Ten sayings of St. Gregory Palamas on the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary

Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt. "The Beginning of Salvation." (Word on the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary):

“The sacrament that took place on this day amazes not only human, but also all angelic, high minds. They are also perplexed, how God, without beginning, immense, unapproachable, descended to the form of a slave and became a man, without ceasing to be God and without in the least diminishing the glory of the Divine? How could the Virgin contain the unbearable fire of the Divine in her most pure womb, and remain undamaged, and remain forever the Mother of God incarnate? So great, wonderful, such Divine wisdom is filled with this sacrament of the Annunciation by the Archangel to the Most Holy Virgin of the incarnation of the Son of God from Her! Rejoice, earthly beings, rejoice, especially faithful Christian souls, but rejoice with awe before the greatness of the sacrament, as if surrounded by the filth of sin; rejoice, but immediately with sincere and living, deep repentance, cleanse yourself with the grace of God from the filth of sin.

Magnify with pure hearts and lips the Mother of God, exalted and exalted above all creatures, Angels and men, exalted by God Himself, the Creator of every creature, and remember that the mystery of the incarnation and incarnation of the Son of God took place for our salvation from sin, the curse righteously pronounced upon us in the beginning from God for sins, and from death, temporal and eternal. With fear and joy accept the Lord, who is coming to us to establish on earth, in our hearts and souls the kingdom of heaven, the kingdom of truth, peace and joy in the Holy Spirit, and hate God-hating sin, malice, impurity, intemperance, pride, hard-heartedness, unmercifulness, selfishness , carnal knowledge, all untruths. Christ came to earth for this purpose, in order to raise us to heaven.”

Father Elijah Minyatiy. Word on the Annunciation of the Mother of God:

“How different are God and man! But God, having become man, did not abandon the nature of Divinity in the perception of the flesh. And how different are the Virgin and the Mother! But the Virgin, having become a Mother, did not lose the glory of virginity in maternal pregnancy. What a strange communion of two natures - Divine and human, seamlessly united into one hypostasis! The divine nature adopted human characteristics, and God became a perfect man; the human became involved in the properties of the Divine, and the same man became perfect God.

In the same way, what an extraordinary combination of girlish purity and maternal pregnancy, which were strangely combined in one Wife! Virginity gave the Mother the purity that the Mother of God should have had, all pure, all immaculate, beautiful as the sun, chosen as the moon, as the Holy Spirit calls Her (see: Cantos 6, 9). Wombbearing gave virginity the blessing that the Virgin should have had in accordance with how the archangel greeted Her: Blessed are You among women (Luke 1:28).

There this wonderful union was born - the God-Man; here another connection takes place, equally wonderful, the Virgin Mother. “Strange and wonderful and in many ways deviating from ordinary nature: one and the same Virgin and Mother, abiding in the sanctification of virginity and inheriting the blessing of childbearing,” proclaims the unappearing Basil. Such a Son, I repeat, must have such a Mother; the Son, who was born a man and did not cease to be God, has a Mother who gave birth to the Son and did not cease to be a Virgin.”

Bishop Nikolai (Velimirovich):

“Never has any spring water been such a pure mirror of the sun as the Most Pure Virgin Mary was a mirror of purity. (“O purity, creating joy in the heart and transforming the soul into heaven! O purity, good acquisition, not defiled by beasts! O purity, abiding in the souls of the meek and humble and creating these people of God! O purity, in the midst of the soul and body, like a flower that flourishes and filling the whole temple with incense!" St. Ephraim the Syrian. On purity.)

And the morning dawn, giving birth to the sun, would be ashamed before the purity of the Virgin Mary, who gave birth to the Immortal Sun, Christ our Savior. No knee will bow before Her, no mouth will cry out: “Rejoice, full of grace! Rejoice, Dawn of human salvation! Rejoice, Most Honest Cherub and Most Glorious Seraphim! Glory to Thy Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, with the Father and the Holy Spirit - the Trinity, Consubstantial and Indivisible, now and ever, at all times and unto ages of ages. Amen."

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On April 7, the Orthodox Church celebrates the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary - one of the 12 main (twelfth) holidays in the Orthodox calendar.

This holiday on Holy Mount Athos, in the Lot of the Mother of God, has been honored since ancient times with special love and reverence. After all, he is directly connected with the Mother Superior of Mount Athos...

Annunciation means “good” or “good” news. On this day, the Archangel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary and announced to Her about the coming birth of Jesus Christ - the Son of God and the Savior of the world. In fact, the sacred gospel story begins with this event; it precedes Christmas, the saving mission of Jesus Christ, the Last Supper, the Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ.

The editors of the portal “Russian Athos” have collected 10 sayings of the Athonite ascetic and hesychasm theorist St. Gregory Palamas about the meaning and meaning of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary, which we invite our readers to get acquainted with.

1. God sends the Archangel to the Virgin, Who, while observing Her virginity, makes Her Mother by the power of a single annunciation; because if She had conceived from the seed, then the Born One would not have become a new Man, He would not have been sinless, nor would He have been the Savior of sinners; for the movement of the flesh towards the creation of children, randomly mixing with the plan established by God for us, thus takes possession of our abilities and reveals them not entirely free from sin.

2. So, if the conception of God occurred from a seed, then He would not be a new Man, nor the Head of a New and by no means aging life; for if He had been a participant in the old coinage and the heir of that ancestral sin, He could not have carried within Himself the fullness of pure Divinity, and made His flesh an inexhaustible source of sanctification, just as He could not have washed away the desecration of these Ancestors with an excess of power, nor sufficient for sanctification of all things, subsequently. Therefore, not an Angel, not a man, but the Lord Himself, having become incarnate in the womb of the Virgin and remaining the unchangeable God, came and saved us.

3. It was also fitting for the Virgin to be a witness to His seedless conception and an assistant in what was accomplished in the work of the House.

4. Lordly, bearing with true majesty the significant name of the Virgin, She had complete possession of purity, being a Virgin both in body and soul and in the powers of the soul, and rich in all bodily senses, without the slightest blemish; and everything is completely and confirmed to such an extent, and so to speak - as befits the Lady, in everything unbroken for all times; as She is the closed Door of the treasury and the sealed book, keeping hidden writings from sight.

5. But for another reason, the Virgin is Mistress in dignity, namely, as ruling over everyone, as having conceived in virginity and divinely given birth - by nature, the Ruler of the whole world.

6. And one more thing - She is the Mistress, not only as free from slavery and a participant in divine dominion, but also as the source and root of the liberation of the human race, and especially by virtue of Her ineffable and joyful Birth.

7. Understanding Her as the concentration of divine and human gifts, and adorned with all the graces of the Divine Spirit, the Archangel truly proclaims Her “Blessed.” Seeing that She seemed to have already conceived the One in Whom are the Treasures of them all, and foreseeing that this pregnancy of Her is not associated with burdens and the birth will be without illness, He invites Her to rejoice, and declares Her the only Blessed and Glorious in justice among wives: for there was no other woman, even glorified, who would be so glorious in the abundance of glory that she would be equal to the Virgin Mary.

8. This Virgin-Mother is both the Bush and the Ticks, having received the Divine Fire in Herself through conception, during the service of the Archangel, who through Her united the Remover of the sin of the world with the human race, and through this indescribable combination completely cleansed us.

9. So, the Virgin Mother is the only, as it were, border between created and uncreated (Divine) nature; and all who know God will recognize Her as the Place of the Incontainable; and all who praise God will also sing of Her after God.

