April 7 – The Holy Orthodox Church celebrates the twelfth holiday – the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos. We bring to your attention the words of St. John Chrysostom, on the Annunciation of the Most Holy Theotokos.
The joy of the gospel, the freedom of the sign, the release from slavery is announced by the angel to the Virgin. The angel speaks with the Virgin, but not in the way that the serpent once conversed in paradise. “On the sixth,” says the evangelist, “the Angel Gabriel was sent from God… to the Virgin, betrothed to her husband” (Lk. 1:26-27). Gabriel was sent to preach salvation to the whole world. Gabriel was sent, bringing to Adam the promise of return from captivity. Gabriel was sent to the Virgin to turn the dishonor of the female gender into honor. Gabriel was sent to prepare a hall worthy of the pure Bridegroom. Gabriel was sent to betroth creation to the Creator. Gabriel was sent to the animate palace of the King of Angels. Gabriel was sent to the Virgin, betrothed to Joseph, but kept for the Son of God. A disembodied slave was sent to the pure Virgin. He was sent free from sin to the One who does not allow corruption. A lamp was sent to point to the Sun of truth. The morning was sent, which runs before the light of day. Gabriel was sent, who showed the One who is in the bosom of the Father and in the arms of the Mother.
Gabriel was sent, who showed the One who is on the throne and in the manger. A warrior has been sent to announce the mystery of the King, a mystery known by faith and not investigated by extra curiosity, a mystery worshiped and not weighed as in scales, a mystery confessed and not measured. In the sixth month, Gabriel was sent to the Virgin. What is the sixth month? About which one? From whom Elizabeth received the gospel, from whom Joanna conceived. What makes it clear?
Let the Archangel himself explain, who tells the Virgin: “Behold,” he says, “and Elizabeth, your relative, who is called barren, and she has conceived a son… and she is already in her sixth month” (Lk. 1:36). In the sixth month. The sixth month of John’s conception. The warrior should have come first, the guard should have appeared first, the herald of the Lord’s coming should have paved the way first. “In the sixth… month was sent… the Angel Gabriel… to the Virgin betrothed to a husband” who had not entered into marriage; although engaged, but preserved. Why – engaged? So that the robber would not quickly learn about the secret. The wicked one knew that the King would come with the help of the Virgin, because he himself had heard the words of Isaiah: “Behold, the Virgin will conceive in the womb” (Business. 7:14 a.m); and, of course, guarded separately all that was prophesied about the Virgin, so that when he saw that this sacrament was being performed, he would prepare a blasphemy. That is why the Lord came through the betrothed, who had already taken on her obligations. In the sixth month, the Angel Gabriel was sent to the Virgin, engaged to a husband named Joseph. Listen to what the prophet says about this man and the Virgin. “A sealed book will be given to a person who can read” (Business. 29:11). What kind of book is sealed, if, of course, not the pure Virgin? From whom will it be given? It is clear that from the priests. To whom will it be given? To Joseph the carpenter. This Joseph, who previously lived in an honest marriage and gave birth to sons, lost his wife and lived the rest of the time in total poverty, raising children in the teaching and instruction of the Lord. After all, it is known that the apostle Paul, having come to preach and found one of his sons, writes, saying: “I did not see another of the Apostles… except James, the brother of the Lord” (Fire. 1:19), not as born of the Virgin Mary, but of Joseph. Therefore, since the priests betrothed Mary to the whole-born Joseph, and offered her to him, waiting for a convenient time for marriage, then he, having accepted, had to keep the Virgin intact. This was predicted by the prophet much earlier: “A book will be given,” he says, “sealed to a person who knows how to read,” that is, one who is united by marriage, and she will say: “I cannot read.” Why can’t you, Joseph? He says he can’t read it because the book is sealed. Who is it stored for? It is kept in the house for the Creator of all.
But let’s get back to the subject. In the sixth month, Gabriel was sent to the Virgin, of course, having received such orders. Listen – he says – angel, be a servant of a terrible mystery, serve a secret miracle, My compassionate feelings prompt Me to look and look for the lost Adam. Sin has made old what was created in My image, spoiled the creation of My hands, darkened the beauty that I created; the wolf owns My cattle; heavenly abode emptied. The tree of life is guarded by a flaming sword and a closed place of pleasure. I sympathize with the one who has been attacked and want to catch the enemy. I want it to be hidden from all the powers that are in heaven, to you alone I entrust the secret; go to the Virgin Mary, go to the living gate, about which the prophet speaks: “glorious things are announced about you, son of God!” (Ps. 86:3). Go to My paradise endowed with intelligence; go to the eastern city; go to a dwelling worthy of My Word; go to the second heaven on earth; go to a light cloud; announce to her about the rain of My appearance; go to the sanctuary prepared for Me; go to the palace of My incarnation; go to the pure nuptial chamber of My carnal birth; speak in the ears of the intelligent ark, prepare for me the vestibule of hearing; but do not lead into confusion, do not upset the soul of the Virgin; stand humbly before the sanctuary; first of all, speak to her with a voice of joy; say to Mary: “Rejoice, Gracious” (Lk. 1:28), so that I would show compassion to the suffering Eve.”
