Professional Documents
Culture Documents
The Annunciation of The Virgin Mary
The Annunciation of The Virgin Mary
Annunciation of the Virgin Mary(Met Hierotheos Vlachos) ORTHOGNOSIA
HOME
ΒΙΟΙ ΑΓΙΩΝ LIVES OF THE SAINTS ΔΙΔΑΚΤΙΚΕΣ ΙΣΤΟΡΙΕΣ ΘΑΥΜΑΤΑ-MIRACLES Π.ΑΝΔΡΈΑΣ ΚΟΝΆΝΟΣ VIDEO Text to Search...
LATEST POSTS
π. Ανδρέας Κονάνος Όταν οι θλίψεις κρύβουν ευλογίες και δώρα... The Annunciation of the Virgin Mary(Met Hierotheos Vlachos) Ευαγγελισμός της Θεοτόκου. Ευαγγελίζου γη χαρά μεγάλη...
π. Ανδρέας Κονάνος Όταν οι θλίψεις
The Annunciation of the Virgin Mary(Met Hierotheos Vlachos) κρύβουν ευλογίες και δώρα...
Όλα μπορούν να βγουν σε καλό και σε
ωφέλειά μας. Πονά η θλίψη, μα ωφελεί
την ψυχή. Τίποτε δεν μπορεί να σε
βλάψει ουσιαστικ...
Δεν καταλαβαίνεις εσύ που τη λες την
ευχή, αλλά καταλαβαίνει ο διάβολος και
καίγεται..
Διάλογος ενός υποτακτικού με τον
γέροντά του, (του πατέρα Εφραίμ τον Κατουνακιώτη)
Γέροντα, λέω την ευχή, «Κύριε Ιησού Χριστέ ελέησόν μ...
O φόβος και η θεραπεία του...
Ο φόβος Οι Πατέρες συμπεριλαμβάνουν
στα πάθη το φόβο και τις συγγενείς προς
αυτόν καταστάσεις, που συνιστούν
μορφές ή διαβαθμίσε...
Monk Moses of the Holy Mountain.
"Many Confess, But Few Repent".
What is repentance and confession?
Confession is a Godgiven
commandment, and it is one of the
Sacraments of our Church. ...
Ναυπάκτου κ. Ἱερόθεος: Ἡ Οὐσία καὶ ἡ
Ἐνέργεια τοῦ Θεοῦ.
ΛΥΧΝΟΣ TV Τηλεοπτικὸς Σταθμὸς τῆς
Ἱερᾶς Μητροπόλεως Πατρῶν Ἐκπομπὴ
τοῦ 2016: «Θεολογία τῶν Γεγονότων»
Ναυπάκτου κ. Ἱερόθεος: Ἡ Οὐσία ...
By Metropolitan Hierotheos (Vlachos) of Nafpaktos The Annunciation of the Virgin Mary(Met Hierotheos
Vlachos)
The feast of the Annunciation of the Virgin Mary is a feast of the Lord and of the Mother of God By Metropolitan Hierotheos (Vlachos)
(Theotokos). It is a feast of the Lord because Christ who was conceived in the womb of the of Nafpaktos The feast of the
Theotokos. It is a feast of the Theotokos because it refers to the person who aided in the conception Annunciation of the Virgin Mary is a
feast of the Lord and ...
and Incarnation of the Word of God, that is, the All Holy Virgin Mary.
Mary (the Theotokos) has great value and an important position in the Church, precisely because Ο Άγιος Παΐσιος διδάσκει, "Η ακηδία
she was the person whom all generations awaited, and she gave human nature to the Word of God. αχρηστεύει τον άνθρωπο"
Thus the person of the Theotokos is associated closely with the Person of Christ. Furthermore, the
http://orthognosia.blogspot.in/2016/03/theannunciationofvirginmarymet.html 1/8
31/03/2016 The Annunciation of the Virgin Mary(Met Hierotheos Vlachos) ORTHOGNOSIA
Thus the person of the Theotokos is associated closely with the Person of Christ. Furthermore, the Γέροντα, τι διαφορά υπάρχει
value of the Virgin Mary is not only due to her virtues, but also mainly to the fruit of her womb. For ανάμεσα στην ακηδία και την αθυμία;
this reason, Theotokology is very closely associated with Christology. When we speak of Christ we Ακηδία είναι η πνευματική τεμπελιά, ενώ
cannot ignore her who gave Him flesh. And when we speak of the Virgin Mary, we simultaneously η ραθυμία αναφέρετ...
refer to Christ, because from Him she draws Grace and value. This shows clearly in the service of
the Salutations, in which the Theotokos is hymned, but always in combination with the fact that she
is the mother of Christ: "Rejoice, for you are the throne of the king. Rejoice for you bear Him Who KANDYLAKI
bears all things".