10. She is the Cause of those who came before Her (blessings and gifts to the human race) and the Representative of the present and the Intercessor of the eternal. She is the Foundation of the Prophets, the Beginning of the Apostles, the Establishment of the Martyrs, the Foundation of the Teachers. She is the Glory of those on earth, the Joy of those in heaven, the Ornament of all creation. She is the Beginning and the Source and the Root, prepared for us in heaven, of hope, which may we all receive through Her prayers for us, to the glory of Him who was born before the ages from the Father, and in the last times incarnate from Her - Jesus Christ our Lord.

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In the St. Petersburg studio of our TV channel there is a conversation about the feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary with a 4th year undergraduate student at the St. Petersburg Orthodox Theological Academy, secretary of the editorial board of the scientific journal of the theological academy “Christian Reading”, Hieromonk Kirill (Porubaev).

Let's start the conversation by reminding our TV viewers about an event that happened a little over two thousand years ago and why all Christians today are filled with great joy.

Yes, you are absolutly right. Today we remember a very important event - the Annunciation. This is an important church holiday, because it was on this day that the Archangel Gabriel came to the Virgin, who lived in Nazareth, and announced to Her that through Her the Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ, would be born, who would save the human race from sin. Today (according to the old style, March 25, and according to the new style, April 7) we celebrate the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary. You can turn to the gospel narrative to briefly talk about this event.

Only one evangelist talks about the Annunciation - Luke. In the first chapter, he talks about how the Archangel Gabriel unexpectedly appeared to the girl Mary, who lived in Nazareth and was betrothed to the elder Joseph (we emphasize: She was betrothed; the Holy Scripture does not call Her Joseph’s wife), and greets Her with these words: “Rejoice "O full of grace, blessed are you among women." Holy Scripture says that Mary was very surprised and tried to understand what the presence of an extraordinary messenger meant. But the Angel reassures Her, saying: “Do not be afraid, You have found grace from the Lord, and through You the Messiah will come to earth, You will give birth to a Son and call His name Jesus.” She answers in surprise: “How can I give birth to a Son if I am not married?” To which the angel says to Her: “The Holy Spirit will come upon You, and You will give birth to a Son.” Next, the Most Holy Theotokos, the Virgin Mary, pronounces words that are a model for all of us, since they emphasize Her inner state, thanks to which this gospel became possible: “Behold, the handmaid of the Lord, be it done to me according to your word,” that is: “Let It will be with me as you told me, because I am obedient to the Lord and I believe that the Lord is sending you to me with such good news.”

It is necessary to highlight one more important aspect of this event: why, in fact, is this news good for us? After all, we so joyfully celebrate today the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos! Let us turn to the creation of man, and then his fall. You probably know that Satan, in the form of a serpent, tempted a woman, and then through Eve and Adam, our first parents, sin entered the world. People were guilty of this sin because they trusted the serpent, who told them that the Lord was allegedly deceiving them and was afraid that they would become like gods. Eve, and then Adam, believed Satan and departed from the Lord. A division arose between man and God.

Of course, the serpent deceived the first people. This became clear immediately after they committed an act of pride, thinking that without God they could be strong. This is an act of distrust in which they separated themselves from the Lord. The liturgical texts of the Feast of the Annunciation emphasize that sin initially entered the world through a woman. We firmly believe that all people are descendants of Adam and Eve and therefore we, in one way or another, bear the consequences of this division. We know that the Lord expelled Adam and Eve from paradise so that they could not, living in paradise forever and at the same time taking root in evil, become like the fallen angels (we always depict demons in a very unpleasant form, black, with horns) . The Lord saves a person from the fate of eternal sin, expelling him from paradise. On the other hand, eternal bliss for which he was created and which he voluntarily abandoned is inaccessible to man. The first woman committed a sin, and the Lord arranges it in such a way that through the Virgin Mary comes the One who will save man from separation, from sin. This is precisely the main reason for our joy, because we know that Christ, born of the Virgin, will suffer on the Cross and rise again. In this way, He will show that we too will be resurrected, and will open the gates to the Kingdom of Heaven, closed before. This is the main joy, because it is at this moment (and not on the Nativity of Christ) that Jesus Christ is incarnated in the womb of the Most Holy Theotokos. It is at this moment that salvation comes to the human race. Our joy is especially appropriate on the eve of Easter. Now we are going through Great Lent, waiting for the Resurrection of Christ, and at the same time we rejoice that the Lord has become incarnate. That is why today's holiday is so important for us.

That is, we can talk about the special status of this holiday among the others, and even the troparion emphasizes this: “The day of our salvation is the main one...”

Yes, these first words of the troparion can be translated as follows: today is the beginning of our salvation, its most important moment. It all starts with him. One more very interesting point can be noted: it turns out that the date March 25 according to the old style, or April 7 according to the new style, is quite ancient. Oddly enough, almost all Orthodox Churches celebrate the Annunciation on this very day. And for good reason. According to the faith of ancient Christians, today the most important events in the history of the entire human race took place. Among them, first of all, the Atonement is the crucifixion of the Savior, and later the crucifixion is replaced by the holiday of the Resurrection of Christ. Ancient Christians believed that Christ was resurrected on March 25th. Also, many Christians believed that it was on this day that Abraham sacrificed his son Isaac. They believed that on this central day for all human history, the Lord Jesus Christ became incarnate. We see how important the combination of these events was for the first Christians. The greatest event of the Lord's incarnation could not have happened on any other day than March 25th.

- Tell us about the Old Testament prophecies about the birth of the Messiah from the Virgin.

Starting to talk about the Feast of the Annunciation, I involuntarily touched upon the Old Testament, since in general the entire history of the human race leads to the Incarnation of the Lord, His Crucifixion and Resurrection. The Lord, expelling Adam and Eve from paradise, utters a prophecy and says to Eve (namely her): “I will put enmity between the seed of the woman and the serpent. The seed of the woman will bruise the serpent’s head (that is, the head), and the serpent will bruise the seed of the woman in the heel (that is, the heel).” Thus, the Lord indicates that in the distant future, after many millennia (although the exact dates are not named), there will be a wife who will have a seed... Such incomprehensible words at that moment, but any of you can open the first chapters of the Book of Genesis and read them. The Lord says that this seed (pointing to Jesus Christ) will defeat the devil, since the serpent is the image of Satan, through whom sin came into the world. Even then, a short time after the creation of man, the Lord makes a promise: I am driving you out, but the seed of the woman will come and give you salvation. This is the very first Old Testament prophecy of the Lord that the Messiah will come - and not just come, but be born of a wife. Moreover, the phrase “seed of the woman” shows that He will be born without a husband, without an earthly father. Now we know that He will be born of the Heavenly Father.

The peculiarity of the Old Testament is that when we read it without regard to the New Testament, many things are incomprehensible to us. Even the phrase “I will put enmity between the seed of the woman and the serpent” is incomprehensible if we are not familiar with the New Testament. However, having read it and knowing future events, we understand what it was pointing to. Thus, as the holy fathers say, the New Testament (or, in other words, the Lord Jesus Christ) is hidden in the Old Testament, and the Old Testament is revealed in the New.

