"He who is within is greater than he who is in the world"
1 Holy Apostle and Evangelist John 4:4*
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Today we commemorate:
THE CONCEPTION OF THE THEOTOKOS
BY SAINT ANNA
Fish, wine and olive oil permitted today
The righteous Joachim and Anna were childless for 50 years of their married life. In their old age the Archangel Gabriel appeared to each one of them separately, telling them that God had heard their prayers and that they would give birth to a daughter, Mary. Then St. Anna conceived by her husband and after nine months bore a daughter blessed by God and by all generations of men: the Most-holy Virgin Mary, the Theotokos.St. Joachim was of the lineage of Judah and a descendant of King David. Anna was the daughter of Matthan the priest, from the lineage of Levi, as was Aaron the high priest. Matthan had three daughters: Mary, Sophia and Anna. Mary married, lived in Bethlehem and gave birth to Salome; Sophia married, also lived in Bethlehem, and gave birth to Elizabeth, the mother of St. John the Forerunner; Anna married Joachim in Nazareth, and in old age gave birth to Mary, the Most-holy Theotokos.
Joachim and Anna had lived together in marriage for fifty years, and yet had remained barren. They lived devoutly and quietly, and of all their income they spent one third on themselves, distributed one third to the poor and gave the other third to the Temple, and they were well provided for. Once when in their old age they came to Jerusalem to offer a sacrifice to God, the high priest Issachar reprimanded Joachim, saying: "You are not worthy that a gift be accepted from your hands, for you are childless.'' Others, who had children, pushed Joachim behind them as one unworthy. This greatly grieved these two aged souls and they returned home in great sorrow. Then the two of them fell down before God in prayer, that He work a miracle with them as He once had with Abraham and Sarah, and give them a child as a comfort in their old age. Then God sent His angel, who announced to them the birth of "a daughter most-blessed, by whom all nations on earth will be blessed and through whom the salvation of the world will come.'' Anna straightway conceived, and in nine months gave birth to the Holy Virgin Mary. St. Joachim lived for eighty years and Anna lived for seventy-nine, at which time they reposed in the Lord.
Troparion of the Resurrection
First Tone
When the stone had been sealed by the Jews, and the soldiers were guarding Thine immaculate Body, Thou didst rise on the third day, O Savior, granting life unto the world. Wherefore, the Hosts of the Heavens cried out to Thee, O Life-giver: Glory to Thy Resurrection, O Christ. Glory to Thy kingdom. Glory to Thy dispensation, O only Lover of mankind.
PRAYER TO THE HOLY AND RIGHTEOUS
ANCESTORS OF GOD JOACHIM AND ANNA
The Father's Ineffable Love
for His Creatures Revealed
O EVER RIGHTEOUS FOREBEARERS OF CHRIST holy Joachim and Anna who stand before the heavenly throne of the great King and possess boldness before Him; He was well pleased to become incarnate of your all-blessed Daughter, the all-pure Birth-giver of God and Ever-virgin Mary.
We, the sinful and unworthy, come to you as mighty intercessors and diligent advocates for us. Entreat His goodness, that He turn away His wrath from us, which we deserve because of our deeds and that, overlooking our countless transgressions, He may turn us to the way of repentance and set us firmly upon the path of His commandments. By your supplications preserve our life in peace. Ask that we may be successful in good things. By your intercession, may God grant to us all things necessary for life and piety and may He deliver us from all peril, misfortune and sudden death. May He allow us to live out our lives in peace and tranquility, in all piety and purity. Having thus passed from this transitory life in peace, we may attain unto everlasting rest, where by your holy entreaty, may we be granted the heavenly Kingdom of Christ our God, to Whom is due all glory, honor and worship with the Father and all-Holy Spirit, unto the ages of ages.
Saint Luke 24:1-12
King James Version
24 Now upon the first day of the week, very early in the morning, they came unto the sepulchre, bringing the spices which they had prepared, and certain others with them.
2 And they found the stone rolled away from the sepulchre.
3 And they entered in, and found not the body of the Lord Jesus.
4 And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed thereabout, behold, two men stood by them in shining garments:
5 And as they were afraid, and bowed down their faces to the earth, they said unto them, Why seek ye the living among the dead?
6 He is not here, but is risen: remember how he spake unto you when he was yet in Galilee,
7 Saying, The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.
8 And they remembered his words,
9 And returned from the sepulchre, and told all these things unto the eleven, and to all the rest.
10 It was Mary Magdalene and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and other women that were with them, which told these things unto the apostles.
11 And their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they believed them not.
12 Then arose Peter, and ran unto the sepulchre; and stooping down, he beheld the linen clothes laid by themselves, and departed, wondering in himself at that which was come to pass.R
Galatians 4:22-27
King James Version
22 For it is written, that Abraham had two sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman.
23 But he who was of the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by promise.
24 Which things are an allegory: for these are the two covenants; the one from the mount Sinai, which gendereth to bondage, which is Agar.
25 For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to Jerusalem which now is, and is in bondage with her children.
26 But Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the mother of us all.
27 For it is written, Rejoice, thou barren that bearest not; break forth and cry, thou that travailest not: for the desolate hath many more children than she which hath an husband.
Saint Luke 13:10-17
King James Version
10 And he was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath.
11 And, behold, there was a woman which had a spirit of infirmity eighteen years, and was bowed together, and could in no wise lift up herself.
12 And when Jesus saw her, he called her to him, and said unto her, Woman, thou art loosed from thine infirmity.
13 And he laid his hands on her: and immediately she was made straight, and glorified God.
14 And the ruler of the synagogue answered with indignation, because that Jesus had healed on the sabbath day, and said unto the people, There are six days in which men ought to work: in them therefore come and be healed, and not on the sabbath day.
15 The Lord then answered him, and said, Thou hypocrite, doth not each one of you on the sabbath loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and lead him away to watering?
16 And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?
17 And when he had said these things, all his adversaries were ashamed: and all the people rejoiced for all the glorious things that were done by him.
* YES, listen to the Divine Apostle John
"He who is within is greater than he who is in the world"
WE HAVE AN INEXPRESSIBLY GREAT BUT BRIEF OPPORTUNITY - DON'T WASTE IT.
You look in a mirror and you say it is you; others see you and say the same and call you by name. But it isn't you, you are within, the soul is you. Can you deny that what you see in a mirror and what others see and name is but a reflection, like what we see when we bend and look into a pond, especially knowing exactly how, beyond a doubt, how temporary it is? What we see is an image that carries with it a termination date; and most gravely it carries with it a responsibility and an accountability. For its actions determine what the soul experiences for eternity since unlike the transient image, the soul is eternal.
{anon}
Saint Anna, mother of the Theotokos
at St. Tikhon of Zadonsk Monastery
360
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