The Christmas of the Most Holy Theotokos , a Christian holiday, in the Orthodox Church is included in the number of the twelfth feasts of the Mother of God, from which the annual circle of church holidays begins. The Virgin Mary was born at a time when people had reached such limits of moral decay that their rebellion seemed impossible. The best minds of that era realized and often openly said that God must come into the world to correct the faith and prevent the destruction of the human race. The Son of God wanted to take on human nature for the salvation of people, and the Mother of God , the only one worthy to contain in Himself and embody the Source of purity and holiness, He chooses His Mother.
The Church celebrates the Nativity of the Most Holy Mistress of Our Lady and the Blessed Virgin Mary as a day of universal joy. On this bright day, at the crossroads of the Old and New Testaments, the Blessed Virgin Mary was born, called from the age by Divine Providence to serve the mystery of the incarnation of God the Word - to become the Mother of the Savior of the world, our Lord Jesus Christ.
Faithful people all over the earth honor with songs and praises You, Who scattered the darkness of unfaithfulness in the world and brought salvation to mankind from eternal death.
According to the church tradition, which is based on the apocryphal Protoevangelium of James, the Blessed Virgin Mary was born in the small Galilean city of Nazareth, which was despised by the Jews ( Gospel of John 1:46). Her parents were the righteous Joachim, of the tribe of Judah, from the family of the prophet and king David, and Anna - of the priestly family, from the tribe of Levi, from the house of the high priest Aaron. The man and the woman were childless because Saint Anna was barren. Having reached old age, Joakim and Anna did not lose hope in the mercy of God, firmly believing that everything is possible for God, and He can save Anna from barrenness even in her old age. Saints Joakim and Anna made a vow to dedicate to God for service in the temple the child that the Lord would send them. In the Jewish people, childlessness was considered God's punishment for sins, so the holy and righteous Joakim and Anna suffered unjust humiliation from their compatriots. On one of the holidays, the elder Joachim brought his sacrifice to the Jerusalem temple as a gift to God, but the high priest did not accept it, calling Joachim unworthy because of his childlessness. Saint Joakim in deep sorrow went to the desert and there with tears he prayed to the Lord for the gift of a child. St. Anna , having learned what happened in the Jerusalem temple, wept bitterly, but did not complain to the Lord, but prayed, calling for God's mercy on her family. The Lord fulfilled their request when the holy man and woman reached old age and prepared themselves by a virtuous life for the high title of being the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the future Mother of the Lord Jesus Christ. Archangel Gabriel brought good news to Joakim and Anna: their prayers were heard by God, and they will give birth to the Blessed Daughter Mary, through whom salvation will be given to the whole world.
Finally, in their old age, God pleased Anna and Joakim with the birth of the blessed Mary. The name Mary in Hebrew means "high", "surpassing". The Holy Virgin Mary, with her purity and virtue, surpassed not only all people, but also angels, appeared as a living temple of God, and, as the Church sings in the holiday hymns, "Heavenly Doors that bring Christ into the world for the salvation of our souls.
At the age of 12, Maria took a vow of eternal virginity. When Mary comes of age, she finds an old man, Joseph the Betrothed, who respects her vow. In his house, Mary was working on purple yarn for the temple curtain, during the spinning, the Annunciation took place.
After the birth of Jesus Christ, Mary flees with him and Joseph from King Herod to Egypt, and after Herod's death, she returns to Nazareth. Mary is present at Calvary, and according to Christian tradition, Christ appears to her first after his resurrection . According to one of the versions, Mary lived quietly in the house of Ivan the Theologian , whom Christ told her to adopt. The Assumption of Mary , that is, the separation of Mary's soul from her body, is followed by their miraculous reunion and bodily ascension to heaven.
The Nativity of the Mother of God marked the arrival of the time when the great and consoling promises of God about the salvation of the human race from the slavery of the devil began to be fulfilled. This event brought the gracious Kingdom of God, the kingdom of truth, piety, virtue and immortal life, closer to earth. The Mother of the Firstborn is considered by Christians and all of them by grace as the Mother and merciful Intercessor, to whom they constantly turn with filial reverence.
The birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary served as the eve of the appearance on earth in the flesh of the Sun of truth - Christ. It signified the approach of the time of destruction of sin, condemnation and death, which weighed on people, indicated the quick dawning of God's blessing and eternal life on earth.
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