Feast hymn
The Conception by Righteous Anna of the Most Holy Mother of God
- Today the bonds of barrenness are broken,
God has heard the prayers of Joachim and Anna.
He has promised them beyond all their hopes,
To bear the Maiden of God
By whom the Uncircumscribed One was born as mortal man,
Who commanded an angel to cry to Her:
Rejoice, O Full of Grace, the Lord is with You!
St. Anna, the mother of the Virgin Mary, was the youngest daughter of the priest Nathan from Bethlehem, descended from the tribe of Levi. She married St. Joachim, who was a native of Galilee. St. Anna was childless, but after twenty years, through the fervent prayer of both spouses, an angel of the Lord announced to them that they would be the parents of a daughter Who would bring blessings to the whole human race.
The Orthodox Church does not accept the teaching that the Mother of God was exempted from the consequences of ancestral sin (death, corruption, sin, etc.) at the moment of her conception by virtue of the future merits of Her Son.
Only Christ was born perfectly holy and sinless.
The Holy Virgin was like everyone else in Her mortality, and in being subject to temptation, although She committed no personal sins.
She was not a deified creature removed from the rest of humanity.
If this were the case, She would not have been truly human, and the nature that Christ took from Her would not have been truly human either.
If Christ does not truly share our human nature, then the possibility of our salvation is in doubt.
The Conception of the Virgin Mary by St. Anna took place at Jerusalem.
The many icons depicting the Conception by St. Anna show the Most Holy Theotokos trampling the serpent underfoot.
There are also icons in which St. Anna holds the Most Holy Virgin on her left arm as an infant.
On St Anna’s face is a look of reverence.
A large ancient icon, painted on canvas, is located in Russia.
From ancient times this Feast was especially venerated by pregnant women.
Commemorated on December 9
Icon by Tatiana Grant
My Home Parish, Holy Incarnation Orthodox Church
Welcomes His Grace Bishop MARK, tomorrow evening to begin the celebration this feast.
Who teaches that Mary was exempt, then?
Posted by: Garry | Sunday, December 07, 2008 at 03:44 PM
We believe that man will be punished for their own sins and not for Adam's transgressions, so in essence, we are all exempt from the "original sin", including Mary.
Posted by: Garry | Monday, December 22, 2008 at 05:11 PM
We believe that Jesus Christ was the ONLY one without sin. Christ suffered, died, and was resurrected for you, me, for MARY, for all. Not sure Pope Pius IX understood this. :)
Posted by: Garry | Monday, December 22, 2008 at 05:11 PM
I think one of the dangers that has come about since the dogmatizing of the Immaculate Conception is the temptation to blur and confuse Divinity and Humanity and there are some who "almost, but not quite" make Mary, if not a fourth member of the Trinity, at least confuse her role in our Salvation.
Rather than as a role model for us, as to what kind of holiness and perfection is possible in Christ in this side of life, she is seen as kind of a co-redeemer...which is a heresy and also marks an unfortunate evolution of events that has created a kind of tier effect for that has all but destroyed the original ascetic life of regular prayer, fasts and feasts, obedience, confession, repentance, and living in communion/ community,the KINGDOM COME, that marked the life of EVERY CHRISTIAN in the early Church; there was no separation between sacred and secular; the whole church was responsible for keeping and guarding the faith and handing down to the next generation;
Heretic teachers and bishops didn't get very far when the Gospel was a "who", the Way, the Truth and the Life; Imagine someone trying to come between you and the One you knew and loved more than life itself-/ introducing teachings/ practices that quickly caused a deterioration in that relationship;
It would be like someone telling you that you no longer had to talk or see your wife every day, or that told you to do something that would cause a rupture in the Union you share; You would lay down your life if anybody tried to break that bond; but I bet you wouldn't get to worked up over definitions or explanations of what you "knew" unless it somehow would end up diminishing/ change the nature of your relationship with her.
Truth is know by living with HIm. The Way is know by walking with Him. And death and Life are not easily confused once you have existed in both states.
It's not so much that Priests and Bishops, don't know or haven't entered into communion with Christ/Truth, but since the breakdown/ divisions/ and developments within the church; so much of what was just simply meant to be known through relationship with Christ has been "distilled" down and the Gospel is now confused as a "what" instead of a "who".
The encounter with the Living Christ maintained through the Holy Spirit has been replaced for many by membership in the "True Church" (take your pick-no one's hands are clean) and following whatever the Authority/(Official hierarchy or "inner feelings/ conscience" that you think is God talking to you) says is necessary for Salvation (usually assent to a list of beliefs and living according to a moral code which includes mandatory attendance/ and "encouraging" some kind of personal "spiritual disciplines").
A good overview of the what these changes have done on a day to day basis for the average Christian is here:
http://fatherstephen.wordpress.com/2008/12/21/the-nature-of-things-and-our-salvation-2/
Fr. Freeman's blog, "Glory to God for All Things", is always worth the read.
Posted by: Isabella | Monday, December 22, 2008 at 07:26 PM