THE ENTRANCE OF THE MOTHER OF GOD INTO THE TEMPLE (NOVEMBER 21)

The birth and early life of the Virgin Mary is not recorded in the Gospels or other books of the New Testament, however this information can be found in a work dating from the second century known as the Book of James or Protevangelion.

When Mary was three years old, Joachim and Anna decided that the time had come to fulfill their promise and to offer her to the Lord. Joachim gathered the young girls of the neighborhood to form an escort, and he made them go in front of Mary, carrying torches. Captivated by the torches, the young child followed joyfully to the Temple, not once looking back at her parents nor weeping as she was parted from them. The holy Virgin ran toward the Temple, overtaking her attendant maidens and threw herself into the arms of the High Priest Zacharias, who was waiting for her at the gate of the Temple with the elders. Zacharias blessed her saying, "It is in you that He has glorified your name in every generation. It is in you that He will reveal the Redemption that He has prepared for His people in the last days." Then, Zacharias brought the child into the Holy of Holies—a place where only the High Priest was permitted to enter once a year on the Day of Atonement. He placed her on the steps of the altar, and the grace of the Lord descended upon her. She arose and expressed her joy in a dance as wonder seized all who saw this happen. The Virgin Mary dwelt in the Temple for nine years until, reaching an age for marriage, she was taken from the Temple by the priests and elders and entrusted to Joseph as the guardian of her virginity. The Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple signifies her total dedication to God and her readiness for her future vocation as the Mother of the Incarnate Lord. This is a feast of anticipation. As honor is shown to Mary, the faithful are called to look forward to the Incarnation of Christ, celebrated in a little more than a month by the Feast of the Nativity on December 25.

The icon of the feast tells the story of Mary's entry into the Temple. The High Priest, Zacharias , is in his priestly robes standing on the step of the Temple. His arms are outstretched, ready to greet and receive the Virgin. Mary is shown as a small child, standing before Zacharias with her arms reaching up to him. In some icons the young maidens who served as her escort are depicted standing behind her. Also, we see her parents, Joachim and Anna, offering their child to God and His divine service. In the upper center portion of the icon, the Virgin is seated on the steps of the Holy of Holies. An angel is there, attending to the one chosen by God to bring the Savior into the world.

VERSES FROM VESPERS

Today let the heavens above greatly rejoice and let the clouds pour down gladness at the mighty and marvelous acts of our God. For behold, the gate that looks towards the East, born from a fruitless and barren womb according to the promise, and consecrated to God as his dwelling, is now being brought into the temple as a spotless offering. Let David greatly rejoice and play on his harp, saying: Virgins shall be brought to the king after her; her companions shall be brought into the ark of the Lord to be nourished with the life of the Incorruptible One who was begotten from eternity for the salvation of our souls.

Today the Theotokos, the Temple that is to contain God, is being escorted into the temple of the Lord, and Zechariah receives her. Today the Holy of Holies greatly rejoices, and the choir of angels mystically celebrates this feast. Let us also celebrate with them today and cry out with Gabriel: Rejoice, O Full of Grace, the Lord is with you, and He grants us great mercy. Come all you people, and let us praise the only Immaculate One who was foretold by the prophets and is being led into the temple. She was chosen from eternity to be the Mother; and in time she was revealed as the Theotokos. O Lord, by her prayers grant us your peace and great mercy.

A day of joy has truly dawned. It is a most precious feast for us, because she who was virgin before and after childbirth, today is offered in the temple. The aged Zechariah, father of the Forerunner, cries aloud, rejoicing: The intercessor of those in affliction comes into the holy temple, since she herself is holy. She will be sanctified in the abode of the King of all. Let her father, Joachim, be glad and let Anne rejoice exceedingly, because they have offered to God the immaculate Queen as a three year old child. Rejoice with them, all you women; all you virgins and barren ones, dance for joy and celebrate with them, for the Queen of all has opened the kingdom of heaven for us. Let all people be glad and rejoice.

Heaven and earth today rejoice together at the sight of the mystical heaven; the immaculate and pure Virgin is coming into the holy temple to be brought up in honor. Zechariah, rejoicing in her and leaping for joy, cried out in awe: O Door of the Lord, I open the doors of the temple to you, because I know and believe that the salvation of Israel is already coming, that the Word of God will be born from you, and that He will grant great mercy to the world.

When Anne, which means grace, was graced with the pure and ever-Virgin Mary, she presented her into the temple of God. She called maidens to carry candles and walk before her as she said: O child, go to be an offering and a fragrant incense for the One who sent you to me. Enter into the veiled places and learn the mysteries of God. Prepare yourself to be a delightful dwelling place for Jesus who will give great mercy to the world.

The all-holy Virgin is handed over into the temple. Maidens carrying candles go before her. Her parents, the devoted couple, Joachim and Anne, joyfully celebrate, for they have given birth in the flesh to the One who will bear the Creator. She will dance for joy in the temple of God and will be fed by the hand of an angel. The all-immaculate Mother of Christ has appeared, and He will grant great mercy to the world.

O assembly of the faithful, let us celebrate this day as a spiritual feast. With great love, let us honor the maiden of God, the Virgin and Theotokos, as she is presented into the temple of the Lord; for she has been chosen from among all generations to be the dwelling place of Christ our God who is the King of all. O virgins, carry candles and lead the way for the entrance of the ever-Virgin. Follow after her who is the Mother of God and mediatrix for the joy of the world. Therefore, let us all cry out together with the angels: Rejoice, for you are full of grace, and you continually pray for our souls.

CONTEMPLATING CHRIST WITH MARY – Lessons From the Holy Rosary

A Face Radiant as the Sun:  “And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun” (Mt 17:2). The Gospel scene of Christ's transfiguration, in which the three Apostles Peter, James and John appear entranced by the beauty of the Redeemer, can be seen as an icon of Christian contemplation. To look upon the face of Christ, to recognize its mystery amid the daily events and the sufferings of his human life, and then to grasp the divine splendor definitively revealed in the Risen Lord, seated in glory at the right hand of the Father: this is the task of every follower of Christ and therefore the task of each one of us. In contemplating Christ's face, we become open to receiving the mystery of Trinitarian life, experiencing ever anew the love of the Father and delighting in the joy of the Holy Spirit. Saint Paul's words can then be applied to us: “Beholding the glory of the Lord, we are being changed into his likeness, from one degree of glory to another; for this comes from the Lord who is the Spirit” (2 Cor 3:18).

Mary, Model of Contemplation: . The contemplation of Christ has an incomparable model in Mary. In a unique way, the face of the Son belongs to Mary. It was in her womb that Christ was formed, receiving from her a human resemblance which points to an even greater spiritual closeness. No one has ever devoted himself to the contemplation of the face of Christ as faithfully as Mary. The eyes of her heart already turned to him at the Annunciation, when she conceived him by the power of the Holy Spirit. In the months that followed she began to sense his presence and to picture his features. When at last she gave birth to him in Bethlehem, her eyes were able to gaze tenderly on the face of her Son, as she “wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger” (Lk 2:7).

Thereafter Mary's gaze, ever filled with adoration and wonder, would never leave him. At times it would be a questioning look, as in the episode of the finding in the Temple: “Son, why have you treated us so?” (Lk 2:48); it would always be a penetrating gaze, one capable of deeply understanding Jesus, even to the point of perceiving his hidden feelings and anticipating his decisions, as at Cana ( Jn 2:5). At other times it would be a look of sorrow, especially beneath the Cross, where her vision would still be that of a mother giving birth, for Mary not only shared the passion and death of her Son, she also received the new son given to her in the beloved disciple ( Jn 19:26-27). On the morning of Easter hers would be a gaze radiant with the joy of the Resurrection, and finally, on the day of Pentecost, a gaze afire with the outpouring of the Spirit (Acts 1:14).