This connection of Christology and Theotokology shows in the lives of the Saints as well. A
characteristic mark of the Saints, who are the real members of the Body of Christ, is that they love
the Virgin Mary. It is impossible for there to be a Saint who does not love her.
The Annunciation of the Theotokos is the beginning of all feasts of the Lord. In the dismissal hymn
of the feast we chant: "Today is the beginning of our salvation and the revelation of the mystery from
the ages..." The content of the feast refers to the Archangel Gabriel’s (the angel associated with all
events having to do with the Incarnation of Christ) visit to the Virgin Mary (with God's command)
informing her that the time of the Incarnation of the Word of God had arrived, and that she would
become His mother (see Luke 1:2656).
The word "annunciation" is comprised of two words, good and message, and denotes the good
notification, the good announcement. This refers to the information that was given through the
Archangel that the Word of God would be incarnated for man's salvation. Essentially this is the
fulfilment of God's promise, given after the fall of Adam and Eve (see Gen. 3:15), which is called the MY BLOG LIST
protoevangelion (i.e., the first gospel). For this reason the information of the Incarnation of the Word
of God is the greatest notification in history. KANDYLAKI
Ο Θεός γνωρίζει αλλά δεν
προορίζει (Αγίου Πορφυρίου του
According to St. Maximos the Confessor, the gospel of God is the intercession of God and the Καυσοκαλυβίτου) Είναι
comforting of men through His incarnate Son. Simultaneously it is the reconciliation of men with the ασύλληπτη η γνώση του Θεού
απ’ το δικό μας νου. Είναι
Father, Who gives the unborn theosis as a reward to those who obey Christ. Theosis is called άπειρη, περιλαμβάνει όλα τα
όντα, ορατά και αόρατα, έσχατα και αρχαία.
unborn because it is not born but rather is revealed to those who are worthy. Consequently, the Τα γνωρίζει ο Θεός όλ...
theosis that is offered through the incarnate Christ is not a birth, but a revelation of the enhypostatic
illumination to those who are worthy of this revelation.
FIND US ON FACEBOOK
The good announcement, the gospel, the Annunciation, is a correction of the events, which
occurred at the beginning of man's creation, in the sensorial Paradise of Eden. There, from a
woman the Fall and its results began; here, from a woman all good things began. Thus, the Virgin Orthognosia
Mary is the new Eve. There was the sensorial Paradise; here, the Church. There, Adam; here, 3,484 likes
Christ. There, Eve; here Maria. There, the snake; here, Gabriel. There, the whispering of the
dragonsnake to Eve; here the greeting of the angel to Mary (Joseph Vryenios). In this manner the
transgression of Adam and Eve was corrected. Liked Share
According to Saint Gregory Palamas and other Holy Fathers, the Virgin Mary had already been filled
with grace, and was not just filled with grace on the day of the Annunciation. Having remained in the
Holy of Holies of the Temple, she reached the Holy of Holies of the spiritual life, theosis. If the
courtyard of the Temple was destined for the proselytes and the main Temple for the priests, then
the Holy of Holies was destined for the high priest. There the Virgin Mary entered, a sign that she
had reached theosis. It is known that in the Christian age, the narthex was destined for the KANDYLAKI ON FACEBOOK
catechumens and the impure, the main church for the illumined, the members of the Church, and
the holy of holies (altar) for those who had reached theosis.
Thus, the Virgin Mary had reached theosis even before she received the visitation of the Archangel.
Toward this goal, she used a special method of knowing God and communing with God, as Saint
Gregory Palamas interprets in a wonderful and divinely inspired manner. This refers to stillness, the
hesychastic way. The Virgin Mary realised that no one can reach God with reasoning, with the
The Virgin Mary had the fullness of Grace, from the fullness of Graces of her Son, prior to the
conception, during the conception and after the conception. Prior to the conception the fullness of
Grace was perfect, during the conception it was more perfect, and after the conception it was very
http://orthognosia.blogspot.in/2016/03/theannunciationofvirginmarymet.html 2/8
31/03/2016 The Annunciation of the Virgin Mary(Met Hierotheos Vlachos) ORTHOGNOSIA
Grace was perfect, during the conception it was more perfect, and after the conception it was very
perfect (St. Nikodemos the Haghiorite). In this manner the Virgin Mary was a virgin in body and a
virgin in soul. And this physical virginity of hers is higher and more perfect than the virginity of the GOOGLE+ FOLLOWERS
souls of the Saints, which is achieved through the energy of the Allholy Spirit.
