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THE SEVENTH
MONTH IN THE NAME
OF THE FATHER AND THE SON AND THE HOLY SPIRIT, On this day is the festival of the Annunciation which was made to her who was full of salvation, our holy Lady, the Virgin Mary, by the honorable angel Gabriel, according to the testimony of the Holy Gospel, which saith, “And in the sixth month, that is to say the sixth month after the conception of Elisabeth, Gabriel was sent from God to a city on the borders of Galilee, the name of which was Nazareth, to a virgin who was betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, who was of the house of David; and the name of this virgin was Mary.” And when the angel came unto her he said unto her, “Rejoice, O full of grace, God is with thee.” And straightway she was troubled at his voice, but she had confidence in him. And he said unto her, “Fear not, O Mary, for thou hast found grace with God. And thou shalt conceive, and shalt bear a son, and His Name shall be called ‘Jesus.’ And He shall be great, and shall be called the ‘Son of the Highest,’ and the Lord God shall give Him the throne of His father David, and He shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever, and to His kingdom there shall be no end.” And the Virgin answered and said unto him, “How can this happen unto me?” that is to say, “How can I conceive, since I have never known man?” And the angel answered and said unto her, “The Holy Spirit shall come unto thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee, and He, Who shall be born of thee is holy, and shall be called the Son of God.” And then he gave her the sign of the truth of his Annunciation to her. And he said unto her, “Behold, Elisabeth, thy kinswoman, who was called barren, hath conceived in her maturity, and in old age; for nothing is impossible with God.” And Mary forthwith answered and said, “Behold, I am the handmaiden of the Lord; let Him deal with me even as thou hast said unto me.” And when she had received this Divine conception, there came down the Son, One Person, the Word of God, Who is One in Three Persons, Who existeth for ever, and dwelt in the womb of the holy Virgin Mary; how this dwelling was effected the children of men cannot know. And straightway He received from her perfect incarnation, and separation afterwards was impossible. And His Godhead was with His Incarnation, One [Being], inseparable, distinct, and unchangeable. This day is the first-born of all festivals, for in it the beginning of the salvation of the world [took place]. Salutation to Thy conception in the womb of Mary. Salutation to the descent of Him Who became incarnate in Mary. Salutation to Thy Birth, Thou, to Whom the kings of the nations guided by the star in the East presented gold. And on this day also was completed the salvation [of man] by His Holy Resurrection, for our Lord, praise be to Him! when He had finished His wise work upon earth during a period of three and thirty years, suffered of His own free will on the twenty-seventh day of this month, of Magabit; and He rose from the dead on this very day, twenty-ninth day of this month of Magabit. As it was on this very day that the incarnation of Him Whom they awaited was announced unto the people of the world, so it was on this very day that the living and the dead rejoiced in their delivery from Sheol, and from the hand [of Satan], on the day of the Eve of the Sabbath. Now it was on the First Day of the week that the living became certain of this, and they knew of their resurrection by the Resurrection of the Body of our Lord Christ, Who was the first-fruits of the dead in His Resurrection even as the Apostle Paul saith, “Christ hath become the first-fruits of the dead by His holy Resurrection, for the compassion and mercy which are His are great” (I Corinthians xv, 20). Salutation to Thy Resurrection, the day of which became the day of Adam’s salvation. Salutation to Thy Resurrection, O Thou Who suffered and died of Thy own free will. And on this day also Saint Paul the apostle preached in the city of Sharkon (or Warikon), which was the end of his career upon earth. Salutation to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob.
Glory
be to God Who is glorified in His Saints.
Amen. |
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