Mary's Memories:  Mary lived with her eyes fixed on Christ, treasuring his every word: “She kept all these things, pondering them in her heart” (Lk 2:19; cf. 2:51). The memories of Jesus, impressed upon her heart, were always with her, leading her to reflect on the various moments of her life at her Son's side. In a way those memories were to be the “rosary” which she recited uninterruptedly throughout her earthly life. Even now, amid the joyful songs of the heavenly Jerusalem, the reasons for her thanksgiving and praise remain unchanged. They inspire her maternal concern for the pilgrim Church, in which she continues to relate her personal account of the Gospel. Mary constantly sets before the faithful the “mysteries” of her Son, with the desire that the contemplation of those mysteries will release all their saving power. In the recitation of the Rosary, the Christian community enters into contact with the memories and the contemplative gaze of Mary.

The Rosary, a Contemplative Prayer:  The Rosary, precisely because it starts with Mary's own experience, is an exquisitely contemplative prayer. Without this contemplative dimension, it would lose its meaning, as Pope Paul VI clearly pointed out: “Without contemplation, the Rosary is a body without a soul, and its recitation runs the risk of becoming a mechanical repetition of formulas, in violation of the admonition of Christ: 'In praying do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do; for they think they will be heard for their many words' (Mt 6:7). By its nature the recitation of the Rosary calls for a quiet rhythm and a lingering pace, helping the individual to meditate on the mysteries of the Lord's life as seen through the eyes of her who was closest to the Lord. In this way the unfathomable riches of these mysteries are disclosed”. It is worth pausing to consider this profound insight of Paul VI, in order to bring out certain aspects of the Rosary which show that it is really a form of Christocentric contemplation.

Remembering Christ with Mary:  Mary's contemplation is above all a remembering. We need to understand this word in the biblical sense of remembrance (zakar) as a making present of the works brought about by God in the history of salvation. The Bible is an account of saving events culminating in Christ himself. These events not only belong to “yesterday”; they are also part of the “today” of salvation. This making present comes about above all in the Liturgy: what God accomplished centuries ago did not only affect the direct witnesses of those events; it continues to affect people in every age with its gift of grace. To some extent this is also true of every other devout approach to those events: to “remember” them in a spirit of faith and love is to be open to the grace which Christ won for us by the mysteries of his life, death and resurrection. 

Consequently, while it must be reaffirmed with the Second Vatican Council that the Liturgy, as the exercise of the priestly office of Christ and an act of public worship, is “the summit to which the activity of the Church is directed and the font from which all its power flows”, it is also necessary to recall that the spiritual life “is not limited solely to participation in the liturgy. Christians, while they are called to prayer in common, must also go to their own rooms to pray to their Father in secret ( Mt 6:6); indeed, according to the teaching of the Apostle, they must pray without ceasing (1Thes 5:17)”. The Rosary, in its own particular way, is part of this varied panorama of “ceaseless” prayer. If the Liturgy, as the activity of Christ and the Church, is a saving action par excellence, the Rosary too, as a “meditation” with Mary on Christ, is a salutary contemplation. By immersing us in the mysteries of the Redeemer's life, it ensures that what he has done and what the liturgy makes present is profoundly assimilated and shapes our existence.

Learning Christ from Mary:  Christ is the supreme Teacher, the revealer and the one revealed. It is not just a question of learning what he taught but of “learning him”. In this regard could we have any better teacher than Mary? From the divine standpoint, the Spirit is the interior teacher who leads us to the full truth of Christ (Jn 14:26; 15:26; 16:13). But among creatures no one knows Christ better than Mary; no one can introduce us to a profound knowledge of his mystery better than his Mother.

The first of the “signs” worked by Jesus – the changing of water into wine at the marriage in Cana – clearly presents Mary in the guise of a teacher, as she urges the servants to do what Jesus commands ( Jn 2:5). We can imagine that she would have done likewise for the disciples after Jesus' Ascension, when she joined them in awaiting the Holy Spirit and supported them in their first mission. Contemplating the scenes of the Rosary in union with Mary is a means of learning from her to “read” Christ, to discover his secrets and to understand his message. This school of Mary is all the more effective if we consider that she teaches by obtaining for us in abundance the gifts of the Holy Spirit, even as she offers us the incomparable example of her own “pilgrimage of faith”.  As we contemplate each mystery of her Son's life, she invites us to do as she did at the Annunciation: to ask humbly the questions which open us to the light, in order to end with the obedience of faith: “Behold I am the handmaid of the Lord; be it done to me according to your word” (Lk 1:38).

Being conformed to Christ with Mary:  Christian spirituality is distinguished by the disciple's commitment to become conformed ever more fully to his Master (Rom 8:29; Phil 3:10,12). The outpouring of the Holy Spirit in Baptism grafts the believer like a branch onto the vine which is Christ ( Jn 15:5) and makes him a member of Christ's mystical Body (1Cor 12:12; Rom 12:5). This initial unity, however, calls for a growing assimilation, which will increasingly shape the conduct of the disciple in accordance with the “mind” of Christ: “Have this mind among yourselves, which was in Christ Jesus” (Phil 2:5). In the words of the Apostle, we are called “to put on the Lord Jesus Christ” (Rom 13:14; Gal 3:27).

In the spiritual journey of the Rosary, based on the constant contemplation – in Mary's company – of the face of Christ, this demanding ideal of being conformed to him is pursued through an association which could be described in terms of friendship. We are thereby enabled to enter naturally into Christ's life and as it were to share his deepest feelings. In this regard Blessed Bartolo Longo has written: “Just as two friends, frequently in each other's company, tend to develop similar habits, so too, by holding familiar converse with Jesus and the Blessed Virgin, by meditating on the mysteries of the Rosary and by living the same life in Holy Communion, we can become, to the extent of our lowliness, similar to them and can learn from these supreme models a life of humility, poverty, hidden-ness, patience and perfection”. In this process of being conformed to Christ in the Rosary, we entrust ourselves in a special way to the maternal care of the Blessed Virgin. She who is both the Mother of Christ and a member of the Church, indeed her “pre-eminent and altogether singular member”, is at the same time the “Mother of the Church”. As such, she continually brings to birth children for the mystical Body of her Son. She does so through her intercession, imploring upon them the inexhaustible outpouring of the Spirit. Mary is the perfect icon of the motherhood of the Church. 

The Rosary mystically transports us to Mary's side as she is busy watching over the human growth of Christ in the home of Nazareth. This enables her to train us and to mold us with the same care, until Christ is “fully formed” in us (Gal 4:19). This role of Mary, totally grounded in that of Christ and radically subordinated to it, “in no way obscures or diminishes the unique mediation of Christ, but rather shows its power”. This is the luminous principle expressed by the Second Vatican Council which I have so powerfully experienced in my own life and have made the basis of my episcopal motto: Totus Tuus.  The motto is of course inspired by the teaching of Saint Louis Marie Grignion de Montfort, who explained in the following words Mary's role in the process of our configuration to Christ: “Our entire perfection consists in being conformed, united and consecrated to Jesus Christ. Hence the most perfect of all devotions is undoubtedly that which conforms, unites and consecrates us most perfectly to Jesus Christ. Now, since Mary is of all creatures the one most conformed to Jesus Christ, it follows that among all devotions that which most consecrates and conforms a soul to our Lord is devotion to Mary, his Holy Mother, and that the more a soul is consecrated to her the more will it be consecrated to Jesus Christ”. Never as in the Rosary do the life of Jesus and that of Mary appear so deeply joined. Mary lives only in Christ and for Christ! 

Praying to Christ with Mary:  Jesus invited us to turn to God with insistence and the confidence that we will be heard: “Ask, and it will be given to you; seek, and you will find; knock, and it will be opened to you” (Mt 7:7). The basis for this power of prayer is the goodness of the Father, but also the mediation of Christ himself (1Jn 2:1) and the working of the Holy Spirit who “intercedes for us” according to the will of God ( Rom 8:26-27). For “we do not know how to pray as we ought” (Rom 8:26), and at times we are not heard “because we ask wrongly” (Jas 4:2-3).