Tom Manakis
No human is born delivered of the original sin. The fall of Adam and of Eve and the consequences Add to circles
of this fall were inherited by the whole human race. It was natural that the Virgin Mary would not be
delivered from the original sin. The word of the Apostle Paul is clear: "all have sinned and are
deprived of the glory of God" (Rom 3:23). In this apostolic passage it shows that sin is considered to
be a deprivation of the glory of God, and furthermore that no one is delivered from it. Thus, the
Virgin Mary was born with the original sin. When, though, was she delivered from it? The answer to
this question must be freed from scholastic viewpoints.
To begin with we must say that the original sin was the deprivation of the glory of God, the
estrangement from God, the loss of communion with God. This also had physical consequences,
however, because in the bodies of Adam and of Eve corruption and death entered. When in the
Orthodox Tradition there is talk of inheriting the original sin, this does not mean the inheriting of the 2,117 have me in circles View all
guilt of the original sin, but mainly its consequences, which are corruption and death. Just as when
the root of a plant dies, the branches and the leaves become ill, so it happened with the fall of
Adam. The whole human race became ill. The corruption and death which man inherits is the TRANSLATE
favourable climate for the cultivation of passions and in this manner the intellect of man is darkened.
Select Language
Precisely for this reason the adoption by Christ through His Incarnation of this mortal and suffering Powered by Translate
body, without sin, aided in correcting the consequences of Adam's sin. Theosis existed in the Old
Testament as well, just as the illumination of the intellect also did, but death had not been abolished;
BLOG ARCHIVE-ΑΡΧΕΙΟΘΉΚΗ
for this reason the godseeing Prophets all went to Hades. With Christ's Incarnation and His
Resurrection, human nature was deified and thus the possibility was given to each person to be
deified. Because with holy Baptism we become members of the deified and resurrected Body of Blog ArchiveΑρχειοθήκη
Christ, for this reason we say that through holy Baptism man is delivered from the original sin.
LABELS
When we apply these things to the case of the Virgin Mary we can understand her relationship with
the original sin and her being freed from it. The Virgin Mary was born with the original sin; she had
all the consequences of corruption and death in her body. With her entrance into the holy of holies,
she reached theosis. This theosis though was not enough to deliver her from its consequences,
which are corruption and death, precisely because the divine nature had not yet united with the LINK LIST
human nature in the hypostasis of the Word. Thus, at the moment when, through the power of the
Holy Spirit, the divine nature was united with human nature in the womb of the Virgin Mary, the
Virgin Mary first tasted her freedom from the socalled original sin and its consequences.
Furthermore, at that moment that which Adam and Eve failed to do with their free personal struggle, ADS
occurred. For this reason, the Virgin Mary at the moment of the Annunciation reached a greater
state than that in which Adam and Eve were prior to the fall. She was granted to taste the end of the
goal of creation, as we will see in other analyses.
TEXT
For this reason for the Virgin Mary Pentecost did not have to happen, it was not necessary for her to
be baptised. That which the Apostles experienced on the day of Pentecost, when they became
members of Christ's Body through the Holy Spirit, and that which happened to all of us during the
mystery of Baptism, occurred for the Virgin Mary on the day of Annunciation. Then she was FOLLOW BY EMAIL
delivered from the original sin, not in the sense that she was delivered from the guilt, but that she
obtained the theosis in her soul and body, due to her union with Christ.
JOIN WITH THOUSANDS OF SUBSCRIBERS ! GET
In these frameworks Saint John of Damascus' saying that on the day of the Annunciation the Virgin OUR LATEST ARTICLES DELIVERED TO YOUR
EMAIL INBOX
Mary received the Holy Spirit, which cleansed her and gave her power receptive of the Word's
divinity, simultaneously a birthgiving power, should be interpreted. That is the Virgin Mary received Email address...
SUBMIT
from the Holy Spirit a cleansing grace, but also a grace receptive and able to give birth to the Word
of God as a man.
The response of the Virgin Mary to the information of the archangel that she would be granted to
Subscribe in a reader
give birth to Christ was expressive: "Behold the handmaiden of the Lord. Let it be to me according to
thy word" (Luke 1:38). Here the obedience of the Virgin Mary to the saying of the archangel shows,
but also her obedience to God, for an event that was odd and strange for human logic. Thus her
logic is submitted to God's will.
Some maintain that during that moment all the righteous people of the Old Testament, but also all of
humanity awaited with anxiousness to hear the Virgin Mary's response, fearing that she might
refuse and not obey God's will. They maintain that because every time when man is in such a
dilemma, precisely because he has freedom, he can say the yes or no, as furthermore occurred in
the case of Adam and Eve, the same thing could occur with the Virgin Mary. However it was not
possible for the Virgin Mary to refuse, not because she didn't have freedom, but because she had
real freedom.
