Homily Four for the Entrance of the Theotokos (St. John of Kronstadt)

Homily Four for the Entrance of the Theotokos 

By St. John of Kronstadt

"The angels, beholding the Entrance of the Most Pure One, were amazed: 
how the Virgin entered the Holy of Holies." (9th Ode of the Canon)

Today, beloved brothers and sisters, we celebrate two feasts: the Resurrection of Christ and the Entrance of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple; one is a weekly feast, the other an annual feast; one is the Lord's feast, the other is the Theotokos's feast. The subject of our discourse will be the Theotokos's feast.

In remembering the sacred event which the Holy Church now solemnly celebrates, our entire being should be filled with joy and awe. For what do we remember and celebrate today? The Entrance of the three-year-old Maiden, the Most Blessed Virgin Mary, into the Temple of God, so that in the Holy of Holies she might be nurtured for the Lord, that is, prepared to be the dwelling place of God. O unspeakable joy! For the Lord Himself desires, through the youthful Maiden, pre-purified by the Spirit, to enter into the closest union with mankind and to pour out upon them His immeasurably great blessings, which surpass all understanding: to enrich human poverty with Divinity, to clothe our nakedness, to make the ugly beautiful, to purify the impure, to enlighten the darkened, to renew the corruptible, to strengthen the weak. But joy is involuntarily combined with awe. For the God, Who is without beginning, great, unapproachable, and terrifying even to the angels, enters into the closest communion with frail human nature; the Most Holy One with sinners, even those cleansed by repentance. Thus, let us meet the Lord, coming to unite with our frail nature, let us meet Him with joy and trembling — with joy because of the greatness of God's blessings, with trembling because of our sins.

In honor and glory of the Most Blessed Mother of God and for our edification, let us discuss how Her Entrance into the Temple took place, and then the profound significance of the temple for us and how we ourselves must be temples of God. It is known that the Most Holy Virgin Mary was born to barren parents, Joachim and Anna, who, already in their old age, fervently prayed for this Most Blessed Daughter from God, making a vow to dedicate their child to God. And so, when the Most Holy Virgin was three years old, her righteous parents, fulfilling their promise to God, solemnly brought her into the Temple of Jerusalem. The ancient Fathers of the Church, singing about the Entrance of the Theotokos, recount in sacred hymns how Saints Joachim and Anna gathered their family and friends in Nazareth. The young maidens, torches in hand, walked before the holy Maiden; her parents led her, and behind them followed her friends and relatives. Thus they journeyed from Nazareth all the way to the Temple in Jerusalem. The High Priest Zechariah and the priests serving in the Temple greeted them with prayers and singing. The Holy Virgin was placed on the first step of the Temple porch, and to the amazement of all present, she, unsupported, ascended the fifteen steps firmly, stopping only at the top. The High Priest led the Most Pure Maiden into the Holy of Holies, where only the High Priest entered once a year. The Mother of God, according to the Church, was brought into the Temple of the Law, as the living temple of the great King. The righteous parents brought gifts and sacrifices to God and then, having received the priests' blessing, returned with their relatives to Nazareth. The Holy Virgin Mary took up residence at the Temple. There, in separate quarters, lived young virgins dedicated to God, as well as widows who served in the Temple, like the prophetess Anna. Here also lived pilgrims and strangers. They were joined by Saint Anna, the mother of the Virgin Mary, who became a widow shortly after the entrance of the Most Holy Virgin; but she did not live long with her Most Holy Daughter; for soon after her husband, she too gave up her spirit to God.

The Holy Virgin was raised under the supervision of older, pious maidens, skilled in holy writing and handicrafts. She labored ceaselessly, prayed often, and loved to read the Holy Scriptures. In this way, She prepared for Her lofty calling. The Church calls Her the beautiful Dawn, from whom the Sun of Righteousness shone forth. The sacred hymn says that Her entire being, abiding within the Temple and nourished by heavenly food, was sanctified by the All-Holy Spirit. When the Most Pure Virgin reached the age at which virgins raised in the Temple usually returned to the world and entered into marriage, the priests wanted Her to do the same. But the Most Pure Virgin revealed to them Her desire — to dedicate Herself to God and not to enter into marriage. Then, inspired by the Holy Spirit, they betrothed Her to the aged Joseph, a relative of Her parents. He became the protector of the Most Pure Virgin and honored the vow She had made to God.

The icon of the Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple depicts the three-year-old Holy Maiden ascending the steps of the temple. This should, above all, inspire us to bring children into the temple of God more often, to accustom them from an early age to prayer and listening to the Holy Scriptures, so that they too may grow in piety and ascend ever higher in good deeds and pious thoughts. But today's feast also teaches us all to deeply respect the temple of God and to love being there in prayer, praise, and thanksgiving.

The temple is the earthly heaven; in it is the throne of God, upon which the King of glory invisibly sits and receives our worship, our prayers, tears, sighs, sacrifices of praise and thanksgiving. 

In the temple are contained our highest, spiritual, eternal interests; from it comes the purification, sanctification and renewal of our souls and bodies. 

Here the spring of living water flows incessantly - the word of God is read and the most joyful truths are preached, nourishing and delighting the mind and heart.

Here sweet, heavenly, soul-stirring hymns are sung.

Here are performed all the saving, renewing mysteries. 

Here the life-giving streams of the blood of the Lord Jesus Christ flow incessantly, pouring into those who receive them wondrous, divine life, purification, sanctification, renewal. 

Here the greatest ecclesiastical and civil solemnities are celebrated, the object of which is our salvation and blessedness in God, or the prosperity and deliverance of the fatherland or its sovereign rulers from troubles and evils. 

Here we find consolation in sorrows, light in perplexity, strength in infirmities. 

Here we hear of the wondrous deeds of the holy saints and friends of God, our intercessors before God, and we learn to imitate them to the best of our ability. 

Here, in the temple, we learn the vanity and insignificance of all earthly goods and that one virtue never dies. 

Here, finally, we feel ourselves members of the one spiritual body of Christ's Church and heavenly citizens, we foretaste heavenly blessedness. 

How, after all this, can we not love the temple, this border between earth and heaven; this heavenly school where we are educated for heaven, for God; this hospital where our spiritual ailments, sins and passions are healed; this source of living waters, where the purest spring of life flows? The temple of God is consecrated as the dwelling place of God and the place of the celebration of the Heavenly Mysteries and divine services, so that we ourselves, from our hearts, build a temple of God not made with hands; for, according to the word of Scripture, a Christian is the temple of God. "Do you not know that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you" (1 Cor. 3:16)? "You are the temple of the living God," says the same, "as it is written: I will dwell in them, and walk among them, and will be their God, and they shall be My sons and daughters, says the Lord Almighty" (2 Cor. 6:16-18).

Therefore, let us finally recognize our high dignity and purpose, with which the Lord our God has honored us; let us constantly train ourselves to be a dwelling place for God, "let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God" (2 Cor. 7:1). Amen.

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.