Glory to Jesus Christ!  Glory forever!

In the Name of the Father, and of the + Son, and of the Holy Spirit.  Amen.

Sacred Scripture, beloved, goes to great lengths to underscore the uniqueness of our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ.  He is literally one-of-a-kind, Whose Conception and Birth defies nature, in Whom there dwells both the divine and the human natures.  Yet, He is not a hybrid like some mythological figure, but is in fact fully God and fully Man, the only-begotten Son of God,

begotten of the Father before all ages: Light of Light, true God of true God; begotten, not made; of one essence with the Father; by Whom all things were made; Who for us men and for our salvation came down from Heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary, and became Man (Nicene Creed).

          “[B]eing in the form of God,” says the Apostle,

[He] did not consider it robbery to be equal with God, but made Himself of no reputation, taking the form of a bondservant, and coming in the likeness of men.  And being found in appearance as a Man, He humbled Himself and became obedient to the point of death, even the death of the Cross.  Therefore God has highly exalted Him . . . .

In his Epistle to the Hebrews, this same Apostle highlights for us that being the very Son of God Whose powerful Word upholds all of creation (Hb. 1:1-3), still did not exempt this Jesus from experiencing sufferings or temptations – even death itself! – but learned obedience by these very things He endured – all “for us men and for our salvation” (Hb. 2:9-10, 14, 18; 5:7-8).

It should not surprise us, then, that His Most Holy and Blessed Mother, like her Son, is one-of-a-kind.  She is born so that He might be born so that we might be re-born through Him, with Him, and in Him.  Through her, then, as a certain anonymous monk once remarked, “we are enabled to contemplate Christ.”  She makes possible “the descent of Christ in our flesh.” 

“Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.”  This is the lifelong focus of the Most Holy Theotokos, beginning even from her nativity.  She was conceived in the divine Mind for this, that is, to conceive in her ever-virginal womb the One Who is the Logos – the Word of God – Who is Himself “the brightness of [God’s] glory and the express image of His Person” (Jn. 1:1-18; Hb. 1:3).  St. Paul elsewhere reminds us of God’s divine will and timing – something we may not fully understand, if at all!  But, because we know this God, we are able to trust His Word and to entrust ourselves and each other to it: “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, made [born] of a woman, . . ., that we might receive the adoption of sons” (Ga. 4:4-5). 

And because this was so unheard of, God had to prepare for Himself just the right person to receive His only Son – and not merely His Son, as though He were just exactly like every other baby boy ever born among men – but to receive into her virginal womb the very Essence of God!  To grasp ever so slightly the immensity and singularity of that divine proposal, it would be like walking into a nuclear meltdown unprotected!  You might do it, but guaranteed you’ll only do it once, and the chances are astronomically high that you will die. 

“But when the fullness of the time had come, . . . .” the Most Holy Theotokos and Ever-Blessed Virgin did just that.  Sacred Scripture tells us, capturing the Prophet Moses’ prayer to God, “’I beseech Thee, show me Thy glory’” to which the Almighty replies, “’Thou canst not see My face, for there shall no man see Me and live’” (Ex. 33:18, 20).  And yet, the Most Holy and Blessed Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary did just that – doing what no other man – not even Moses! – or woman could do or had ever done in all of history!  No one – not a soul – unprepared can hold in his or her hand the fiery, all-consuming Essence of God and survive! 

So, holy brethren, let’s not treat this nor the holy chosen daughter of Joachim and Anna – the daughter of God – Mary, Ever-Virgin, so casually or cavalierly as some non-Orthodox are wont to do.  Indeed, blessed is her womb that bore very God and the breasts at which the Babe nursed (Lk. 10:38-42; 11:27-28).  Indeed, all generations who are wise call this woman blessed.  For “’[God] Who is mighty has done great things for [her], and holy is His Name’” (Lk. 1:46-55).  Ever since the foundation of the world, God has been prepping for “the time” – for His divine Incarnation – and the Temple chosen had to be worthy of His tabernacling among men.  Nothing but perfection could contain the One Who is Himself perfection.  Nothing but purity could hold the One Who is Himself more pure than pure.  Nothing but holiness could embrace the Holy God, the Holy Mighty, the Holy Immortal.  This, in part, explains why the Holiness Code in Israel was so strict and so severe.  It was intended by God to protect all those who ministered in His Presence: we cannot tamper with God indiscriminately nor ill-advisedly.  “The Holy Things are for the holy” (Divine Liturgy). 