We probably need to pay attention to the second, no less important fragment of the Old Testament. Let us turn to the Book of the Prophet Isaiah, chapter 7, verse 14. This is a very famous verse. The prophet Isaiah, addressing the king of the Jews, says: behold, the virgin will be with child and give birth to a Son, and they will call His name Immanuel. We Christians understand this phrase precisely as an indication that from the Virgin (the word used in the text indicates that this is a girl, not a woman) will be born the One who will save the human race. It must be said that not only in the 7th chapter, but also in the 9th and 11th chapters of the Book of the Prophet Isaiah it is said what and who this Messiah will be. I advise everyone to open the Holy Scriptures and read, it is not difficult at all, it will take a few minutes, but you will discover amazing texts. Truly extraordinary words are said about the Messiah: that He will rule justly; when He reigns, the wolf and the lamb will lie together and the lamb will not be afraid of the wolf. The prophet Isaiah says that this will truly be a kingdom of kindness and love. This is what it says about the Messiah, Jesus Christ, who will fulfill the promise given to Eve and the Old Testament fathers. It must be said that in the Old Testament there are a lot of lines talking about the coming of the Messiah to earth. Some of them indicate how He will come (as in the points described above). These predictions were fulfilled in the New Testament, as the Evangelist Luke narrates.

- It’s amazing how calmly the Most Holy Theotokos accepts the angel’s words. Why is She so calm?

Perhaps it should be said that She is still surprised. It cannot be said that She takes this gospel for granted. She, as the Holy Scripture says, asks, ponders within herself, what kind of unusual greeting this is: “Blessed are you among women.” She does not know why she is blessed among wives. Further, She, one might even say, objects to the messenger of God, albeit very humbly: she asks with surprise how She can give birth to a son without having a husband. Metropolitan Philaret (Drozdov), in his sermon on the Feast of the Annunciation, gives the following interpretation of this fragment: thereby, the Virgin Mary seems to be saying that she agrees, but She decided to spend her whole life in virginity, in purity, and, if possible, what Gabriel spoke about , while maintaining Her virgin purity, then She agrees. As we see, the Blessed Virgin is not completely calm, she is surprised.

By the way, it should be noted that from the very beginning of the existence of the human race, Adam and Eve, and then their descendants, were waiting for the coming of the Messiah. Therefore, childlessness in Jewish society was considered a punishment from God. Thus, the path of virginity chosen by the Mother of God was alien to the society of that time. However, She decides to choose this path due to some inner attraction and, of course, according to God’s inspiration and teaching. As Metropolitan Philaret says, She answers the angel: if it is possible to maintain purity, I agree. The Lord chooses precisely this, unexpected for the people of that time, path for His incarnation.

It must also be said why Mary perceives the words of Archangel Gabriel with such humility. Eve sinned and created an abyss, an impenetrable wall between man and God. This was a division both between people and within the person himself, because we know that sometimes the mind tells us one thing, and we do another. This division is sin, internal illness. We know that there is a separation between man and nature. In paradise, man was the ruler of nature, and nature obeyed him, he loved nature, all animals loved him. After the Fall, this unity is also broken. Within nature itself the unity is also broken. Sin is what generally divides everything in the world, starting from the separation of man and God and ending with the division within nature.

Throughout the life of the human race, the Lord led people to bring into being a person who could overcome this division to the best of his ability and become worthy of the Lord Himself incarnating within him. The Blessed Virgin Mary is not a random person. She is the fruit of inner labor, the inner aspiration of many generations of people who lived before Her, and She herself is the crown, the pinnacle of the long, difficult, thousand-year ascent of humanity back to the Lord. When the moment came and Mary achieved, let us not be afraid of this word, holiness, the Archangel Gabriel was sent to Her. But even then he asks Her consent, and She humbly gives it. This is also important to know. The Mother of God gives us an example: if a person really strives for the Lord, directs all his efforts, heart, thoughts, love, faith to something that is inextricably linked with the Lord, then the Lord Himself will dwell inside him, as happened with the Blessed Virgin Mary.

The question arises. The Most Holy Virgin was ready to accommodate these words in Her heart and to become the Mother of God - the One through Whom the Savior Christ would come into the world. But how can we today, in the crazy pace of life, the hum and roar of big cities, learn to tune our hearts so that we can hear this call of God?

Yes, truly, in the Feast of the Annunciation, God’s call occupies a key place. It sounds very quietly. You have probably felt more than once that the holidays in honor of the Blessed Virgin Mary are very quiet and peaceful. Leaving the church, you are surprised to notice a certain inner peace, how light, joyful, and light your soul has become. It’s as if She Herself is present at this holiday, takes care of everything, covers everything with Her motherly love, thereby conveying this calmness to us.

Perhaps here lies the answer to your question. To hear God’s call, you must first learn to be silent, sometimes literally. After all, sometimes it turns out: a person says something, sometimes for an unnecessary reason, and does not allow thoughts about the Lord into his heart, into his consciousness. When we learn to remain silent, first in the literal sense, and then we come to the silence of thoughts, then there will be no unnecessary and superfluous things in our heads, we will be able to accept and feel the call of God. Perhaps silence is the answer to your question. This does not mean that we should never say anything at all. But you need to know when to stop. We know the Russian proverb “The word is silver, and silence is gold,” and everyone has repeatedly been convinced of this from their own experience. When we learn to be silent, we will be able to place inside our minds and hearts not some chatter, but prayer. This could be a very simple prayer, for example: “Lord, have mercy” or “Lord, help me.” It happens that you think about something serious, but then you return in your thoughts to God: “Lord, help me solve this issue.” And if we know how to be quiet within ourselves, it will be natural for us, and at some point we will see that the Lord will help us, and we will feel that He is next to us.

Another important point. To hear the call of God, you need, no matter how familiar it may sound, to go to church. From Tradition we know that the Blessed Virgin Mary was raised in church from childhood. Her parents promised that if they had a child, they would dedicate him to God and send him to be raised in a temple. When Mary was three years old, they did just that. From the age of three until the age of 13-14, the Most Holy Theotokos was at the temple and was raised there. There She learned silence, stillness and prayer.

The spiritual father also plays an important role. Unfortunately, in the modern world of bustle, we hardly know who it is. A spiritual father is a very important person in the life of each of us. This is the priest to whom we confess, trust our experiences, weaknesses; if he gives us advice, we try to follow it. Through the advice of a spiritual father, a person also becomes connected with the will of God. If you have a spiritual father, then you know what I'm talking about; if not, you will understand when you have it. It must be said that the relationship between a person and a spiritual father (by the way, even priests have a spiritual father, since there must be someone who can help in a difficult situation) must be very close, and they can be difficult to establish. You don’t need to think that the first priest you meet on your way will become your spiritual father. You must choose it for yourself. Maybe you'll like the way he preaches. Or maybe one day he will give you such advice in confession that you will feel: you are ready to trust this priest. The relationship between a person and a spiritual father is trusting and voluntary.

On the other hand, once you have made your choice, deciding to be obedient to this person, you need to follow his advice. Sometimes he advises, and sometimes he blesses or does not bless. For example, sometimes they say: I have a difficult life situation, what would you give your blessing to do? If the priest gives a blessing, you need to go and do as he said, setting aside your will. Because you yourself came to him and asked. Through this we will also be involved in the quiet call of God. I repeat once again: this is a very close, trusting relationship, and it may take more than one year to find “your” priest. This does not mean that you cannot confess to other priests. But it is very important to have someone who will guide you and can guide you in a difficult situation. Today, unfortunately, we know very little about the practice of confessorship, but every person should have a confessor. Perhaps he will live far away, you will rarely be able to see each other, but you will feel that he has really become a father for you, to whom you are ready to entrust your experiences and infirmities. The Most Holy Theotokos, Who was brought up at the temple, points out this to us.

- Question from TV viewer Natalya: “Does the Feast of the Annunciation always fall on the days of Lent?”

