14th Sunday after Pentecost (8/21 September)

[Julianna]

I posted some homilies on this week at http://euphrosynoscafe.com/forum/viewto ... =7265#7265

[尼古拉前执事]

A homily offered on the occasion of the Nativity
of the Theotokos, one of the Twelve Great Feasts
of the Church.

September 8 / 21, 2003
St John Chrysostom Parish
House Springs, Missouri

===============

The Nativity of the Most Holy Mother of God

Every year on Sept. 8 the Church commemorates the birth of the Most Holy and
Pure Theotokos. There is no scriptural reference for this feast since it
recounts events that the evangelists did not record in the four gospels -
details are from Holy Tradition and from the Protoevangelum of our father
amongt the saints James the first bishop of Jerusalem and Brother of God -
the youngest son of Joseph the betrothed and patron of our mission in Tulsa.

The birth, or nativity of the Theotokos is celebrated in the Orthodox Church
as one of the twelve major feast days of the Church Year. The Church Year
begins September 1st and the first major event is the Nativity of the Mother
of God (emphasizing the Incarnation), followed quickly by the feast day of
the Exaltation of the Cross on September 14th (emphasizing the Cross in our
lives).

The Lord had said, "He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy
of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.
And he who does not take up his cross and follow Me is not worthy of Me"
(Matthew 10:37-38). Joachim and Anna certainly had to bear their cross prior
to Mary's birth.

Her father, Joachim, was from the tribe of Judah, was a native of Nazareth,
and was a descendant of King David. Mary's mother, Anna (Hebrew: Hannah) was
the daughter of Matthan the priest and was a descendant of Aaron the High
Priest (and so the Theotokos was of royal blood from her father, and
priestly blood from her mother. By this, she foreshadowed Him who would be
born of her as King and High Priest.).

According to First Century writings, Joachim was a shepherd by occupation
and was very wealthy from owning large herds of sheep. In humbleness of
heart, Joachim had the practice of offering more than the Mosaic Law
required. One third of his income he gave to the Temple as his tithe, one
third he gave to orphans, widows, strangers and the poor, and one third he
kept for himself.

According to the Mosaic Law, a tenth (i.e. a tithe) was to be devoted to the
Lord and was used to support the priests and Levites (Numbers 18:20-24), a
second tithe was used for the festivals (Deuteronomy 12:12-19) and a third
tithe every three years was set aside for the orphans, widows, strangers and
Levites (Deuteronomy 14:28-29, 26:12-13). The Lord had promised that if
people were faithful in doing this, He would open the windows of heaven and
bless His people in the land (Deuteronomy 26:12-15, Malachi 3:8-10). The
more Joachim gave, the more the Lord blessed him. While the Lord's blessing
was strong on Joachim and Anna, there was one aspect where it was not: they
were unable to have children.

Because of this, they were ashamed before men and humble before God. Just as
Hannah, the mother of the Prophet Samuel, was ridiculed for being unable to
have children (1 Samuel 1:1-10), so Joachim and Anna were ridiculed. People
assumed that because the Lord's blessing was absent in this part of their
lives, that there was some secret sin. And in the case of Joachim and Anna,
around the time of their 50th wedding anniversary, the high priest publicly
refused to accept their offering, calling them cursed when they came to
present their offerings in accordance with the Law.

Afer this refusal, in their humility, Joachim and Anna returned to Nazareth
and retired separately for prayer and fasting with many tears. Joachim spent
his time in the remote hill country with his flocks while Anna prayed in the
garden of their home. Both prayed separately that the Lord would work in
them the wonder that He had done with Abraham and Sarah. And they separately
agreed that they would dedicate the child to the Lord as Hannah did with
Samuel (1 Samuel 1:11-2:11).

Emboldened by the knowledge of the situation with his niece Elizabeth who
was also barren, and how the archangel Gabriel appreared to her husband
Zachariah to tell him that Elizabeth would bear his son (St John the
Baptist), Joachim went to the hills to pray. He did not intend to return
until the Lord answered his prayer. Knowing this, Anna prayed and wept,
mourning both her barrenness and reproach among the people and also what she
believed was to be her imminent widowhood. During this time of fasting and
prayer, an angel appeared first to Joachim, then to Anna telling them (1)
that their charitable deeds have gone up into God's presence, (2) that their
shame among men in the face of righteous living had not gone unnoticed and
(3) that the Lord was going to answer their prayers. As a sign of this, the
angel instructed Joachim and Anna separately to leave Nazareth and go to
Jerusalem immediately. When they got there, they would meet each other by
the Golden Gate of the city. The angel went on to say that the child to be
born would be filled with the Holy Spirit from her mother's womb and her
life would be exemplary among her peers. This is very similar to the
announcement by the angel Gabriel to the priest Zachariah concerning the
birth of John the Baptist (Luke 1:4-23).