In support of the prayer which Christ and the Spirit cause to rise in our hearts, Mary intervenes with her maternal intercession. “The prayer of the Church is sustained by the prayer of Mary”. If Jesus, the one Mediator, is the Way of our prayer, then Mary, his purest and most transparent reflection, shows us the Way. “Beginning with Mary's unique cooperation with the working of the Holy Spirit, the Churches developed their prayer to the Holy Mother of God, centering it on the person of Christ manifested in his mysteries”. At the wedding of Cana the Gospel clearly shows the power of Mary's intercession as she makes known to Jesus the needs of others: “They have no wine” (Jn 2:3). 

The Rosary is both meditation and supplication. Insistent prayer to the Mother of God is based on confidence that her maternal intercession can obtain all things from the heart of her Son. She is “all-powerful by grace”, to use the bold expression, which needs to be properly understood, of Blessed Bartolo Longo in his Supplication to Our Lady. This is a conviction which, beginning with the Gospel, has grown ever more firm in the experience of the Christian people. The supreme poet Dante expresses it marvelously in the lines sung by Saint Bernard: “Lady, thou art so great and so powerful, that whoever desires grace yet does not turn to thee, would have his desire fly without wings”. When in the Rosary we plead with Mary, the sanctuary of the Holy Spirit (Lk 1:35), she intercedes for us before the Father who filled her with grace and before the Son born of her womb, praying with us and for us.

Proclaiming Christ with Mary: The Rosary is also a path of proclamation and increasing knowledge, in which the mystery of Christ is presented again and again at different levels of the Christian experience. Its form is that of a prayerful and contemplative presentation, capable of forming Christians according to the heart of Christ. When the recitation of the Rosary combines all the elements needed for an effective meditation, especially in its communal celebration in parishes and shrines, it can present a significant catechetical opportunity which pastors should use to advantage. In this way too Our Lady of the Rosary continues her work of proclaiming Christ. The history of the Rosary shows how this prayer was used in particular by the Dominicans at a difficult time for the Church due to the spread of heresy. Today we are facing new challenges. Why should we not once more have recourse to the Rosary, with the same faith as those who have gone before us? The Rosary retains all its power and continues to be a valuable pastoral resource for every good evangelizer.

THE PROTECTION OF THE MOTHER OF GOD (OCTOBER 1) – GREAT VESPERS

The glorious feast of your Holy Protection has come, O most pure Virgin. Illuminate more brightly than the sun all your people who with faith and with a pure heart proclaim you to be truly the Mother of God. They likewise sing out to your Son: O Christ our God, through the prayers of the ever-Virgin, who immaculately gave You birth in the flesh, let not your inheritance be vanquished by the enemy; but because You are the merciful One, save our souls in peace.

The people desire to sing to you, most pure Lady, but they cannot sing praises worthy of your Son. For you always intercede for all the faithful and embrace them with your holy protection. You pray that all will be saved, all who honor you with faith, O most pure Mother of God.

Let us assemble today, O faithful, and praise the immaculate Queen of all, the most pure Virgin, the Mother of Christ our God; for she always mercifully extends her hands to her Son. In amazement, Andrew saw her in a cloud, protecting the faithful with her mantle. Let us fervently sing to her: Rejoice, O protection, defense, and salvation of our souls.

Having purified our minds and souls, we also rejoice with the angels, joyously singing the hymn of David to the virgin bride of Christ our God, the King of all: Arise, O Lord, in the place of your dwelling, You and the ark of your majesty. Because You have adorned her as a beautiful palace, receive her into your city that through her prayers, O Lord, and with your almighty power, she will order our lives and protect our Church from its enemies.

Higher than all beings in heaven or on earth, more glorious than the Cherubim, and more honorable than all creation, Christ has given you as the powerful protection of the Christian people to protect and save all sinners who hasten to you. Therefore, O Lady, we sing hymns to you because you are the refuge of all people, and we gloriously celebrate the honorable feast of your Protection. We ask Christ to grant us great mercy through you.

O people, let us gloriously sing David’s song to the young bride, to the mother of Christ our God and the King of all. O Master, the Queen stood at your right hand, clothed in golden robes and adorned with celestial beauty. You have affirmed her, chosen from among women, and deigned to be born of her because of your great mercy. You have given her as a help to your people to build up and protect your servants from all misfortunes, O only-blessed One.

O Theotokos, you are a mountain greater and more glorious than Mount Sinai. It could not bear God’s glory coming down in images and tents. It caught fire and shook with thunder and lightning. You likewise had the Divine Fire in you. Through the will of Him who holds all in the palm of his hand, you bore the Word of God in your womb without being burned. Since you have a mother’s confidence before Him, O Lady, help those who faithfully celebrate your precious feast. Do not forget in your mercy to visit us, for you have received a gift from God to build up and protect the Christian flock of your servants.

O all-pure Mother of God, the Church is clothed with your honorable protection as with a most glorious wreath. It radiantly rejoices today. It mystically dances with joy and sings to you, O Lady: Rejoice, honorable raiment and crown of God’s glory. Rejoice, unique perfection of glory and eternal joy; rejoice, refuge of all who hasten to you;

rejoice, our salvation and deliverance.

Любов до Матері Божої!

Не втікай від жертв для так люблячої Мами, старайся з любові до Матері Божої вчинити щоденно щось доброго…

     Добра дитина часто і охоче думає про маму, прагне її пестощів, а коли мусить розлучитися на довший час з нею, то відчуває біль і смуток. Так і ти думай з ніжністю про добру Маму Марію - Матір Божу, прагни з Нею злучитися навіки, линь до Неї з тугою на серці.      

     Добра дитина слухає наказів своєї мами і виконує її бажання, бо не хоче ні в чому її засмутити, постійно ходить за мамою, а коли ще маленька, то тримається її плаття. Так і ти слухай своєї Матері Марії, а також слухай її Божого Сина, бо Вона і до тебе промовляє: "Що лиш скаже вам - те робіть" (Йо. 2, 5) Не засмучуй ніколи цієї Матері гріхами, але вдивляйся в Неї постійно, щоб розгадати її бажання, іди крок за кроком з Нею, наслідуючи її, а тому, що ти є малою і слабою дитиною, тримайся її плаття, тобто її опіки. 

     Добра дитина йде кожного дня зранку привітатися зі своєю мамою, нічого не робить без її дозволу, про все її просить, всюди шукає нагоди, щоб лиш вона була задоволена. І ти часто витай Матір Марію. Коли пробудишся, проси її благословення на цілий день. Коли виходиш з дому, клякни перед її образом чи фігуркою і проси, щоб Вона опікувалася тобою. Коли вдягаєш нове плаття чи сідаєш до столу, уяви собі, що Марія сама тебе одягає і годує. Коли розпочинаєш якусь справу, поручай її під опіку Милостивої Матері. Бл. Генріх Сюзо, як тільки вставав з ліжка, витав Зірку ранню; а як птахи співом витають схід сонця, так і він співом уст і серця прославляв Матір "Сонце справедливості". Інший побожний чоловік, Іван Олієр, визнавав на кожному кроці свою залежність від Матері Марії, звертався до Неї постійно - чи за порадою, чи по світло, або потіху, від Неї отримував все, навіть одяг і їжу. Коли мав розпочати якусь працю або науку, молився перед тим "Богородице Діво"; коли забув і занедбав цю практику, то не міг нічого навчитися. 

     Добра дитина тішиться, коли надходять Іменини її мами, в цей день вона складає мамі побажання, а часом навіть дарує подарунки. Так і ти тішся, коли зближаються іменини, тобто свята твоєї Матері Марії, приготуйся до них молитвою і постом, в цей день жертвуй подарунок, особливо Сповідь і Святе Причастя, бо такий подарунок для Марії є наймиліший. 

