🕁 The Conception of Saint Anna when she conceived the Most Holy Mother of God.
All-Night Vigil Feast. A day when the faithful are highly encouraged to participate in the Divine Liturgy. Nativity Fast.
Galatians 4:22-31; Luke 8:16-21.
Read Luke 8:16-21
“Today the chains of barrenness are shattered, for having heard the prayer of Joachim and Anna, against all hope God has openly promised the birth of the Maiden of God, from whom the very infinite One will be born as a man, the One who commanded the angels to cry to her: rejoice, O full of grace, the Lord is with you.” (Troparion of the Conception of St. Anna when she conceived the Most Holy Mother of God)
The account of the conception of Mary, the Theotokos, is preserved in the apocryphal gospel, the Protoevangelium of James. It is a second-century text which provides information about the early life of Mary. Even though it was decided not to be included in canon of the Bible, it shows us what early Christians already believed about the Mother of God and what has become a part of Holy Tradition.
Joachim and Anna prayed to be able to conceive a child, in spite of their old age. God answered their prayers. Anna conceived Mary in her womb, and Mary would one day hold our incarnate God within her own womb. “No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a vessel, or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, that those who enter may see the light” (Lk. 8:17). When we pray the Moleben to the Mother of God, we call her the “golden Candelabrum.” Just as a lamp or candelabrum brings us light, so Mary bore Christ, the Light of the World. She did not hide Him away, but she even pushed Him to perform His first miracle at the wedding at Cana, turning water into wine (see Jn. 2:1-11).
We have all received different gifts from God. Do we hide our gifts under bushel baskets, or do we set them up on a stand to shine light to others for the glory of God? For Joachim and Anna, Mary was a gift from God. Anna’s response to the news that she would conceive a child was one of gratitude. She would bring her daughter to the Temple and dedicate her for ministry to the Lord. Later, Mary’s own response to the archangel Gabriel that she would conceive Jesus in her womb was one of humility and obedience: “Let it be to me according to your word” (Lk. 1:38). She and Joseph raised and nurtured Jesus, and Mary was with Jesus when He performed His first public miracle. Mary offered the gift of her Son to the world. Let us follow their examples and allow our own gifts to shine before others for the glory of God (see Mt. 5:16).