On September 21, the Orthodox Church celebrates the Nativity of the Holy Mother of God with special solemnity. About the meaning of the holiday, the correct preparation and the right attitude – Metropolitan Anthoniy (Pakanich).

– Vladyka, the Nativity of the Holy Mother of God opens a new church year. This is not by chance? What is the meaning of the holiday?

– It is quite logical that the birth of the Holy Mother of God marks the beginning of a new era in the history of mankind, because from Her the Savior of the world, our Lord Jesus Christ, was embodied. And if the church year is an icon of the economy of the human race, reflecting the main stages of salvation, then its starting point is the Nativity of the Mother of God.

The Holy Scriptures say nothing about the event of the birth of the Mother of God. We learn its details from the Holy Tradition, according to which the Holy Mother of God was born in the Galilean city of Nazareth from elderly parents – the righteous Joachim and Anna. By her birth, the Virgin Mary resolved the bonds of their infertility and marked the fulfillment of the prophecies, because the Virgin was born, Who will become the Throne of God and the Door through which the Savior of the world – Jesus Christ will appear.

– How is the holiday celebrated in the Church? Is there a special service being performed?

– The Nativity of the Holy Mother of God is a twelfth holiday, which is celebrated with special solemnity. According to the Priest-Martyr Sergius Mechev, the divine service on this day tells us that the birth of the Holy Virgin was a joy both for Her parents and relatives, who lived in Nazareth, and the jubilation of the whole world. It resolved the sterility of not only the holy righteous Joachim and Anna, but in it “infertility is permitted in our nature and the fruit of the life-bearing world is born,” the text of the service says. According to the festive stichera, with the birth of Her life, “a bridge is born today,” leading us into eternity.

– Is it true that children are under the special protection of the Mother of God?

– I often think about the secret that unites the human soul with God in close communication. What makes a person able not only to feel the presence of God in the world and in his destiny, but to enter into a direct relationship with his Creator? We find the answer in the Gospel. The Lord Himself calls the main condition for communion with God: “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God” (Matthew 5:8). Only people who cleansed their hearts from passions and acquired the virtue of perfect chastity were able to enter into communion with God. Such crystal purity of heart, in which only the Face of Christ can be reflected, is especially characteristic of children. This is probably why the Lord warns: “Truly, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven” (Matthew 18:3).

When we remember the saints, who were vouchsafed to see the Mother of God in earthly life, we involuntarily come to understand the main condition under which such a miraculous phenomenon became possible. This is purity of heart and simplicity of personality. Nothing unclean can enter into communion with the One Who is the Most Honorable Cherubim and the Most Glorious Seraphim. Only by cleansing the heart of passions, in the depths of Christian humility, a person can feel the closeness and love of the Purest Virgin Mary. She opens only to her kindred souls.

– How can an Orthodox celebrate this holiday: what is important to do, what to remember?

– One should not only come to church on the day of the holiday, but also pray at the All-night Vigil, which is served the day before. On the Nativity of the Holy Mother of God, all Orthodox Christians try to partake of the Holy Mysteries of Christ, therefore, the days before the holidays should be spent in fasting and abstinence, and in the church on a holiday – to bring God the fruits of repentance and fervent prayer.

Interviewed by Natalia Goroshkova