     Добра дитина радо говорить про маму, прагне, щоб її всі любили і шанували. Так і ти говори часто і завжди з пошаною про Матір Марію, гаряче прагнучи, щоб її всі, а особливо в твоїй родині, любили і почитали. 

      Добра дитина тішиться, коли мама здорова і щаслива, а в разі хвороби плаче з жалю і не відходить від її ліжка. Так і ти тішся зі слави і щастя Матері Марії, а жалій над її терпіннями і потішай стоячу під хрестом. 

      Добра дитина любить тих, котрих любить мама. Тому і ти люби всіх дітей Марії, а особливо тих, які належать до її братства, або які перебувають у нужді чи гріхах, і не забувай про душі, терплячі в чистилищі, які за життя відзначилися особливою набожністю до Матері Божої.

Врешті, добра дитина старається жертвою віддячитися за ті жертви, які мама переносить задля неї.

Так і ти не втікай від жертв для так люблячої Мами, старайся з любові до Матері Божої вчинити щоденно щось доброго.

BLESSED ARE YOU AMONG WOMEN

Two of the most frequently used prayers in our tradition are taken from the same Gospel narrative: the visit of the Holy Virgin to her older cousin Elizabeth, mother of John the Baptist (Luke 1:39-56). Both the Angelic Salutation (“Hail, O Theotokos…”) and the Canticle of the Theotokos (“My soul magnifies the Lord…”) are taken from this passage. The event which it describes is generally called the Visitation. According to Luke, the angel Gabriel who told her that she would bear a son also told her that “Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren” (Luke 1:36). Mary then travelled the nearly hundred miles from Nazareth to the little town in the hills of Judea where Zachary and Elizabeth lived.

The Holy Virgin greeted her cousin, “And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.  Then she spoke out with a loud voice and said, ‘Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!  But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?  For, indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy. Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told her from the Lord” (Luke 1:41-45).

The Holy Virgin replied with the Canticle, which we sing daily at Matins/Orthros: “My soul magnifies the Lord and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior” (vv. 46-47). This canticle is clearly modeled on the Song of Hannah (1 Samuel 2:1-10), which that mother prayed when she learned that she would have a son. This led many modern scholars to assume that Luke put these words in Mary’s mouth, using 1 Samuel as his model. They did not realize that people steeped in Scripture as Mary was would naturally weave the sacred text into their speech when they spoke of the things of God.

It may be that St Luke had another Old Testament passage in mind when he wrote the story of the visitation. Note the highlighted parallels from the story of David’s visit to the Ark of the Covenant described in 2 Samuel: “David arose and went … to bring up from there the ark of God … and he said, “How can the ark of the Lord come to me?” … The ark of the Lord remained in the house of Obed-Edom the Gittite three months. … So David went and brought up the ark of God from the house of Obed-Edom to the City of David with gladness.  Then David danced before the Lord with all his might …” (2 Samuel 6:2-16).

The Holy Virgin is the new Ark of God, bearing within her – not the words of God’s commandments, the tablets of the Law, but the Living Word of God Himself. Before Him the unborn son of Elizabeth leaps in her womb as David danced before the Ark.

St Gregory the Wonderworker (213- 270) would develop this image to describe the Virgin as full of grace (“Wrought with gold both within and without”): “Come also, dearly beloved, and chant the melody taught us by the inspired harp of David, saying ‘Arise, O Lord, into Your resting place – You and the Ark of Your holiness.’ For the Holy Virgin is truly an ark, wrought with gold both within and without, that has received the whole treasury of the sanctuary.”

“Notice the contrast and the choice of words. Elizabeth is the first to hear Mary’s voice, but John is the first to be aware of grace. She hears with the ears of the body, but he leaps for joy at the meaning of the mystery. She is aware of Mary’s presence, but he is aware of the Lord’s: a woman aware of a woman’s presence, the Forerunner aware of the pledge of our salvation. The women speak of the grace they have received while the children are active in secret, unfolding the mystery of love with the help of their mothers, who prophesy by the spirit of their sons. “The child leaps in the womb; the mother is filled with the Holy Spirit, but not before her son. Once the son has been filled with the Holy Spirit, he fills his mother with the same Spirit. John leaps for joy, and the spirit of Mary rejoices in her turn.”

THE DORMITION OF THE MOTHER OF GOD – GREAT VESPERS

O what a wonder! The Source of Life is placed in a tomb; the grave becomes a ladder to heaven. Rejoice, Gethsemane, holy chamber of the Mother of God! As for us, O faithful, let us cry out with Gabriel, the prince of angels: Rejoice, O woman full of grace, the Lord is with you, the Lord, Who because of you, bestows great mercy upon the world.

O Lady, marvelous are your mysteries. You have become the throne of the Most High, and today you are taken from earth to heaven. Your glory shines forth with the radiance of divine grace and surpasses every other splendor. Rise up to the heavens, all you virgins, together with the Mother of our King, and cry out: Rejoice, O Woman full of grace, the Lord is with you, the Lord, Who because of you, bestows great mercy upon the world.

Behold, all the heavenly hosts, the Dominations, Thrones, and Principalities, Virtues, Powers, Cherubim, and Seraphim, sing a hymn of glory to your Dormition. The entire human race rejoices at your glory; and kings, together with the Angels and Archangels, sing out to you: Rejoice, O Woman full of grace, the Lord is with you, the Lord, Who because of you, bestows great mercy upon the world.

The heavens rejoice in your glorious Dormition, and the angelic hosts are filled with joy; all the universe is exalting as they sing hymns of farewell to you, O Mother of the Master of the universe, O all-holy Virgin who did not know wedlock. You have delivered mankind from the condemnation of old.

At the divine command, the chosen apostles hastened from the ends of the universe to bury you; and, seeing you carried from earth to heaven, they praised you with the words of Gabriel: Rejoice, O bearer of the entire Divinity! Rejoice, O Virgin, for you alone brought heaven and earth together in giving birth to your Son.

You have given birth to Life, and now by your holy Dormition you have crossed the borders into eternal life. The Angels, Principalities, and the Virtues, the prophets, the apostles, and all creation form a procession, and your Son receives your pure soul into His immaculate hands, O Virgin Mother and Bride of God.

The holy apostles were taken up from every corner of the world and carried upon clouds by the command of God. They gathered around you pure body, O Source of Life, and kissed it with reverence. As for the most sublime powers of heaven, they came with their own leader to escort and to pay their last respects to the most honorable body that had contained Life itself. Filled with awe, they marched together with the apostles in silent majesty, professing to the princes of heaven in a hushed voice: Lift up your gates and receive, with becoming majesty, the Mother of the Light that never fades, because, through her, salvation was made possible for mankind. She is the One upon whom no one may gaze, and to whom no one is able to render sufficient glory; for the special honor that made her sublime is beyond understanding. Therefore, O Most Pure Mother of God, forever alive with your Son, the Source of Life, do not cease to intercede with Him that He may guard and save Your people from every trouble; for you are our intercessor. To you we sing a hymn of glory with loud and joyful voice, now and forever.

THE DORMITION OF MARY

 by  Fr. William Saunders

The title and the idea of "the sleep of Mary" is more formally known as "the Dormition of Mary." (Dormition comes from the Latin “dormire,” meaning, "to sleep.") The title "Dormition" can be misleading because it seems to focus more on the death and burial of Mary. For instance, St. Paul in his First Letter to the Thessalonians wrote of those "who sleep in death" and have "fallen asleep" before the second coming and await the resurrection of the dead (4:13). However, the belief surrounding the dormition is intrinsically linked with the assumption of our Blessed Mother, body and soul, into Heaven. With that preliminary answer, we need to review the dogma of the Assumption and how it is related to "dormition" or "sleep."

