Reverend Theodore the Studite
If we have the help of the Mother of God and the saints, then who will overcome us? Nobody ever!
Saint Nicholas of Serbia (Velimirovich)
No messenger has ever brought more joyful news to the earth, cursed for its estrangement from God and for its union with the gloomy Satan, than the radiant and wondrous Archangel Gabriel. Whose mouth will not praise him, whose heart will not thank him! No spring water has ever been such a pure mirror of the sun as the Blessed Virgin Mary was a mirror of purity.
Saint Ignatius Brenchaninov
As the Lord replaced Adam with Himself, so He replaced Eve with the Mother of God. Eve, having been created a virgin, transgressed the commandment of God and could not retain in herself the holy feeling of virginity... The Mother of God, having been conceived and born in the sin of the forefathers, prepared Herself with a chaste and God-pleasing life into the vessel of God.
Saint Ignatius Brianchaninov
The descent of the Holy Spirit on the Ever-Virgin happened twice. For the first time, the Holy Spirit descended upon her after the gospel uttered by the archangel Gabriel, cleansed her, pure according to the human concept, made her grace-pure, capable of receiving God-words into herself and becoming His Mother ... The second time the Holy Spirit descended upon the Virgin on the day of Pentecost ... destroyed in her the dominion of eternal death and original sin, elevated her to a high degree of Christian perfection, made her a new person in the image of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Saint Ambrose of Milan
She was a Virgin not only in body, but also in soul: humble in heart, prudent in words, prudent, reticent, a lover of reading ... industrious, chaste in speech, honoring not a person, but God as the judge of Her thoughts. Her rule was not to offend anyone, to be kind to everyone, to honor elders, not to envy equals, to avoid boasting, to be sane, to love virtue. Has She ever offended her parents with her facial expression or was in disagreement with her relatives, has she become proud in front of a modest person, laughed at the weak, evaded the poor? She had nothing severe in her eyes, nothing imprudent in her words, nothing indecent in her actions; physique is modest, the tread is quiet, the voice is even; so that Her appearance was a reflection of the soul, the personification of purity.
Bishop Theophan the Recluse
Annunciation and the establishment of the sacrament of the Body and Blood. What a combination! We partake of the true Body and true Blood of Christ - the same ones that, in incarnation, are received from the immaculate blood of the Most Pure Virgin Mary. Thus, in the incarnation that took place at the hour of the annunciation, the foundation was laid for the sacrament of the Body and Blood. And now this is brought to memory by all Christians, so that, remembering this, they honor the Most Holy Theotokos as their true Mother, not only as a prayer book and intercessor, but also as a nourisher of all. Children feed on mother's milk, and we feed on the Body and Blood, which are from the Blessed Virgin Mary.
Saint Nicodemus the Holy Mountaineer
When you see the icon Holy Mother of God Turn your heart to Her, the Queen of Heaven, and thank Her for appearing so ready to submit to the will of God, that She gave birth, nurtured and raised the Redeemer of the world, and that in our invisible war Her intercession to help us never fails.
Saint John Chrysostom
The Holy Spirit shone in a pure mirror, in the immaculate body of the Virgin, forming a perfect Man not according to the law of nature, not in time, not from human seed, but by one appearance, by spiritual and holy power moved the Virgin to birth, inexplicably draining the Embryo in Her, as if what fabric to save people.
Saint Gregory Palamas
The Virgin Mother is, as it were, the only boundary between the created and uncreated Divine nature. And all who see God will recognize Her as the place of the Incontainable. And all who praise God will also sing after God. She is the cause of the blessings and gifts that were before Her to the human race, and the Giver of the present, and the Intercessor - eternal. She is the foundation of the prophets, the beginning of the apostles, the foundation of martyrs, the foundation of teachers. She is the glory of those on earth, the joy of those in heaven, the adornment of all creation. She is the beginning, source and root of the hope prepared for us in heaven, which may we all be able to receive through her prayers for us.
Venerable Ephraim the Syrian
The Virgin Mary became for us the sky, the throne of God, because the highest Divinity descended and dwelt in Her in order to exalt us ... In Her the Divinity was clothed in a robe for us, in order to deliver salvation to us.
Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt
The sacrament that has taken place on this day astonishes not only human, but also all angelic, lofty minds. They also wonder how God, without beginning, boundless, impregnable, descended to the form of a slave and became a man, without ceasing to be God and without in the least belittling the glory of the Divine? How could the Virgin contain the unbearable fire of the Divine in her most pure womb, and remain undamaged, and remain forever the Mother of God incarnate? So great, wonderful, such divine wisdom is this sacrament of the annunciation by the Archangel to the Blessed Virgin of the incarnation of the Son of God from Her! Rejoice, earthly ones, rejoice, especially faithful Christian souls, but rejoice with trembling before the greatness of the sacrament, as if you were surrounded by the filth of sin; rejoice, but immediately cleanse yourselves with the grace of God from the filth of sin with sincere and living, deep repentance.
Closing remarks at the Third Ecumenical Council
You are the crown of virginity, You are the Virgin Mother! And who among the people is able to adequately praise the all-singing Mary? O miracle! She is both the Mother and the Virgin!
Have you noticed, dear readers, what a glorious day today is? And good at heart. And the world is happy with good news: in Nabornoy Karabakh, the fighting subsided, the Dutch did not let Ukraine into the EU (the Ukrainians will soon understand that this is good for them). Blessing now!
On April 7, the Church celebrates the day of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary - one of the 12 main (twelfth) holidays in the Orthodox calendar.
Annunciation means "good" or "good" news. On this day, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary and announced to Her the coming birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the Savior of the world.
Until the age of 14, the Blessed Virgin was brought up in the temple, and then, according to the law, she had to leave the temple, as she had reached the age of majority, and either return to her parents or get married. The priests wanted to marry her, but Mary announced to them her promise to God - to remain forever a Virgin. Then the priests betrothed Her distant relative, the 80-year-old Elder Joseph, to take care of Her and protect Her virginity. Living in the Galilean city of Nazareth, in the house of Joseph, the Blessed Virgin Mary led the same modest and secluded life as in the temple.
Four months after the betrothal, an angel appeared to Mary when She was reading the Holy Scriptures and, going in to Her, said: "Rejoice, O Gracious! (that is, full of the grace of God - the gifts of the Holy Spirit). The Lord is with you! Blessed are you among women." Archangel Gabriel announced to Her that She had found the greatest grace from God - to be the Mother of the Son of God.
Mary, perplexed, asked the Angel how a son could be born to one who does not know her husband. And then the Archangel revealed to Her the truth, which he brought from Almighty God: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore, the Holy One who is being born will be called the Son of God" . Having comprehended the will of God and completely surrendering herself to it, the Blessed Virgin answered: "Behold, the servant of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word."
"That event, which is called the Annunciation, means the conception of Jesus Christ, - recalls the professor of theology, Deacon Andrei Kuraev. - By the action of the grace of God in the bosom of Mary, the development of a new human life began. Mary did not conceive from God the Father, not from the Archangel Gabriel, and not from her betrothed husband Joseph. It is better to keep cynical "physiological" arguments to yourself - Christians know the laws of biology as well as skeptics, and therefore they talk about the Miracle. And the miracle is not so much that the Virgin, who did not know a husband, began to bear a child, but that God Himself identified Himself with this child and with everything that will happen in His life. God does not just inhabit the Virgin. Through the archangel Gabriel, He (the Almighty, Lord and Lord) humbly asks the consent of the maiden. And only when He hears human consent. Let it be done to me according to Your word," - only then the Word becomes flesh.
This is how it starts gospel story. Ahead - Christmas and flight to Egypt, temptations in the desert and healing of the possessed, the Last Supper and arrest, the Crucifixion and Resurrection ... ".
History of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
March 25 is considered the date of the Annunciation both in the West and in the East. This date is exactly 9 months from December 25, which since the 4th century, first in the West, and then in the East, is considered the day of the Nativity of Christ. In addition, this number is consistent with the ideas of ancient church historians that the Annunciation and Easter, as historical events, occurred on the same day of the year.
For the first time, this date appears in the writings of western authors of the 3rd century Tertullian and the Hieromartyr Hippolytus of Rome as the day of the Crucifixion of the Savior according to the Roman calendar (even in the 6th century, St. Martin of Braga wrote that many Gallic bishops considered Easter to be a fixed holiday). At the same time, schmch. Hippolytus, based on a comparison of a number of biblical verses and their literal interpretation, argued that the Nativity of Christ occurred 5,500 years after the creation of the world.
