WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.259 In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and 00:00:02.259 --> 00:00:05.919 of the Holy Spirit, Amen. Glory be to Jesus Christ. 00:00:07.219 --> 00:00:11.939 Today is the feast day of the entrance of the 00:00:11.939 --> 00:00:17.579 Theotokos into the temple. In our Orthodox liturgical 00:00:17.579 --> 00:00:22.440 tradition, there are three of the great feasts 00:00:22.440 --> 00:00:26.140 which are Marian. In other words, they focus 00:00:26.140 --> 00:00:32.500 on the Virgin Mary. The first one is her birth 00:00:32.500 --> 00:00:37.479 on September 8th, her nativity. This is the second 00:00:37.479 --> 00:00:42.359 one, which is her entrance into the temple, when 00:00:42.359 --> 00:00:44.840 as a three -year -old girl she was brought by 00:00:44.840 --> 00:00:49.899 her parents, Joachim and Anna, to be taken into 00:00:49.899 --> 00:00:53.859 the temple, to be in God's presence, and to be 00:00:53.859 --> 00:00:58.939 offered to God for his pleasure, his goodwill. 00:01:00.490 --> 00:01:06.430 All of these feasts focus on the role of Mary 00:01:06.430 --> 00:01:14.310 in our salvation. In the history of this feast, 00:01:14.530 --> 00:01:18.430 historically it's one of the latest of the feasts 00:01:18.430 --> 00:01:21.909 to be introduced into our liturgical calendar. 00:01:22.629 --> 00:01:31.329 It began probably in the year 543. when the Byzantine 00:01:31.329 --> 00:01:37.129 emperor Justinian came to Jerusalem and was present 00:01:37.129 --> 00:01:41.750 at the dedication of the basilica. It's called 00:01:41.750 --> 00:01:48.670 the Basilica of St. Mary the New. And this basilica 00:01:48.670 --> 00:01:53.370 was located right next to the place where the 00:01:53.370 --> 00:01:56.870 Jewish temple stood. So therefore, because of 00:01:56.870 --> 00:02:02.219 the proximity, of this church to the temple, 00:02:02.359 --> 00:02:08.199 the meditation upon the importance of Mary found 00:02:08.199 --> 00:02:16.979 its expression in these liturgical hymns. It 00:02:16.979 --> 00:02:21.560 is, as I said, one of the latest to be introduced. 00:02:24.209 --> 00:02:28.310 Hymns are absolutely magnificent which surround 00:02:28.310 --> 00:02:38.250 this feast. The Virgin Mary, as I said, always 00:02:38.250 --> 00:02:43.250 has to be seen as the one who had a unique position 00:02:43.250 --> 00:02:47.289 in the bringing of Jesus Christ into this world. 00:02:47.909 --> 00:02:52.650 So therefore, all of the feasts of the Theotokos 00:02:54.000 --> 00:02:57.400 in one way or another we can call them Christocentric 00:02:57.400 --> 00:03:02.560 because they are focused upon her role in our 00:03:02.560 --> 00:03:07.439 salvation. The liturgical texts say that she 00:03:07.439 --> 00:03:12.539 is the new ark, the new temple. The temple was 00:03:12.539 --> 00:03:17.120 the symbol of God's presence with his people 00:03:17.120 --> 00:03:21.319 in the Old Testament period. She now becomes 00:03:21.319 --> 00:03:26.129 physically the temple of God's presence, when 00:03:26.129 --> 00:03:31.270 the only begotten Son is incarnate in her womb 00:03:31.270 --> 00:03:35.770 and she brings him into this world. And then 00:03:35.770 --> 00:03:41.710 we, by virtue of our baptism and our faith in 00:03:41.710 --> 00:03:47.050 Christ, we are all temples, symbols of God's 00:03:47.050 --> 00:03:52.650 presence in this world. I have already always 00:03:52.650 --> 00:03:58.009 considered this feast day to be a feast day for 00:03:58.009 --> 00:04:02.610 children because Mary is three years old. And 00:04:02.610 --> 00:04:07.650 for me personally, it was on this feast day 10 00:04:07.650 --> 00:04:11.930 years ago when I baptized my grandson. And then 00:04:11.930 --> 00:04:15.250 my granddaughter's birthday is just a few days 00:04:15.250 --> 00:04:19.680 after this feast. So it is... personally and 00:04:19.680 --> 00:04:24.279 for family, a significant child's feast. But 00:04:24.279 --> 00:04:28.540 also I think it reminds us as parents how important 00:04:28.540 --> 00:04:33.980 it is for us to do our best to bring up our children 00:04:33.980 --> 00:04:38.699 in the love and service of God and in the church. 00:04:39.139 --> 00:04:45.470 This is our primary vocation as parents. Doesn't 00:04:45.470 --> 00:04:48.569 always work out that way. Sometimes children 00:04:48.569 --> 00:04:52.389 fall away from the faith. Sometimes they stop 00:04:52.389 --> 00:04:57.769 to attend services. But at least we can stand 00:04:57.769 --> 00:05:00.569 before God and say we've done our best. We've 00:05:00.569 --> 00:05:04.430 tried to bring our children up in the faith. 00:05:08.250 --> 00:05:12.730 As I said, the texts of our service are absolutely 00:05:12.730 --> 00:05:17.519 magnificent. If you were at the Vesper service, 00:05:17.579 --> 00:05:21.279 or if you happened to listen to it and watch 00:05:21.279 --> 00:05:25.839 it over live streaming, this comes out very clearly. 