The Feast of the Annunciation most often falls on the days of Lent. You can specify specific time frames. We know that this holiday is immutable, according to the new style it is celebrated on April 7 (according to the old style - March 25), and Easter and with it Lent are transitional dates. The earliest possible celebration of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary is Thursday of the third week of Lent. The Annunciation can never happen, for example, in the first week of Lent or before it. The latest possible celebration is Wednesday of Bright Week. Thus, there are sometimes cases when the Feast of the Annunciation falls on Easter. Such a coincidence is called Kiriopascha, which means “The Lord’s Easter,” that is, “the most real one.” This name is possible due to the significance of the date March 25 for Christians: they believed that it was on this day that the Lord was resurrected and also incarnated. Most likely, the name “Kyriopaskha” indicates that this was indeed the case. Let me emphasize: the earliest celebration of the Annunciation is possible on Thursday of the third week of Great Lent, and at the latest - Wednesday of Bright Week.

The Most Holy Theotokos managed to prepare to hear the words of the Lord, and acquired the great gift of humility. Can we today, in our complex world, find humility similar to the humility of the Mother of God?

Perhaps we don't need to think that we live in very bad times. There have been much worse periods in human history. For example, in the Holy Scriptures of the Old Testament we will see that during the life of the patriarch Noah, only he and his family were chosen by the Lord for the salvation and continuation of the human race, and the rest died in the waters of the global flood. As the Holy Scripture says, they accepted the punishment quite fairly: people were so corrupted. But even in such conditions, there was a family that retained piety. There is no need to think that we live in particularly difficult conditions. More recently, a little less than 30 years ago, Christianity in our country was persecuted quite brutally. It was really difficult for people to be Christians at that time. There were periods of war. We, residents of St. Petersburg, can remember the blockade of the city, but even then people lived, fought, performed divine services, and glorified the Lord. And we, living in prosperity, when no one forces us to renounce the faith of Christ, when, thank the Lord, there are no wars, no one forces us to do evil, we are actually in a very good situation.

We just need to understand that the fight against evil is primarily within us. We must fight irritation, anger, vanity. You can start with very seemingly simple things. For example, many of those who drive a car tend to swear at other drivers. It would seem like a small thing. But we, being Christians, are precisely where we must begin our fight against evil. There is no need to think that everything around is bad. It turns out that evil is within us. If it seems to us that people around us are doing bad things, then this is a sure sign that the reason is in ourselves. There is some flaw within us that makes us see evil in people. When we begin to change, we will see that there really is no evil. There is a well-known spiritual law, according to which a person sees in other people the evil that is in himself. If you see evil in another person, look inside yourself and say: Lord, I probably have this in me too, help me see it, but I won’t look at the other person, I’ll deal with myself first. Believe me, when you sort yourself out and look at someone else, it turns out that he has nothing, and the problem was precisely in you. The fight against evil within ourselves is our direct responsibility.

How to achieve this? That's what we live for. You need to try to change yourself little by little, starting with silence. To resolve these issues, you need to turn to your spiritual father, because each person has an individual case. We firmly believe that it is through the help of a confessor that one can achieve perfection. In general, in the Holy Scriptures, the Lord, like John the Baptist, begins his sermon like this: “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.” Further, in the Book of Acts, when recent Jews and pagans asked the Apostle Peter what to do to follow Christ, Peter said: repent. Repentance in Greek is metanoia, which means “change,” “change of mind.” It is not self-abasement. The essence of repentance is that we saw evil in ourselves and changed, decided to try not to do it. We have changed already because we admitted to ourselves that this is evil, that our habits are sinful. Sometimes it's painful. And sometimes it happens differently: having said in confession that we repent and will not do this again, we feel such extraordinary lightness that we do not understand how we lived before. The Sacrament of Confession is a sure way to begin to fight evil. This is a very important point.

Let’s summarize and think: what can we, Christians of the 21st century, learn by looking closely at the Feast of the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary?

The most important thing in this holiday is the Most Holy Theotokos Herself and Her holiness, purity, ever-virginity (that is, She was a Virgin before Christmas, and at Christmas, and after Christmas), readiness to accept the Lord within oneself, direction towards the Lord throughout life (as I have already said, the Mother of God was brought up in the church, she made a vow to God not to marry, she lived next to the Lord, after the Ascension she was among the apostles; She directed her entire life, all her heart, all her thoughts to the Lord). Therefore, it turned out to be possible that the Lord Himself moved into Her. We must know that each of us, with God's help and the help of the Most Holy Theotokos, can achieve this.

- What would you wish to our TV viewers?

Perhaps we wish for those who have not yet started fasting that they find strength in themselves, come to church, confess and tell what is weighing on their conscience. In this way, we will come closer to the image of the Most Holy Theotokos, to the purity that She possessed, and we will gain, albeit to a small extent, this purity. Having done this, let's make a little effort to celebrate Easter with dignity. After all, the most important reason for the joy of the Annunciation is that through the Most Holy Virgin Mary, the Lord Jesus Christ came into the world, Who will suffer on the Cross, but will rise again and promise each of us resurrection. Truly, this joy, the promised resurrection, is worth it for us to work a little here and try to become purer, like the Most Holy Theotokos.

Presenter: Mikhail Prokhodtsev
Transcript: Margarita Popova

GREATNESS

The Archangel's voice / cry out to You, Pure One: / Rejoice, O Gracious One, / The Lord is with You.

HISTORY OF THE HOLIDAY

The Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary - this is how the Christian Church calls the great twelfth holiday, dedicated to the memory of Archangel Gabriel’s announcement to the Virgin Mary of the mystery of the incarnation of God the Word from Her. (Luke 1:26-38). This sacred event took place, according to church tradition, in the sixth month after the conception of the holy prophet John the Baptist by the holy righteous Elizabeth. “Revealing the Eternal Council to You, the Young Lady, Gabriel appeared...” sings the Holy Church at the beginning of the festive service of the great feast of the Annunciation. The Eternal Council of the Holy Trinity on the Incarnation of the Only Begotten Son of God for the redemption of the human race perishing in sins and its salvation was an incomprehensible secret, hidden until the time appointed by God not only from people, but also from Angels. When the time for the incarnation of the Word of God approached, that one, the only Virgin in the world in Her purity and holiness, appeared from among humanity - the Most Blessed Young Lady Mary - worthy to serve the cause of salvation of the human race and to become the Mother of the Son of God. The Most Holy Virgin Mary was given to her elderly parents, the righteous Joachim and Anna (September 9) for their unceasing and tearful prayers. Fulfilling their vow to dedicate their child to God, at the age of three, the righteous parents brought their Daughter to the Jerusalem Temple.