Anna and Joachim hurried to Jerusalem without knowing that the other had
seen the angel also. Anna arrived first and waited for a long time before
Joachim arrived driving a large herd: 10 lambs for the Lord, 10 calves for
the priests and elders and 100 goats for the people who had ridiculed him.
Since this was not a prescribed offering according to the Law, but a
freewill offering which even Gentiles could offer, the high priest could not
refuse Joachim (Leviticus 17:8). An interesting teaching in a similar vein
by the Lord 45 years later involved loving one's enemies and doing good to
those who hate us (Luke 6:27-36).

When they saw each other, Joachim and Anna rejoiced greatly. The next day,
they offered their offerings and returned home to Nazareth together. When it
was heard that Anna had conceived, all their neighbors and acquaintances
rejoiced also and the whole land of Israel congratulated them. The Church
celebrates the Conception of the Theotokos on December 9th - nine months
prior to today.

Mary was born after a normal 9 month pregnancy. According to the Mosaic Law,
Anna came to the Temple some days after giving birth to Mary for the rite of
purification (Leviticus 12:2-8). At this time she gave her child the name
Mary (Hebrew Miriam, just like Aaron's sister.) Some discrepancy exists in
early literature as to Mary's birth place: some say Nazareth; others say
Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate. For a man as wealthy as Joachim, it is quite
possible he had homes in both locations. However, his primary residence
seems to be Nazareth.

According to Mosaic Law, the firstborn males received a blessing on the
fortieth day after birth (Leviticus 12:2-4). This didn't apply to the female
child Mary; instead, Joachim invited the priests, scribes, elders and all
the people to a feast at the first anniversary of Mary's birth. At this
occasion, Mary was blessed by the priests and chief priests with the words
"O God of our fathers, look upon this child and bless her with the utmost
blessing which shall be an everlasting blessing, and give her an everlasting
name throughout all generations". And all the people replied "Amen".

Anna made her infant daughter's bed-chamber into a miniature copy of the
Holy Place, like a sanctuary, and permitted nothing common or unclean to
come near her. She also invited certain young virgins into her home to help
care for and play with Mary. She was thus preparing Mary for the time when
she would dedicate her daughter to the Lord's service as Hannah did the
young Samuel.

When Mary was weaned at the age of three the time came for her to be
dedicated to the Lord's service just as Hannah dedicated the Prophet Samuel
(1 Samuel 1:21-2:11). This occasion was celebrated with considerable
pageantry and ceremony and the Orthodox Church celebrates this as another of
the Twelve Major Feasts of the Church Year (on November 21st).

As part of the ceremony at the Temple, Mary was accompanied by a number of
young virgins who had been her attendants. The chief priest was Zachariah
(the father of St John the Baptist). As Joachim and Anna presented their
daughter to Zachariah as to the Lord, Zachariah was filled with the Spirit
and said "Mary, the Lord God has magnified your name to all generations and,
by you, to the very end of time, the Lord will show His Redemption to the
children of Israel". With many other words Zachariah prophesied and
rejoiced; then he led young Mary into the Temple even unto the Holy of
Holies where only the High Priest is allowed, and that but once a year (and
on another day than this).

Mary began a life of serving the Lord in the Temple in company with such
notables as the Prophetess Anna (Luke 2:36-38), the Righteous Simeon (Luke
2:25-35) and the future Apostle Matthias (Prologue, August 9th) - and she
was instructed by angels. For the next 7 years, Joachim and Anna visited
their daughter often until they died. Joachim was 80 and Anna 79 when Mary
was orphaned.

St. Dionysius the Areopagite writes of the immeasurable joy, the outer and
inner radiance and the indescribable fragrance that he sensed in the
presence of the Holy Mother of God when he visited her in Jerusalem. Thiose
of us who were here at St John's 16 yaers ago when the Montreal
Myrrh-Streaming icon visited St John's know that fragrance. In his
enthusiasm, he says that if he did not acknowledge the one, true God, he
would acknowledge her, the holy Virgin Mary, as God. The holy Virgin made
such a strong and deep impression even during her earthly life, and she
received an incomparably greater power after her physical death when, by
God's will, she was exalted above the hosts of angels. Her power comes from
her ceaseless prayer to God for the faithful, for all who turn to her for
help -- for us. As she was in travail at the crucifixion of her Son, so she
is in travail for all the weak who turn to her for help. It can be said that
the whole earth is protected by the miracles of her mercy.

Through the prayers of the Theotokos, O Lord Jesus Christ, have mercy on us
and save us. Amen.

[Methodius]

Sorry, I do not recall Sunday's homily.