The source near which the Annunciation took place
The belief about the 5,500-year age of creation by the time of the Savior's coming into the world and about the coincidence of the dates of the creation of the world and the coming of Christ in the flesh passed into the Alexandrian tradition, but here the decisive date was not the Nativity of Christ, but the Annunciation: St. Athanasius the Great wrote that Christ was incarnated in the womb of the Virgin on the 25th day of March, because on this day God originally created man.
From the 5th century, the date of the Resurrection took the place of the date of the Crucifixion, and the time of the Savior's earthly ministry from the Incarnation to the Resurrection began to be considered a multiple of an integer number of years.
In the Byzantine tradition, the date of March 25 is of great importance - this is the day not only of the Annunciation, but also the creation of the world, and the Resurrection of Christ; the dates of other holidays are counted from it: the Nativity of Christ, the Conception and the Nativity of St. John the Baptist.
The day of the Annunciation was often considered the day of the beginning of the church or even civil year, both in the East and in the West. The belief that the historical date of the Resurrection of Christ coincides with March 25 led to the fact that this day was called "Kyriopaskha" (Kyriopaskha - Dominant (that is, real, normal) Easter; sometimes there is an incorrect etymology - the Lord's Easter). Now Kyriopaskha is called the coincidence of the holidays of Easter and the Annunciation that happens every few years.
In Russia, due to the use of the Julian calendar by the Church, March 25 falls on April 7 according to the Gregorian ("civil") calendar).
Images of the Annunciation are already present among the murals of the catacombs of the 2nd half of II - 1st floor. III centuries, however, it can be argued with a high degree of probability that the establishment of a special feast of the Annunciation did not occur earlier than the IV century.
Annunciation, Nativity of Christ, Meeting. 12th century, St. Catherine's Monastery, Sinai
Opening of St. Equal-to-the-Apostles Helena at the beginning of the 4th century. the holy places of the earthly life of the Lord Jesus Christ and the construction of temples that she began in these places (in particular, in Nazareth) caused an increase in interest in the event of the Nativity of Christ and the mystery of the Incarnation; Perhaps this is connected with the establishment of the Annunciation as a separate holiday. At the beginning of the 8th century Armenian author Grigor Asharuni wrote that the feast of the Annunciation was established by St. Cyril of Jerusalem, that is, in the 3rd quarter of the 4th c.
Since information about the worship of Constantinople in the 5th-6th centuries. not numerous, nothing definite can be said about the celebration of the Annunciation during this period in Constantinople, but by the end of the 7th century. this is one of the most revered holidays here. All Byzantine monuments of the 8th and subsequent centuries list the Annunciation among the most important holidays; the service of the Annunciation is invariably celebrated on March 25.
In the West, information about the feast of the Annunciation dates back to about the same time as in the East. From the writings of the Western Fathers of the Church and writers, the words on the Annunciation are known, attributed to the Latin authors of the 5th century. Blessed Augustine, Saints Peter Chrysologus and Leo I the Great. The liturgical veneration of the day of the Annunciation is clearly mentioned in the Liber Pontificalis of the time of Pope Sergius I (687-701), where the Annunciation is one of the 3 feasts dedicated to the Mother of God, when a solemn procession took place in Rome.
Annunciation. French miniature, late 13th century
The name of the holiday in antiquity was not stable, the modern Greek name "evangelismos" appears only from the 7th century. In the writings of ancient authors there are names: Greek. "day of greeting", "announcement" or "day/feast of the Annunciation"; lat. "annuntiatio angeli ad beatam Mariam Virginem" (Annunciation of an angel to the Blessed Virgin Mary), "Mariae salutatio" (greeting Mary) and a number of other similar names. The Annunciation was perceived both as the Lord's and as the Mother of God feast. Unlike the Orthodox Church, where the Annunciation is considered one of the most important holidays (the full name is the Annunciation of the Most Holy Lady of Our Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary), in Catholicism it is a second-class holiday (the full name is Annuntiatio beatae Mariae Virginis - the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary).
Annunciation. Chinese icon, 18th century
The meaning of the feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Metropolitan Anthony of Surozh explains thus:
"The Annunciation is the day of the good news that a Virgin has been found throughout the human world, so believing in God, so deeply capable of obedience and trust, that the Son of God can be born from Her. The incarnation of the Son of God, on the one hand, is a matter God's love- godmother, affectionate, saving - and God's power; but at the same time, the incarnation of the Son of God is a matter of human freedom. St. Gregory Palamas says that the Incarnation would have been just as impossible without the free human consent of the Mother of God, as it would have been impossible without the creative will of God. And on this day of the Annunciation, we contemplate the Virgin in the Mother of God, Who, with all her heart, with all her mind, with all her soul, with all her strength, managed to trust God to the end.
And the good news was truly terrible: the appearance of an angel, this greeting: Blessed are you in women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb, they could not help but cause not only amazement, not only trembling, but also fear in the soul of a virgin who did not know a husband - how is this could be?..
And here we catch the difference between the wavering - albeit deep - faith of Zechariah, the father of the Forerunner, and the faith of the Mother of God. Zechariah is also told that his wife will have a son - naturally, despite her advanced age; and his answer to this message of God: How can this be? This can't happen! How can you prove it? What assurance can You give me?.. The Mother of God puts the question only this way: How can this happen to me - I'm a virgin? Her words: Behold, the Servant of the Lord; wake me according to your word...
The word "slave" in our present usage speaks of enslavement; in the Slavic language, a man who gave his life, his will to another called himself a slave. And She really gave Her life, Her will, Her destiny to God, accepting by faith – that is, incomprehensible trust – the news that She would be the Mother of the incarnate Son of God. Of her, the righteous Elizabeth says: Blessed is she who believed, for what shall be spoken to her from the Lord shall come to her...
In the Mother of God we find an amazing ability to trust God to the end; but this ability is not natural, not natural: such faith can be forged in oneself by the feat of purity of heart, the feat of love for God. A feat, for the fathers say: Shed blood, and you will receive the Spirit ... One of the Western writers says that the Incarnation became possible when the Virgin of Israel was found, Who, with all her thought, with all her heart, with all her life, was able to pronounce the Name of God so that It became flesh in Her.
Here is the gospel that we have just heard in the Gospel: the human race gave birth, brought to God as a gift the Virgin, Who was able in Her royal human freedom to become the Mother of the Son of God, who freely gave herself for the salvation of the world. Amen".
Annunciation. Mosaic of the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore. 1295
Prayers of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Troparion to the Feast
Today, the beginnings of the pre-holiday sing of the joys of the world command: Behold, Gabriel comes, bearing the gospel to the Virgin, and cries out to Her: Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Today, the beginnings of world joy are ordered to sing hymns before the holiday, for behold, Gabriel brings the Virgin good news, and exclaims: Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you!
Troparion
The day of our salvation is the main thing, and even from the age of the sacrament the manifestation, the Son of God, the Son of the Virgin happens, and Gabriel preaches the gospel, in the same way we cry with him to the Theotokos: Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you. Now is the beginning of our salvation and the discovery of the mystery that was presented before all ages: the Son of God is the Son of the Virgin, and Gabriel preaches the gospel. Therefore, we will exclaim to the Theotokos with him: Rejoice, O Gracious One, the Lord is with Thee!
Kontakion
The chosen Voivode is victorious, as if having got rid of the evil ones, thankful we sing to Thy servants, the Mother of God, but as if having an invincible power, free us from all troubles, let us call Ty: rejoice, Bride Unbetrothed. To you, the supreme Commander, having got rid of troubles, we, Your unworthy servants, Mother of God, sing a song of victory and thanksgiving. You, as having invincible power, free us from all troubles, so that we cry out to You: rejoice, Bride who has not entered into marriage!
magnificence
The Archangelic voice crying out to Thee, Pure One: Rejoice, O Gracious One, the Lord is with Thee. With the words of the Archangel, we cry out to You, Pure One: "Rejoice, O Gracious One, the Lord is with You
Choruses
Bless the earth, great joy; praise, heaven, the glory of God. Earth, proclaim great joy, heavens, praise the glory of God!
