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Agpeya

Faith Q&A › Metropolitan Youssef › Prayer, Fasting and Worship › Agpeya

The question

In the third hour of the Agpeya litanies, we pray "O Mother of God, you are the true vine who bore the Cluster of Life...” In Arabic I think it says "karma" which I believe is vineyard. Is this just a bad translation calling St. Mary the "true vine”?" Didn't our Lord say, "I am the true vine" (John 15:1) which is the exact gospel that we read in the Third Hour? I understand what the church is trying to say, but isn't it theologically incorrect to call her the "true vine”?

The answer

This version is actually correct. It is evident that the Lord desires that we emulate Him in what we can and to share some of His attributes with Him, as when He said, "You are the light of the world, (Mt Matthew 5:14), for this, He also said about Himself, "I am the light of the world" (Jn John 8:12). Christ is indeed the True Vine (Jn John 15:1,5), and St. Mary is the true vine who bore the Cluster of Life.

Answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab)

Related questions

Questions answered by His Eminence Metropolitan Youssef (opens in a new tab) of the Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. Question 1544 on the Diocese’s Q&A site. Questions and answers © Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States. All rights reserved.