The Theotokos in the Orthodox Tradition and in the Worship of Great Lent (2 of 2)

By Panagiotis S. Martinis

In our first article, which bore the title “The Theotokos in the Biblical and Patristic Tradition,” we referred to the person and the role of the Theotokos in the mystery of salvation, as these are expressed by the sacred writers of Holy Scripture and the Fathers of the Church, on the occasion of the feast of the Annunciation (March 25).

In the article that follows, we shall refer to the honor rendered to the Theotokos during the period of Great Lent, on the occasion of the Service of the Akathist Hymn.

B. THE THEOTOKOS IN THE WORSHIP OF GREAT LENT

During the period of the Triodion and especially of Great Lent, the Theotokos is particularly honored. Already with the beginning of the Triodion we invoke her help, chanting: “Guide me in the paths of salvation, O Theotokos… by your intercessions deliver me from every impurity.”

The Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

On the 26th of the month of March we celebrate the Synaxis of the Archangel Gabriel, which has been handed down to us from the beginning and from God, because this Archangel ministered in the divine, supernatural, and ineffable mystery of the economy of Christ.

According indeed to the note of the Venerable Nikodemos the Hagiorite in his Great Synaxaristes, “Gabriel means man and God (that is, man of God), according to Proclus of Constantinople. For this reason he is the one who served in the mystery of the incarnate economy of God the Word. And Theophanes Kerameus, the Bishop of Tauromenium, also says that the seven letters contained in the name Gabriel signify that Christ, whose Birth Gabriel proclaimed, will come for the salvation of the whole world, which is measured by the week and comes to completion in seven ages.”

The Holy Hymnographer, namely Joseph the Hymnographer, is moved ecstatically as he refers to the “all-great Gabriel.” There is almost no troparion either at Vespers or in the Canon for the Archangel that does not reveal his admiration and his awe-filled stance toward him, not only for the fact of Gabriel’s participation in the revelation of the mystery of the coming of God into the world as a man to the pure maiden Mariam, but also for his twofold unceasing and eternal stance before the Lord of all, the Triune God: the glorification of His holy name and the readiness of obedience to the commands of His will. For example:

The Annunciation of the Theotokos in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

 

By Fr. George Dorbarakis

March 25th is “a festival of faith and freedom,” according to the poet. It is a day on which we are called to remember the struggles undertaken by our heroic forefathers in order to cast off the four-hundred-year slavery under the Turks. It is a sacred landmark, since it is considered the starting point for the acquisition of our national freedom. But it is also a day that more deeply calls us, the faithful — who perceive the depth of these events — not merely to remember something or to take example from something, but to participate in the greatest event ever realized in human history: the incarnation of the Son and Word of God within the All-Holy Virgin. And if the one feast is great because it marks the beginning of our national freedom, the other — the Annunciation — is a most great feast, because it marks the beginning of our existential and eternal salvation.

The Apolytikion (Dismissal Hymn) of the day helps us approach the meaning of the feast, and so we will comment briefly on it below:

“Today is the beginning of our salvation and the manifestation of the mystery from all eternity. The Son of God becomes the Son of the Virgin, and Gabriel proclaims the good tidings of grace. Therefore we also, together with him, cry aloud to the Theotokos: Rejoice, O Full of Grace, the Lord is with You.”

Homily for the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos (Fr. Daniel Sysoev)

  

Homily for the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos 

By Fr. Daniel Sysoev

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit!

Today is the joy of the Annunciation. Today heaven and earth are united. Today the ancient curse disappears, Adam’s transgression is erased, and sorrow is turned into joy. Today is the day when God became man so that man might become god. Today the heavens have broken through the barrier set by human sin, through the humble consent of the Virgin and her creative word: “Let it be to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38).

God became man so that man might ascend to heavenly heights. God took on weak, sinful, mortal human nature in order to grant it sinlessness, incorruption, and purity. God receives flesh from the most pure Virgin in order to teach us divine purity. And today is the day of the Gospel, the day of the Good News, when we hear of the hope for which we live. This is the hope of deification, because we are called to become gods by grace.

Homily Two for the Day of the Annunciation (Archpriest Rodion Putyatin)

 

Homily Two for the Day of the Annunciation 

By Archpriest Rodion Putyatin

(Delivered on Holy and Great Saturday)

I do not know what to say to you today, devout listeners.

Should I say, “Weep”? But you will say, “How can we weep when today joy has been proclaimed to the whole world?”