Irmos of the 9th song
Like an animated God's kivot, / let the hand of the wicked never touch. / The mouth of the faithful, the Theotokos, silently, / the voice of an angel singing, / let them cry with joy: / rejoice, full of grace, / the Lord is with you. Let the animate Ark of God / by no means be touched by the hand of the uninitiated, / but the lips of the faithful do not stop, / singing the exclamation of the Angel, / in joy to the Mother of God cry: / Rejoice, Gracious, / the Lord is with you!
Quotes about the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Archpriest Andrei Tkachev:
“A worthy admirer of the Annunciation should at times immerse himself in the reading of the Word of God and concentrate on what he read, as the Blessed One in women used to do.
One of the goals of the worshiper of the Mother of God should be the desire for a life that is quiet and away from the hustle and bustle, but at the same time internally rich and deep.
Conditions of existence may not give a person such a gift, and he himself may be incapable of a long concentrated life. But to strive for silence and prayer, to sigh from time to time about their absence, every person is obliged to raise his eyes to heaven and repeat Gabriel's words: "Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you."
Protopresbyter Alexander Schmemann:
"To the lie about man, to his reduction to the earth and to the belly, to the base and the animal, to his submission to the immutable and impersonal laws of nature, the Church responds with the image of Mary, the most pure Mother of God, the One to whom, according to the Russian poet, they always rise "from great fullness, the sweetest human tears. "The joy that, therefore, that untruth, that lie about a person, with which the world is constantly filled, is overcome. The joy of admiring, the joy of possession - for this image is always with us, as consolation and encouragement, as inspiration and help."
Metropolitan Anthony of Sourozh:
“And on the feast of the Annunciation of the Mother of God, these two moods are mysteriously and frighteningly, frighteningly and wonderfully intertwined. On the one hand, how not to rejoice, how not to be amazed and tremble at the thought that the voice of the Lord God through Her will become a man, enter this world, and that by the coming of God the whole world will already be transformed, will no longer stand face to face with its Creator only in awe and reverence, but will rejoice that in it, in its core - Himself God: not only about the fact that man is so great that God could unite with him, but all material, visible creation is connected with Him mysteriously ... "
Icons of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Holy Fathers on the Annunciation
Saint Elijah Minyatiy. Word on the Annunciation of the Mother of God:
“How different are God and man! But God, having become a man, did not leave the nature of the Divine in the perception of the flesh. And how different are the Virgin and the Mother! But the Virgin, having become the Mother, did not lose the glory of virginity in maternal womb. Divine and human, inextricably united in one hypostasis!The divine nature assimilated the features of the human, and God became a perfect man; the human became involved in the properties of the Divine, and the same man became a perfect God.
In the same way, what an extraordinary combination of virginal purity and maternal womb, which, in a strange way, were combined in one Wife! Virginity gave the Mother the purity that the Mother of God was supposed to have, all pure, all immaculate, beautiful like the sun, chosen like the moon, as the Holy Spirit calls Her (See Songs 6, 9). The womb-bearing gave virginity the blessing that the Virgin was supposed to have, in accordance with how the archangel greeted her: Blessed are you among women (Luke 1:28).
There was born this wonderful union - the God-man; here another conjunction takes place, just as miraculous, the Virgin Mother. “Strange and wonderful, and in many ways departing from ordinary nature: the same Virgin and Mother, abiding in the sanctification of virginity and inheriting the blessing of childbearing,” declares the undeclared Basil. Such a Son, I repeat, must have such a Mother; the Son, Who was born a man and did not cease to be God, - the Mother, Who gave birth to the Son and did not cease to be a Virgin.
Saint Nicholas (Velimirovich):
"No spring water has ever been such a pure mirror of the sun as the Blessed Virgin Mary was a mirror of purity. ("O purity, joy that creates the heart and transforms the soul into heaven! O purity, good acquisition, not defiled by beasts! O purity, in the souls of the meek and the humble abiding and creating these people of God! O purity, in the midst of the soul and body, like a blossoming flower and filling the whole temple with incense! "St. Ephraim the Syrian. About purity.)
And the morning dawn, giving birth to the sun, would be ashamed before the purity of the Virgin Mary, who gave birth to the Immortal Sun, Christ our Savior. Which knee will not bow before Her, which lips will not cry out: "Rejoice, Gracious! Rejoice, Dawn of human salvation! Rejoice, Most Honorable Cherubim and Most Glorious Seraphim! Glory to Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, with the Father and the Holy Spirit - the Trinity Consubstantial and Inseparable , now and forever, at all times and forever and ever. Amen."
Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt. "The Beginning of Salvation" (Word on the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos):
"The sacrament that has taken place on this day, astounds not only human, but also all angelic, high minds. They are also perplexed, as God without beginning, immense, impregnable, descended to the image of a slave and became a man, without ceasing to be God and in no way belittling the glory of the Divine? How could the Virgin contain the unbearable fire of the Divine in her most pure womb, and remain undamaged, and remain forever the Mother of God incarnate? So great, wonderful, such Divine wisdom is this sacrament of the annunciation by the Archangel to the Blessed Virgin of the incarnation of the Son of God from Her! Rejoice, earthly ones, rejoice, especially faithful Christian souls, but rejoice with trembling before the greatness of the sacrament, as those who have been overlaid with the filth of sin; rejoice, but cleanse yourself immediately with sincere and living, deep repentance by the grace of God from the filth of sin.
Exalt with pure hearts and lips the Mother of God, exalted and exalted above all creatures, angels and men, exalted by God Himself, the Creator of all creatures, and remember that the sacrament of the incarnation and incarnation of the Son of God took place for our salvation from sin, the curse that was rightly pronounced on us in the beginning from God for sins, and from temporal and eternal death. With fear and joy, accept the Lord, who is coming to us to establish on earth, in our hearts and souls the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of truth, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, and hate God-hating sin, malice, impurity, intemperance, pride, hardness of heart, mercilessness, selfishness , carnality, every unrighteousness. Christ came down to earth to lead us to heaven."
Traditions of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary in 2016
On the feast of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos, according to ancient Russian tradition, after the Liturgy in the Annunciation Cathedral of the Kremlin, the Patriarch, clergy and children release birds into the wild. This custom was revived in 1995 and is now performed in many temples.
According to the words of His Holiness the Patriarch, this tradition, full of deep meaning, “symbolizing that the birds are no longer in a cage, but in freedom, reminds us that in our free will there is a search for the Kingdom of God.”
In pre-revolutionary Russia, before the Annunciation, birds were bought on Okhotny Ryad. Now, on the day of the holiday, pigeons raised by the Federation of Sports Pigeon Breeding soar over the Kremlin cathedrals.
The starting speed of such a sports pigeon is 175 kilometers per hour. Having circled a little over the Cathedral Square, the pigeon flock quickly dissolves into the sky. There, the birds are divided into groups, each of which returns to its nursery, located in Moscow or the Moscow region.
In addition to pigeons, Patriach Alexy II also released seven of his own birds - titmouse.
Annunciation. His Holiness Patriarch Alesios. Photo: Patriarchia.ru
Poems about the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Valery Bryusov
Annunciation
You were one of us
During the day your dream was owned by yarn,
But to You, holy one, in the evening hour
The angelic guard has arrived.
O queen of all worldly queens,
Virgin, foretold by the prophet.
Gabriel, entering, bowed down
Before You in deep humility.
Attention to the incomprehensible mind,
You humbly lowered your eyes.
Wake me according to your word,
Marina Tsvetaeva
On the day of the Annunciation
Hands uncrossed
The flower is watered withering,
The windows are wide open,
Annunciation, my holiday!
On the day of the Annunciation
I solemnly affirm:
I do not need tame pigeons, swans, eagles!
Fly where your eyes look
In the Annunciation, my holiday!
On the day of the Annunciation
I smile until the evening
Saying goodbye to the feathered guests.
I don't need anything for myself
In the Annunciation, my holiday!
Konstantin Balmont
blessing and light,
The willows turned white.
Or there is definitely no grief,
Right, really?
Blessings and laughter
Kidneys flushed.
And on the streets for everyone
Blue flowers.
How many blue flowers
Taken from the snow
Again the world is both fresh and new,
And bliss is everywhere.
I see old Moscow
In youthful attire.
I laugh and I live
Sun in every look.
From the ancient Kremlin
The sound floats like a wave.
And the earth lives in ditches
Young grass.
In the slightly broken grass
Dream of spring and summer.
Annunciation in Moscow -
It's a festival of light!