Granted, the event of the Assumption is not recorded in Sacred Scripture, a reflection on the role of our Blessed Mother in the mystery of salvation provides the foundation for the belief in the Assumption. We firmly believe that from the first moment of her conception, Mary was free of all sin including original sin by a special favor of Almighty God. The Archangel Gabriel recognized her as "full of grace," "blessed among women," and "one with the Lord." Mary had been chosen to be the mother of our Savior. By the power of the Holy Spirit, she conceived our Lord, Jesus Christ, and through her, true God became also true man: "The Word became flesh and dwelt among us." During her lifetime, although the Gospel citations are limited, Mary always presented our Lord to others: to Elizabeth and her son, John the Baptist, who leapt for joy in the womb at the presence of the Lord still in His own mother's womb; to the simple shepherds as well as the wise Magi; and to the people at Cana when our Lord acquiesced to His mother's wish and performed the first miracle. Mary also stood at the foot of the cross with her Son, supporting Him and sharing in His suffering through her love as only a mother could do; moreover, as the exemplary disciple, she stood there courageously with the hope of the resurrection. Finally, she was with the apostles at Pentecost, when the Holy Spirit descended and the Church was born. Therefore, each of us can step back and see Mary as the faithful servant of God who shared intimately in the birth, life, death, and resurrection of our Lord.

For these reasons, we believe that the promises our Lord has given to each of us of sharing eternal life, including a resurrection of the body, were fulfilled in Mary. Since Mary was free of original sin and its effects (one of which is corruption of the body at death), since she shared intimately in the life of the Lord and in His passion, death and resurrection, and since she was present at Pentecost, this model disciple appropriately shared in the bodily resurrection and glorification of the Lord at the end of her life.

Given this understanding, Pope Pius XII solemnly defined in "Munificentissimus Deus" on November 1, 1950, that "the Immaculate Mother of God, the ever-virgin Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life, was assumed body and soul into heavenly glory." Note that the solemn definition does not specify whether Mary physically died before being assumed or just was assumed; it simply states, "Mary, having completed the course of her earthly life...."

So did Mary die first before being assumed? Did she fall "asleep"? Was she buried? The Church does not bind us to a particular answer because the tradition is not clear. In an apocryphal collection of stories called Transitus Mariae (The Passage of Mary), attributed to Bishop St. Melito of Sardis (d. c. 200), Mary died in the presence of the apostles in Jerusalem, and then depending on the story, her body just disappeared, or was buried and then disappeared. St. John Damascene (749) also recorded an interesting story concerning the Assumption: "St. Juvenal, Bishop of Jerusalem, at the Council of Chalcedon (451), made known to the Emperor Marcian and Pulcheria, who wished to possess the body of the Mother of God, that Mary died in the presence of all the Apostles, but that her tomb, when opened, upon the request of St. Thomas, was found empty; wherefrom the Apostles concluded that the body was taken up to heaven."

These stories, however, must not take precedence over the theological grounding for our belief in the Assumption of our Blessed Mother. Rather, we must remember that the Patristic Fathers defended the Assumption on two counts: Since Mary was sinless and a perpetual virgin, she could not suffer bodily deterioration, the result of original sin, after her death. Also, if Mary bore Christ and played an intimate role as His mother in the redemption of man, then she must likewise share body and soul in His resurrection and glorification.

Nevertheless, the pious stories popularized the term "dormition," reflecting that Mary at the end of her life "went to sleep" and then was taken into glory in Heaven. The Byzantine Emperor Mauritius (582-602) established the Feast of the Dormition of the Blessed Virgin Mary on Aug. 15 for the Eastern Church, which celebrated our Lady's death and assumption. (Some historians speculate that the celebration was already widespread before the Council of Ephesus in 431.) By the end of the sixth century, the West likewise celebrated the feast under the title of "the Assumption."

Whether we use "dormition" or "assumption," the fundamental belief remains the same. The Catechism, quoting the Byzantine Liturgy, states, "The Assumption of the Blessed Virgin is a singular participation in her Son's resurrection and an anticipation of the resurrection of other Christians: 'In giving birth you kept your virginity; in your Dormition you did not leave the world, O Mother of God, but were joined to the source of Life. You conceived the living God and, by your prayers, will deliver our souls from death'" (CCC 966).

The Solemnity of the Assumption gives each of us great hope as we contemplate this one facet of the beautiful woman of faith, our Blessed Mother. Mary moves us by example and prayer to grow in God's grace, to be receptive to His will, to convert our lives through sacrifice and penance, and seek that everlasting union in the Heavenly Kingdom. In 1973, the National Conference of Catholic Bishops in their letter Behold Your Mother stated, "Christ has risen from the dead; we need no further assurance of our faith. Mary assumed into Heaven serves rather as a gracious reminder to the Church that our Lord wishes all whom the Father has given Him to be raised with Him. In Mary taken to glory, to union with Christ, the Church sees herself answering the invitation of the heavenly Bridegroom."

O God, who, looking on the lowliness of the Blessed Virgin Mary, raised her to this grace, that your Only Begotten Son was born of her according to the flesh and that she was crowned this day with surpassing glory, grant through her prayers, that, saved by the mystery of your redemption, we may merit to be exalted by you on high. Through our Lord Jesus Christ, your Son, who lives and reigns with you in the unity of the Holy Spirit, one God, forever and ever. Amen

Нерукотворна з Гваделупи

"Безумний каже у своєму серці: "Немає Бога" (Пс 53, 2)

Мудрий світ, прогресуючий світ, новомодний світ, а однак безумний, бо без Бога... 

     Переживаємо не найкращі часи для нашої віри, для нашого сумління. Важко сучасній людині розібратися: де правда, в кого правда, де її шукати? Адже в кожного вона своя, ця правда. Одні говорять, що Бога взагалі не існує, для інших богів є забагато. На жаль, люди створюють собі своїх богів, яких пристосовують до свого життя. Ці їхні боги закриють очі на все: на вільну любов, на розлучення, на життя на віру, порушення посту, на крадіжки, на невинно убієнних... Однак людина, яка шукає правди, буде шукати не своїх власних інтересів, а насамперед праведного життя, життя в любові, згоді, покорі, прощенні... Проте навіть такі віруючі люди часто чекають від Бога якогось знаку, який вкаже їм, що вони є на правдивій дорозі, дорозі, яка веде до неба. Ісус - Дорога, Правда і Життя - дав нам найкращий доказ покори, прощення і любові, а через тисячі чудес і об'явлень вказав дорогу до Єдиного Бога в Трьох Особах. Своєю смертю на хресті Він довів, що лише такий Бог є правдивою любов'ю і спасінням кожної людини. Дорога до неба є дуже важкою, і для того, щоб стати на цю нелегку дорогу віри, Господь Ісус дає нам чіткі знаки, які закликають нас до навернення. Він говорить: "Не увіруєте, якщо не побачите чудес і див" (Йо. 4, 48). Найбільш чіткими Божими знаками сьогодення, які закликають до застанови і навернення, є три образи, які були намальовані не людиною, а є діянням самого Бога. Це: Туринська плащаниця - посмертне тривимірне відбиття в фотографічному негативі усього Тіла Ісуса на нагробній плащаниці; Відбиток Обличчя Воскреслого Ісуса з Манопелло; Образ Матері Божої з Гваделупи. Всебічні наукові дослідження підтверджують, що усі ці образи - нерукотворні, тобто жоден людський геній не був би спроможен їх створити. Такими є наукові факти. Якщо людина прийме їх і з покірним серцем відкриється на любов і Боже милосердя, тоді почнеться процес її духовної переміни. Вона стане на дорогу, що приведе її до вічного щастя у злуці з Богом. Якщо ж натомість "через свою несправедливість спинятиме правду" і відкине Божі знаки, які закликають її до навернення, тоді вона піде дорогою до вічної погибелі. 

