Day of the introduction to the temple of the Blessed Virgin Mary. Introduction of the Virgin
Beginning the story of the Feast of the Entry into the Temple Holy Mother of God, it is worth noting that there is no information about him in the canonical Gospels. For the first time this event is mentioned in apocryphal texts, in particular, in the Greek Protoevangelium of James (II century) and the Latin Gospel of pseudo-Matthew (IX century). These sources, in turn, reflect the oral tradition of the Church, which is an integral part of Divine Revelation.
The main plot of the holiday is the story of bringing the Most Holy Theotokos to the Temple in Jerusalem by her parents, the righteous Joachim and Anna.
Having no children for a long time, the righteous spouses made a vow - if they have a child, they will dedicate it to the Lord God. The Lord heard the prayers of Joachim and Anna. When the couple had lived together for about fifty years, He gave them a child - a daughter was born, whom they named Mary (translated from Hebrew - "lady", "hope"). In the future, Mary was to become the Lady and Hope of all who believed in the Messiah. By her father, the Mother of God came from the tribe of Judah, from the family of King David, and by her mother - from the family of the high priest Aaron. Thus, the Old Testament prophecies regarding the future birth of the Messiah came true - after all, He was to come from the royal and priestly families at the same time.
After the birth of their daughter, the righteous Joachim and Anna made offerings of thanksgiving and made another vow - their daughter would not walk the earth until they brought Her into the temple of God.
Here we meet with the Tradition of the Church about the introduction of the Most Holy Theotokos into the temple. This solemn event took place when Mary was three years old. The parents brought their daughter to the temple, where she was solemnly greeted by immaculate virgins with lit lamps. The staircase leading to the temple consisted of fifteen steps. Mary without outside help climbed all the steps, and the high priest came out to meet her. Here the Tradition of the Church informs us that this high priest was the righteous Zechariah, the father of St. John the Baptist, the Baptist of the Lord.
Archangel Gabriel strikes Zacharias with dumbness.
Alexander Ivanov, 1840s
Mary was introduced into the Holy of Holies, the centerpiece of the Temple in Jerusalem. This was done by a special command of God: after all, according to the law, only one high priest could enter there, and even then only once a year. Mary was admitted into the Holy of Holies as the Mother of the Savior, Who was to be born of Her. Liturgical texts compare Her with an animated kivot (cupboard, drawer) of God (1 Chr. 15).
After that, Mary remains to live and serve in the temple - here She studied with other virgins, studied the Holy Scriptures, spun and sewed priestly vestments. According to legend, the Virgin Mary lived in the temple until she was 12 years old.
Some time after the end of education in the temple of Mary, it was necessary to marry. However, She told the priests that She would keep her virginity before God. It was at this moment that it was decided that Mary should have a patron, since Her parents had already died by that time. As a result (as a result of a special lot), Mary was betrothed to the elderly carpenter Joseph, who also came from the family of King David. Actually, this is where the story about the main meaning of the holiday ends.
How did the event of the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos become part of the great twelfth feasts of the Christian Church?
Researchers believe that the appearance of the holiday is directly related to the reign of the Byzantine emperor Justinian I. In 543, at his command, a large church in honor of the Most Holy Theotokos was built on the remains of the destroyed Jerusalem temple. This construction marked the event of the Entrance of the Mother of God into the temple.
Starting from the 8th century, the feast of the Entry is briefly mentioned in some menologions, and Patriarch Herman I of Constantinople also writes two homily (conversations) about it. Thus, by the 8th century, the tradition of celebrating the event of the Entry into the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos began to take shape. Since the 9th century, the holiday has become widely known throughout the Christian Middle East. Finally, the introduction entered the number of great twelfth holidays after the XIV century.
Jerusalem Temple. The place where eras meet
The majestic mountain towering over Jerusalem according to the biblical tradition, both Jewish and Christian, is identified with Mount Moriah, where Abraham was to sacrifice his son Isaac, and King Solomon built the famous Old Testament temple. The altar of Abraham, now covered by the dome of the mosque, was once the natural peak of Mount Moriah. The word "moriah" comes from the Hebrew word for "sea" (fear, anxiety), or "ora" (light). Abraham named this place "Jehovah Jira" which means "The Lord will provide".
Troparion of the holiday
voice 4
Today is the prefiguration of the favor of God and the preaching of salvation to men: in the temple of God, the Virgin clearly appears and announces Christ to everyone. To that and we will loudly cry out: Rejoice, watching the Builder's fulfillment.