Archpriest Nikolai Guryanov
Holy Annunciation -
Great day in Rus'
With him you feel young
Resurrect in a hard heart;
Respond to the soul, like youth,
With my full breast
For radiant joy
To the smile of spring days.
Observing the holiday strictly,
On this day, the people say
That even a bird praises God
And he does not build a nest for himself;
On this holiday, going out to the field
With a handful full of grain,
Good-natured birds at will
Released old.
The approach of Easter
Clears a frown
From the alien sides
Swallows fly to visit.
And inspiring the thought of brotherhood,
About the gifts of good love,
As if arguing about wealth
Heaven with sinful earth.
Everyone listens with a keen ear
Anthem of golden dawns,
Wrapped in soft fluff
Young willow branches.
And looks at us, shining
The inaccessibility of miracles,
This eternity is blue
Triumphant skies.
From the editors of NOVO24. And for our resource, April 7, a wonderful day, is also a holiday because today the site is celebrating its first birthday. We are a year old. We were born to bring good, good news to the world. And we hope that we will bring many more good news to our friends.
Subscribe to NOVO24
« The Council of the Eternal, opening to You, Otrokovitsa, Gabriel appeared... ”sings the Holy Church at the beginning of the festive service of the great feast of the Annunciation.
Until the age of 14, the Blessed Virgin was brought up in the temple, and then, according to the law, she had to leave the temple, as she had reached the age of majority, and either return to her parents or get married. The priests wanted to marry her, but Mary announced to them her promise to God - to remain forever a Virgin. Then the priests betrothed Her distant relative, the 80-year-old Elder Joseph (he already had two daughters and four sons), who was also a descendant of King David, to take care of Her and protect Her virginity.
The Holy Fathers of the Church - Athanasius the Great, Basil the Great, John of Damascus - point out that under the guise of matrimony, the Lord protected the Blessed Virgin Mary from the malice of the enemy of the human race, the devil, hiding from him in such a way that She is the Most Blessed Virgin, prophesied by Isaiah. Living in the Galilean city of Nazareth, in the house of Joseph, the Blessed Virgin Mary led the same modest and secluded life as in the temple.
Once the Blessed Virgin Mary was reading the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, stopped at the place where it was said " behold, a virgin shall receive and give birth to a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel”(which means God is with us) (Is. 7:14) and pondered the greatness of the One who would be worthy to be the Mother of God. With all her heart, Holy Mary wanted to see the Chosen One of God, and in deep humility she desired to be Her last servant.
And then an angel appears to her and greets her: Rejoice, Blessed One. The Lord is with you: blessed are you among women". These words became the first "good news" for mankind after its fall.
But when she saw him, she was troubled by his words, and pondered what this greeting meant.
And the angel said to her: Fear not, Mary, for you have found grace with God; and behold, thou shalt conceive in the womb, and thou shalt bear a Son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus. He will be great, and he will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father; and shall reign over the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom shall have no end. - Mary said to the Angel: how will it be when I do not know my husband? The angel said to her in response: The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the Power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore, the Holy One who is being born will be called the Son of God ... Then Mary said: Behold, the Servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word. And an angel departed from her"(Luke 1, 28-38).
It is believed that it was at this moment that the sacrament of the incarnation of the Son of God took place.
If the righteous Sarah received the news of the birth of Isaac from her with confusion, and the righteous Zechariah, with a similar foreshadowing of the birth of the Forerunner of the Lord, demanded a sign from the angel, then how much higher is the Most Holy Virgin Mary when the annunciation of the birth of Christ, the Savior, the Son of God, from Her , supernatural, incomprehensible, Divine, accepts without confusion, without distrust.
It is terrible even to think what could have happened if there had not been found on earth the Most Worthy to receive the highest Gift of God:
According to the interpretation of Irenaeus of Lyons, the obedience of the Virgin Mary balances the disobedience of Eve. Mary becomes the "new Eve". The text of the famous hymn Ave maris stella (9th century) says that the name Eva is an anagram of the word Ave, with which Gabriel addressed the “new Eve”. In other words, to name Eve meant to mention Mary. Jerome deduced a concise formula: " death through Eve, life through Mary". Augustine wrote: through a woman - death, and through a woman - life».
The mystical conception of the Virgin Mary, according to the teachings of the Orthodox Church, refers to the great mystery of piety: in it, humanity brought as a gift to God its purest creation - the Virgin, capable of becoming the mother of the Son of God, and God, having accepted the gift, answered him with the gift of the grace of the Holy Spirit. About how, in what way the Son of God enters into the womb of the Most Holy Virgin, he knows, according to the words of St. only God Himself, and one should not argue about the nature of that which is inscrutable and incomprehensible”.
The Orthodox Church firmly believes that Mary remained the Virgin even after the birth of the firstborn Jesus, according to prophecy (pr. Ezek.44,2). " And the Lord said to me, This gate will be shut, it will not be opened, and no man will enter through it, for the Lord God of Israel has entered through it, and they will be shut.". Three stars are depicted on the icons of the Mother of God - on the shoulders and on the head cover of the Blessed Virgin. They symbolize the virginity preserved by Her before Christmas, at Christmas and after Christmas.
According to St. Theophan the Recluse, the Annunciation is closely connected with the establishment of the sacrament of the Body and Blood. " We partake of the true Body and true Blood of Christ, the same ones that were received in incarnation from the immaculate blood of the Most Pure Virgin Mary. Thus, in the incarnation that took place at the hour of the annunciation, the foundation was laid for the sacrament of the Body and Blood. And now this is brought to memory by all Christians, so that, remembering this, they honor the Most Holy Theotokos as their true Mother, not only as a prayer book and intercessor, but also as a nourisher of all. Children feed on mother's milk, and we feed on the Body and Blood, which are from the Blessed Virgin Mary. Eating like this, we drink essentially milk from Her breasts.».
The date of the feast of the Annunciation is connected with the date of the Nativity of Christ: March 25 is exactly 9 months away from December 25. It is believed that on the same day, March 25, the Creation of the world took place - thus, humanity was given a second chance.
St. John Chrysostom called the Annunciation "the root of the feasts", the beginning of all others. Among the ancient Christians, he wore various titles: "The Conception of Christ", "Annunciation of Christ", "The Beginning of Redemption", "Annunciation of the Angel of Mary", - and only in the 7th century it was forever assimilated the name "Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos". During the 5th-8th centuries, due to heresies that humiliated the Face of the Mother of God, the holiday was especially exalted in the Church. In the 8th century, St. John of Damascus and Theophanes, Metropolitan of Nicaea, composed the feast canons, which are now sung by the Church.
According to the charter, on this day, despite Great Lent, a full liturgy should be celebrated, even if the Annunciation happens on Good Friday (on this day, the liturgy is excluded). In its grandeur, the feast of the Annunciation is not canceled even if it falls on Easter. It very rarely happens that the Annunciation coincides with Easter and the holiday seems to be doubled. Then Easter is called Kyriopaskhoy. Such a coincidence was in 1817, 1828, 1912, 1991. The next Kyriopaskha will be in 2075.
The events of the Annunciation were described by the only evangelist - the apostle Luke. There are also apocryphal texts, but they do not change common history Annunciation, but add a number of details to it. In the Apocrypha - the so-called "Proto-Gospel of James" and the "Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew" ("The Book of the Birth of Blessed Mary and the Childhood of the Savior") tells of two appearances of an Angel. First, Gabriel appeared to the Virgin at the well, and only then in the house of Joseph, where she spun a purple veil for the Jerusalem temple by lot. These apocryphal traditions significantly influenced the iconography of the holiday.
The plot of the Annunciation has long been popular in religious painting. His iconography began to take shape very early. Its main attributes are: lily- a symbol of the purity of the Virgin Mary; spinning wheel, spindle (with red yarn) - the image of the flesh of Christ; book the prophet Isaiah, which is read by Mary; paradise branch in the hand of the archangel Gabriel; the olive branch is a symbol of the reconciliation of God and creation; well- a symbol of the purity of Mary. The first images appeared already in the II century in the Roman catacombs, for example, on the wall of the tomb of St. Priscilla. They were finally formed in the Middle Ages, finding the most complete embodiment in the works of the 15th century.
In the Western European painting of the proto-Renaissance, it is especially worth noting the works of Fra Beato Angelico, Simone Martini; from the Renaissance works - paintings by Leonardo da Vinci and Botticelli, and from the northern works - Jan van Eyck, Robert Campin and Rogier van der Weyden. In the next era, several memorable paintings were painted by El Greco. Starting from the Baroque era, as happened with other plots, many liberties and digressions penetrate the interpretation of the plot.
