Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,
Very soon, we will be celebrating the Nativity of Christ – the special time when God’s plan of salvation takes on flesh, enters our existence, walks amongst us, and pulls us from the jaws of certain death. We must always remember, of course, that without the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary, there would not be a Nativity of Christ to celebrate. And by obvious extension, without St. Anna, there is no Theotokos. Therefore, let us most enthusiastically share in a joyous celebration; that of the conception of the Theotokos, commemorated December 9th. The blessing that was given to Ss. Joachim and Anna is a sacred gift to the world. It is written of this most solemn feast:
“Saint Anna, the mother of the Virgin Mary, was the youngest daughter of the priest Nathan from Bethlehem, descended from the tribe of Levi. She married Saint Joachim (September 9), who was a native of Galilee.
For a long time Saint Anna was childless, but after twenty years, through the fervent prayer of both spouses, an angel of the Lord announced to them that they would be the parents of a daughter, Who would bring blessings to the whole human race.
The Orthodox Church does not accept the teaching that the Mother of God was exempted from the consequences of ancestral sin (death, corruption, sin, etc.) at the moment of her conception by virtue of the future merits of Her Son. Only Christ was born perfectly holy and sinless, as Saint Ambrose of Milan teaches in Chapter Two of his Commentary on Luke. The Holy Virgin was like everyone else in Her mortality, and in being subject to temptation, although She committed no personal sins. She was not a deified creature removed from the rest of humanity. If this were the case, she would not have been truly human, and the nature that Christ took from Her would not have been truly human either. If Christ does not truly share our human nature, then the possibility of our salvation is in doubt.”
In the icon, Saints Joachim and Anna are depicted with their eyes directed downwardly in humility, as they contemplate the Mother of God. Young Mary stands in the air with outstretched hands; under Her feet is the tree of the Garden of Eden from which Adam and Eve partook, and a man who personifies the devil which strives to conquer all the universe by his power. Through the conception of the Mother of God, the curse of the tree, and the power of Satan are crushed under the dainty step of a young maiden girl.
As I have often stated, this commemoration is one of the Feasts of our parish, as St. Anna is (most intimately) involved. Therefore, His Eminence will be with us for this occasion and remain to celebrate the Divine Liturgy on Sunday, December 11th.
May the Conception of the Mother of God continue to bless and inspire all of us to holiness, patience, trust, faith and humility.
With Love in Christ,
Fr. Anthony