Upon reaching the age of 14, when, according to Jewish law, Her stay in the temple should have ended, the Most Holy Mary was betrothed to the righteous eighty-year-old elder Joseph, a poor carpenter from the family of David, who was entrusted with guarding Her virginity. Having moved to Nazareth, to the house of her Betrothed, Elder Joseph, the Most Holy Mary continued the same life that she spent in the temple. The Holy Fathers of the Church - Athanasius the Great, Basil the Great, John of Damascus indicate that, under the guise of marriage, the Lord protected the Blessed Virgin Mary from the malice of the enemy of the human race, the devil, thus hiding from him that She was the same Blessed Virgin about whom the prophet Isaiah said: “Behold, the Virgin will be with child and give birth to a Son, and they will call His name Immanuel, which means God is with us” (Matthew 1:23; Isaiah 7:14). While staying in the house of Her Betrothed, Elder Joseph, the Most Holy Virgin Mary once read the Book of the Prophet Isaiah and reflected on the greatness of She who would be honored to be the Mother of God. With all her heart, Saint Mary wanted to see the Chosen One of God and in deep humility she wanted to be Her last servant. On that blessed day of the beginning of human salvation, which became the day of the incarnation of God the Word, the Archangel Gabriel, sent by God, appeared to the Blessed Virgin Mary from heaven and greeted Her with the words: “Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with You; blessed are You among women.” When she saw him, she was embarrassed by his words and wondered what this greeting meant. And the Angel said to Her: “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God; and behold, you will conceive in your womb and give birth to a Son, and you will call His name Jesus. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give Him the throne of David.” , His father; and He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end. - Mary said to the Angel: How will this be, since I do not know a husband? The Angel answered Her: The Holy Spirit will come upon You, and Power The Most High will overshadow You; therefore the Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God... Then Mary said: Behold, the Handmaid of the Lord; let it be done to Me according to your word. And the angel departed from Her" (Luke 1:28-38).

The unshakable, deep faith of the Blessed Virgin Mary and Her equally deep humility, combined with fiery love for God and devotion to His Holy will, appeared as that blessed Niva (a comparison taken from the Akathist to the Annunciation, ikos 3), in the depths of which the Blessed Fruit arose - the God-Man Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, who took upon Himself the sins of the whole world. Since the time of the seedless conception of the Son of God marks the beginning of the salvation of the human race, the Church on the day of the Annunciation repeatedly proclaims: “the day of our salvation is the main thing and the manifestation of the sacrament from the ages...” The Day of the Annunciation is also the day of the Savior’s incarnation: from March 25 to 25 December, when the Nativity of Christ is celebrated, is exactly nine months old. On the Feast of the Annunciation, the Holy Church remembers this wondrous and incomprehensible to the minds of mortals Sacrament. Almighty God, by the great Sacrament of His incarnation from the Blessed Virgin Mary, comes into the world to take upon Himself the burden of the sins of the entire human race; The Son of God becomes the Son of Man, perceives human nature in order to renew and deify it through His incarnation, redemptive suffering and Resurrection. The Lord’s infinite love for His creation was revealed in His Divine exhaustion, without which the ancestral sin and the innumerable sins of subsequent generations would inevitably lead to the eternal death of all people. Thanks to the Incarnation, every Christian who believes in the Lord and strives to live according to His commandments is given the opportunity of eternal bliss in the Kingdom of Heaven. In the person of the Most Holy Theotokos, Christians found a merciful Mother, Intercessor, Helper and Intercessor for them before Her Divine Son.

The solemn church veneration of the day of the Annunciation began no later than the 4th century, as evidenced in the works of Saints Athanasius the Great and John Chrysostom. But icons depicting this event appeared in the Christian Church already in the 2nd century, even in the Roman catacombs, for example, on the wall of the tomb of St. Priscilla. In the Russian Orthodox Church, icons of the Annunciation depict the Archangel Gabriel (usually with wings and a halo around his head, and sometimes with butts in his ears) standing (straight or kneeling) before the Holy Virgin; in the left hand of the Archangel there is a branch of paradise, a symbol of the joyful gospel, with his right hand he blesses the Virgin; sometimes, instead of a branch, Gabriel holds a trident in his hand. The Blessed Virgin Mary is represented sitting (in the temple) and reverently reading a book (of the prophet Isaiah); in the book the words are sometimes visible: “Behold, the Virgin will receive with child” (Is. 7:14). There are ancient icons of the Annunciation with some modifications; for example, the Blessed Virgin is depicted with a spindle or cob in her hands. On other icons, for example in the Moscow Assumption Cathedral, it is not the Most Pure Virgin Herself who is depicted spinning, but a maid sitting at Her feet. On the Ustyug Icon of the Annunciation in the Moscow Assumption Cathedral, the Infant God is represented as appearing on the Persian side of the Ever-Virgin at the moment of the Annunciation. There are also icons of the Annunciation, in which the Mother of God is depicted standing at a well, drawing water; The preaching Archangel is depicted behind or in front of Her.

Icons of the Annunciation, symbolizing the beginning of the redemption of the human race, have been placed on the royal doors since ancient times, according to church law. The Royal Doors depict the entrance to the Kingdom of Heaven, and the icon of the Annunciation reminds us of the opening of paradise for us, since this sacred event was the “centre” of our salvation.

TROPARION, tone 4

The day of our salvation is the main thing, / and since the beginning of time the mystery has appeared, / the Son of God, the Son of the Virgin, is born, / and Gabriel preaches grace, / with the same we cry out to the Mother of God: / Rejoice, full of grace, / the Lord is with you.

PRAYER

Oh, Most Holy, God's Chosen Virgin, the Holy Comforter of the Spirit, the All-Immaculate Bride, the Most Precious Daughter of the Divine Father in Heaven, found in the midst of the thorns of this world, like a shrine shining with the kindness of virginity, so that the Son of God will be the Pure Mother, Unartificed! What shall we reward You on this bright day of this Annunciation, since You surprised the Archangel Gabriel with the beauty of Your immeasurable virginity and from this You received indescribable joy? What shall we bring to You for all Your consolation, in whose image You have rejoiced on this day the whole world, visible and invisible, especially the human race that fell in ancient times? The day of our salvation began and the sacrament has been revealed since the ages: now the Word of God quietly descended from heaven, like a drop dripping onto the earth, and dwelt in Your God-gracious Virgin womb and became the Flesh for our salvation. For this reason, today the Angels rejoice in heaven and all creation rejoices and rejoices, celebrating the beginning of its liberation from the work of corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. Now the female nature rejoices, for the sake of Eve it fell, for having obeyed the serpent, it gave birth to sadness to women and uncontrollably introduced death. But you, Virgo, have freed the entire human race from bitter work, and with the freedom of Christ you have honored the female nature; before pure virginity, you have introduced true life, and for this reason, for the sake of your wife, holding virginity, you are beginning to defeat the enemy. Now Adam rejoices, having seen that on this bright day the first gospel of heaven has been fulfilled on You, that the seed of the Woman will erase the head of the serpent. With him the whole human race now rejoices, because through You, Most Pure One, God’s ancient aversion to man has now been abolished, for you have again brought God to us. For this reason, we see You now, like Jacob of old, like the High Ladder, Who God brought down to earth and like the Most Wonderful Bridge, by whom He raised up those who are from the earth again to heaven. What shall we render to You, Queen of heaven and earth, for all this, in which You have given unspeakable joy to Your fallen and lost people? All our sacrifices and offerings are nothing before the majesty of Your blessings. There is only one thing that pleases You: “a contrite and humble heart,” which Your Son and Our Lord “will not despise.” For this reason, we pray to Thee: fill us with the surpassing heights of Your humility, so that we can contain Your tree, so that we may bring Thee on the all-holy day of Thy Annunciation of Thy from Thy, in which we cannot think high in every matter, but will endure in the humility of the spirit. Decorated with this first virtue, on the bright day of this holiday of Yours, in meekness and purity of heart, with the Archangel Gabriel, we cry out to you: Rejoice, Most Gracious, Rejoice, Delighted, Rejoice, Most Blessed, the Lord is with You and You with us forever and ever. Amen.