In the icon-painting tradition, it is customary for one wing of the archangel to remain stretched behind his back, and the other to be raised as a sign of greeting. This symbolic movement has entered the Orthodox liturgical system and is performed by the deacon during the pronunciation of litanies. He raises right hand orarion - an image of the uplifting of the Arkhangelsk wing as a sign of greeting and respect. The Annunciation is translated from Greek as good news. Traditionally, in the Orthodox Church, the icon of the Annunciation is placed on the Royal Doors, surrounded by four evangelists. Thus, all the symbolism of the Royal Doors turns out to be connected with the gospel: “... through the Annunciation, the Word became the flesh that we can taste in Communion. And we can take part in this Eternal Meal only because we are called by the apostles-evangelizers. The gates are an additional symbol of the Mother of God (an image from the Old Testament prophecy of Ezekiel about the “enclosed” doors facing the east, through which the Lord enters).
The earliest "Annunciation" in Russian art (1040s) is a mosaic on two pillars in the Kiev Hagia Sophia.
Annunciation, mosaics on two pillars of St. Sophia of Kyiv, c. 1040
The oldest depiction of a scene in Russian art. In the hands of the Mother of God is a red yarn that came from apocryphal stories.
Among the Russian icons on this subject, it is worth noting the Ustyug Annunciation, painted in the 12th century in Veliky Novgorod, the icons of Rublev and Daniil Cherny, as well as the fresco of Dionysius in the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Virgin. The works of Borovikovsky belong to a later time.
Annunciation Ustyug. 30-40s 12th century
The miraculous icon of the Annunciation was previously especially revered in the Moscow Kremlin. Tradition says that in the reign of Ivan the Terrible, she miraculously appeared written on the wall of the Kremlin tower. Her appearance was associated with the prayers of the Most Holy Theotokos for her release of some innocently condemned prisoner who was kept in the tower. Having learned about the "self-painted" icon, Tsar Ivan the Terrible released the prisoner. Soon miraculous icon a wooden chapel was built, then a stone church, and the tower was called Blagoveshchenskaya.
One of the most famous temples dedicated to this holiday is Cathedral of the Annunciation in the Moscow Kremlin, founded as a home temple of the royal family at the Kremlin Palace. And the protopresbyter of the Annunciation Cathedral until the 20th century was the confessor of the most august persons. In March 1584, Ivan the Terrible saw a cruciform comet from the porch of the Cathedral of the Annunciation. “Here is the sign of my death,” he said, and a few days later he was gone.
Cathedral of the Annunciation in the Moscow Kremlin
On this day, according to an ancient Russian tradition, after the Liturgy in the Annunciation Cathedral of the Kremlin, the Patriarch, the clergy and children release birds into the wild. This custom was revived in 1995 and is now performed in many temples.
According to the words of His Holiness the Patriarch, this tradition, full of deep meaning, “symbolizing that the birds are no longer in a cage, but in freedom, reminds us that in our free will there is a search for the Kingdom of God.”
This tradition of the feast of the Annunciation was very fond of St. Patriarch Tikhon, on this holiday, he ended his confessional journey, letting his soul go to God.
The gospel words of the Archangel Gabriel and the righteous Elizabeth formed a well-known prayer - the Song of the Most Holy Theotokos: “ Virgin Mother of God, rejoice, Blessed Mary, the Lord is with you; Blessed are you in women and blessed is the fruit of your womb, as if the Savior gave birth to our souls».
In the Catholic tradition, it corresponds to the Ave Maria prayer - one of the most beautiful and famous chants in the world. Many pieces of music have been written on the text of the prayer. Among the authors of the music are Palestrina, Gounod (based on the Bach prelude), Dvorak, Verdi, Mascagni, Caccini, Liszt, Saint-Saens.
Franz Schubert's Ellen's Third Song is often inaccurately referred to as Schubert's Ave Maria, although the lyrics to which this music is actually taken from the German translation of Walter Scott's poem about the Celtic Lady of the Lake (Lady of the Lake, 1810) include only the first two words of the prayer. Subsequently, Ave Maria began to be sung entirely to the music of this song by Schubert, although the composer did not have this in mind.
In Rus', the feast of the Annunciation has always been treated with reverence. The Orthodox did not work on this day and strictly observed this rule. It was said that on this day "the girl does not weave braids, and the bird does not nest." The day of the Annunciation was considered the day of mercy. People visited prisoners in prisons, gave alms. For the poor, dinners were arranged in the royal chambers, during which the Sovereign himself presented the poor with generous alms.
Svetlana Finogenova
Troparion of the feast, ch. 4
The day of our salvation is the main thing, and the hedgehog from the age of mystery is a manifestation; The Son of God The Son of the Virgin happens, and Gabriel proclaims the good news. The same and we cry with him to the Theotokos: Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you!
Kontakion of the feast, ch. 8
The chosen Voivode is victorious, as if having got rid of the evil ones, thankful we sing to Thy servants, the Mother of God, but as if having an invincible power, free us from all troubles, let us call Ty: rejoice, Bride Unbetrothed.
>
On April 7, the Orthodox Church celebrates the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary - one of the 12 main (twelfth) holidays in the Orthodox calendar.
This holiday on the Holy Mount Athos, in the Lot of the Mother of God, has been honored since ancient times with special love and reverence. After all, he is directly connected with the Abbess of Mount Athos...
Annunciation means "good" or "good" news. On this day, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary and announced to Her the coming birth of Jesus Christ, the Son of God and the Savior of the world. In fact, the sacred gospel story begins with this event; it precedes Christmas, the saving mission of Jesus Christ, the Last Supper, the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ.
The editors of the Russian Athos portal have collected 10 sayings of the Athos ascetic and hesychasm theorist St. Gregory Palamas about the meaning and meaning of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which we invite our readers to get acquainted with.
1. God sends the Archangel to the Virgin, Who, while maintaining Her virginity, makes His Mother by the power of a single annunciation; because if she had conceived from the seed, then He who was born would not have become a new Man, nor would He have been sinless, nor the Savior of sinners; for the movement of the flesh towards childbearing, randomly mingling with God's plan for us, thus takes possession of our abilities and makes them not completely free from sin.
2. So, if the conception of God came from a seed, then He would not be a new Man, nor the Head of a New and by no means aging life; for if He were a participant in the old coinage and the heir to this ancestral sin, He could not bear in Himself the fullness of pure Divinity, and make His flesh an inexhaustible source of sanctification, just as He could not wash away the defilement of these Ancestors with an excess of power, nor suffice, for sanctification of all things, afterwards. Therefore, not an angel, not a man, but the Lord Himself, incarnated in the womb of the Virgin and remaining unchanging God, came and saved us.
3. It was fitting also for the Virgin to be a witness to Her seedless conception and a helper in what was done in the work of Dispensation.
4. Sovereignly, with true majesty bearing the significant name of the Virgin, She had the full possession of purity, being the Virgin both in body and soul and soul powers, and rich in all bodily feelings that did not have the slightest gap; and everything is to such a degree completely and established, and so to speak - as it befits the Lady, in everything undisturbed for all time; as She is the closed door of the treasury and the sealed book that keeps hidden scriptures from the eyes.
5. But also for another reason, the Virgin is the Lady in dignity, namely - as ruling over all, as in virginity conceived and divinely gave birth - by nature the Lord of the whole world.
6. And yet - She is the Lady, not only as free from slavery and a participant in divine domination, but also as the source and root of the liberation of the human race, and especially by virtue of Her ineffable and joyful Birth.
7. Understanding Her as the concentration of divine and human gifts, and adorned with all the graces of the Divine Spirit, the Archangel truly proclaims Her “Blessed”. Seeing that She, as it were, had already conceived the One in Whom is the Treasure of them all, and foreseeing that this womb-bearing of Her is not associated with hardships and the birth will be without illness, He invites Her to rejoice, and declares Her the only Blessed and Glorious in justice among women: for there was no other woman, even glorified, who would be so glorious in excess of glory that she would be equal to the Virgin Mother of God.
8. This Virgin-Mother is both the Cupid and the Ticks, in Herself the Divine Fire unfailingly conceived, during the service of the Archangel, combining through Her the Remover of the sin of the world with the human race, and through this inexpressible combination completely cleansed us.