Holiday kontakion
voice 4
The Most Pure Church of the Savior, the precious chamber and the Virgin, the sacred treasure of the glory of God, are now being introduced into the house of the Lord, conferring grace, Even in the Divine Soul, Angels of God sing: This is the village of Heaven.
magnificence
We magnify Thee, Blessed Virgin, God-chosen Maiden, and we honor Your entry into the temple of the Lord.
Prayer
Oh, Blessed Virgin, Queen of Heaven and earth, previously chosen Bride of God, in recent times who came to the church lawfully to be engaged to the Heavenly Bridegroom! Thou hast left Thy people and Thy father's house, in order to sacrifice to Thee a pure and undefiled God, and was the first to give thee a vow of everlasting virginity. Grant us also to keep ourselves in chastity and purity and in the fear of God all the days of our belly, let us be temples of the Holy Spirit, especially help everyone in imitation of Yours in the cloisters of those who live and betrothed themselves to the service of God in the purity of virginity spend their lives and from youth to carry the yoke of Christ, good and light, keeping one's vows holy. You spent all the days of Your youth in the temple of the Lord, away from the temptations of this world, in prayerful vigilance and in every abstinence of the soul and body, help us to reflect all the temptations of the enemy from the flesh, the world and the devil that come upon us from our youth and overcome them with prayer and fasting. You are in the temple of the Lord with the angels abiding, you were adorned with all the virtues, especially with humility, purity and love, and you were worthily brought up, so that you would be ready to contain the incomprehensible Word of God in your flesh. Vouchsafe us, obsessed with pride, intemperance and laziness, to put on all spiritual perfection, may each of us, with Your help, prepare the wedding garment of his soul and the oil of goodness, but do not name and do not prepare us to appear at the meeting of our Immortal Bridegroom and Your Son Christ, the Savior and our God, but may they accept us with the wise virgins in the abode of paradise, where with all the saints, make us worthy of glorifying and glorifying the all-holy name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and Your merciful intercession is always, now and forever, and forever and ever. Amen.
Holiday Introductions(input) to the Church of the Holy Mother of God is one of the 12 major church holidays Orthodox Church. noted December 4 according to the new style and always falls on Advent.
Tradition relates the establishment of this holiday to the first centuries of Christianity, when a church was built on the ruins of the Jerusalem temple in honor of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the temple.
http://files.predanie.ru/mp3/zakon/noviy/002.mp3The event that served as the basis for the holiday is not mentioned in the canonical Gospels. The basis is church tradition, namely the Apocrypha "Protevangelium of James" And "The Gospel of Pseudo-Matthew".
An ancient staircase by which worshipers climbed the Temple Mount from the south. It leads to the Triple Gate and the Hulda Gate, through which there was a passage directly to the square in front of the Temple.
According to these sources, the parents of the Most Holy Theotokos, the righteous Joachim and Anna, praying for deliverance from infertility, made a vow that if a child was born, they would dedicate him to the service of God. The promise of God was soon fulfilled. Righteous Anna conceived and gave birth to a daughter named Mary. When the Blessed Virgin was 3 years old, the holy parents decided to fulfill their promise. Gathering relatives and friends, dressing the Blessed Mary in the best clothes, singing sacred songs and lighted candles in their hands, they set off from Nazareth to Jerusalem. This solemn procession moved for three days, until at last the procession reached the Temple in Jerusalem. There the Mother of God was met by the high priest Zechariah with many priests and Levites ( priests of the lowest spiritual order among the ancient Jews).
Entrance to the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos. Titian. 1534-1538
The porch leading to the temple consisted of 15 steps, according to the number of power psalms that the priests and Levites sang at each step, one psalm at the entrance to the temple. Joachim and Anna put Mary on the first step with the words: “ Go, Daughter, to God, who gave you to us, to the merciful Master. Enter into the Lord's Church - the joy and gladness of the world". The Blessed Virgin, despite her age, easily overcame the steep steps of the temple. The High Priest Zechariah (father of John the Baptist) accepted the Blessed Virgin and, having kissed her, gave a blessing, saying: “ The Lord will magnify Your name in all generations, for through You the Lord will reveal the Redeemer to the children of Israel in the last days.". By inspiration from above, She, like an animated kivot of God, was introduced by him into the Holy of Holies, where neither women nor priests could enter. Only once a year, on the Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur, 10th day autumn month Tishri), the high priest entered there with sacrificial blood, offered by him for himself and for the "sins of ignorance" of all Israel. Of course, to formally introduce a little girl into the "Holy of Holies" was a flagrant violation of the Law of piety of the ancient Jews. Therefore, all those present in the temple were surprised at this extraordinary event.