It seems to me, however, at times we’re offended that God should be so picky or that He should have been preparing someone for this one-of-a-kind salvific event.  Why her?  Why not just take someone from off of the streets?  Why not one of us?  And yet, a special Child demands a special Mother.  For the all-consuming fire of God must find a suitable hearth worthy of containing the fire.  And so, “in the fullness of the time” God did precisely that.  God raised up for Himself a young maiden from the loins of an aged couple who could not have children.  So often, this is the divine MO in Sacred Scripture.  The young maiden is herself immaculate (though she is not “immaculately conceived” as our Roman Catholic brethren teach); she is pure, holy, unblemished, devout, pious, totally consecrated to God so much so that we believe she was without personal sin (though she did inherit Adam’s fallen mortality commemorated at her Dormition).  Only her Son would be wholly without sin, including being free of Adam’s inherited mortality.  When He dies, it will be solely on His own terms.  He and He alone will determine when He will give up His spirit into the hands of His Father.  His Death, therefore, unlike His Mother’s or ours, will be and is totally, absolutely voluntary           

I invite us now to hear some of the hymns of the Church, taken from Vespers, that express our Faith regarding this woman who is “more honorable than the cherubim and more glorious beyond compare than the seraphim,” foretold in Sacred Scripture (Is. 11:1, 10):

Although by God’s will other barren women

have brought forth famous offspring,

yet, of all those children Mary shines most brightly, as is fitting to God.

For she herself was born wondrously of a barren mother,

and gave birth in the flesh to the God of all,

in a manner surpassing nature, from a womb without seed.

She is the only gateway of the only-begotten Son of God,

Who passed through this gate yet kept it closed,

and, having ordered all things in His own wisdom, //

has wrought salvation for all mankind.

Today barren Anna gives birth to the handmaid of God,

who was chosen from all generations

to become the abode of the King and Creator of all, Christ our God

in fulfillment of the divine plan.

Through her we earth-born have been fashioned anew //

and restored from corruption to life eternal.

The first fruit of our salvation is accomplished today, O peoples,

for behold, the Mother and Virgin and vessel of God,

foreordained from ancient generations,

comes to be born from a barren woman.

A flower from Jesse and a rod from his root has budded;

let Adam, our forefather, be glad; let Eve rejoice and delight,

for behold, she who was formed from Adam’s rib

plainly declares her daughter and descendant blessed:

“My deliverance has been born,” says Eve;

“through her, I shall be freed from the bonds of Hades.”

Let David rejoice, striking his lyre, and let him bless God,

for behold, the Virgin comes forth from a barren rock //

for the salvation of our souls!

She who was foreordained Queen of all

and the habitation of God,

has come forth today from the barren womb of joyful Anna.

She is the divine sanctuary of the eternal Essence;

shameless Hades has been trampled down through her,

and Eve with all her race is established secure in life.

It is meet and right that we should cry aloud to her: //

“Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the Fruit of thy womb!”

Come, all you faithful, let us run to the Virgin!

For, behold, today she is born, who was foreordained before the womb, as the Mother of our God,

the treasure of virginity, the rod of Aaron that budded, springing from the root of Jesse,

the preaching of the Prophets, the offspring of righteous Joachim and Anna.

She is born and with her the world is renewed.

She comes from the womb and the Church is adorned in her majesty.

She is the holy temple, the vessel of the Godhead,

the virgin instrument and bridal chamber of the King,

in which has come to pass the strange mystery of the union of the natures that came together in Christ. //

Worshipping Him, we praise the birth of the all-pure Virgin.

Most holy Theotokos, save us!

          Glory to Jesus Christ!  Glory forever!

VIGIL PROPERS:                     PROPERS:

Gn. 28:10-17                                       Pp. 2:5-11

Ek. 43:27-44:4                                                Lk. 10:38-42; 11:27-28      

Pr. 9:1-11