9. So, the Virgin Mother is the only, as it were, boundary between the created and the uncreated (Divine) nature; and all who know God will recognize Her as the Place of the Incontainable; and all who praise God will also sing after God.
10. She is the Cause of those who were before Her (blessings and gifts to the human race) and the Representative of the present and the Intercessor of the eternal. She is the Foundation of the Prophets, the Beginning of the Apostles, the Establishment of the Martyrs, the Foundation of the Teachers. She is the glory of those on earth, the joy of those in heaven, the adornment of all creation. She is the Beginning and Source and Root, prepared for us in heaven, of hope, which may we all receive through Her prayers for us, to the glory of the Father born before the ages, and in the last times incarnated from Her - Jesus Christ our Lord.
The use of materials is possible
subject to the indication of an active hyperlink
to the portal "AFONIT.INFO" ()
We present here his story with brief explanations. In the sixth month after Elizabeth's conception, St. John the Baptist Angel Gabriel, or the Archangel, as it is customary to call him, (the name Archangel is the highest angel) was sent by God to the little-known Galilean town of Nazareth to the virgin Mary, betrothed to a husband named Joseph. The reader should pay attention to the fact that the Evangelist Luke does not say: "To the virgin who married," but to "betrothed to her husband" because the Virgin Mary was only formally, from the point of view of the law, considered the wife of Joseph, but was not his wife in reality. An ancient legend explains why this happened. Even before the birth of Mary, Her parents, then childless, Joachim and Anna, made a vow, if they had a child, to dedicate him to the service of God. In their old age, God sent them a daughter, whom they named Mary. When Mary was three years old, her parents sent her to be raised at the Temple in Jerusalem. Living here for ten years in an atmosphere of prayer and contemplation, young Mary so ardently loved God that she, of her own free will, decided to devote herself entirely to Him and made a promise not to marry. When Mary was 14 years old, She could no longer stay at the temple, but had to either return home to her parents or get married. However, Her parents had already died a few years before. The high priest, knowing about her vow of virginity and wanting to help her fulfill her intention, formally betrothed Mary to her elderly relative, known for his righteous life - Joseph. At that time, Joseph was a widower and had a considerable family from his first marriage. He lived in Nazareth, located in the southern part of Galilee, where he worked as a carpenter (). So, the good old man Joseph agreed to take care of his young niece. Both of them were descendants of King David and were waiting for the coming of the Messiah.
But back to the gospel story. Appearing to the Virgin Mary, the Angel Gabriel greeted Her: “Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you!”“Blessed” means having received special love and favor from God. The appearance of the Angel and his extraordinary words confused Mary, and She began to think about their meaning. Reassuring Her, the Angel predicts to Mary about the birth of a Son from Her, who will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord will give him the throne of David his father, and he will reign in the house of Jacob forever, and his kingdom will have no end.
The ancient kingdom of David, in which He Himself nominated kings, which was governed according to the laws of God, and in which all forms of civil life were imbued with the idea ministries God was a picture of the coming Kingdom of God. The main feature of the kingdom of David was not in its civil structure, but in its spiritual ideal - as a society striving to live according to the will of God. After the kingdom of David ceased to exist as a result of the invasion of Nebuchadnezzar six hundred years BC, his ideal continued to inspire the believing Jews, who were waiting for the coming of the Messiah-Savior. These included the Virgin Mary and Her parents, Elder Joseph, the parents of John the Baptist, the righteous Zechariah and Elizabeth, Elder Simeon the God-bearer, Anna the prophetess, the shepherds of Bethlehem, and many other simple and believing Jews. The prophets foretold that with the coming of the Messiah, the kingdom of David would be restored and transformed into the Messianic Kingdom. Believers from many nations and it abide forever(Look , , , , ).
Saint Mary, wishing to remain a Virgin, asks the Angel in bewilderment: “How will it be (that I will become a Mother), when I don't know my husband? The angel comforts Her, explaining that Her vow will not be broken, as She will give birth to a Son in a supernatural way, without a husband. Here seedless conception will produce the Holy Spirit, by whose action “The power of the Most High will overshadow Her,” that is, the Son of God Himself will descend into Her womb (According to the figurative comparison of the church song, the Holy Spirit, like a mysterious cloud that overshadowed the Old Testament tabernacle, at the moment of conception will descend on the Virgin,,). The Blessed Virgin did not demand evidence from the Angel, but the Angel Gabriel himself, in confirmation of the truth of his words, pointed out to her Elizabeth, who conceived the prophet John the Baptist in extreme old age, by the will of God. After all, nothing is impossible for God. The Virgin Mary, seeing the will of God in all this, humbly answered: “Behold, the servant of the Lord. May it be to me according to your word.”
The voluntary consent of the Virgin Mary to become the Mother of the Messiah was absolutely necessary for the incarnation of the Son of God, because it always protects gift of free will with which He endowed man. Moral freedom is the most valuable property that elevates us above soulless nature and above the animal world. Without it, we would be something like programmed robots, incapable of moral improvement. Being morally free, we can spiritually grow, improve and, thus, become like our Creator (In contrast to God, the devil seeks to deprive a person of the god-like property of freedom; he tries to enslave a person - first morally, and then physically). Thus, after the free consent of the Virgin Mary, the Holy Spirit overshadowed Her, and at that moment the greatest mystery was accomplished, incomprehensible, in fact, even to angels: The incomprehensible, impregnable and eternal Lord descended into the virgin's womb and, without incinerating her, took on human nature from her, consisting of a body and a rational soul. The further development of the Fetus in the virgin womb proceeded according to the natural laws of nature, and the Virgin carried the Infant within herself, until the day of His birth in Bethlehem (By the grace of God, the incomprehensible Miracle of the incarnation of the Son of God is, as it were, repeated at every liturgy, when the Holy Spirit descends on bread and wine lying on the throne, and transforms them into the Body and Blood of Christ. Thus, in the sacrament of Communion, the Lord communes us with His Divine nature).
The meaning of the Annunciation
On the day the Archangel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary, the ancient prediction of Isaiah was fulfilled that the Virgin would receive in her womb and give birth to a Son, who would be called Emmanuel, which means God is with us (). On this day, he moved into the womb of the Virgin and became a man in order to free the world from sin and the power of the devil. The miracle of the conception of the eternal Child cannot be understood; it is the mystery of piety, accessible only to faith (). In the appearance of the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary, he sees “Salvation of our homeland”– i.e. Start our salvation. The Annunciation is the first ray of dawn after a long languid night. On this day, our world brought to God its best fruit, the brightest, the purest that he could only create - the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Lord accepted this gift of mankind and responded to it with the gift of the grace of the Holy Spirit. In the mysterious meeting of fallen humanity with the most good God, which took place in the pure heart of the Virgin Mary, the first unique triumphant sound of that angelic song is already heard, which, according to the conditions of earthly time, could be completely heard on earth only nine months later: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men.”() "Glory to God" - the Virgin Mary carried in her heart and - "peace to the earth" for this the Savior promised Her.
In the caution with which the Virgin Mary reacted to the greeting and promise of the Angel Gabriel, the holy fathers of the Church see a sign of a great virtue called “ prudence” (or “reasoning”). They contrast the wise caution of the Virgin Mary, the gullibility of Eve, who rashly obeyed the advice of the devil, who took the form of a snake, and instead of happiness found grief.
The appearance of the Angel to the Virgin Mary is framed by two events: the conception of John the Baptist and the visit of St. Virgin Mary of the Righteous Elizabeth. During this visit, St. John the Baptist, an unborn six-month-old uterine baby, is the first to greet the Most Pure Virgin with his movements in the womb of Elizabeth. At this moment, the righteous Elizabeth is honored with the Holy Spirit and exclaims: “Blessed are you among women and blessed is the fruit of your womb,” and then adds - “And whence is it to me that the Mother of my Lord has come to me!”(). Here the righteous Elizabeth began her greeting with the same words with which the Archangel Gabriel ended his greeting. From these words of greeting, that wonderful prayer was created, which we hear so often in the temple: “Virgin Virgin! Rejoice, blessed Mary, the Lord is with you: blessed are you among women (among women) and blessed is the fruit of your womb. Yako (because) the Savior gave birth to our souls.”
The state of tenderness, holy, heavenly joy, in which the Virgin Mary was on the day of the Annunciation, is captured in the icon of “Tenderness.” On it is the Virgin Mary - without the Child, with her arms crossed on her chest and with the words around the halo: "Hail, Bride of the Bride." In front of this icon, the Monk Seraphim of Sarov prayed on his knees for days and nights, before which he died.