Should I say, “Rejoice”? But others will say, “How can we rejoice when Jesus Christ, our joy, lies today in the tomb?”

In this uncertainty, the following thought came to me: can you force a person to rejoice if he is not inclined to joy? Of course, it is difficult. And can you force a person to weep if he is not inclined to tears? That too is difficult. So let each person today remain in whatever disposition he is in — but that disposition must be given the proper direction.

Are you inclined today to rejoice? Then rejoice.

Are you inclined today to weep? Then weep.

Both sorrow and joy are fitting for this day.

Homily at the Paraklesis of the Theotokos: On Imitating the Virtues of the Mother of God (Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov)

Homily at the Paraklesis of the Theotokos:
On Imitating the Virtues of the Mother of God 

By Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov

In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit!

“Rejoice, full of grace! The Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!” (Luke 1:28). With these words the heavenly messenger greeted the Most Holy Virgin, bringing her the good news that she would give birth to the Savior of the world. In response to this angelic greeting, we hear prophetic words that she, the Most Holy Virgin Mary, spoke to her relative, the righteous Elizabeth. These words were not spoken out of passing emotion, but under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit:

“For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed” (Luke 1:48). These prophetic words have been fulfilled for two thousand years, as people throughout the world glorify the Most Pure One as the Mother of God, exalt her as more honorable than the Cherubim and beyond compare more glorious than the Seraphim, and bless her as the protectress of the Christian people.

Homily Three on the Annunciation (St. John of Kronstadt)

Homily Three on the Annunciation 

By St. John of Kronstadt

“Today is the beginning of our salvation 

and the revelation of the mystery from all eternity:
the Son of God becomes the Son of the Virgin.”
(Troparion of the Feast)

Beloved brothers and sisters!

This present day is the beginning of our salvation from sin, which entered the human race through our forefather Adam; today the greatest mystery of God has been revealed, foreordained by God before all ages: the Son of God, without beginning, all-powerful, the Source of wisdom and understanding, the Source of goodness, the Creator of heaven and earth, the Creator of Adam, becomes the Son of the Most Pure Virgin, and the Virgin becomes the Mother of God; God becomes man without ceasing to be God, in order to restore man from the fall, from sin, to deliver him from death and eternal torment, and to make the sinner holy.

O wondrous mystery, surpassing all understanding! O ineffable goodness of God! To fallen man, deserving of every punishment, such immeasurable mercy has been given! Yes, mercy truly divine and boundless — but mercy, however, for sinners who truly repent; for the unrepentant, there will be the greater condemnation, because, trampling upon such great gifts of God by their lawless life, they have not desired to repent sincerely.

March: Day 25: Teaching 3: Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos

March: Day 25: Teaching 3:
Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos
 
(What Does the Annunciation Mean, and What Does It Teach Us?)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Why is the present day called the day of the Annunciation? — Obviously, because of some good tidings for all of us. What is this tidings?

a) It is the tidings that to us poor ones on earth there has now descended the Only-begotten Son of God, the eternal Word, by Whom all things visible and invisible were created and are sustained in being. He descended to such an extent that He clothed Himself in our nature, became in all things like us except for sin, a man, and this not for some temporary period, whether small or great, but for all eternity.

b) It is the tidings that this incarnate Son of God will accomplish for our salvation everything that is necessary: He will enlighten us with the light of truth and show us the way to eternal life; He will take upon Himself our sins and blot them out by His sufferings; He will descend into the grave and by His Resurrection dispel for us the darkness of the tomb and the fear of death; He will grant us the Holy Spirit and with Him the fullness of the gifts of grace, so that, being cleansed from every impurity, we may become capable of dwelling in heaven with the angels.

Homily Two on the Annunciation (St. John of Kronstadt)

Homily Two on the Annunciation

By St. John of Kronstadt

"Today is revealed the mystery that is from all eternity.  
The Son of God becomes the Son of man ...
God becomes man, that He may make Adam god"
(Matins Doxastikon, Tone 2 - composed by St. Theophanes the Graptos).