Three-year-old Mary, upon being introduced into the temple, was placed in the monastery of virgins, which had existed at the temple since ancient times. The older maidens taught Her the reading of sacred books and women's handicrafts. By appointment of the high priest, She had a special place for reading, needlework and relaxation, but she entered the sanctuary only for prayer.
"Boyhood of the Mother of God". Francisco Zurbaran. 1660
The order of Her life in the temple, by the way, was described by Blessed Jerome of Stridon in a letter to Iliodor. He notes that the Blessed Virgin led a strictly orderly life at the church. From morning until the third hour of the day, She stood at prayer, from the third to the ninth hour she practiced needlework and reading books, from the ninth hour she began to pray again and did not stop praying until an angel appeared to Her with food. Thus, She grew more and more in love for God and ascended from strength to strength. Her spirit, by the grace of God, quickly developed and strengthened. As Her prayer improved and the exploits of industriousness multiplied, the gifts of the Holy Spirit multiplied in Her. Nurtured by heavenly bread and brought up by the Holy Spirit, She was providentially prepared for the birth into the world of the Bread of Life - the incarnate Word of the Father.
At the temple of God, the Blessed Virgin lived for about 11 years. Mary's parents are already dead. When she was 14 years old, the priests told her that according to custom, she should leave the temple and get married. But to this, the Blessed Mary replied that she was consecrated to God from birth and wants to preserve her virginity for life. The chief priests did not know what to do. They could not leave Mary in the temple when she came of age, and they also could not force her to marry. In this regard, the high priests turned to God with a prayer, asking Him to tell them His will. After one of the prayers, an angel came to the high priest and said: Zechariah, gather the unmarried men of the tribe of Judah from the house of David, let them bring staffs with them. Whom the Lord will show will be the keeper of her virginity". High Priest Zechariah did as he was commanded: he gathered the staves and with the words " Lord, show me who is worthy to become the betrothed of the Virgin”, placed in the Holy of Holies. And one day he entered the Holy of Holies and saw that the staff of Elder Joseph, who was a carpenter and a distant relative of the Blessed Virgin Mary, blossomed and a dove was sitting on it. The dove took off and began to circle over Joseph's head. The high priest Zechariah gave the staff to the carpenter and said: You will accept the Virgin and keep Her". After this, the engagement took place.
Nicholas Loire. "Betrothal of Mary and Joseph"
The spiritual meaning of the holiday
Like all great holidays, The Entry into the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos is one of the stages on the path of the House-building of God, and the stage of comprehension of it by the human soul.
The event of the Entry into the Church of the Most Holy Theotokos can also be spoken of as a symbol, an omen, a divine allusion to the great coming event of the Nativity of Christ. The little girl Mary was honored with a great honor - to enter that part of the Temple, which was called by the ancient Jews "The Holy of Holies". The introduction of the Most Holy Theotokos into the temple was Mary's preparation to give life to God on Earth, to become His Mother.
Holy of Holies- the most intimate place of the Tabernacle of the Assembly (the marching temple of the Jews), and then the Jerusalem temple. Place of sacrifice and storage of the Ark of the Covenant. This name denoted the interior of the Tabernacle of Meeting, separated from outdoor space the curtain in which the Ark of the Covenant was located (next to the Ark was a Torah scroll written by Moses himself, as well as a vessel with manna, Aaron's flourishing rod and anointing oil). In the Jerusalem Temple, in the Holy of Holies, there was the Foundation Stone (or Cornerstone) of the Temple Mount, over which the Muslim mosque Qubbat-as-Sakhra (Dome of the Rock) now stands - it is believed that the Lord began the Creation of the world from it. The Jews believed that this is a place where the presence of God is physically felt.
The Jerusalem temple, rebuilt after the Babylonian captivity, was called second temple. It was inferior in size and splendor to the first temple of Solomon, and, most importantly, it did not contain the Ark of the Covenant, the main shrine of the Jews - it disappeared.
Ark of the Covenant (in Greek "kivot") - the ark in which the stone Tablets of the Covenant with the Ten Commandments were kept. It is also believed that the unpronounceable Name of God was kept in the Ark.