00:05:25.959 --> 00:05:31.100 And I would say whether or not you happened to 00:05:31.100 --> 00:05:35.180 read and pray along with this service last night, 00:05:35.240 --> 00:05:41.019 to do it either for the first time or refresh 00:05:41.019 --> 00:05:44.980 your memory. about this beautiful liturgical 00:05:44.980 --> 00:05:48.680 poetry, the importance and the significance of 00:05:48.680 --> 00:05:52.360 Mary. That, of course, is found on the OCA website, 00:05:53.100 --> 00:05:58.540 oca .org, and then just go to liturgical texts. 00:06:00.720 --> 00:06:05.639 During the service last night, it came to my 00:06:05.639 --> 00:06:10.860 mind, I remembered... an ecumenical dialogue 00:06:10.860 --> 00:06:17.259 that I was participating in. And Protestants 00:06:17.259 --> 00:06:20.879 brought up the question of the Orthodox liturgical 00:06:20.879 --> 00:06:28.019 texts. Now, of course, the texts about the birth 00:06:28.019 --> 00:06:32.000 of the Virgin Mary and about her entrance into 00:06:32.000 --> 00:06:34.860 the temple are not recorded in the canonical 00:06:34.860 --> 00:06:39.779 scriptures. We get them... from another early 00:06:39.779 --> 00:06:44.139 Christian document called the Proto -Evangelium, 00:06:44.139 --> 00:06:48.160 or the First Gospel, which is attributed to James, 00:06:48.519 --> 00:06:53.439 the same James who wrote the epistle in the New 00:06:53.439 --> 00:06:56.519 Testament, and the same James who was the first 00:06:56.519 --> 00:07:02.120 bishop of Jerusalem. And in this discussion, 00:07:02.259 --> 00:07:06.089 it came up about these texts. And what we as 00:07:06.089 --> 00:07:11.410 Orthodox Christians believe is not so much in 00:07:11.410 --> 00:07:16.870 the historical accuracy of what we are praying, 00:07:16.990 --> 00:07:22.290 but in the spiritual significance of this feast. 00:07:22.509 --> 00:07:27.230 And our liturgical services, which are difficult 00:07:27.230 --> 00:07:32.100 for non -Orthodox to understand, have to be seen 00:07:32.100 --> 00:07:35.540 in this context. They're meditations on the importance 00:07:35.540 --> 00:07:42.319 of this feast. And our liturgical texts are actually 00:07:42.319 --> 00:07:49.560 infallible, which means not historical accuracy 00:07:49.560 --> 00:07:54.819 of something, but of the truth behind the feast 00:07:54.819 --> 00:08:01.579 day. And the texts are filled with... Byzantine 00:08:01.579 --> 00:08:07.360 poetry. Sure, a lot of it is hyperbole. Maybe 00:08:07.360 --> 00:08:11.220 it's exaggeration. But they're just magnificent 00:08:11.220 --> 00:08:15.180 contributions to the theology, the rich theology 00:08:15.180 --> 00:08:19.920 we have in the Orthodox Church. So that is why 00:08:19.920 --> 00:08:24.800 the liturgical texts are so nourishing and enriching 00:08:24.800 --> 00:08:28.759 for us, whether we read them on our own. or whether 00:08:28.759 --> 00:08:33.460 we pray them together in church. So I urge you 00:08:33.460 --> 00:08:37.259 once again to read these over, either for the 00:08:37.259 --> 00:08:43.240 first time or reread them. And I'll just close 00:08:43.240 --> 00:08:48.100 with the Toparian and the Kentuckian, which show 00:08:48.100 --> 00:08:53.639 the kernel, the truth of this text. And even 00:08:53.639 --> 00:08:57.399 the epistle itself, the epistle to the Hebrews, 00:08:58.139 --> 00:09:01.679 meditates on the importance of the temple in 00:09:01.679 --> 00:09:05.000 the life of the Jewish people in the Old Testament 00:09:05.000 --> 00:09:10.399 period. And symbolically, in this New Testament 00:09:10.399 --> 00:09:15.000 text, this represents Mary as the new temple, 00:09:15.100 --> 00:09:19.620 even though it doesn't say that explicitly. So 00:09:19.620 --> 00:09:25.200 the hymns are the Troparion. Today is the preview 00:09:25.200 --> 00:09:29.159 of the goodwill of God. of the preaching of the 00:09:29.159 --> 00:09:33.279 salvation of mankind. It's one of these important 00:09:33.279 --> 00:09:38.960 events which finds fulfillment in the coming 00:09:38.960 --> 00:09:44.440 of Jesus. The Virgin appears in the temple of 00:09:44.440 --> 00:09:49.019 God in anticipation, proclaiming Christ to all. 00:09:49.539 --> 00:09:54.240 Let us rejoice and sing to her. Rejoice, O divine 00:09:54.240 --> 00:09:59.620 fulfillment. of the Creator's dispensation. And 00:09:59.620 --> 00:10:03.639 the Kentuckian, the most pure temple of the Savior, 00:10:04.519 --> 00:10:11.120 the precious chamber and virgin, the sacred treasure 00:10:11.120 --> 00:10:15.820 of the glory of God, is presented today in the 00:10:15.820 --> 00:10:19.940 house of the Lord. She brings with her the grace 00:10:19.940 --> 00:10:24.480 of the Spirit, which the angel of God do praise. 00:10:25.560 --> 00:10:31.779 Truly, she is the dwelling place of heaven. Jesus, 00:10:31.899 --> 00:10:36.000 now heaven on earth. We ask for the intercession 00:10:36.000 --> 00:10:39.559 of the Theotokos on her feast day, and we ascribe 00:10:39.559 --> 00:10:42.799 glory to her Son and the Father and the Holy 00:10:42.799 --> 00:10:47.039 Spirit, now and ever and unto ages of ages. Amen.