Akathist to the Annunciation of the Holy Mother of God

Kontakion 1

Chosen in the Eternal Council, the Virgin Mary, serve the great mystery of the Incarnation, with shining virgin purity, more than the highest heavenly purity, we bring reverent singing to You, Mother of God, about Your all-joyful Annunciation from the Archangel. But You, who are overjoyed and mighty to give joy to fallen people, deliver us from all troubles and sinful sorrows, and lead us to heavenly joy, and with Gabriel we cry to You: Rejoice, Full of Grace, the Lord is with You.

Ikos 1

Archangel Gabriel, standing before the Throne of God, beholds the unapproachable Divine Glory, and when the time for the deliverance of men has come, he receives the commandment of the Lord: Be a servant of the terrible miracle and the hidden sacrament: by My mercy you have moved to seek the lost Adam, I long for it. Come now to the city of Nazareth, where the maiden Mary dwells, and see the lovely beauty of virginity. Come to this animated God's Icon, to the second Heaven existing on earth. Go to this Abode of My Incarnation and proclaim My incorruptible coming from Her. Be careful not to confuse or frighten the soul of the Virgin, so that your gospel may be in joy and not in sorrow. For this reason, approach Her meekly and let your first voice bring Her joy, and cry to Her face: Rejoice, O Gracious One, Her joy will shine forth. Rejoice, Delighted One, Her oath will disappear. Rejoice, O Blessed One, for through this all creation is renewed. Rejoice, Most Glorified One, for by Her the whole world is being saved. Rejoice, God-chosen Youth, proclamation from fallen Adam. Rejoice, Immaculate Left, deliverance from the tears of Eve. Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you.

Kontakion 2

Seeing the Archangel Gabriel, as the Lover of Mankind, the Lord was merciful, the human race perishing in vain, was greatly surprised that God, Whom the heavens cannot contain, wants to be contained in the womb of a girl, lest the fire of the Divine scorch her, as God, on the Worthless Cherubim and Seraphim do not dare to rise , wants to appear on earth in the form of a slave, so that he may live with men. Wondering at this ineffable mystery, cry out to God with fear: Alleluia.

Ikos 2

Revealing the incomprehensible mind of the terrible mystery, the Lord of Angels spoke to the Archangel: Why are you embarrassed, Gabriel, about the news of this thing? Even if the fire did not burn the bush in the desert, which burned and was not consumed, the Fire of My Divinity will not scorch the womb of the Maiden in every possible way, but rather will water it and sanctify it with My grace. Where God wills, the laws of nature are overcome. Gabriel, having heard this, was filled with Divine joy, and departed to Nazareth, fulfilling the commandment of the Lord, thinking to himself how he would go to the Maiden and how he would announce to Her the miraculous sacrament, so as not to confuse Her with a girlish thought, and he said to himself: I will tell Her first of all is joy, and as I kiss, I will sing the following voice: Rejoice, Joy to the whole world, for You alone should rejoice. Rejoice, Sweetness of the Angels, from You alone the Lord was pleased to become incarnate. Rejoice, Unfading Flower of purity, for you have shown heavenly fragrance to the whole world. Rejoice, snow-white crown of virginity, You have planted heavenly virginity on earth. Rejoice, most precious Treasure, for Your kindness was desired by the Heavenly King. Rejoice, brightest morning to the whole world, for by your light the darkness of sin will be dispersed. Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you.

Kontakion 3

Strengthened by the power of the Divine, the great Archangel flew down from heavenly heights and came to the city of Nazareth, and found the Holy Virgin in Her inner chamber, not caring about the things of life, but abiding in prayer and reading the book. So, having opened the book of Isaiah the prophet, one reads his words: “Behold, the Virgin will be with child and give birth to a Son, and they will call His name Immanuel.” And inflamed with seraphim love, not only for the One who will soon come to Christ, but also for the Maiden who is about to give birth to Him, and reflecting on how ineffable this sacrament is and how great the dignity of That Maiden is, and praying to see You, and if possible, She will be the last to be Toya’s slave, so with joy we will sing to God: Alleluia.

Ikos 3

Having great fear and reverence for the Mother of God, since God had chosen to be the Lady of heaven and earth, the great Archangel approached the inner doors of Toya’s palace, and suddenly the Most Blessed One appeared with great meekness, the heavenly Messenger appeared Most Immaculate, and joy would bring good news to the whole world, appearing as the ethereal Pure One. To the Virgin, let him turn the dishonor of women into honor, and let him create disgrace between the Creator and the creation, and in a bright voice, let the unartful verb say: Rejoice, full of grace, rejoice now and be glad, for the Lord is with you. Rejoice, O Blessed One, hear now and incline Your ear, as the King has desired Your kindness. Rejoice, O Delighted One, for blessed are You among women. Rejoice, O Most Glorified One, for great is Your glory in heaven. Rejoice, God-chosen Youth, for by You the entire human race will be saved from delusion. Rejoice, most graceful Maiden, for the entire highest council of Angels will rejoice in You. Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you.

Kontakion 4

Storming within with doubtful thoughts, the Most Holy Virgin was dismayed, having heard such heavenly gospel, and having thought within herself what this kiss would be like, she spoke to the Archangel: Eve, My foremother, having accepted the mind of the serpent, was deprived of the Divine food and was expelled from Paradise, and so was Az. I'm afraid of your strange kiss, ashamed of your advances. For this reason, step back from My doors, and do not speak verbs that you cannot show their reality, so that I will not be deceived because you are disturbing my mind and soul... But in the silence of My spirit I will sing: Alleluia.

Ikos 4

The Archangel of the Humble heard the words of the Most Holy Virgin, speaking to Her: Why are you afraid of me, O All-Immaculate One, more afraid of You? Why do you revere me, Lady, who honestly reveres you? Do not be surprised at my strange sight, do not be horrified, for I am an Archangel. The serpent deceives Eve sometimes, but God’s representative was sent by the Divine Eternal Council to tell You. Do not be afraid, Miriam, for you have found immeasurable grace from God for the sake of your virgin purity. For this reason, conceive in your womb and give birth to a Son, and call His Name Jesus. This one will be Great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David, and He will reign in the house of Jacob forever, and His kingdom will have no end. Bringing good news to this great sacrament of piety, I cry out to You with fear: Rejoice, never-setting star, introducing the Great Sun of Christ into the world. Rejoice, you who bring forth the dawn, who reveals the Creator to man throughout the world. Rejoice, brighter than the morning, shining the light of grace upon all who sit in the darkness of sin. Rejoice, dearest of gold, showing to all those who do not know God the treasure of faith. Rejoice, Heavenly Ladder, Whose God descends from heaven. Rejoice, you lead the bridge to heaven, through whom the world is filled with miracles. Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you.

Kontakion 5

Having heard the divinely inspired words of the Archangels, the Most Holy Virgin was more troubled than before; I proclaimed this Nativity to Her. For this reason, I speak to the Archangel: Verb to me most clearly, when I conceive, the Virgin is a young woman, uninvolved in marriage. How will this happen if I don’t know where my husband is? How can you say that I will give birth, I’m afraid of food and flattery? This speech is not for the sake of unbelief, but as if one does not know what can be born, surpassing the laws of nature. For this reason, I spoke to the Angel: tell Me the image of birth, so that My virginity will not be damaged, and then You will find My heart ready for God’s will, so that I may sing to God with joy: Alleluia.

