The Nativity of the Theotokos

I'm back! Finding time to blog is a challenge these days, but I hope to keep it going.

Today is the Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos. Besides our Lord, the only other saints whose Nativity we celebrate is that of the Theotokos and St John the Baptist (June 24). Celebrating our Lord's birth is obvious, but why the other two? To begin with, the Theotokos is the greatest of the saints and the model of humility and purity for all Christians. Because of her 'yes' to God at the Annunciation, she plays a pivotal role in salvation history. Without her co-operation with the will of God, the Incarnation could not have taken place. Ponder that for a moment. As Orthodox, we believe and teach that our Lord took His humanity from the Virgin Mary and thus she is crucial to the salvation of all humanity. Don't get me wrong, we worship the Holy Trinity alone because God is the author and finisher of our faith, but we venerate and honor His holy Mother who faithfully co-operated with the Divine Will in the redemption of the world. This is a mystery beyond our full comprehension. We celebrate the Nativity of St John the Forerunner because he is the greatest of the prophets, and the one divinely appointed to prepare the way for our Lord Jesus Christ. He too plays a pivotal part, though different from that of the Blessed Virgin, in salvation history. He is the herald that proclaimed, "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand!" He also had the blessed honor of baptizing our Lord in the Jordan at the outset of His earthly ministry. Both the Theotokos and St John are critical to God's plan of salvation for the world and both hold a place of great honor in the Church. In the Eastern rite, for instance, the Holy Theotokos and St John are always on the iconostasis, while the other icons may be different, depending on the church you are in.

On this day let us therefore give thanks to Almighty God for the Blessed Virgin Mary who said 'yes' to Him and thus enabled the Word of God to enter into time and to take upon Himself our humanity in order to redeem and deify it, and to bring life to all the world.


To God be the glory,
Fr Stephen