September 21 / September 8
The Nativity of the Most-holy Theotokos
The Holy Virgin Mary was born of aged parents, Joachim and Anna. Her father was of the lineage of David, and her mother of the lineage of Aaron. Thus, she was of royal birth by her father, and of priestly birth by her mother. In this, she foreshadowed Him Who would be born of her as King and High Priest. Her parents were quite old and had no children. Because of this they were ashamed before men and humble before God. In their humility they prayed to God with tears, to bring them joy in their old age by giving them a child, as He had once given joy to the aged Abra- ham and his wife Sarah by giving them Isaac. The Almighty and All-seeing God rewarded them with a joy that surpassed all their expectations and all their most beautiful dreams. For He gave them not just a daughter, but the Mother of God. He illumined them not only with temporal joy, but with eternal joy as well. God gave them just one daughter, and she would later give them just one grand-son—but what a daughter and what a Grandson! Mary, Full of grace, Blessed among women, the Temple of the Holy Spirit, the Altar of the Living God, the Table of the Heavenly Bread, the Ark of God’s Holiness, the Tree of the Sweetest Fruit, the Glory of the race of man, the Praise of womanhood, the Fount of virginity and purity—this was the daughter given by God to Joachim and Anna. She was born in Nazareth, and at the age of three, was taken to the Temple in Jerusalem. In her young womanhood she returned again to Nazareth, and shortly thereafter heard the Annunciation of the Holy Archangel Gabriel concerning the birth of the Son of God, the Savior of the world, from her most-pure virgin body.
2. The Feast of the Holy Theotokos of Kališto
In the Monastery of the Holy Theotokos near the village of Kališto, west of Struga in Macedonia, the Holy Mother of God manifested her power and mercy through numerous miracles. Many of the sick were miraculously healed, and thieves who thought to plunder or desecrate the monastery were severely punished by an invisible power. There is a miracle-working icon of the Holy Theotokos in the church there; nearby, there are two springs of healing water: that of St. Peter and that of St. Ananias. The Chapel of St. Athanasius is located in a cave not far from the main church.
3. The Feast of the Icon of the Holy Theotokos of Pochaev
In the province of Volhynia there is a famous Monastery of the Holy Theotokos, in Pochaev. The Holy Mother of God first appeared in about 1340 to one of two monks who were laboring in asceticism in a cave there. From that time on, the place has been an inexhaustible font of numerous miracles.
- Ina, King of Wessex, and his wife Queen Ethelburga (8th c.).
- Serapion, monk of Spaso-Eleazar Monastery (Pskov) (1481).
- Lucian, abbot, of Alexandrov (1654).
- New Martyr Athanasius of Thessalonica (1774).
- Sophronius of Achtalea in Georgia, bishop (1803).
- New Martyr Alexander Jacobson, at Solovki (1930).
- Sts. Ioane, archimandrite (1957), and Giorgi-Ioane, schema-archimandrite (1960), confessors, of Georgia.
- Icons of the Most Holy Theotokos: Kholmsk (1st ), “Kursk Root” (1295), “Syamsk” (1524), “Glinsk” (16th c.), “Lukianov” (16th c.), “Isaakov” (1659), “Lesna” (1696), and “Domnitsk” (1696).
HYMN OF PRAISE
The Nativity of the Most-holy Mother of God
O greatly desired and long-awaited one,
O Virgin, thou hast been obtained from the Lord with tears!
A bodily temple of the Most-holy Spirit shalt thou become,
And shalt be called Mother of the Eternal Word.
The Burning Bush they called thee,
For thou wilt receive within thyself the divine fire:
Ablaze with fire but not consumed,
Thou shalt bear the Golden Fruit and offer it to the world.
Thou shalt be the Bearer of Him Who bears the heavens,
To Whom all of heaven offers up praise!
The Miracle of miracles shall come to pass within thee,
For thou shalt bear heaven,
thou who art “more spacious than the heavens!”
Thou art more precious to us, O Virgin,
than precious stones,
For thou art the source of salvation for mankind.
For this, may the entire universe glorify thee,
O Most-holy Virgin, O white Turtledove!
The King of Heaven shall desire to enter the world,
And shall pass through thee, O Beautiful Gate!
O Virgin, when thou dost become woman thou shalt bear Christ for us;
From thy body, the Sun shall blaze forth.
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