THE FEAST OF THE ANNUNCIATION

GOSPEL Luke 1:26-38

The angel Gabriel was sent from God to a town of Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin betrothed to a man named Joseph, of the house of David, and the virgin's name was Mary. And coming to her, he said, "Hail, full of grace! The Lord is with you." But she was greatly troubled at what was said and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. Then the angel said to her, "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. Behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall name him Jesus. He will be great and will be called Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give him the throne of David his father, and he will rule over the house of Jacob forever, and of his Kingdom there will be no end." But Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I have no relations with a man?" And the angel said to her in reply, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. Therefore the child to be born will be called holy, the Son of God. And behold, Elizabeth, your relative, has also conceived a son in her old age, and this is the sixth month for her who was called barren; for nothing will be impossible for God." Mary said, "Behold, I am the handmaid of the Lord. May it be done to me according to your word." Then the angel departed from her.

Troparion

Today is the fountainhead of our salvation and the manifestation of the mystery which was from eternity. The Son of God becometh the Virgin's Son, and Gabriel proclaimeth the good tidings of grace; wherefore, we also cry to the Theotokos with him: Rejoice, thou who art full of grace, the Lord is with thee..

What Does the Feast of the Annunciation of the Most-Holy Theotokos Teach Us?

Behold the handmaiden of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.” (Luke 1:38)

Such was the principal rule of the life of the most-blessed Virgin Mary.Thus did she feel and speak, and not only when the Archangel Gabriel announced to her that she would conceive and give birth to the Son of God, but throughout her entire life. Having once and for all devoted herself to the Lord, she drew from that very devotion to God’s will, the courage and strength to endure all her sorrows, an unshakable resolve, and steadfastness to submit to His will and to obey all of the Lord’s Commandments.

Such complete dedication to the Lord should be the virtue that is first and foremost in every follower of the Savior.The Lord said of Himself, “…I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father, which hath sent Me…” (John 5:30), and He concluded his final prayer in the Garden of Gethsemane with the words “...nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou wilt…” (Matthew 26:39) Such complete devotion to God, devotion that is the fruit of total, selfless, love toward Him, is the fundamental basis of Christian life, the finest adornment to the soul. In that complete dedication to God lies the source of ultimate consolation and strengthening in all of the difficulties we encounter in life.

Holy devotion to the Lord engenders steadfastness and keeps one from turning away from the path God’s providence has revealed.One who is truly dedicated to the Lord follows without deviation the path upon which the Lord has placed him.For one devoted to God, any station in life, be it exalted or lowly, is a path to life eternal, is a means toward obeying God’s holy will.

One who is devoted to God fears nothing in life.He knows that we brought nothing with us into this world, and that upon our departure from the world, we cannot take anything out of it.He knows that sooner or later, we will have to leave all of our earthly acquisitions here, on this side of the grave.He knows that every loss we have suffered for the Lord here will be returned one hundred fold there, where nothing is temporal and changeable, where everything is eternal and immutable.

Such is the marvelous power of true, utter devotion to the will of God.It desires nothing on earth, and fears nothing earthly. Not seeking after anything, it is incapable of losing anything.It leaves everything for the sake of the Lord, and in so doing, finds the Lord Himself.Let us also strive to acquire this truly holy and great virtue of the Most-blameless Virgin Mary, the Mother of our Lord.Let us follow her along this path of complete devotion to the will of God.By her prayers, she will bring us into the joy of her Son and our God.

Archpriest Victor Potapov

Articles Archive