The Holy Church now remembers and celebrates a wondrous mystery, inconceivable to mortal minds: the incarnation and embodiment of the Creator of the ages and worlds – the Son of God. The uncontainable God is contained in the pure womb of the Virgin; the incorporeal is incarnated; the beginningless is conceived; the unapproachable becomes approachable; the Word assumes flesh; the infinitely great is diminished, and the boundless is defined; God merges with men and is not ashamed to call them brethren (Heb. 2:11). Thus, from eternity, from the beginning, the hidden mystery, unknown even to the angels, is now revealed, and the Son of God becomes the Son of Man, in order to take upon Himself the worst, that is, our nature, and to bestow upon us the incomparably better – sanctification, renewal, and divinization. It is fitting to exclaim in delight: let creation rejoice, let all nature celebrate joyfully, that is, both the entire human race, honored with such grace from God, and all creation, heaven and earth, witnessing God, who, in His boundless goodness, descended to creation and took upon Himself the nature of creation for its salvation. Oh, the incomprehensible mystery, the most wondrous mystery that captivates every spiritually reasoning soul, yet at the same time a fearsome mystery! For the reason behind such condescension, such self-emptying, is our sins. Only the all-good, all-wise, and all-powerful God could devise such an extraordinary means for the salvation of lost man and to so humble Himself in order to heal us through His example from pride and all sins and to teach humility, obedience, and every virtue.

March: Day 25: Teaching 2: Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos

March: Day 25: Teaching 2:
Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos
 
(On the Communion of Human Nature With the Divinity in the Incarnation of the Son of God)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Contemplating with faith the great mystery now revealed, the mystery of the incarnation of the Son of God, you do not know, brethren, what to marvel at more: the degree to which God emptied and humbled Himself, taking the form of a servant, becoming man (Phil. 2:7); or the degree to which human nature was exalted through this emptiness of the Divinity?

II. a) Human nature was amazingly exalted, first of all, in the person of the incarnate Lord Himself. The Son of God took upon Himself human nature forever, and accepted it into the unity of His Divine hypostasis, so that although there are now two natures in Him - Divine and human, they are united in Him inseparably and constitute one person, one Divine hypostasis. He, both after the incarnation and in human nature, is still the same one true Son of God and true God as He was before the incarnation. As a result of such a hypostatic union of two natures in Christ, humanity in Him became partaker of the Divinity and became deified, that is, it assimilated from the Divinity everything that it was capable of assimilating without losing its limitations and human properties, and was enriched by the Divinity with wisdom, holiness, life-giving power, and other Divine perfections. Following this, humanity, deified in the person of the Lord Jesus, became in Him a participant in Divine worship. Now He will sit on the throne of glory at the right hand of God the Father in His human nature; now to Him, already in the flesh, has been given all authority in heaven and on earth (Matt. 28:18); now, even in human nature, every tribe of things in heaven and on earth and under the earth worships Him as God (Phil. 2:10). Well, tell me, what could be higher than what our human nature was honored with in Christ?

March: Day 25: Teaching 1: Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos

 

March: Day 25: Teaching 1:
Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos
 
(There Is No Need To Seek Fame)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The greatest of miracles and mysteries was heralded by the Archangel Gabriel: he was sent to announce to the Virgin Mary the incarnation of the Son of God from Her.

But how modestly the command of God was fulfilled, and how mysteriously the annunciation was given! Where they intended to go, where they would hover, where the kings of the earth wished to be met - all this was made known in advance in its place, and the most careful preparations began there for the worthy reception of the exalted visitor. Behold, the King of heaven and earth came to be incarnate and become human, and who then noticed this? Who, except the Most Pure Virgin, felt the moment of the annunciation? What solemn preparations were made for the reception of the Eternal One within the limits of time, for the appearance of the incorporeal God in virginal and pure flesh? None. "For while all things were in quiet silence, and that night was in the midst of her swift course, Your Almighty word leaped down from heaven out of thy royal throne, as a fierce man of war into the midst of a land of destruction" (Wisdom of Solomon 18:14-15).

Three Homilies on the Visitation of the Mother of God to Elizabeth (Archpriest Rodion Putyatin)

By Archpriest Rodion Putyatin

 

"And Zechariah entered the house and greeted Elizabeth. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby in her womb leaped; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit" (Luke 1:40–41).

The Most Holy Virgin Mary, soon after the angels told Her about the birth of the Son of God, went to the city of Judah to visit her relative Elizabeth, the wife of the righteous Zechariah. And this is what happened in Zechariah's house with Her arrival. When She entered the house and greeted Elizabeth, immediately the baby in Elizabeth’s womb leaped joyfully, and she was filled with the Holy Spirit. You see, listeners, how from the presence and greeting of She who is full of grace the one welcoming was filled with God’s grace. When Elizabeth heard Mary's greeting, the baby in her womb leaped; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.