Archangel Gabriel's first word of greeting was - " rejoice.” And the feast of the Annunciation is above all a feast of quiet, heavenly joy! Joy over reconciliation with God and grace returned to earth. At the same time, the Annunciation is a holiday of triumph humility, purity And chastity, a holiday of unshakable faith in the omnipotence of God and the boundless Love of God for a perishing person.
From this feast, “the main point of our salvation,” that spring of “living water” begins, which later turns into a wide river and, finally, into a boundless sea of New Testament miracles, sacraments and the Grace of the Holy Spirit, by which the Lord, “giving the Spirit beyond measure, ” so generously watered those thirsty for the truth! The Annunciation is the feast of the Marriage of Heaven and Earth, when blue sky descends to the earth and combines with it. The Annunciation is a "blue" holiday! In the eyes of a believer, everything turns blue on this day, everything becomes cleaner and more transparent. The sky is getting bluer, deeper. The air and waters turn blue, reflecting the cloudless sky; the first flowers are blue - snowdrops and violets; At night, the stars are blue. Human souls also become blue, becoming able to perceive the heavenly music of this wondrous holiday.
The proverb, which claims that even a bird does not make a nest on the Annunciation, allegorically calls us on this day to put aside everyday fuss and direct our thoughts to Heaven, to joyful communion with God. According to an old Russian custom, on this day birds are released into the wild as a sign of the liberation of the human soul from sin.
“I became available for consolation” – (Pushkin writes, releasing the bird) – “why should I grumble at God; when I could give freedom to at least one creature!” Another poet, Tumansky, observing the released bird, writes: “it disappeared, drowning in the radiance of a blue day; and so she sang, flying away, as if praying for me.
feast worship
The Annunciation is celebrated on April 7 (March 25 church calendar). Among ancient Christians, the feast of the Annunciation had different names: “Conception of Christ,” “Annunciation of Christ,” “Beginning of Redemption,” “Annunciation of the Angel of Mary” and only from the 7th century received the final name: “Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos.” The establishment of this holiday belongs to the deepest antiquity. More St. Athanasius the Great, in the 4th century, called it “the first in a series of feasts,” the beginning of the economy of saving people. In the 5th-6th centuries, in contrast to the Nestorian heresy that humiliated the Virgin Mary, the solemnity of this holiday increased significantly (Nestorius incorrectly taught that the Blessed Virgin gave birth to a simple person, with whom the Deity united after his birth. The name “Theotokos” in relation to the Virgin Mary means that Jesus Christ, at the moment of His conception in Her womb of the Virgin, was the true Son of God. Therefore, the Virgin Mary carried in Her womb and later gave birth to the God-man. Both natures - Divine and Human - at the moment of conception united in the person of Christ and since then have not merged in Him and do not change in their essence).
In view of the fact that this holiday sometimes falls in the Lenten period, and sometimes in the Paschal period, its liturgical order is somewhat complicated. If the feast of the Annunciation happens on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, or Saturday of any week of Great Lent, then the All-Night Vigil begins with Great Compline. If the Annunciation happens on Sunday or Monday, then the All-Night Vigil is performed in the usual way, that is, it begins with Vespers (See our leaflet on the All-Night Vigil, number 38). When the Annunciation happens on Pascha, there is no polyeleos, but the canon of the Annunciation is combined with the Paschal canon, and after the sixth ode the Gospel is read.
In the stichera (songs of the all-night service) of the feast of the Annunciation, the story of the Annunciation of the Mother of God by the Archangel Gabriel is recalled and attention is drawn to the humility of the Virgin Mary. It is said about the incomprehensibility of the Nativity of the Savior from the Blessed Virgin Mary. The Mother of God is compared with a “bush” (a thorn bush that burned in the Sinai desert and did not burn out. Like this bush, the Virgin Mary remained unharmed, having taken God into Herself). Compared to the “ladder” seen by Jacob (a ladder that rested on the ground and reached the sky). It is said that thanks to the birth of the Lord from the Mother of God, heaven is united with the earth, renewed, Eve is freed, and we become partakers of the Divine nature and the “church,” i.e. temple of God. Heaven and earth are invited to triumph and rejoicing, because the Son of God, the throne of the Father, in His goodness dwells in a virgin's womb and takes on human nature. The following proverbs are read at Vespers: (excerpts from the Old Testament books), , , , . At the Vespers and the Liturgy of the Annunciation, the following prayer is sung, called the troparion.
Troparion
The day of our salvation is the main thing, and a hedgehog from the age of the sacrament is a manifestation: the Son of God, the Son of the Virgin, happens and Gabriel preaches the good news. In the same way, we will cry out to the Theotokos with him: Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you.
Today is the beginning of our salvation and the fulfillment of a mystery predetermined from eternity: the Son of God becomes the Son of the Virgin and Gabriel proclaims the good news of grace. Therefore, we will exclaim to the Theotokos with him: Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you.
In the canon at the Vespers (the canon is a part of the divine service, compiled according to a certain model, see below), it speaks of the indulgence of the incarnating Savior to people and points to the greatness of the Blessed Virgin, who accepted God into herself. The prophecies and various indications of the Old Testament about the incarnation of the Son of God from the Wife are also mentioned, it is said about the power of the All-Holy Spirit, who overshadowed the Mother of God with His descent, and the brief but significant words of the Archangel Gabriel to the Blessed Virgin Mary are explained.
Before the reading of the Apostle, the following prokeimenon is sung at the liturgy: Bless day by day(daily) the salvation of our God. The Apostle () expresses the idea that in order to save people, it was necessary for the Son of God to take on human flesh. The Gospel () tells of the appearance of the Angel Gabriel to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The next one is sung at the end of the canon and also at the liturgy instead of the song “It is worthy to eat” (which is why it is called “for (i.e. instead of) worthy”).
Worthy
Evangelize the earth, great joy, praise the heavens of God's glory.
As if to the animate God’s casket, let the hand of the wicked never touch, but those who are faithful to the Mother of God, silently the voice of the Angel singing with joy, let them cry: Rejoice, Gracious, the Lord is with you.
Earth, proclaim great joy; heavens, praise the glory of God.
The hand of the uninitiated (unclean) does not dare to touch You, the Animated Kivot of God. The mouths of the faithful, singing incessantly the greeting of the Angel to the Theotokos, exclaim in joy: Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you.
At the liturgy before communion is sung
involved
The Lord has chosen Zion, and make her a habitation for Yourself.
The Lord chose Zion and desired it as a habitation for Himself.
In established liturgical practice, when the Annunciation coincides with Easter, the light of the Good News feast does not fade even in the dazzling sea of the light of St. Easter and the music of the Archangel's voice are not drowned out by the jubilant sea of sounds of the symphony of the Resurrection of Christ. This is explained by the fact that the nature of the feasts of the Annunciation (“main” - the beginning of salvation) and the feast of the Resurrection of Christ (the final event in the salvation of the world) is the same!
Canon of the Annunciation
The canon for the feast of the Annunciation was written in the 8th century by Saint John of Damascus and Theophanes, Metropolitan of Nicaea. The Orthodox, in her liturgical practice, found it necessary to supplement this conversation with a special service explaining it - the canon of the Annunciation, which is an extended dialogue between the Virgin and the heavenly messenger.
Song 1
Irmos: I will open my mouth, and it will be filled with the Spirit; and I will speak the word to the Queen Mother, I will appear brightly triumphant and in joy I will sing of Her miracles ().
David, Thy forefather, Lady, may he sing to Thee, striking the spiritual lyre: Hear, daughter, the joyful voice of an Angel; for he proclaims unspeakable joy to you ().
Angel: In joy I cry out to Thee: incline Thy ear and listen to me, proclaiming the seedless conception of God; for You, the All-Pure One, have found such grace before God, which no other wife has ever been honored with ().
Mother of God: I would like to know the power of your words, Angel. Tell me more clearly: how will what you say come true? How will I conceive - a young virgin? And how can I become the mother of my Creator? ()
Angel: You seem to think that my words are insidious; I rejoice, seeing Your caution. Dare, Mistress, for, when God pleases, the extraordinary is easily accomplished ().
Song 3
Irmos: Mother of God, a living and inexhaustible source! Spiritually affirm Thy singers, who created (this) triumph, and in Thy divine glory honor the crowns of glory.