     Нерукотворна з Гваделупи. Діло самого Бога.    Ми багато знаємо про нерукотворний образ Туринської плащаниці, в яку було загорнуте Божественне Тіло Христа Ісуса, коли перші праведники зняли Його з хресного дерева, обмили пахучими олійками і загорнули в полотнище. Але сьогодні не про це. Сьогодні хотілося б звернути наш зір за океан - до мексиканського містечка Гваделупи, де 9 грудня 1531 року відбулося чудове об'явлення Матері Божої, завдяки якому в короткому часі мільйони мексиканців навернулися до правдивої, католицької віри. Саме цього року католицький світ відзначає 480 років від дня об'явлення.
     Об'явлення на пагорбі Тепеяк.   Святий Хуан Дієго Куахтлатоатзин (мовою чичимеків - "Орел, який промовляє"), якому об'явилася Матір Божа на пагорбі Тепеяк у грудні 1531 р., був беатифікований 1990, а канонізований 2002 р. у Гваделупі Папою Йоаном Павлом ІІ. Народився майбутній святий 1474 р. в Куахтітлан, у племені Текскоко. У п'ятдесятирічному віці він разом зі своєю дружиною Марією Лучією прийняв хрещення і став ревним католиком. Трьома роками пізніше під час епідемії його дружина померла. На світанку 9 грудня 1531 р. 57-літній індіанець Хуан Дієго поспішав до храму, що у Тлателоко в передмісті Мексики. Піднявшись на пагорб Тепеяк, він почув прекрасний спів, неначе райських птахів, а потім побачив на вершині Прекрасну Діву, яка кликала його. Він був вражений надзвичайною красою і любов'ю цієї надзвичайної Пані, але нічого не боявся і був надзвичайно щасливий. Індіанець став перед Нею на коліна і захоплено прислухався до Її слів. Діва представилася йому як "Свята Діва Марія, Матір правдивого Бога". Вона говорила: "Чи ж я не є біля тебе - Я, твоя Мати? Чи ж я не огортаю тебе своєю опікою?" Пані просила його, щоб він передав єпископові Її прохання - збудувати храм на місці об'явлення, де б індіанці і вірні з Америки могли прибігати і висловлювати своїй Матінці всі свої проблеми, клопоти і справи життя. Ошелешений індіанець чимскоріш подався до єпископа Зумаррагі. Але не все було так легко. Спочатку слуги єпископа не хотіли його впустити до резиденції ексцеленції, але оскільки Дієго наполегливо домагався зустрічі з владикою, слуги були змушені повідомити ієрарха про прибуття несподіваного гостя. Дон Ян Зумаррагі, єпископ Нової Іспанії (Мексики), заторкнутий якимось дивним відчуттям, покликав до себе індіанця. Терпеливо вислухав розповідь Дієго, але вона виглядала для єпископа такою неправдоподібною, що він вирішив, що це якісь галюцинації. Велів, щоб індіанець заспокоївся і через деякий час знову прийшов до нього і ще раз розповів про це об'явлення. Хуан Дієго був дуже розчарований. Мав великий біль на серці, що не зумів переконати єпископа, і через це воля Діви Марії не буде виконана. У пригніченому стані він подався назад до місця об'явлення, щоб шукати потіхи і розради в доброї Мами. Побачивши Марію знову, просив Її, щоб Вона довірила цю справу комусь іншому, гіднішому і кмітливішого за нього. Але Найсвятіша Діва просила його, щоб він не відступав, а довірився Богові і молився. Піднесений на дусі, індіанець пішов додому і постановив що наступного дня, 10 грудня, в неділю, знову відвідає єпископа. Незвичайна ревність індіанця у цій дивній справі змусила єпископа замислитись. Цього разу він уважно слухав Дієго і пильно вдивлявся в його обличчя, намагаючись знайти в ньому якийсь доказ фальшу. Однак обличчя Хуана було дуже лагідним, добродушним і не викликало жодної підозри. Проте Зумаррага не відважився повірити в це об'явлення і зажадав від Дієго якогось знаку. На здивування єпископа Хуан покірно прийняв цю волю ієрарха. Вийшовши від єпископа, він негайно вирушив до Тепеяк, щоб шукати поради у стіп Божої Матері. І недаремно. Пренайсвятіша Діва вийшла йому назустріч і сердечно привітала його. Коли зі сльозами на очах індіанець розповів Дівиці про волю єпископа, Вона відповіла, що ієрарх отримає бажаний знак, який розвіє всі його сумніви. Щасливий, Дієго повернувся додому. Але тут він довідався, що його дядько Ян Бернардіно, найближча йому особа і єдиний родич, важко захворів і перебуває в небезпеці смерті. Стурбований цим, Хуан відразу подався до хворого і постановив, що буде при ньому день і ніч. Стан хворого був дуже важким. Він мав високу температуру і проблеми з диханням, так що міг кожної секунди віддати Богові свого духа. Наступного дня, в понеділок 11 грудня, Хуан Дієго ані на момент не опустив хворого, хоч його мучила думка, що через це він може занедбати прохання Матері Божої. Йому стало на серці так важко, що бажав померти разом зі своїм дядьком. Над ранком 12 грудня дядько попросив прикликати священика з монастиря св. Якова в Тлателоко. Хуан Дієго не міг відмовити хворому у цьому бажанні і пішов по священика. Дорогою назустріч йому вийшла Пречиста Діва. Індіанець дуже стривожився і соромився навіть подивитися у бік Марії. Але почувши миле привітання Божої Матері, заспокоївся. Він розповів Їй про важкохворого дядька, пояснив, що мусить ним опікуватися, а потім попросив вибачення, що відклав виконання Її прохання.
     Слова Марії, сказані до нього, падали цілющим бальзамом на зранене серце Дієго. Марія сказала інідіанцеві, щоб він нічим не переймався, що його дядько одужає. Потім показала своєму любому синові знак, який він мав представити єпископові. Вона поручила йому занести ієрархові букет чудових кастелійських троянд, які на великий подив Хуана, незважаючи на зимовий час у природі, зацвіли на місці об'явлення. Марія сама допомагала йому вкладати троянди до його тільми (плащ із волокон кактуса агави). Коли плащ був переповнений рожами, Дієго попрощався з доброю Дівою і подався до єпископа. Він не знав, що це вже було останнє з чотирьох об'явлень Прекрасної Діви, і від цього часу він буде оглядати тільки Її постать, відбиток якої Вона залишила на його плащі. Єпископ Зумаррага, не зводячи очей із Хуана, дуже уважно слухав його. Індіанець говорив про свого важкохворого дядька, про те, що не міг прийти днем раніше, про своє нове видіння Матері Божої і про Її прохання, щоб на місці об'явлення була збудована святиня. А після всього Дієго розкрив свій плащ, будучи переконаним, що висипле з нього букет чудесних троянд. Але замість троянд на плащі був чудовий образ Матері Божої - точнісінько такий, як описував Хуан Дієго. Індіанець, єпископ Зумаррага і інші свідки чуда впали на коліна і з великим піднесенням почали молитися. Заливаючись слізьми, Зумаррага перепрошував Пречисту Діву за своє недовір'я, після чого, надзвичайно зворушений, особисто заніс чудовий образ до каплички і поклав перед Найсвятішими Тайнами. Вістка про чудовий образ швидко рознеслася околицями міста і незабаром перед образом Матері Божої стали збиратися тлуми людей. Кожен хотів підійіти якнайближче до чудової тільми, доторкнутися до неї, поцілувати її. Наступного дня, 13 грудня, пробувши цілу ніч коло єпископа, Хуан Дієго пішов знову на місце об'явлення. Цього разу з ним пішла велика група вірних і цікавих. Єпископ Зумаррага попросив Дієго вказати точне місце, де йому з'явилася Пречиста Діва Марія. Після всього Дієго пішов нарешті до свого дому. А там його вже чекав цілком здоровий дядько, який також удостоївся ласки бачити Діву. Він розповів Хуанові, що Марія прийшла до нього і сказала, що Вона бажає, аби на пагорбі Тепеяк була побудована святиня і щоб Її чудовий образ мав назву: "Матір Божа з Гваделупи". Це об'явлення ще більше зворушило єпископа Зумаррагу, і він визнав Матір Божу з Гваделупи за патронку Нової Іспанії і віддав під Її опіку місцевий нарід.

