St. Paisios the Athonite, Struggle and Devoutness

- Geronda, in the Supplication Service of the Panagia, why does a verse in the verse in the hymns of praise say "Speechless be the lips of the impious who do not venerate your sacred icon?

- When someone is not devout and yet kisses the icons, are his lips not speechless? And when the devout kisses the icons, aren't his lis full of praise? there are some people who do not even touch the icon when they kiss it. Here, like this... Did you hear anything?

- No

- Well than, "speechless" are the lips. Whereas the devout person kisses the icon and you can hear the sound of the kiss. In that case, the lips are "eloguent" with praise. It is not a matter of cursing when the verse says "speechless", but rather that those lips are without a sound, while the others are eloquent with sounds. When we look upon the holy icons, our hearts should be overflowing with love for God and for the Saints, and we should prostrate ourselves to venerate them and kiss them devoutly.

St. Paisios the Athonite, Struggle and Devoutness