second sentence refers to her role in the Incarnation of the Word, without which there would have been no salvation. Its really as simple as that. The other quoted line means the same thing. "BTW, I noticed that many words in the hymn were partially underlined, and some were fully underlined. I couldn't figure out why that was." I suspect its just some formatting thing. It has no significance to the Hymn.

[Forest Keeper]

I am not at all surprised that these comments sprang out at you. The first sentence insofar as it relates to Panagia is an observation that among Orthodox people there is a devotion to the Most Holy Theotokos very like that we have to our own natural mothers.

OK, that makes much more sense. I was just thrown by the side-by-side portrayal. :)

The second sentence refers to her role in the Incarnation of the Word, without which there would have been no salvation. Its really as simple as that. The other quoted line means the same thing.

That is exactly what I thought and hoped you would say. Thank you. :) This is consistent with other examples we have discussed before. I hope you don't get sick of me asking about them as they come up. :)