The Nativity of the Theotokos

The establishment of four major feast days to honour the Blessed Virgin Mary took place in the days of the apostolic era and have a significance in the Greek Orthodox Church which has remained unaltered through nearly twenty centuries of Christianity. The mother of the Son of God is honoured on March 25, the day of Annunciation when the Archangel Gabriel told Mary she was to become the mother of Jesus Christ; the Repose of the blessed Virgin Mary on August 15; on November 21, the Entrance of the Blessed Theotokos to the Temple; and on February 2 when the Mother of God brought the infant Jesus to the temple forty days after His birth.

A fifth day of commemoration is celebrated on September 8, honouring the Virgin Mary on the day of her birth. This day was set aside by the Orthodox Church in the early first century, but not observed until the eighth century when Pope Sergios saw fit to join with the Orthodox during his reign which extended from 687 to 701 AD. All of Christendom agreed on the date that the Virgin Mary was born, but for some reason the date was not an official feast day in the Roman sector for more than a third of the length of existence of the Christian Church.

The familiar story of Mary’s birth has had variations in splinter groups of Christianity, but there is no doubt that her birth came about as an act of God. Her parents, Joachim and Anna, were childless and were fast approaching the years which would place Anna beyond the age of childbearing. Perhaps it was because of the intensity of their prayers that a child be born to them and that their prayers were not only answered, but their daughter would, in turn, bear a child ordained by God as his Son. No one who calls himself a Christian can accept the virgin birth as anything but an act of God.

Although Mary is known as the mother of God, she has been accorded numerous titles in the Orthodox Church of which few are aware. They include, in addition to Mary, Mother of God: The Repose (Koimesis) of the Blessed Virgin, Mary Pantanissa, Mary of Tenos, Mary of Malcheon, and Mary Vlacherne (just to mention a few of the many honours applied to her name). Considered the Mother of Mothers and the Mother of all Mankind, she is venerated in a manner which helps to sanctify the role of motherhood and the preservation of the family as the only hope for civilisation. In an age of equal rights, the God-given right to motherhood, which is the mainstay of Christianity, is lost in a cloud of other rights that have no meaning in the presence of God. Those who clamour for those rights are not aware that there is no inferiority in women, proof of which is an approach to God and a reading of the Bible as a stronger document than any constitution.

It is regrettable that the immaculate conception, not to be confused with the virginal birth of the Saviour, is a concept of the Mother of God which the Roman Church assumed in 1854 and with which the Orthodox Church is in disagreement. This concept holds that Mary was born without the stain of original sin brought upon all mankind by Adam and Eve. But the Greek Orthodox Church holds that since Jesus Christ is God, he is, therefore the only one who is without the original sin. The point could be argued endlessly; but in spite of dogmatic differences, there is no lessening in the adoration of Mary as the Mother of God. There can be no doubt that she was made pure on the day of the Annunciation when told by Gabriel she was going to be the Virgin Mother of the Messiah. The Orthodox position stems from the concept that if the immaculate conception is taken literally, then Mary would assume the stature of goddess alongside God.

The popularity of the name of Mary attests to the glorification of the Virgin Mary, even though it has its variations such as Maria or Marie. Only the Greek Orthodox can feel the exultation from calling out the name “Panagia” because that’s the Greek word for the most sacred figure in Christianity, aside from the Son she mothered.

So much attention is paid by Christians to the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Theotokos, sanctified in every conceivable way, that there is a tendency to overlook her parents. Commemorated the day after the commemoration of their daughter, who is remembered on other days as well, Joachim and Anna were the parents of a flesh-and-blood human being they called Mary. They also were the grandparents of a flesh-and-blood human being, in form at least, who died to save the world. Considered in this light, this couple is appreciated most by the grandfathers and grandmothers of the world.

The spiritual beauty of Anna is expressed in the Bible, equalled by that of her devoted husband, the too lightly regarded Joachim. Since there is no greater part of the divine plan of the universe than motherhood, it follows that St. Anna is given individual honour with an observance of a feast day in her name on July 26. This in no way diminishes the image of her husband Joachim.

Shrouded by twenty centuries of legend, close scrutiny by biblical scholars has cleared away legend and established a more accurate and factual account, however meager, of Joachim and Anna. There is no denying the word of the Apostle James, who saw fit to go to great lengths to glean facts about the parents of Mary which he describes in a letter that somehow failed to find official acceptance. Conflicting views notwithstanding, it is definitely known that Anna was of the prestigious Hebrew tribe of Levi and that she was the daughter of the high priest Nathan, wed to a namesake Mary. This high priest had two daughters besides the Mary who mothered Anna. They were called Sovin and Anna, both of whom became mothers in Bethlehem, but Anna was married in Galilee where Mary, the Theotokos, was born.

There is no denying Joachim was favoured by God, who answered his prayer that a child be born to the barren union with Anna. The answer was Mary, of course, and thereafter was set in motion the world’s greatest faith, so overwhelming that Joachim fades from view in misty swirls that surround the sweet mysteries of Christianity. It is enough to know Joachim was the father of Mary, the mother who bore Jesus Christ, the divine Saviour who changed the course of world history and set it on another path which, if followed, leads to eternal life.

The fact that God moves in a mysterious way was evident when Joachim and Anna prayed for a child they knew not whether they were being granted a son or a daughter so they had no knowledge of what lay in store for them and for the world. The Apostle James has quoted an angel of the Lord as saying to Anna, “the Lord hath heard thy prayer, and thou shalt conceive and bring forth, and thy seed shall be spoken of in all the world.” There was no mention of the sex of the child as the Apostle James goes on to say that Anna accepted with the words: “As the Lord my God liveth if I beget male or female, I will bring it as a gift to the Lord my God; and it shall minister unto him holy things all the days of its life.” The use of the word “it” indicates Anna may have had premonitions but certainly no advance notice that `it’ was to be “she,” who in turn knowingly brought forth the Son of God. Indeed God does move in a mysterious way.

The Orthodox Church has a hymn which sings gloriously: “As we celebrate the remembrance of thy righteous grandparents, through them we beseech thee, O Lord, to save our souls ....” There can be no more touching tribute than to be sung in praise and prayer in the sacred music of the Church. Another hymn contains the words: “Anna doth rejoice now that she is loosed from the bonds of barrenness, as she nourisheth the most pure one, calling all to praise him who hath given the world her who alone is Mother, yet hath known no man.”

The names of Joachim and Anna are an integral part of the Liturgy, always mentioned in the prayerful conclusion of services with the words: “May the risen Christ, our true God, with the prayers of his pure and holy Mother, the power of the precious and life-giving Cross, the protection of the spiritual powers of Heaven ...the holy and righteous ancestors Joachim and Anna ...and all the saints whose memory we celebrate have mercy on us and save us...” September the 9th is a day to remember.

SOURCE : Orthodox Saints July—September : George Poulos