Ark of the Covenant
The ark was located in the Holy of Holies of the Tabernacle of the Assembly, then - in the Holy of Holies of the Jerusalem Temple.
After the destruction of the Jerusalem Temple by Nebuchadnezzar in 586 B.C.E. e. The Ark of the Covenant has disappeared. What happened to this shrine in the future is one of the greatest mysteries of history.
The Apocalypse of John the Theologian speaks of the return of the Ark of the Covenant to the Temple during the Second Coming of Jesus Christ (cf. Rev. 11:16-19).
The prophets predicted that this Second Temple would have a greater glory than the first: Suddenly the Lord, whom you are looking for, and the Angel of the Covenant, whom you are waiting for, will suddenly come to your Church.". But years passed, nothing happened, the Holy of Holies, the place where the "Ark of the Covenant" was once kept, remained empty.
The fact that the "Holy of Holies" at that time did not have the Ark of the Covenant with its sacred accessories, as if testified to the end of a certain stage of spiritual history, it remained empty in anticipation of signs of further mystical destinies of mankind. Girl Mary became the New Kivot of God. And She was destined to serve the cause of the Divine plan.
In the empty Holy of Holies of the temple, the main sacred center of religious life, the Virgin Mary is introduced and the person himself becomes God's temple. Her body is a temple, the purity of her soul and her fidelity to God is the fruit of the zealous striving for holiness of generations of Jewish righteous before Her, their expectations of salvation. The Virgin Mary becomes the source of salvation and the union of people with God.
From the day of Her birth, She was the chosen one of God, a mystery woman and a house of Divine grace. From childhood, She carried in Herself the whole possibility of human salvation and the inexhaustible wealth of grace, which has not yet been revealed to the world. And only the righteous Joachim and Anna, for whom the birth of the Blessed Virgin was associated with the fulfillment of their innermost aspirations and ardent prayers, foresaw the significance of the Newborn for the salvation of mankind.
But the carnal birth of the Blessed Virgin was not enough, to become the Mother of God, for coming to the King of heaven and earth She, "exalted above all creatures of heaven and earth", was the daughter of man, co-natural to all of us, the daughter of Adam. In order to become the Mother of the Son of God, She had to freely open Her heart of grace, voluntarily leave the world of sin and death, renounce earthly attachments and voluntarily choose for Herself the path of eternal virginity, alien to the consciousness of Old Testament humanity. This is, as it were, the second spiritual birth of the Mother of God and, at the same time, the appearance of Her world, similar to the appearance after baptism to the people of Jesus Christ. It is the voluntary surrender of Oneself to God, to a greater extent than a carnal birth, that makes it possible to feel and realize the universal significance of the Mother of God.
The Mother of God, being a pure sacrifice to God, is a great example for those who follow this path, as well as an ambulance and prayer book for them. Only a prayer to the Mother of God, Her help and intercession can save all those who follow this path from temptations and falls.
She is called Hodegetria, that is guidebook. On the day of the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos, magnifying Her as “the most honest and most glorious Virgin of the mountain hosts, the Most Pure Mother of God,” we, ending the canon of the holiday, turn to Her with a prayer: “ Under Your goodness, running faithfully and bowing piously to Your Son, the Virgin Mother of God, as the God and Lord of the world, praying from aphids and deliver troubles, and all sorts of temptations«.
The divine service of the feast, the content of the hymns, not only introduce one into the living contemplation of the Most Pure Virgin in the temple, but also teach to glorify Her and pray fervently to Her. Through Her we are reconciled to God, and through Her prayers we are saved. She, filled with the grace of the Spirit, always enlightens those who pray to Her with the everlasting Light, gives them the strength to live holy, calms them, protects and covers them from all evil.
The Nativity Fast at its very beginning, as if to support and strengthen our spiritual weakness, gives us a wonderful holiday - "The Entry into the Temple of Our Most Holy Lady Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary."
Troparion, tone 4
Today, the prefiguration of God's good pleasure and the preaching of salvation to men, the Virgin appears clearly in the temple of God and foretells Christ to everyone, and we will loudly cry out to him: Rejoice, watching the Builder's fulfillment.
Kontakion, tone 4
The most pure temple of the Savior, the precious chamber and the Virgin, the sacred treasure of the glory of God, is now being introduced into the house of the Lord, bringing grace together, even in the Divine Spirit, the Angels of God sing: This is a heavenly village.
magnificence
We magnify you, Blessed Virgin, God-chosen Lady, and we honor your entry into the temple of the Lord.