На бажання Пречистої Діви Марії єпископ Зумаррага постановив, що в день Божого Різдва вознесе на пагорбі Тепеяк святиню.
     Упродовж двох наступних тижнів на місце об'явлення приходили великі тлуми індіанців, щоб збудувати для своєї Пані величавий дім. На другий день Різдвяних свят відбулася величава процесія з чудотворним образом Матері Божої від каплиці єпископа до нової базиліки.
     Хуан Дієго замешкав на пагорбі Тепеяк у невеликій хатинці біля святині, в якій виконував обов'язки паламаря. Кожного дня Дієго розповідав сотням паломникам про чудове об'явлення Матері Божої. Єпископ Зумаррага дозволив йому приймати Святе Причастя тричі на тиждень, що в ті часи було дуже рідкісним явищем. Всі, кому пощастило спілкуватися з Дієго, підкреслювали одне і те ж: ця людина випромінювала дивний спокій і радість. Хуан Дієго і єпископ Зумаррага обидва померли в 1548 р. з різницею у кілька днів. Індіанець мав на той час 74 роки, а єпископ - 72. Упродовж десяти років від дня об'явлення Пречистої Діви Марії на пагорбі Тепеяк і від появи нерукотворного образа в Гваделупі прийняло віру Христову і охрестилося вісім мільйонів індіанців! Об'явлення в Тепеяк цілковито змінило обличчя Нового Світу. Це чудо було дуже важливе як для індіанців, так і для самих іспанських колоністів, які від цього часу почали жити в згоді між собою, бо раніше ворогували. Нова базиліка була збудована в 1976 р. До санктуаріуму Матері Божої в Гваделупі щороку приїздить понад 20 мільйонів паломників. На цьому місці постійно відбуваються численні навернення та зцілення. Походження та існування образу Матері Божої з Гваделупи є великою таємницею. Після багаторічних наукових досліджень стає очевидним, що цей образ є ділом самого Бога, інакше пояснити його неможливо. 

Mary, Mother Of All, For Every Day Of The Year

How did Mary experience the first Christmas? Mary too heard the words explaining the event that she herself saw and lived. Words and deeds that she pondered in her heart, in herself in a conscious, thoughtful and intelligent listening. The heart indicates this. The inner listening of Mary is a prolonged one, not a single moment. The Gospel phrase, “she kept all these things, meditating on them in her heart,” says that the guard of Mary was not a keeping passive or inert, but an active and alive one, connecting and comparing one thing with another trying to understand the profound logic, the direction and the truth of things that may seem unrelated or even conflicting. It is precisely what Mary did, feeling on one hand the words that proclaimed the glory of the Child (words heard from the angel at the Annunciation) and, on the other hand, seeing "a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger.” It is the usual tension between greatness and littleness, glory and poverty that is the backbone of the Christian event. Mary’s listening thus becomes a true interpretation that sheds light on the mystery of Jesus.
Mary is not only the mother of Jesus, she is also his most profound interpreter. She explains Christmas, because it is not easy to understand Christmas. So, let us be guided by Mary, who kept all these things and pondered them in her heart. Her heart and her mind were seeking the golden thread that held together the opposites: a stable and "a multitude of angels," a manger and a "kingdom which has no end." Like her, like the shepherds and the Magi, let’s save at least astonishment. At Christmas the Word is an infant who cannot talk, the Lord is just in the morning of life, the Almighty is a child capable only of crying. God always starts in this way, with small things and in deep silence. God decided to reveal himself born as a child. This is the depth of the mystery of Christmas told by the Nativity in Bethlehem, of our churches and of our homes.
For thirty years, Christ lived this humble and simple life to save us. His mother embraced this life. This hidden life is embraced today, every day, by the Consecrated Virgins in the world. By placing their hope in the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Consecrated Virgins in the world look to Mary as "the prototype of the consecrated life because she is the mother who welcomes, listens to, intercedes and contemplates her Lord with praise of the heart" . Mary is the model, guide and Mother in all the fundamental elements of the consecrated life: in the evangelical following, in the way of marriage to Christ (Jn 2,4-5. 11 12), with "undivided heart" (1 Cor 7, 32), in evangelical poverty like the life in Bethlehem and Nazareth (Luke 1-2; Mt 1-2), in obedience to the salvific plan of God (Lk 1:38);in virginity spiritually, fruitful under the action of Holy Spirit, to be "the Woman" in union with Christ (Luke 1, 35; Jn 2: 4), in the availability to service and mission for the Church toward a new kind of motherhood (Jn 19, 25, 27; Rev. 12: 1); in the life of the Church as a fraternal bond of communion and help for the spiritual, apostolic, intellectual and human life.

THE CONCEPTION OF ST. ANNE (December 9)

Joachim and Anna were without children.  In Jewish tradition, childlessness was seen as a curse from God.  When Joachim went to the Temple to bring an offering, he was publicly reproached by the elders.  In shame, Joachim went off to the desert to pray. Anna, fearing Joachim was dead and lamenting her shame at being childless, was weeping and praying in the garden.  An angel appeared to her and told her she would have a child.  She was so overjoyed, she promised to dedicate the child to the service of the Lord.  At the same moment, an angel appeared to Joachim to tell him that Anna would have a child.  Joachim got up and ran immediately back to Anna.  They met each other at the Temple Gate and embraced with love.  Anna knew immediately that she would bear a daughter “whose name would be proclaimed throughout the world and through whom all nations would be blessed.”  The feast celebrates two main ideas:  Mary was conceived without sin because God was preparing her to be the Mother of His Son Jesus. The vocation of marriage lived in love reflects the love of God for all creation.

THE  ICON

The love between Joachim and Anna is revealed to us through the Icon.  Their embrace shows their devotion to each other and to God.  Both Joachim and Anna incline their heads to each other and their faces touch as a symbol of their reverence for each other.  There are two houses in the Icon, one behind Joachim and one behind Anna.  Both the doors and windows are wide open symbolizing the openness between husband and wife and the openness between humanity and God.  A red banner draped between the roofs connects the two houses: another symbol of separation overcome—between man and woman, but also between humanity and the Creator.  Joachim means “The Lord will judge.”  Anna means “Divine Grace.”

DID YOU KNOW?

Pope Pius IX, on December 8, 1854, declared the dogma of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, ‘ex cathedra’ which means it is infallible.  All Catholics believe that Mary, as the Mother of God, was granted a special grace by God and was conceived without original sin. The Virgin Mary was always filled with every blessing and gift of the Holy Spirit in whose grace she certainly grew throughout her life.  Though born without original sin, according to the view of the Eastern Fathers, she was not made exempt from the temporal penalties of Adam -- from sorrow, bodily infirmities, and death.
 In our Church, we celebrate the Conception and Birth of three people:  St. John the Baptist, Mary, the Mother of God and Jesus Christ. The Conception of St. John the Baptist is celebrated on September 23 and his birth date is June 24. In the Byzantine Rite, the Immaculate Conception is celebrated on December 9 and the birth date of Mary is September 8. March 25, the Annunciation, is the Conception date for Jesus and his birth date is December 25. The theological significance of these dates is that only Jesus, who is the Son of God, has a perfect nine months between Conception and Birth.

