Orthodox Church celebrates Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos

Icon of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. Photo: en.afanasiy.net

On September 21, the Orthodox Church celebrates one of the Twelve Great Feasts – the Nativity of Our Most Holy Lady the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary.

The Holy Fathers call this day “the beginning of our salvation,” since the birth of the Most Holy Virgin marked the beginning of the immediate preparation for the Incarnation and the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecies. The Nativity of the Theotokos fulfilled the words of the Prophet Isaiah: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son” (Isa. 7:14), as well as the prophecy in Genesis concerning the “seed of the woman” who would crush the serpent’s head (Gen. 3:15).

The account of the birth of the Theotokos and of Her parents has been preserved in Church Tradition. The righteous Joachim and Anna lived in the Galilean town of Nazareth. Joachim was descended from the line of the Prophet and King David, while Anna was descended from the line of the high priest Aaron. The couple had been married for many years but remained childless, which caused them profound sorrow, as childlessness was regarded as a punishment from God for sin. Despite their advanced age, they never lost hope in God’s mercy and vowed that if a child were born to them, they would dedicate the child to service in the Temple.

During a major feast, when the high priest at the Temple in Jerusalem refused to accept Joachim’s gifts because he had no children, the righteous man withdrew in deep sorrow into the wilderness to fast and pray. When Anna learned what had happened, she prayed fervently to God in her garden. An angel of the Lord appeared to both spouses and announced that they would have a blessed Daughter named Mary, through whom salvation would be given to the whole world. At the angel’s word, Joachim and Anna met in Jerusalem and offered sacrifices of thanksgiving in the Temple.

Nine months later, their Daughter was born. At the age of three, the Virgin Mary was brought to the Temple in Jerusalem to be raised there, devoting Herself to prayer and the reading of Holy Scripture. At the age of fourteen, the Most Holy Virgin was betrothed to the righteous Joseph. It was at his home in Nazareth that the Annunciation took place, when the Archangel Gabriel appeared to Her with the news that She would give birth to the Son of God. Because of their holiness and because they raised the Mother of the Savior, the Church fittingly honors the righteous Joachim and Anna as the Ancestors of God.

Earlier, the UOJ wrote about what gift one can offer the Mother of God on Her birthday.

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