Honorer, voice 4
Angels, the entrance of the All-Pure One is sighted, wondering: what with the glory of entering the holy of holies? As if to the animate of God's casket, let the hand of the wicked never touch, but those who are faithful to the Theotokos silently, the voice of the Angel sings, with joy they cry: truly exalt all, O Pure Virgin.
The icon "Entrance into the Temple of the Virgin" describes the solemn moment of the beginning of the salvation of people - the little Holy Mary, the future Mother of God, returns back to God.
Before this icon of the Introduction, it is good to pray for help, for the strengthening of faith, for a virtuous life, of course, for the forgiveness of sins.
Also, through this icon, the Mother of God is prayed for healing from various diseases. The Blessed Virgin Mary helps girls to successfully marry.
It must be remembered that icons or saints do not "specialize" in any particular area. It will be right when a person turns with faith in the power of God, and not in the power of this icon, this saint or prayer.
And .
HOLIDAY ENTRY TO THE TEMPLE OF THE HOLY MOTHER OF GOD
After the birth of Saint Mary Mother of God, her parents, Anna and Joakam, became the most tender parents in all the earth. They loved their daughter, prayed from God, and thanked the Lord for the gift of happiness.
At the same time, they understood that they also had to fulfill their oath - to give Mary to temple to serve the Lord God. Their baby, which was for them a real treasure in their lives, they had to tear off from themselves with their own hands. But their promise and faith in God for their parents was, of course, above all else.
Pious Joachim and Anna early age prepared Mary for the upcoming separation. They told Her about God, that She should be in a temple where She would be brought up according to God's laws.
The Temple in Jerusalem was a very majestic and important building of antiquity. It was not even a building, but a whole world in which people lived, prayed in its temples, located on a large territory, and offered their sacrifices to God. Some historians even compare this temple with an entire state with its own way of life, its own rules and laws. In the Jerusalem temple, in the very middle there was a large Sanctuary with the "Holy of Holies", in which the main shrines were located, it marked the presence of God among His chosen people.
When Mary was three years old, her parents decided to take the Mother of God to the Temple in Jerusalem. According to the customs of that time, Her parents invited relatives and friends to the celebration of initiation, who together with them went to the sacred city to the temple. After a three-day journey, having rested and changed clothes, the solemn procession began to approach the temple, where the priests, warned of the future initiation, were waiting for them. 
Having easily overcome 15 (according to the number of psalms that the priests sang before entering the temple) high steps, Mary found herself in front of the high priest Zechariah, who, according to legend, later became a father. He kissed the girl, blessed Her and, unexpectedly for everyone, led Her inside the sanctuary of the temple, into the Holy of Holies. It was a special holy place where the high priest himself could enter only once a year, on the day of general fasting, to offer a sacrifice for the sins of the whole people.
All who saw this were surprised by such an act of Zechariah, because they did not know that the Holy Spirit revealed to the priest the truth about the future of the Virgin.
After the initiation ceremony was performed, Saint Mary remained at the church, while Anna and Joachim returned to their home. They were, of course, sad without their Girl, but they could visit Her at any moment.
Mary every morning first of all prayed in the Holy of Holies, and then, together with other virgins, the Otrokovitsa studied the Law of God, learned to read and write, needlework and cared for the sick.
Saint Epiphanius of Cyprus described the life of the Mother of God as follows:
“She loved to study, read the Holy Scripture and meditate on it. She also spun wool and linen and embroidered with silk… She especially loved to embroider clothes for priests.”
When the Blessed Virgin had been in the church for nine years, Her father Joachim died at the age of eighty. To be closer to the Daughter, the mother of the Virgin Anna moved to live closer to Her, to Jerusalem. Two years later, she was gone.
Saint Mary loved life very much, but after the death of her parents there was nothing left on earth that would connect Her with the world, so for Herself She decided to devote Her life to God.
After reaching adulthood, when the Blessed Virgin was fourteen years old, according to the law, She had to leave the temple and get married.
But She declared that she would remain a Virgin and serve only the Lord. These words of the Mother of God confused the priesthood, because according to prophetic predictions, the Savior would soon be born, so all young people from the family of King David were OBLIGED to marry.
