Feast of the Annunciation
Categories: feast-days
Date: 24 March 2008 05:12:23
Tomorrow [March 25], nine months before the Nativity of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ [Christmas], we in the Orthodox Church commemorate the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary by the Archangel Gabriel.
Troparion - Tone 4:
Today is the beginning of our salvation,
The revelation of the eternal mystery!
The Son of God becomes the Son of the Virgin
As Gabriel announces the coming of Grace.
Together with him let us cry to the Theotokos:
Rejoice, O Full of Grace,
The Lord is with You!
Kontakion - Tone 8:
O Victorious Leader of Triumphant Hosts!
We, your servants, delivered from evil, sing our grateful thanks to you, O Theotokos!
As you possess invincible might, set us free from every calamity
So that we may sing: Rejoice, O unwedded Bride!
The Annunciation is one of the twelve Great Feasts of the Orthodox Church. It is truly a joyous day, even among the solemnity of Great Lent. Our parish is celebrating the Annunciation this evening: and it will be the first time I have attended the Vigil Service for the Annunciation; I am greatly looking forward to it.
The Annunciation is an important Feast as this is where we remember the Virgin's "Yes" to God. God, as He has promised throughout the Old Testament, through the proclamation of Gabriel is to send a Redeemer to the world. And, amazingly, this is not merely brought about by God's will, but by the will of the Virgin when she responds, "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." [Luke 1:38, ESV] Metropolitan Philaret of Moscow, in one of his sermons, even said:
“In the days of the creation of the world, when God was uttering his mighty "Let there be," the word of the Creator brought creatures into the world. But on [the day of the Annunciation], unprecedented in the history of the world, when Mary uttered her brief and obedient, "So be it," I hardly dare say what happened then — the word of the creature brought the Creator into the world.”"the word of the creature brought the Creator into the world" -- an amazing thing to ponder.
And thus, we also recall Mary, called Theotokos [Mother of God] in Orthodoxy, whose will was aligned with that of God's, and who did give her "Yes" to him. May we, like her, respond with a "Yes" to God, and may we seek to follow His ways in all we do, as she did.
A blessed Feast Day to all!