On the Beauty of the Feast of the Annunciation (St. Chrysostomos of Smyrna)

 

By St. Chrysostomos, Metropolitan of Smyrna

"Rejoice, you who are full of grace, the Lord is with you; blessed are you among women!... for you have found favor with God. And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name Jesus" (Lk. 1:28, 31).

Though few, these words of the Angel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary are radiant and immortal, proclaiming the whole lofty and wonderful mystery, which is hidden beneath the present feast, which with great joy and gladness the Orthodox Christian world celebrates today.

These words contain the radiant and joyful announcement of the highest and most wonderous event, which has ever happened in the world since the world came into existence.

This event of the Annunciation is in the religious and moral world the center of a certain spiritual gravity for all creation; all the great world-historical events before it were nothing but a preparation for it, and all the subsequent global changes in the universe were nothing but the result of this. And for this reason, celebrating today this greatest and most wonderful historical event of the Annunciation, which is the radiant prelude of salvation and joy and happiness for the whole human race, let us study it at the same time with respect and admiration, mixed with affection and deep gratitude. And for this let us turn our thoughts backwards; let us return mentally and come to the first March 25th, which is nine months before the beginning of the new chronology from when Christ dawned upon earth. Let us go to Nazareth, and see what this saying is, because the Angel is evangelizing.

Homily Three on the Annunciation of the Theotokos (St. Luke of Simferopol)

 

 By St. Luke, Archbishop of Simferopol and All Crimea

(Delivered in 1957)

The Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos is one of the greatest events in the history of the world, which we now celebrate not only with joy and love, but also with tremulous fear, for this is the “foremost”, that is, the beginning of our salvation.

I will not retell the only great conversation in the history of the world between the Archangel Gabriel and the Blessed Virgin Mary, I will dwell only on the words: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you and the power of the Most High will overshadow you, therefore the Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God” (Luke 1:35).

No one and never, from the creation of the world to the end of it, was born and will not be born like the God-man Jesus Christ. No one has ever been born without a father. Nobody was born and will not be born by the influx of the Holy Spirit. No one has ever been indwelled by the Spirit of God with such complete fullness as He indwelled in the Blessed Virgin Mary. No one was overshadowed by the power of the Most High and no mother's womb was sanctified with such fullness and power as the womb of the Blessed Virgin.

Homily One on the Annunciation of the Theotokos (St. Luke of Simferopol)

 

 By St. Luke, Archbishop of Simferopol and All Crimea

(Delivered on April 7, 1945)

“Today marks the crowning of our salvation and the revelation of the mystery before all ages. For the Son of God becomes the son of the Virgin, and Gabriel proclaims the grace.”

Now the great mystery of our Christian faith has been fulfilled, what the holy prophet Isaiah predicted seven hundred years before the Nativity of the Lord Jesus Christ: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Emmanuel, which means: 'God is with us'” (Is. 7:14).

Why did this holy prophet say that the Lord would be called Emmanuel, while the Archangel Gabriel, who now greeted the Blessed Virgin Mary, said that She would call His name Jesus? What does this mean? This is explained by the meaning of the name Emmanuel: "God is with us."

Two "Hails" Are the Essence of Romiosini and Modern Hellenism

March 25th marks the fact that two "Hails" are the essence of Romiosini, of modern Hellenism:

"Hail Mary full of grace!"

"Hail, O hail to freedom!"

Two nights fade, and two dawns appear in the air.
Two freedoms merge into the same day.
Two bloodstained freedoms, children of great toil,
the freedom of the Greek and the freedom of man.

                             - Kostis Palamas, poet (+ 1943)

Homily Two on the Annunciation of the Theotokos (St. Luke of Simferopol)

 By St. Luke, Archbishop of Simferopol and All Crimea

(Delivered in 1948)

“The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you” (Luke 1:35).

An ineffable light illuminated the world on this blessed day, the day of the revelation of the deepest mystery, proclaimed at the beginning of the ages to the primordial people by God Himself at the expulsion of them from paradise:  “The seed of the woman will bruise the head of the serpent.” To this blessed Woman, whose seed was to bruise the head of the serpent, the holy Archangel Gabriel was sent from heaven; was sent in order to announce to Her that the time had come for the fulfillment of the deepest, mysterious prophecy of Isaiah: “Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Emmanuel, which means: God is with us” (Is. 7:14).

The holy Archangel appeared with fear before the One Whom God had chosen from the whole human race, he appeared with an amazing, extraordinary greeting: “Rejoice, you who are full of grace! The Lord is with you!” (Luke 1:29). He called her full of grace... Which woman was ever called "grace", and the holy Angel called her "full of grace".