Luke 1.39-49, 56 (Matins Gospel, Annunciation)

39A Marija ustavši onijeh dana otide brzo u gornju zemlju u grad Judin. 40I uðe u kuæu Zarijinu, i pozdravi se s Jelisavetom. 41I kad Jelisaveta èu èestitanje Marijino, zaigra dijete u utrobi njezinoj, i Jelisaveta se napuni Duha svetoga, 42I povika zdravo i reèe: blagoslovena si ti meðu ženama, i blagosloven je plod utrobe tvoje. 43I otkud meni ovo da doðe mati Gospoda mojega k meni? 44Jer gle, kad doðe glas èestitanja tvojega u uši moje, zaigra dijete radosno u utrobi mojoj. 45I blago onoj koja vjerova; jer æe se izvršiti što joj kaza Gospod. 46I reèe Marija: velièa duša moja Gospoda; 47I obradova se duh moj Bogu spasu mojemu, 48Što pogleda na poniženje sluškinje svoje; jer gle, otsad æe me zvati blaženom svi naraštaji; 49Što mi uèini velièinu silni, i sveto ime njegovo; 56Marija pak sjedi s njom oko tri mjeseca, i vrati se kuæi svojoj.

Hebrews 2.11-18 (Epistle, Annunciation)

11Jer i onaj koji osveæuje, i oni koji se osveæuju, svi su od jednoga; zaradi toga uzroka ne stidi se nazvati ih braæom 12Govoreæi: objaviæu ime tvoje braæi svojoj, i posred crkve zapjevaæu te. 13I opet: ja æu se u njega uzdati. I opet: evo ja i djeca moja koju mi je dao Bog. 14Buduæi pak da djeca imaju tijelo i krv, tako i on uze dijel u tome, da smræu satre onoga koji ima državu smrti, to jest ðavola; 15I da izbavi one koji god od straha smrti u svemu životu biše robovi. 16Jer se zaista ne prima anðela, nego se prima sjemena Avraamova. 17Zato bješe dužan u svemu da bude kao braæa, da bude milostiv i vjeran poglavar sveštenièki pred Bogom, da oèisti grijehe narodne. 18Jer u èemu postrada i iskušan bi u onome može pomoæi i onima koji se iskušavaju.

Luke 1.24-38 (Gospel, Annunciation)

24A poslije ovijeh dana zatrudnje Jelisaveta žena njegova, i krijaše se pet mjeseci govoreæi: 25Tako mi uèini Gospod u dane ove u koje pogleda na me da me izbavi od ukora meðu ljudima. 26A u šesti mjesec posla Bog anðela Gavrila u grad Galilejski po imenu Nazaret 27K djevojci isprošenoj za muža, po imenu Josifa iz doma Davidova; i djevojci bješe ime Marija. 28I ušavši k njoj anðeo reèe: raduj se, blagodatna! Gospod je s tobom, blagoslovena si ti meðu ženama. 29A ona vidjevši ga poplaši se od rijeèi njegove i pomisli: kakav bi ovo bio pozdrav? 30I reèe joj anðeo: ne boj se, Marija! Jer si našla milost u Boga. 31I evo zatrudnjeæeš, i rodiæeš sina, i nadjeni mu ime Isus. 32On æe biti veliki, i nazvaæe se sin najvišega, i daæe mu Gospod Bog prijesto Davida oca njegova; 33I carovaæe u domu Jakovljevu vavijek, i carstvu njegovom neæe biti kraja. 34A Marija reèe anðelu: kako æe to biti kad ja ne znam za muža? 35I odgovarajuæi anðeo reèe joj: duh sveti doæi æe na tebe, i sila najvišega osjeniæe te; zato i ono što æe se roditi biæe sveto, i nazvaæe se sin Božij. 36I evo Jelisaveta tvoja tetka, i ona zatrudnje sinom u starosti svojoj, i ovo je šesti mjesec njojzi, koju zovu nerotkinjom. 37Jer u Boga sve je moguæe što reèe. 38A Marija reèe: evo sluškinje Gospodnje; neka mi bude po rijeèi tvojoj. I anðeo otide od nje.

The Annunciation of Our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary

When Mary the Virgin was about fourteen years old, the Archangel Gabriel came to Joseph’s dwelling, where she was living, and said to her, ‘Rejoice, thou Full of Grace, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women.’ Receiving assurance that she had been chosen to be the Mother of God Himself, she answered in humility, ‘Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.’ Immediately, the Holy Spirit came upon her, the power of the Most High overshadowed her, and the Incarnation, long awaited by the whole creation, took place: He who contains the whole universe consented to be contained in the womb of one woman, the most holy Theotokos.

The Church teaches us that it was within the holy Virgin’s power to refuse the divine conception: her knowing and willing acceptance, the consummation of the faith of the whole righteous remnant of Israel, shows us that our very salvation is the fruit of the cooperation (synergia) of human faithfulness with God’s saving grace.

Carrying in her womb the Savior of the Universe, the Virgin went to the hills of Judea to stay with her kinswoman Elizabeth, who six months before had conceived in her old age (by Zacharias the priest) St John the Forerunner. As the holy Virgin approached, the child John leaped in his mother’s womb for joy, prophesying the coming of Emmanuel. Feeling the prophecy, Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and blessed the holy Mary and the fruit of her womb. And Mary in turn glorified God, saying ‘My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior’ (Luke ch. 1).

New Confessor/Hieromartyr Tikhon, patriarch of Moscow (1925)

Born in 1865, he was tonsured a monk in 1891, and consecrated a Bishop in 1891. From 1900, he was Bishop of Alaska, with oversight of the Church throughout North America. In America, he consecrated the first Orthodox monastery on the continent and worked tirelessly to unite all ethnic groups as one flock. In 1907 he was made Bishop of Yaroslavl and returned to Russia.

In 1917, he was elected to be the first Patriarch of Moscow since the abolition of the Patriarchate by Tsar Peter the Great more than 200 years before. Almost immediately, the Russian Church was plunged into new and terrible persecution as an atheist and totalitarian government seized control. Patriarch Tikhon always sought not to quarrel with the Communist government, but his refusal to deny his faith or his Church marked him in their eyes as an enemy. In 1925 he died under mysterious circumstances, and is generally thought to have been murdered by the Soviets. He is commemorated as a Confessor, and by many as a Martyr also.

Note: because his commemoration falls on the Feast of the Annunciation, his service is usually transferred to the day before or after the Feast.