Ikos 5

Seeing the Archangel of the greatness of the Most Pure Faith, he spoke to Her: The verbs that you told me are customs of the birth of mortal men, but Jesus, the Creator of nature, does not work for the laws of nature, the Maiden. You seek to see from me the image of Your conception, but it is indescribable: the Holy Spirit will come upon You and the Power of the Most High will overshadow You, and in the same way the Holy One who is born will be called the Son of God. You will receive from Him in your womb and He will accomplish an unknown conception in You, O Most Holy Virgin. For this reason I glorify Thee: Rejoice, Bride of the Most Holy Spirit, chosen and destined. Rejoice, most beloved and greatly admired Daughter of God the Father. Rejoice, Divine Switch, with the finger of the Father the Word of God is written in You. Rejoice, golden lamp, through whom the Fire of Divinity will shine forth throughout the world. Rejoice, inexhaustible depth, inconceivable and angelic eye. Rejoice, unspeakable height, incomprehensible to human thoughts. Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you.

Kontakion 6

I believe you to be a Divine Preacher and Messenger of Heaven, the Most Holy Virgin spoke to the Angel: I see you covered with angelic lightness, but I am ashamed to quickly believe Your words, not knowing first with all the knowledge. I heard a certain Holy Virgin Emmanuel giving birth, foretold by a prophet of old. For this reason, I want to understand how human nature will undergo the dissolution of the Divine, so that I may know the power of the sacraments and sing to God with faith: Alleluia.

Ikos 6

Now, O Most Pure One, the great Mystery of the Incarnation of God shines through You to the whole world,” the Archangel said to the Mother of God, “For You are the Holy Virgin, about whom Isaiah prophesied.” You are the Door of the Divine, sealed with purity and preserved by virginity, as Ezekiel foresaw. The Lord will pass through You, like a glass or crystal ray of the sun passes, enlightening and sanctifying You with Divine Glory, in Your being the true Matter of God, giving birth to the Perfect God and the Perfect Man, and the Incorruptible Virgin, as before the Nativity, and also in the Nativity and after Your Nativity, give birth to a Son, keeping Your virginity intact. For this reason, glorifying the greatness of Your mystery, I cry to Your face: Rejoice, Burning Bush, Even the fire of the Divine, Foreseen by Moses, will not scorch. Rejoice, the door that is closed, through which God will pass, foretold by Ezekiel. Rejoice, wonderful Tabernacle, which cannot contain the Inconceivable God, foreshadowed by Abraham. Rejoice, watered fleece, the Lord, like a raindrop, will quietly fall on Negozhe, as foretold by Gideon. Rejoice, unsown land, the Word of Heaven, like fruitful wheat that vegetates purely. Rejoice, unearthed, Son of God, like the Divine class, clearly growing. Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you.

Kontakion 7

Wanting to believe the most terrible mystery announced by the Archangel, the Most Holy Virgin was both embarrassed by the provision of the heights of this majesty, and all ashamed, saying: Rtsy Mi, Gabriel, most true, how, having been more incorruptible than My purity, will I give birth to the fleshless One? Miracles have always been multiplied by the Divine power, working miracles, but the unskilled virgin never gave birth. For this reason, how can someone who is inconceivable and invisible to everyone inhabit a girl’s womb, even if he himself created it? This is my prayer, may I sing to God with faith: Alleluia.

Ikos 7

New and terrible and wonderful are Your sacraments, the Angel spoke to the Mother of God, and a new creation is shown by You, Creator Lord, for You received the One Incarnate King in your womb, so that You may be called the One Mother of the Son of God, Pure. For this reason, do not marvel at miracles and do not hesitate: “Where God wills, the order of nature is overcome,” for everything is possible to the Almighty. And just as from the ribs of Adam Eve was created without a mother by the ancient Creation of God, so even now from Your virginity the Lord is incarnated without the father of all. And let Aaron’s rod, which has grown wet, and the fleece of Gideon, assure Thee that before, like dew, Thou hast received conception, O Imperishable Virgin of existence. In the same way, the bush that remained unscorched in the fire will proclaim to You that you have received the fire, the Divinity, the Ever-Virgin, and after Christmas you will remain pure. For this sake, accept my kiss, so that all the tribes of the earth will sing to You with joy: Rejoice, rod of Aaron, who has vegetated incorruption to the whole world. Rejoice, Phoenix of David, who flourished with immortality for fallen people. Rejoice, Heavenly Tabernacle, overshadowed and blessed by the Cherubim. Rejoice, Great Holy of Holies, revered and glorified by the Seraphim. Rejoice, Chalice of the Immortal King, in Neizha world-wide joy dissolves from the Holy Spirit. Rejoice, O Thou of the Divine Manna, from the Unspeakable is prepared an indescribable sweetness for the faithful. Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you.

Kontakion 8

This strange Christmas, the Majesty confuses Me, - the speech of the Blessed Virgin to the Angel, - because the All-Blessed One is pleased to dwell in Me more than the mind, so that the temple pure in soul and flesh will be respected to Him, the voice of joy of your words is received, the joys of the Divine are fulfilled, so that now the ancient Eve will be abolished by Me condemnation and may the debt of men be repaid by Me today, and may all, rejoicing in this Bright Annunciation, sing with gratitude to God: Alleluia.

Ikos 8

All creation now rejoices in You, O Gracious One, the Council of Angels and the human race,” said the Archangel, “for Divine joy has been given to You, and for every promise of God now comes to an end through You: Abraham is blessed today in Your seed. Through you now free Eve from ancient sorrow. Adam rejoices in you, for today the first gospel is being fulfilled to fallen people: the seed of the Woman will erase the head of the serpent. Through you, all creation now begins to be freed from the slavery of corruption into the freedom of the glory of the children of God. You have now bestowed upon the entire human race all joy and eternal gladness, so that everyone will praise You forever: Rejoice, O Joyful Virgin, foreshadowed from the ancient patriarchs. Rejoice, Holy Bride of God, foretold by all the prophets of old. Rejoice, prisoner in Vertograd, in Negozha the Heavenly King desired to come. Rejoice, sealed Fountain, from the Worthless One no one will be able to drink. Rejoice, Divine Garden, in Nemzha, from all the flowers of the Holy Spirit, a heavenly fragrance spread throughout the whole world. Rejoice, newly planted Paradise, in the midst of which the Divine Tree of Life is prepared for Your vegetation. Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you.

Kontakion 9

Every angelic nature has now marveled at You, Most Pure One, hearing Your wondrous conversation with the Archangel Gabriel and especially this prayer: “Cleanse the Soul, sanctify the Body, create Me a capacious Church of God and a Tabernacle adorned with God, so that by the influx of the Most Holy Spirit I may create an animated temple and a Pure Mother of Life.” " When, through this prayer, you spoke from your humble heart: “Behold the Servant of the Lord, be with me according to your word, that God may dwell in me,” all the Heavenly Powers glorified God, seeing that your heart was ready to receive the Divine, both with fear and hurried to Him with joy: Alleluia.

Ikos 9

Vitia Divine The Holy Archangel Gabriel was in fear and in deep silence and stopped his verbs, when, Most Holy Virgin, You spoke Your humble word: “Behold the servant of the Lord, wake Me according to Your word.” At the beginning of worldly existence, with this creative word: “let it be,” spoken by the Creator, everything, visible and invisible, was created. Now this word, spoken by the Virgin, has brought down the Creator of creation into this world, and thus a great mystery has been revealed today: the Son of God, the Son of the Virgin, is made to make Adam God. The co-essential Word of the Father, without being separated from those above, descended to earth and became Flesh and dwelled in us, is ineffably exhausted and dwells in the Womb of the Virgin. Let heaven and earth rejoice and, together with the Archangel, sing to the Most Pure Virgin: Rejoice, earthly heaven, who ascended to the highest heights with a humble spirit. Rejoice, Heavenly Village, containing the Word of God ineffably. Rejoice, O Blessed One, who incorruptibly accepted the conception of the Eternal God. Rejoice, O Blessed One, Who alone preserved the Chamber of Thy Virginity at conception. Rejoice, Pure Virgin, who gloriously conquered the rules of nature in the Incarnation. Rejoice, Bride of God, who wonderfully rejoiced the angelic nature at Your Annunciation. Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you.