Mother of God: There was no prince from the tribe of Judah, and the time has come when the aspiration of the peoples will appear - Christ. Explain, then, how can I give birth to Him, being a virgin? (; )
Angel: Do you wish, Virgin, to learn from me the image of Your conception? But he is inexplicable! The Holy Spirit will complete it, overshadowing You with creative power ().
Mother of God: My foremother, having accepted the suggestion of the serpent, is deprived of divine pleasure in paradise. Therefore I too, fearing a fall, am afraid of your strange greeting.
Angel: I, who stand before God, have been sent to proclaim to you the will of God. Why are You, O All-blameless One, afraid of me, when I myself am much more afraid of You? Why are You, Lady, terrified of me when I myself revere You?
Song 4
Irmos: Sitting in glory on the throne of the Divine, the most divine Jesus came on a light cloud, carried by an incorruptible hand, and saved those who called. Glory, Christ, to Your power (; ).
Mother of God: I heard the words of a prophet who in ancient times foretold that a certain sacred Virgin would give birth to Emmanuel. But I wish to know how the nature of mortals can endure union with the Divine? ()
Angel: The bush, engulfed in flames and remaining fireproof, foreshadowed the miraculous sacrament taking place in You, Gracious, glorified by all; for even after birth you, pure, will always remain a virgin ().
Mother of God: Gabriel, the herald of the truth, illuminated by the radiance of God Almighty! Tell me the very truth: how can I give birth in the flesh to an incorporeal Word, keeping My purity intact?
Angel: With fear, like a slave before the mistress, I stand before You, with reverent awe now I look at you, Otrokovitsa. For, like rain on a meadow, the Word of the Father will come down on you, according to His good pleasure ().
Song 5
Irmos: All are amazed at Your divine glory. For You, the Virgin, who did not know marriage, had in the womb of the Most High God and gave birth to a flightless (eternal) Son, granting peace to all who sing of You.
Mother of God: I cannot fully comprehend the meaning of your words, for often there were miracles performed by Divine power, signs and images of the law. But a virgin without a husband has never given birth ().
Angel: You are surprised, Omnipotent. And truly, the miracle of Your conception is marvelous. For You alone will perceive in the womb of the King of all who will be incarnated, and the sayings and fortune-telling of the prophets and the signs of the law () will represent You.
Mother of God: Incapable of anything and Invisible by anyone, how can he inhabit the womb of the Virgin, which He Himself created? And how will I conceive God the Word, without beginning (the Word is the Son of God. He is without beginning, i.e. has no beginning, like the Father and the Holy Spirit). Father and Spirit? ().
Angel: He Who promised to Your forefather David to raise the Fruit of Your womb to the throne of His kingdom, You, the beauty of Jacob, chose Himself alone in a reasonable village (;).
Song 6
Irmos: Transforming the three-day burial of the Lord, the prophet Jonah, praying inside the whale, exclaimed: Deliver me from corruption, Jesus, King of forces!
Angel: Divine joy has been given to you, Mother of God. To you, the Bride of God, all creation exclaims: Rejoice! For You alone, pure, are predestined to be the Mother of the Son of God ().
Mother of God: Through me now let the condemnation of Eve be blotted out, through me let her debt be repaid; through Me, let this ancient debt return with a profit ().
Angel: God promised, Pure One, to the forefather Abraham that in his seed the nations would be blessed. Now, through You, this promise is being fulfilled (; ).
Song 7
Irmos: The God-wise youths did not serve the creature instead of the Creator, but courageously trampled down the threatening fire, rejoiced, singing: Blessed are You, the most glorified Lord and fathers.
Mother of God: Announcing that the immaterial Light, through great mercy, unites with material flesh, you now proclaim to Me a joyful gospel, a divine sermon: blessed, All-Pure, the fruit of your womb ().
Angel: Rejoice, Mistress of the Virgin, rejoice, all-pure, rejoice, receptacle of God; Rejoice, lamp of Light, restoration of Adam, redemption of Eve, holy mountain, bright sanctuary and chamber of immortality ().
Mother of God: The influx of the all-holy Spirit cleansed my soul, sanctified my body, created Me as a temple accommodating God, a God-adorned tabernacle, an animated sanctuary and a pure Mother of Life ().
Angel: I look at You as a bright candle and a well-appointed chamber. You, the Bride of God, like a golden casket, now accept the Giver of the Law, who deigned to deliver the corruptible human being through You ().
Song 8
Irmos: Hear the maiden, pure virgin. May Gabriel proclaim the original true will of the Almighty. Be ready to accept God, for through You the Uncontainable One began to live with mortals. Therefore, in joy, I exclaim: all the creatures of the Lord, bless the Lord (; ).
Every mind of mortals, - answered the Virgin, - is exhausted, trying to comprehend the words that you broadcast to Me. I listen to your words, but in amazement I fear that by deceit, like Eve, you would not separate Me from God. However, I exclaim: All the creatures of the Lord, bless the Lord and exalt Him forever ().
Behold, your perplexity has already been resolved, says Gabriel. “For You rightly called this matter incomprehensible with the words of Your mouth. Obey, then, and do not doubt it as a fiction, but believe it as an actual event, for I exclaim in joy: All the creatures of the Lord, bless the Lord and exalt Him forever.
Such is the law of God for mortals, replies the Immaculate One, that birth comes from mutual love. But I do not know the pleasures of marriage at all: how can you say that I give birth? I'm afraid you're not lying. However, I exclaim: All the creatures of the Lord, bless the Lord and exalt Him forever ().
The words that You speak to me, Venerable One, the Angel cries again, refer to the ordinary birth of mortal people. I announce to You that the true one, in an ineffable and incomprehensible way, as He Himself knows, is incarnated from You, therefore, in joy I exclaim: All the creations of the Lord, bless the Lord and exalt Him forever ().
You are a broadcaster of the truth to Me,” answered the Virgin. – For you have come as a herald of universal joy; and, since I am cleansed in the soul along with the body, let it be done to Me according to your word. May God dwell in Me, to whom I cry with you: All the creatures of the Lord, bless the Lord and exalt Him forever.
Song 9
Irmos: The hand of the uninitiated (unclean) may not touch the animated kivot of God (the kivot, or the ark of revelation, was the place where God appeared to Moses;), but the lips of the faithful, singing incessantly the Angel’s appeal to the Mother of God, exclaim in joy: Gracious, the Lord is with you.
Having incomprehensibly conceived God, You, the Lady, transcended the laws of nature: for You, and being corruptible by nature, did not experience in birth what is characteristic of mothers. Therefore, you deserve to hear: Rejoice, gracious one, the Lord is with you ().
Human language cannot explain how You exude milk, Pure Virgin. For You manifest a work that is alien to nature, exceeding the limits of the laws of birth. Therefore, you deserve to hear: Rejoice, gracious one, the Lord is with you ().
IN Holy Scriptures mysteriously speaks of You, Mother of the Most High. So Jacob in ancient times, having seen the ladder that represented You, said: This is the way of God, therefore you worthily hear: Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you ().
The bush and fire foretold the priest Moses a wondrous sign. Seeking his fulfillment in the aftermath of time, he said: I see this in the pure Virgin, to whom, as the Mother of God, let it be said: Rejoice, gracious, the Lord is with you ().
Daniel calls you a mental mountain; Isaiah - Mother of God; Gideon sees You in the form of a rune (sheepskin, wonderfully irrigated).
And so, the feast of the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos is a joyful day for an Orthodox person. It was especially so for our pious ancestors, who fell in love with the Virgin Mary for Her virtues, so akin to the soul of a Russian person: humility, meekness and striving for the ideal. The Russian people dedicated many churches and monasteries to the Most Holy Theotokos and called their fatherland “The House of the Most Holy Theotokos.” The Virgin Mary responded to the love of the Russian people for Her with Her heavenly help and many miraculous icons.
The Feast of the Annunciation reminds of great love God to people and that the Son of God became a man in order to make us partakers of His Divine nature. The Feast of the Annunciation calls us to imitate the Most Pure Virgin in Her feat of purity and chastity and strive for Heaven, where angels and saints rejoice in eternal light.
On the day of the Annunciation, we all acquired in the person of the Virgin Mary a warm Intercessor at the throne of God. Let us thank God for His mercy to us and ask the Most Pure Virgin to help us reach the quiet haven of the Kingdom of Heaven.
