My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God, and Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.
On the ANNUNCIATION of Our Exceedingly Pure Lady,
MOTHER OF GOD and EVER-VIRGIN MARY, According
to Saint Gregory Palamas.
The event which we celebrate on March 25th clearly proves that this mystery is beyond the understanding not only of men but of Angels and even Archangels. The Archangel brought the Good Tidings to the Virgin that she would conceive (Luke 1:26-38). But when she sought to find out the way it would happen and asked him, "How shall this be, seeing I know not a man" (Luke 1:34), the Archangel was completely unable to explain how. He took refuge in God, saying, "The Holy Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee" (Luke 1:35). It was as if someone had asked Moses, "How was man formed out of the ground? How were bones, nerves and flesh made out of dust, or the senses out of what is insensate? Or how were the internal organs, the various juices and everything else formed from a bone?" If someone had asked these questions of Moses all he would have said was that it was God who took dust from the ground and formed Adam, and took one of Adam’s ribs and made Eve. He would have said the Creator was, but not the way in which these things were done. In the same way, Archangel Gabriel said that the Holy Spirit and the power of the Most High would bring about the birth WITHOUT SEED, but he did not say how. He went on to mention that Elizabeth, who was barren, had conceived in her old age, and all he could say was that with God nothing was impossible (Luke 1:35-37). So how could he explain how she was to conceive and bear a child in virginity?
Nevertheless, the Archangel’s words to the Virgin did contain something more, a reference to a Greater Mystery, "The Holy Spirit," he said, "shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee" (Luke 1:35). Why was this? Because the child to be born WAS NOT TO BE CALLED A PROPHET OR SIMPLY A MAN, LIKE ADAM, BUT THE Son of the Most High, Savior, Deliverer of the human race and Eternal King. When stones fall away from the peak of a mountain top and go right down to the foot, many overhanging crags are left in their place. In the same way, when in Paradise WE FELL AWAY FROM THE DIVINE COMMANDMENT AND THE BLESSED AND GODLY WAY OF LIFE, AND WERE BROUGHT DOWN AS FAR AS HADES, MANY EVILS RESULTED. Not only did the ground yield visible thorns and thistles in accordance with the curse upon our forefather, but we, to an even greater extent, WERE SOWN WITH THE THORNS OF ALL SORTS OF EVIL PASSIONS AND WITH SIN’S DREADFUL THISTLES. Our race did not receive just that sorrow allotted to our First Mother by the curse which condemned her TO BEAR CHILDREN IN SORROW (Genesis 3:16), but almost ALL OUR LIFE BECAME PAIN AND SORROW.
However, God Who made us looked LOVINGLY DOWN ON US in His mercy. He bowed the heavens and CAME DOWN. Having taken OUR NATURE UPON HIM FROM THE HOLY VIRGIN, He RENEWED AND RESTORED IT. Or, rather, He LED IT UP TO DIVINE AND HEAVENLY HEIGHTS. Wishing to achieve this, to bring fulfillment on this day His Pre-eternal counsel, He sent the Archangel Gabriel, as Luke the Evangelist tells us, "to Nazareth, to A VIRGINs espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary" (Luke 1:26-27).
God sent the Archangel to a virgin and made her, WHO CONTINUED A VIRGIN, His Mother by means of A SALUTATION ALONE. If He had been conceived from seed, He would NOT have been a new man, nor sinless, nor the Savior of sinners. The flesh’s impulse to reproduce is NOT subject to our minds, which God has appointed to govern us, and is NOT entirely without sin. That is why David said, "I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me" (Ps. 51:5). So if the conception of God had been from seed, He would NOT have been a new man, nor the author of new life which will never grow old. If He were from the old stock and INHERITED ITS SIN, He would NOt have been able TO BEAR WITHIN HIMSELF THE FULLNESS OF THE INCORRUPTIBLE GODHEAD OR TO MAKE HIS FLESH AN INEXHAUSTIBLE SOURCE OF SANCTIFICATION, ABLE TO WASH AWAY EVEN THE DEFILEMENT OF OUR First Parents by its abundant power, and sufficient to sanctify all who came after them. That is why NEITHER AN ANGEL NOR A MAN CAME TO SAVE US, BUT THE LORD HIMSELF, WHO WAS CONCEIVED AND TOOK FLESH IN THE WOMB OF A VIRGIN, WHILE REMAINING UNCHANGED AS GOD…
"…"And the virgin’s name," it says, "was MARY" (Luke 1:27), which means "LADY." This shows the Virgin’s dignity, how certain was her virginity and set apart was her life, EXACT IN EVERY RESPECT AND COMPLETELY BLAMELESS. She properly bore the name of Virgin, and possessed to the full ALL THE ATTRIBUTES OF PURITY. She was a virgin IN BOTH BODY AND SOUL, AND KEPT ALL THE POWERS OF HER SOUL AND HER BODILY SENSES FAR ABOVE ANY DEFILEMENT. This she did authoritatively, steadfastly, decisively and altogether inviolably at all times, as a closed gate preserves the treasures within, and a sealed book keeps hidden from sight what is written inside. The Holy Scripture says of her, "This is the sealed book" (cf. Revelation 5:1-6:1; Daniel 12:4) and "this gate shall be shut, and no man shall enter in by it" (Ezekiel 44:2)…
"…Surely it is obvious to anyone that the Virgin Mother IS BOTH THE BURNING BUSH and THE TONKS. She conceived the Divine Fire within her and WAS NOT BURNT, and an Archangel ministered at the conception, and through her the Bearer of the sins of the world WAS UNITED WITH THE HUMAN RACE, PURIFYING US THOROUGHLY BY MEANS OF THIS INDESCRIBABLE BOND. The Virgin Mother, and she alone, IS THE FRONTIER BETWEEN CREATED and UNCREATED NATURE. All who know God will recognize her as THE ONE WHO CONTAINED HIM WHO CANNOT BE CONTAINED. All who sing hymns to God WILL PRAISE HER NEXT AFTER HIM. She is the cause of the benefits which preceded her, THE PROTECTRESS OF THOSE WHICH CAME AFTER, AND THROUGH HER THOSE GOOD THINGS WHICH ARE ETERNAL SHALL BE RECEIVED. She is THE THEME OF THE PROPHETS, THE FIRST OF THE APOSTLES, THE SUPPORT OF THE MARTYRS, THE DAIS OF THE TEACHERS. SHE IS THE GLORY OF THOSE ON EARTH, THE DELIGHT OF THOSE IN HEAVEN, THE ADORNMENT OF THE WHOLE CREATION. SHE IS THE BEGINNING, FOUNT AND ROOT OF THE HOPE STORED UP FOR US IN HEAVEN.
To which may we all attain BY HER PRAYERS FOR US, to the glory of Him Who was Begotten of the Father before all ages, and, in these last times, became Incarnate of her, even Jesus Christ our Lord. To Whom BELONG ALL GLORY, HONOR AND WORSHIP, NOW AND FOREVER AND UNTO THE AGES OF AGES. AMEN. (Homilies)
___________
"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
+ + +
With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George
The Eastern Orthodox Christian Ethos 