Kontakion 10

To save the world, the Lover of Mankind, the Lord descended like rain on the fleece into Thy Most Pure Womb, O Mother of God, and through the ineffable influx of the Holy Spirit, the unknown conception and the Eternal Word of God came into being and dwelt in Thee, having received from Thy Most Pure Blood without carnal pleasure, but not without spiritual delight: then Your virgin heart is filled with divine desire and Your spirit is burning with the flame of Seraphim love, and your whole mind, as if it had been outside itself, deepened in God. And thus, delighting in this ineffable love of God and this intelligent vision of God, you bowed down to your Lord Who was incarnate from you and joyfully sang to Him: Alleluia.

Ikos 10

You are a wall to the virgins, O Virgin Mother of God, for you conceived virginally from the Holy Spirit the Eternal God and the Virgin remained, and thus you freed Eve from ancient sorrow. Today is the joy of the Annunciation, the virgin triumph and great sacrament, the beginning of our salvation. Today the sky rejoices and the earth rejoices. For this reason, the great Gabriel, the first of all creation, understanding in spirit the great mystery of the Incarnation, worshiped with great fear the Savior of the world who was incarnated in the Virgin’s womb and the incarnated Most Pure Virgin with almost befitting worship, like the Queen of heaven and earth, and with great reverence sang to Her such: Rejoice, Tall One The sacrament of the Incarnation of God is a wonderful accomplishment. Rejoice, glorious manifestation of the ineffable composition of the Flesh of Christ. Rejoice, Drawing of seedless disgrace, in Nemzhe the Creator of the whole world is contained today. Rejoice, O Ark of the Divine Incarnation, to Whom the great joy of the entire universe is now bestowed. Rejoice, O Maiden, who hast woven purple from Thy Most Pure Flesh for the Word of God. Rejoice, O Young Lady, who gave the incorruptible scarlet from Your virgin blood to the Lamb of God. Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you.

Kontakion 11

Thou didst bring all-contrite singing, O Most Pure One, when, after the departure of the Archangel, Thou didst visit the righteous Elizabeth of Thy south and proclaimed to her the joy of the Annunciation, in gladness of spirit, saying: “My soul magnifies the Lord, and My spirit rejoices in God My Savior. As if you have looked upon the humility of Your Servant, behold, from now on all of you will please Me.” This visit of Yours made righteous Elizabeth happy, and the baby John leaped with joy in her womb, and was filled with the Holy Spirit, Elizabeth, and said: “Where do I receive this, that the Mother of My Lord may come to me.” May our spirit also leap now, feeling on the day of Your Annunciation the joy of Your visit. For this reason, together with Elizabeth, we cry to You: “Blessed are You among women, and Blessed is the Fruit of Your womb,” and to Him I will bring out and let us all sing: Alleluia.

Ikos 11

A great and Divine light ascended into Your soul, Most Pure One, when, at the voice of the Archangel, the Holy Spirit descended on You and the Power of the Highest Autumn of You and when You conceived in the God-blessed virgin womb of Your Creator of lights, His light shines in the darkness and His darkness is not embraced. Enlighten You, like the sun, with the light of Your Divinity, Glorify and adore All, for this sake “Your goodness shines, Your purity shines, Your lordship shines, as the Holy Spirit predicted about You in the Songs: “Thou art all good, My neighbor, and there is no vice in You.” " Thou hast appeared All Chosen, All Precious, Even as God loved, All Pure and Divine Glory. Enlightened by this Divine Light of Yours, may we also praise You in songs, like the Mother of Light: Rejoice, O Holy One of the Divine Light, Who bore the Everlasting Light in Your womb. Rejoice, Ray of the Clever Sun, who enlightened the whole world with the light of the Face of God. Rejoice, Heavenly Lamp, lit on the earthly candlestick of the entire universe. Rejoice, Life-Giving Source, abundantly watered with the grace of the Holy Spirit. Rejoice, Light-bringing Virgin, for the sake of the light of the knowledge of God this day has risen to us all. Rejoice, Chosen Bride of God, whose indescribable joy now covers the whole world. Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you.

Kontakion 12

Divine grace and great joy flourish today to the whole world, Most Pure One, on the luminous day of Thy Annunciation, for for Thy sake on this day the ancient sorrow of the Holy Cross and the beginning of the salvation of men rest: the Son of God, the Son of the Virgin appeared, and for Eve’s sake the land was cursed, by Thee, Virgin, Today you will be blessed again. The cherubim retreats from the tree of life and the gates of paradise are again opened to the faithful today, and the whole world is filled with joy, even as the great Gabriel, hail thee, O Virgin, from above. For this reason, let the heavens rejoice today, let the earth rejoice, and let every breath and creation sing to God about You: Alleluia.

Ikos 12

Singing your all-joyful Annunciation from the Archangel, Mother of God, we praise all the terrible, glorious and great mystery of your pure and virgin conception of the Holy Spirit, we worship your incorruptible Son Christ our God, conceived from you, and with all our hearts we believe and confess, as in the Divine conception and After Your Nativity You remained Ever-Virgin. For this reason, together with Gabriel, we will bring you the archangel’s blue voice: Rejoice, full of grace, clothed in the Sun, shining with grace and glory throughout the entire universe. Rejoice, Blessed One, from the east of the sun to the west, reverent and exalted throughout all the heavens. Rejoice, great angelic surprise, who surprised Gabriel with the beauty of her virginity. Rejoice, good joy to the whole world, who made fallen people glad with the joy of Your Annunciation. Rejoice, humble Servant of the Lord, who by the height of Her humility brought God down to earth. Rejoice, Merciful Mother of God Most High, who through Your maternal intercession brought many sinners to Christ. Rejoice, full of grace, the Lord is with you.

Kontakion 13

Oh, All-Singing Paraclete Bride, Pure Marriage who has not known the Virgin! Having astonished the Archangel with the beauty of Virginity and the incorruptible Flesh that has now given itself to God the Word, today we have received the offering of Your all-joyful Annunciation from Gabriel, preserve those betrothed to Christ God in virginity, strengthen everyone in purity and deliver us from troubles, so that You may free us from eternal torment. Through You let us find paradise, where let us all sing to God about You: Alleluia.

(This kontakion is read three times, then ikos 1 and kontakion 1)

Saint Elijah Minyatiy. Word on the Annunciation of the Mother of God:

Andrey Rublev. Annunciation

Saint Nicholas (Velimirović):

And the morning dawn, giving birth to the sun, would be ashamed before the purity of the Virgin Mary, who gave birth to the Immortal Sun, Christ our Savior. No knee will bow before Her, no mouth will cry out: “Rejoice, full of grace! Rejoice, Dawn of human salvation! Rejoice, Most Honest Cherub and Most Glorious Seraphim! Glory to Your Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, with the Father and the Holy Spirit - the Trinity, Consubstantial and Indivisible, now and ever, at all times and forever. Amen".

Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt.
“The Beginning of Salvation.” (Word on the Annunciation of the Blessed Virgin Mary):

Mikhail Nesterov. Annunciation.