The Church celebrates the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos

A fragment of the icon "Nativity of the Theotokos". Photo: open sources

On September 21 (September 8 according to the Julian calendar), the Church celebrates the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos. This ancient feast is established in memory of the birth of the Virgin Mary, who became the Mother of the Savior of the world and fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies.

According to church tradition, the Most Holy Theotokos was born to the righteous Joachim and Anna in Jerusalem after twenty years of a childless marriage. The holy parents prayed for a long time for the gift of offspring, and their prayers were heard. The Angel of the Lord appeared first to Anna and then to Joachim, announcing that they would have a daughter who would be blessed among all generations.

The birth of Mary became the fulfillment of ancient prophecies. The prophet Isaiah foretold: "Behold, the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son" (Isa. 7:14). However, before the Messiah could be born, She who would become His Mother had to appear in the world. The holy fathers call this day "the beginning of our salvation", as with the birth of the Most Holy Virgin, the direct preparation for the Incarnation of God begins.

According to church tradition, three-year-old Mary was brought by her parents to the Jerusalem temple, where she was raised until adulthood. There she spent her time in prayer, reading the Holy Scriptures, and doing handiwork, preparing for her great destiny. At fourteen, when it was time to leave the temple, Mary was betrothed to the righteous Joseph, who became her guardian and protector.

It was in Joseph's house in Nazareth that the Annunciation took place – the appearance of the Archangel Gabriel to the Virgin Mary with the news that She would bear the Son of God. Her humble response: "Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word" (Luke 1:38) became a key moment in the history of humanity's salvation.

The Nativity of the Theotokos is closely connected with the prophecies about the Messiah and His Mother. The book of Genesis speaks of the "seed of the woman" that will crush the serpent's head (Gen. 3:15). The prophet Micah predicted that from Bethlehem would come a Ruler, "whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting" (Micah 5:2). All these prophecies began to be fulfilled with the birth of the One who was preordained to become the Mother of God.

The celebration of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos reminds believers that God chooses humble and pious people to fulfill His plans. The example of the lives of the holy Joachim and Anna, and then of the Most Holy Virgin Mary herself, serves as a model of obedience to the will of God and complete trust in the Creator.

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