The angel heard this and, naturally, reasoned with himself: “An extraordinary thing is a word that surpasses thought; terrible for the cherubim, whom the seraphim cannot contemplate, incomprehensible for all the angelic powers, about which the circumstance is announced! He announces to the Virgin about the presence of His Person in her, it is better to say: he promises her an entrance through hearing! And He, who condemned Eve, hastens to glorify her Daughter so much and says: “Prepare for Me the entrances of hearing!” And can the belly contain the Uncontainable? A truly terrible mystery!”
When the angel thought about this, the Lord said to him: “Why are you confused and surprised, Gabriel? Were you not recently sent by Me to the priest Zacharias? Did you not give him good news about the birth of John? Did you not punish the unbelieving priest with silence? Didn’t you condemn the old man to be deprived of his voice? Did you not prophesy, did I not confirm? Didn’t the deed happen after your gospel? Has she not conceived barrenly? Did the womb show submissiveness? Has the infertility gone away? Has not the inactivity of the being receded? Is she not now the one that bears fruit, the one that did not bear fruit until now? Will “remain untenable” in Me, the Creator, “some word” (Lk. 1:37). So why are you filled with doubt?”
What is Angel again? “Lord, heal the defects of the being, stop the storm of suffering, call the deadness of the members to the life-giving force, command the being to show the power of childbirth, destroy the barrenness in the members that have already become obsolete, change the aged stem to the state of one that turns green, suddenly show the barren field as a mother ears of corn – all this is the work of Your power, which is usually accomplished. And Sarah testifies, and after her Rebekah, and again Anna, who were subjected to the slavery of a severe disease of infertility, and then received freedom from You. And for a virgin to give birth, who has not entered into intercourse with a man, is above the laws of being. But You also announce Your coming to the Virgin. The boundaries of heaven and earth do not contain You; and how will a virgin’s womb contain You?”
And the Lord says: “How did Abraham’s tent contain Me?” The angel says: “Because he possessed the fullness of hospitality. Then think, Lord, there You appeared to the patriarch in a tent located by the road, and You, Who fills everything, passed by. How will Mary endure the fire of the deity? Your throne is flaming, illuminated with radiance, and can the Virgin carry You without fear?” “Yes, of course, if the fire in the desert caused damage to the bush (Ex. 3:2), then, undoubtedly, My presence would also harm Maria; if that fire, which depicted the appearance of the Divine fire from heaven, only watered the bush, but did not burn it, then what could you say about the truth that descends not in flaming fire, but in the form of rain?
Then, finally, the Angel fulfilled what he was commanded, and, coming to the Virgin and entering, spoke to her, saying: “Rejoice, Gracious! The Lord is with you” (Lk. 1:28). The devil is not against You, because where the enemy once inflicted a wound, there the doctor applies a plaster; from where death received the beginning of the attack, from there life built the entrance of life. Evil spills through a woman, good things flow through a woman. “Rejoice, Gracious”; do not be ashamed, as if the culprit of the condemnation, because You become the Mother of the One who condemned. “Rejoice, Gracious”; Rejoice, Immaculate One, Who gives birth to the Bridegroom of the world, who was a widow. “Rejoice, Gracious One”, Who drowned maternal death in the womb; rejoice, animated temple of God; rejoice, dwelling, equal in its price to heaven and earth; Rejoice, sprawling container of uncontainable being. In such a situation, the doctor begins to treat the sick; to those who sit in darkness, the sun of truth appears; to those who are in the middle of the storm – an anchor and a harbor safe from the waves of the sea; to the slaves, who are hated implacably, an Ambassador and an alliance of peace was born; the prisoners were visited by the Liberator; prone to enemy attack – a strong Cover of indescribable joy and love. “For He is our peace” (Eph. 2:14), as the divine apostle says, a peace which, oh, if only we could enjoy it without ceasing, by the grace of Christ Himself and our God, to whom be glory forever and ever. Amen.