According to legend to the temple Twelve unmarried and widowed husbands were invited to choose from among them an imaginary husband who would keep the virginity of St. Mary. In order to understand who was destined to become the spouse of Mary, the high priest took the staffs from them and placed them on the altar of the temple, praying to God to point to " worthy, betrothed to the Virgin».
God's will became clear the next day - in the morning the staff of the widower Joseph blossomed. But Joseph already had adult children, and he did not want to become a laughingstock for people who would gossip about such a young wife. The high priest hardly persuaded Joseph to marry an orphan, take care of Mary and be the guardian of her virginity.
After the betrothal, Joseph and Mary left the temple and went to live back in Nazareth.
More than two thousand years have passed since the day when the event of the Entry into the Church of St. Mary took place. About 70 AD this temple was destroyed by the Romans, only one wall remained of it. But until now, this feast of the Entry into the Temple by the holy parents Joachim and Anna of their daughter, the Most Pure Virgin Mary, is revered by the Church as Great, it is remembered by Christians all over the world.
The spiritual meaning of the holiday Introduction to the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos:
The significance of this event, the Entry into the Church of the Blessed Virgin Mary, is that it is from it that the service of the Mother of God to God and the beginning of the salvation of the world begins. In this pure and holy place, the Mother of God studied true love to the Lord and true humility.
In addition, the holiday itself serves as a reminder to us of the need for a true Christian upbringing of people in faith and piety.
Magnification
We magnify Thee, Blessed Virgin, God-chosen Maiden, and we honor Your entry into the temple of the Lord.
VIDEO FILM
The national holiday Vvedenye is celebrated on December 4, 2020 (the date according to the old style is November 21). In the Orthodox calendar, this day marks such an event as the Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos. This is one of the twelve great church holidays of the year, not counting Easter, which lasts five days.
The content of the article
history of the holiday
When little Mary, the future Mother of God, was three years old, her father and mother fulfilled their promise to the angel. The child, the birth of which the spouses had been waiting for more than half a century, was given to the service of the Lord God. Joachim and Anna lived then in Nazareth. Relatives of the royal family, from which Mary's father was, and the bishops, to which the girl's mother belonged, were invited to the celebration. During the celebration, a choir of chaste virgins sang. A huge number of lit candles surrounded the people who came to the temple. Mary herself was surrounded by a truly majestic royal beauty.
Traditions and rituals
December 4th is considered to be the real beginning of winter. According to legend, on this day, Mrs. Winter herself rides through the streets on a sleigh, looking into the windows and leaving frosty painted drawings on the glass.
This holiday opens winter Vvedensky fairs. Previously, sleds were their main commodity.
If the weather permits, sleigh rides are organized on this day. Following the traditions of their ancestors, the newlyweds sit in the most beautiful painted sleigh.
Signs
If the first snow went before the Introduction, then it will quickly melt, and if after it, it will lie until spring.
If there is frost and sun, then next year's bread harvest will be good.
What an Introduction, such weather will be at Christmas.
Frost hit - so the summer will be hot.
If the church bells sound loudly and can be heard far away, it means frost, and if the sound is deaf, it means snowfall.
December 4 is the great twelfth feast of the Entrance of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple of Jerusalem.
Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple
When the Virgin Mary was three years old, her parents Joachim and Anna decided to fulfill their vow to dedicate their Daughter to God and went to the Temple in Jerusalem. Near its entrance stood young virgins called by the father of the Mother of God with lit lamps, so that Mary would love the temple with all her fiery cordiality.
The Blessed Virgin, in spite of Her age, easily overcame the steep steps of the temple. She was met and blessed by the high priest - according to legend, it was Zechariah, the father of John the Baptist.
By special revelation of God, Zechariah brought Mary into the Holy of Holies, where only the high priest had the right to enter once a year. It was a prophecy that the Otrokovitsa herself would become an animated temple of God.
About the Feast of the Introduction
Saint Philaret of Moscow
How does such a private, apparently, incident - the introduction into the temple and the dedication to God of a three-year-old virgin - become the subject of universal celebration in the Church?
This adventure of the infant God-bride is a certain beginning of Her betrothal to the Holy Spirit. And therefore, in a certain way, the first guarantee of the betrothal of all mankind to the Divine.
Holy Righteous John of Kronstadt
What did the blessed Virgin spend her time in the temple? Taught by the Holy Spirit Himself, through the medium of virgins, to Jewish writing and prayer, She spent her time in prayer, reading the word of God, as you see on the icon of the Annunciation, in contemplation and needlework.
