My beloved spiritual children in Christ Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE. Ο ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΕΝ ΤΩ ΜΕΣΩ ΗΜΩΝ! ΚΑΙ ΗΝ ΚΑΙ ΕΣΤΙ ΚΑΙ ΕΣΤΑΙ.
THE ANNUNCIATION OF THE MOST HOLY THEOTOKOS MARCH 25TH
Apolytikion (Dismissal) Hymn. Tone Four
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 Hymn. Tone Eight
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!
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The Feast of the Annunciation is one of the earliest Christians feasts, and was already being celebrated in the 4th century. There is a painting of the Annunciation in the catacomb of Priscilla in Rome dating from the 2nd century. The Council of Toledo in 656 A.D. mentions the Feast, and the Council in Trullo in 652 A.D. says that the Annunciation was celebrated during Great Lent.
The Greek and Slavonic names for the Feast may be translated as "good tidings." This, of course, refers to the Incarnation of the Son of God and the salvation He brings. The background of the Annunciation is found in the Gospel of Saint Luke (1:26-38). The troparion describes this as the "beginning of our salvation, and the revelation of the eternal mystery," for on this day the Son of God became the Son of Man.
There are two main components to the Annunciation: the message itself, and the response of the Virgin. The message fulfills God's promise to send a Redeemer (Genesis 3:15): "I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your seed and her seed; he shall crush your head, and you shall lie in wait for his heel." The holy Fathers of the Church understand "her seed" to refer to Christ. The Prophets hinted at His coming, which they saw dimly, but the Archangel Gabriel now proclaims that the promise is about to be fulfilled.
We see this echoed in the Divine Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great, as well: "When man disobeyed Thee, the Only True God Who had created him, and was deceived by the guile of the serpent, becoming subject to death by his own transgressions, Thou, O God, in Thy righteous judgment, didst send him forth from Paradise into this world, returning him to the earth from which he was taken, yet providing for him the salvation of regeneration in Thy Christ Himself."
The Archangel Gabriel was sent by God to Nazareth in Galilee. There he spoke to the undefiled Virgin who was betrothed to Saint Joseph: "Hail, thou who art highly favored, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end."
In contrast to Eve, who was readily deceived by the serpent, the Virgin did not immediately accept the Angel's message. In her humility, she did not think she was deserving of such words, but was actually troubled by them. The fact that she asked for an explanation reveals her sobriety and prudence. She did not disbelieve the words of the Angel, but could not understand how they would be fulfilled, for they spoke of something which was beyond nature.
Then said Mary unto the Angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?" (St. Luke 1:34).
"And the Angel answered and said to her, The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee: therefore also that which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And, behold, thy cousin Elizabeth hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible." And Mary said, 'Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.' And the Angel departed from her" (St. Luke 1:35-38).
In his Sermon 23 on the day of the Annunciation, Saint Philaret of Moscow boldly stated that "the word of the creature brought the Creator down into the world." He explains that salvation is not merely an act of God's will, but also involves the Virgin's free will. She could have refused, but she accepted God's will and chose to cooperate without complaint or further questions.
The holy icon of the Feast shows the Archangel with a staff in his left hand, indicating his role as a messenger. Sometimes one wing is upraised, as if to show his swift descent from heaven. His right hand is stretched toward the Holy Virgin as he delivers his message.
The Virgin is depicted either standing or sitting, usually holding a yarn in her left hand. Sometimes she is shown holding a scroll. Her right hand may be raised to indicate her surprise at the message she is hearing. Her head is bowed, showing her consent and obedience. The descent of the Holy Spirit upon her is depicted by a ray of light issuing from a small sphere at the top of the holy icon, which symbolizes heaven. In a famous icon from Sinai, a white dove is shown in the ray of Light.
There are several famous holy icons of the Annunciation; one is the Moscow Kremlin in the church of the Annunciation. This holy icon appeared in connection with the rescue of a prisoner by the Mother of God during the reign of Ivan the Terrible. Another is to be found in the Dormition Cathedral in Moscow (July 8th). It was originally located in Ustiug, and was the icon before which Saint Procopius the fool (July 18th) prayed to save the city from destruction in 1290. One of the most highly revered icons in Greece is the Tinos icon of the Annunciation (January 30th).
The Annunciation Feast falls during Holy and Great Lent, but it is always celebrated with great joy. The Divine Liturgy of Saint John Chrysostom is served, even on the weekdays of Lent. It is one of the two days of Great Lent on which the fast is relaxed and fish is permitted (Palm Sunday is the other). [Source: Orthodox Church in America)
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MORE INFORMATION:
Greek traditions
Many Greek Orthodox Christians make a pilgrimage as a special tribute to the Theotokos on the island of Tinos. Thousands of pilgrims jam the docks and city streets to visit the Church of Evangelistria that safeguards a miraculous healing icon of the Theotokos. Revealed in a vision, it was found buried in a field in 1823, and the church was built to house it. Pilgrims bring items of precious metals and other gifts to leave at the church. On August 15th (Dormition [Koimisis) of the Theotokos) and March 25th the holy icon is carried through town in a grand procession.
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DIVINE SERVICES ON MARCH 25TH:
Orthros (Matins) at 9:00 a.m.
Divine Liturgy at 10:00 a.m.
Place of worship: Saint Andrew
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"Glory Be To GOD For All Things!"--Saint John Chrysostom
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With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia,
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+Father George