One of the Twelve Great Church Holidays is celebrated on December 4. On this day, the parents brought a three-year-old girl to the Jerusalem temple, whose fate was unusual from the very beginning. Her name was Maria.
The birth of the Holy Mother of God was a miracle in itself. Her parents were childless for a long time and only in old age did God give them a daughter. In gratitude, they promised to dedicate it to the Lord. 2,000 years ago, they not only brought a child to the temple, they kept their vows. The little girl left her parents without hesitation and climbed the high steps of the temple on her own. There she was met by the high priest. According to legend, in that year he was Zacharias, the father of John the Forerunner. Zechariah did what no one had ever done before: let Mary enter the Holy of Holies. Even the high priest could enter the room only 1 time a year, but the Lord’s command was clear and the tiny Mary was in God’s presence for some time, praying to the Most High. Mary remained in the temple until her betrothal to Joseph.
This day was so unusual and wonderful that the celebration of it began in the era of early Christianity. The first mention of the celebration of the Introduction is from Gregory of Nyssa, who lived in the 4th century. The mother of St. Constantine, St. Helena, ordered to build a temple in Jerusalem in honor of
this event. The Patriarchs of Constantinople delivered special sermons on this day. By the 9th century, the holiday became church-wide, canons were written for worship and it became solemn. Among the twelve major holidays, this one entered the 15th century.
For us, this day has a special meaning, the Orthodox world begins to prepare for Christmas. In the churches begin to sing at matins the canon “Christ is born”. Believers fast to free their thoughts from the worldly and to cleanse the soul of sins. Thanks for the wayward
The first step towards the great event, the birth of Christ, was taken on a distant day when a little girl was brought to the temple.
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