Her love for conversation with God and for reading the word of God was so great that she forgot about food and drink, and the archangel, at the command of God, brought her heavenly food as the Church sings in her stichera for this feast.
An angel brings food to the Virgin Mary
Since the Blessed Virgin was brought into the temple for the education of the Lord, Let us now remember the benefits and necessity of attending the temple of God, as the house of God, and the place of our upbringing for the Heavenly Fatherland.
We are called Christians and all are called by Jesus Christ to the Heavenly Fatherland to be heavenly citizens, heirs of God, joint heirs with Christ. Our rank is very high, our duties are also very important; spirit we must be exalted, holy, meek, humble.
Hieromartyr Seraphim (Chichagov)
Today the Holy Orthodox Church is celebrating the day of the Entrance of the Blessed Virgin into the Temple of Jerusalem by Her parents, as they vowed to consecrate Her to God.
What could be her service? First, in glorifying God, who always receives praise from the mouth of a child. Then the Blessed Virgin acquired grace from the Lord by obedience and her humility, which she proved by assuming the great and terrible duties of the Mother of God.
All her life She served God as a true servant of the Lord, sometimes raising the Divine Child, fearing for His life, protecting Him from enemies; sometimes tormented in anticipation of His glorification on earth, when the people did not recognize Him as the Messiah, and then the apostles did not yet have a firm faith; then, invisibly to all, she carried her cross - poverty and took care of the needs of those tested by Christ Himself.
She shuddered at the sight of the enmity against Jesus increasing every day, and, finally, the weapon pierced Her maternal heart during the trial of Christ, when She saw Her Son tormented, bloody and crucified on the Cross, given to mankind for salvation.
She was tormented by the inconsolable sorrow of loneliness, remaining on earth, after the ascension of the Savior. She served the Lord, fulfilling her apostolic appointment and affirming Christian Church in pagan lands.
Then, finally, languishing until old age on earth, waiting for his resettlement in Heavenly Kingdom Her Son and Savior, She still serves God and people as a Representative, Intercessor, Prayer Book for the sins of mankind, as the Redeemer from troubles and well-deserved punishments, as the Comforter of the mourners. This great service will continue and continue until the Second Coming of Christ.
Archimandrite John (Krestyankin)
Why did the holiday become the twelfth? Because, my dears, the Entry into the Temple of the Blessed Virgin has become a necessary link in God's saving providence for the world.
This event put an end to the centuries-old alienation of man from God and his being under the bondage of sin.
The sanctuary of the Jerusalem temple, where God dwelt and where He manifested His presence, inaccessible to anyone except one high priest, and then once a year, by God's grace opens to the God-chosen Maiden - the Daughter of Man. And the Blessed Virgin is introduced into the Holy of Holies, invisibly to the world, bearing in Herself a great sacrifice, a new living sacrifice - Christ - God and Man.
Titian, Introduction to the Temple (1538)
The Old Testament temple of God received the seed of a new life - the Mother of God, in which the New, saving Covenant of humanity with God will spiritually vegetate and grow. With the entry into the temple of the God-chosen Maiden, the time has come when God's favor returns to people, and they will draw closer to God, as to their Heavenly Father.
Mary, nourished by God's grace, having lost in the last years of her life at the temple the only attachment to the earth - her righteous parents, made a vow to God - to preserve her virginity and remain a servant of the Lord until the end of her life, serving Him alone and surrendering in everything and always to His Holy will.
Archpriest Valerian Krechetov
The aged spouses Joachim and Anna received a gift from God - the long-awaited Child, the future Mother of God. And this child, begged for by many tears, triennial youth, that is, a three-year-old little girl, they take to the temple of God and, according to the vow they had previously given, they consecrate to God. It was a feat of complete self-sacrifice and devotion to the will of God.
Joachim and Anna
Anyone who has children knows how difficult it is.- especially at the advanced age that Joachim and Anna then entered - parents to lose the consolation of seeing, raising, educating their only child.
True, it often happens in life that parents have to be separated from their children. Parents die, sometimes a child dies. And if a person does not become rich in God, but grows rich for himself, that is, if he thinks only about himself, about his joys, then this is a tragedy for him.
And Saints Joachim and Anna voluntarily gave up the Child, they themselves deprived themselves of parental comfort for the sake of God. And the Lord rewarded them a hundredfold for this, because then they perceived their Daughter as the Queen of Heaven, as the Mother of God. It is even impossible to imagine what kind of award they received.
