On the Divine Conception of Our Lady, the #Virgin #Mary
At the end of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New, a significant event transpired, not detailed in the scriptures but deeply revered in the traditions of our Holy Orthodox Church: the conception of Our Lady, the Virgin Mary, on August 13th, sixteen years prior to the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The sacred scripture, in its divine wisdom, leaves us only hints and allusions regarding the life of the Virgin prior to the Annunciation. Nevertheless, one truth is transparently clear: she descends from the esteemed lineage of David.
But beyond the pages of the Holy Bible, the rich tapestry of the church's history and tradition brings forth a fuller understanding. Mary's ancestral lineage was a confluence of two great tribes of Israel: Judah, from her father's side, and Levi, from her mother's. This reveals a harmonious blending of kingly and priestly lineages, a fitting heritage for the Mother of the King of Kings.
From the very genesis of humanity's fall, when Adam and Eve succumbed to the serpent's deception, God had already set in motion a plan of redemption. He intimated the coming of the Virgin Mary and her divine Son in Genesis 3:15, a promise that the apostle Paul reaffirms in his letter to the Galatians.
The prophetic voices of old, especially Prophet Isaiah, bore testament to the Virgin's unique role in the divine plan. "Behold, a virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel." What a profound prophecy! That God would dwell among His people, born of a virgin.
Diving deeper into the story, we learn of the Virgin Mary's ancestors, Tektana and Tariqa, individuals of immense wealth and prestige. Yet, their affluence did not shield them from the pain of childlessness, a profound societal stigma in those times. In their desolation, they sought solace in prayer, and God, in His mercy, revealed to them through dreams the promise of a lineage that would culminate in the birth of a most blessed daughter, our Virgin Mary.
One can only imagine the trials and tribulations Saint Hanna faced due to her barrenness, particularly in an era when fertility was deemed a divine blessing. Isolated and ostracized in the temple, she, along with her husband Jacob, was comforted by a divine revelation. Through dreams, God made it known that they were to be blessed with a daughter of unparalleled honor.
And so, by God's will and not merely the union of a man and a woman, on that blessed night of August 13th, Saint Hanna conceived the Virgin Mary. People from far and wide came to witness this marvel, for even in the womb, the Virgin was a testament to God's miraculous works.
The venerable bishop of Bhinsa, Father Hriakos, captured this divine conception beautifully when he proclaimed, "Virgin, you were not conceived by carnal thoughts, but by a legal provision from God."
As we reflect upon this divine event, may we always seek the intercession of the Virgin Mary, and may her blessings be upon us all.
May the Holy God's name be praised forever and ever in every language that He has created, today and always.
May the blessings of the Holy Mother of God, the Virgin, and the Cross be upon us. Amen.
© John's Repentance
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