FEAST OF  THE  CONCEPTION  OF  SAINT  ANNE 

The feast widely known as the Feast of the Immaculate Conception is celebrated in the Eastern Church on December 9 as the Feast of the Conception of Saint Ann. This feast commemorates Saint Anne’s conception of Mary, the Mother of God.  In the United States of America the Ukrainian Catholic Church celebrates this feast on December 8.
 The writings of the early Church tell us that Mary’s parents, Joachim and Ann, had lived devoutly in marriage for fifty years and had prayed earnestly for a child.  The Lord God answered their prayers by allowing Ann to conceive a child who would be the mother of God’s own Son, Jesus Christ.
 The Ukrainian Catholic liturgical tradition venerates the Most Holy Mother of God as "All-Immaculate" and "Most Immaculate”.  We say that she was immaculately conceived in the sense that, from the moment of her conception, she was free of all sin and had no propensity to sin.  (Mankind’s propensity to sin was one of the legacies of Adam and Eve’s fall from grace.)  The Western Church, on the other hand, defined the Virgin Mary's "Immaculate Conception" to say that she was, from the first moment of her conception, preserved free from the "stain of original sin."
The difference between the Western and Eastern traditions in this regard lies precisely in the nature of Original Sin itself. The West follows St. Augustine’s view that we inherit not only the effects of Original Sin (illness, pain, death, propensity to sin), but also the "stain" of the sin itself. The Eastern Church places its attention on the process by which God shares His divine nature with human beings. In choosing disobedience, Adam broke his union with God, making it impossible to fulfill his nature.  This was the Original Sin: Adam’s rejection of the only true life given to him by God. (It was only through Christ that humanity could be reunited with the Father.) The Eastern Fathers understood Original Sin only in terms of the inherited impact of this sin upon humanity. They would see it as impossible for someone to inherit the actual stain or guilt of a sin committed by another, even if it was the forefather Adam.
We are therefore not born with any stain of a sin committed by someone else, but only with the effects of that sin.   Adam’s personal sin resulted in death for all his descendants, the experience of concupiscence and the propensity to be tempted and to sin. According to the faith of the Eastern Church, the Mother of God never had any sin, original or actual, on her soul.  The Church has always believed that Mary was preserved from original sin by a "singular grace and privilege" given her by God "in view of the merits of Jesus Christ" as Redeemer of the human race. Mary, like every other human being, needed the redemptive benefits of Christ; but, in anticipation of what God did for all through Christ, she alone was preserved from original sin "from the first moment of her conception," and sanctifying grace was given to her before sin could have taken effect in her soul.
The Virgin Mary was always filled with every blessing and gift of the Holy Spirit in whose grace she certainly grew throughout her life.  Though born without original sin, according to the view of the Eastern Fathers, she was not made exempt from the temporal penalties of Adam -- from sorrow, bodily infirmities, and death.

VERSES FOR VESPERS (December 9)

Our liturgical tradition also provides us with catechesis. Here are the verses sung at Vespers, which tell us the symbolism and the importance of  this feast – The Conception of Saint Anne

• The barren Anna leaped for joy when she gave birth to Mary the Virgin, who in turn will give birth in the flesh to God the Word.  Overflowing with happiness, she cried out: Rejoice with me, all tribes of Israel, for I have conceived and put aside my burden of childlessness as the Creator has deigned. He heard my prayer and healed the pains of my yearning heart.
• O Anna, the One who made waters gush forth from a rock bestows as a fruit of your womb, the ever-Virgin Lady. Through her, our salvation will come. Because of this you were delivered from shame. No longer will you be on earth as a fruitless soil, for you have produced an earth which will bring forth the Tree of Life. According to His will, He delivered mankind from all shame when He became man out of His compassionate mercy.
• The sayings of the prophets are now being fulfilled: the holy mountain is planted in the womb; the divine ladder is set up; the throne of the great king is ready; the God-inspired city is being adorned. The unburnable bush is beginning to bud forth, and the treasure house of grace is overflowing. It is spreading over the rivers of unfruitfulness of the God-wise Anna whom we glorify.
• Today the mystery which has been announced from eternity, whose depth angels and men cannot measure, appears in the arms of Anna. Mary, the maiden of God is prepared to be the dwelling of the Kings of the ages who will renew our human nature. Let us entreat her with a pure heart and say: Since you are the intercessor for all Christians, implore your Son and God to save our souls.
• It is fitting that the Queen of heaven and earth, who is more precious than the Cherubim, and incomparably more glorious than the Seraphim, be conceived and remain immaculate as the angels, so that they who are servants of the Lord can boast of their own Queen, the Mother of God. Glory and praise to the Lord who willed it so, the Creator of all things.
• It is fitting that the unique and chosen woman be conceived without sin, and the power of Satan is now taken away; for the Mother of God will never bow before him. Glory and praise to the Lord who willed it so, the Creator of all things.
• It is fitting that the Second Eve be created and remain without sin in the manner of the Second Adam; for the rebirth of mankind now takes place, just as the fall came through the first Adam and the first Eve. Christ has renewed all through his new birth, and it was Mary that gave birth to Him. Glory and praise to the Lord who willed it so, the Creator of all things.
• Anna, whose name means divine grace, once cried out in her prayer, asking for a child. She invoked the God and Creator of all, saying: Lord of Hosts, You know what shame it is to be barren. Heal the pains of my heart. Make my fruitless womb fruitful so that we may offer to You the child who is born as a gift, and that with one mind, we may bless, praise, and glorify Your love through which the world obtains great mercy.
• Anna was praying with great fervor, beseeching the Lord for a child, when she heard the voice of an angel who told her that God had granted her wish, saying plainly: Do not doubt, for your prayer has reached the Lord. Wipe away your tears, for you shall be an olive tree bringing forth a beautiful branch. You will bring forth the Virgin from whom will blossom the flower, Christ-in-the-flesh, who will grant great mercy to the world.
• Joachim and Anna, the righteous couple, gave birth to the precious heavenly fruit, the ewe-lamb, who in turn will give birth in a manner beyond understanding to the Lamb of God who is to be sacrificed for all. Because of this, they offer to the Lord an unceasing and humble hymn of praise. Let us, therefore, praise them with fervor. And let us joyfully celebrate the birth of the One who was born of them, Mary, the Mother of God; because through her, great mercy is granted to all of us. 

PRAYERS TO THE MOTHER OF GOD

Rejoice Mary, Mother of God, Virgin, full of grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women and blessed is the Fruit of thy womb, for thou hast borne the Savior of our souls.

Meet it is in truth, to glorify thee, O Birth-giver of God, ever blessed, and all undefiled, the Mother of our God. More honorable than the Cherubim, and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim, thou who without stain didst bear God the word, true Birth-giver of God, we magnify thee.

O gracious Mother of the gracious God, O most pure and blessed Mary, the Mother of God, pour the mercy of thy Son and our God upon my impassionate soul, and with thine intercessions set me unto good deeds, that I may pass the rest of my life without blemish and, with thine aid, attain heaven. O Virgin mother of God, the only one who art pure and blessed. O Queen of the Heavenly Host, Defender of our souls: being delivered from evil, as thy servants, O Mother of God, we offer unto thee the hymns of thanks and victory; but as thou hast power invincible, deliver us from all calamity, that we may cry unto thee: Rejoice, O ever-Virgin Bride!

O virgin, spotless, undefiled, unstained, all-chaste and Pure Lady, Bride of God, who by the glorious birth-giving hast united God the Word with Man and linked our fallen nature with Heavenly Things; who art the hope of the hopeless, the helper of the oppressed, the ready protection of those who haste unto thee, and the refuge of Christians; despise me not, who am defiled and sinful, who by my wicked thoughts, words and deeds, have become an unworthy servant, and by my slothfulness have turned into a slave to evil affections. O Mother of the God of Love, have mercy and compassion upon me, a sinner and a prodigal. Accept this prayer which is offered to thee from my impure lips; and putting forward thy maternal influence with thy Son, my Lord and Master, beseech Him to open unto me the loving-kindness of His grace; beseech Him to overlook my countless transgressions, to give me true repentance and to make me to be a zealous doer of His commandments. And thou, being gracious and compassionate and tender-hearted, be thou ever present with me in this life as my defender and helper, so that I may turn aside the assault of my enemies, and guide me into salvation; help my poor soul at the hour of my death, and drive far from it all the dark forms of the evil ones. And in the dreadful Judgment Day, deliver me from everlasting punishment, and present me as an inheritor of the ineffable glory of the son, our God. Amen!