Saint John Damascus makes a distinction between a natural and an opinionated will. One has an
opinionated will when he is distinguished by the ignorance of a thing, by the doubt and in the end
the incapability of selection. This refers to a wavering as to what to do. One has a natural will when
he is lead in a natural manner, without wavering, without ignorance, to the realisation of the truth.
http://orthognosia.blogspot.in/2016/03/theannunciationofvirginmarymet.html 3/8
31/03/2016 The Annunciation of the Virgin Mary(Met Hierotheos Vlachos) ORTHOGNOSIA
So it seems, that the natural will is associated with "wanting", whereas the opinionated will with the
"how to want", and furthermore when it is done with doubts and wavering. Consequently the natural
will comprises the perfection of nature, whereas the opinionated will comprises the imperfection of
nature, since it presupposes a person who does not have knowledge of the truth, is not certain
about what he must decide.
So even though Christ had two wills, due to the two natures, the human and divine nature,
nevertheless he had a natural will, from the viewpoint we are studying here and of course, He did
not have an opinionated will. As God He always knew the will of God the Father and there was no
doubt and no wavering in Him. The Saints experience this by grace also, especially by the Virgin
Mary. Because the Virgin Mary had reached theosis, for this reason it was impossible for her to
reject God's will and not yield to the incarnation. She had perfect freedom, and for this her freedom
always acted naturally and not unnaturally. We because we have not reached theosis have an
imperfect freedom, the socalled opinionated will, for this reason we waver as to what to do. Her
question "how shall this be to me, because I know no man" (Luke 1:34), shows humility, the
weakness of the human nature, but also the strangeness of the matter, because there were
miraculous conceptions in the Old Testament, however not seedless ones.
On the day of Annunciation we have a direct conception of Christ with the power and energy of the
Allholy Spirit. In one theotokion we chant: "At Gabriel announcing to you the rejoice O virgin, with
the voice the Master all was incarnated". This means that several hours and days for the conception
to occur did not intervene, but it occurred precisely at that moment.
The archangel Gabriel told Joseph, the betrothed of the Most Holy Theotokos. "Do not fear to take
Mariam your wife. For that which is born in her is of the Holy Spirit" (Math. 1:20). The Virgin Mary
gave birth to Christ as a human, but the conception was of the Holy Spirit.
Basil the Great interpreting this phrase, and mainly the "is born of the Holy Spirit", says that every
thing which comes from something else, id denoted by three words. The one is "by creation", just as
the whole of creation was created by God with His energy. The other one is "by birth", as the Son
was born before all ages of the Father. The third is "naturally", just as energy comes out of every
nature, that is brilliance from the sun, and more generally the action from the one doing the action.
As regards the conception of Christ in the Holy Spirit the true expression is that Christ was
conceived with the energy of the Holy Spirit "by creation", and not by birth or naturally.
Saint John of Damascus teaches that the Son and Word of God conjoined for Himself, with the pure
and most clean bloods of the Theotokos, flesh which is alive with a logical and noetic soul, not by
seed, but created by the Holy Spirit.
Of course, when we speak of the conception of Christ in the Theotokos' womb with the power and
creative energy of the Holy Spirit, we should not isolate the Holy Spirit from the Holy Trinity. It is
known from patristic teaching that the energy of the Trinitarian God is common. The creation of the
world and the recreation of man and of the world occurred and occurs with the common energy of
the Trinitarian God. Consequently, not only did the Holy Spirit create the master's body of Christ, but
also the Father Himself and the Son, that is the whole Holy Trinity did. The formulation of this truth is
that the Father favoured the incarnation of His Son, the Son and the Word of God Himself worked
His incarnation and the Holy Spirit effected it.
The conception of Christ in the womb of the Theotokos occurred with silence and secrecy and not
with noise and disturbance. No one, neither of the angels nor of men was able to understand at that
moment these great things which were performed. The Great Prophet David prophesied this event
saying: "May he be like rain that falls on a fleece, like showers that water the earth!" (Psalm 71:6).
Just as rain that falls on a fleece of wool does not cause noise or any corruption, the same thing
occurred also during the annunciation and the conception. Christ with His conception did not cause
noise or any corruption in the virginity of the Virgin Mary. For this reason the Virgin Mary was and
remained a Virgin before the birth, during the birth and after the birth. These are the three stars,
which the iconographer forms always on the forehead and the two shoulders of the Virgin Mary.
The union of the divine with the human nature in the hypostasis of the Word, in the womb of the
Theotokos, comprises the direct theosis of the human nature. That is, from the first moment when
the divine united with the human nature there is the theosis of the human nature. The saying of
Saint John Damascene is characteristic: "at the moment of flesh, at that moment the flesh of God
the Word". This means that a duration of time did not intervene after the conception for the human
nature* to be deified, but this happened immediately at the time of the conception.
A consequence of this event is that the Virgin Mary must be called Theotokos, since she gave birth
truly to God, Whom she bore for nine months in her womb, and not a man who had the Grace of
God. For this reason the Virgin Mary is called Theotokos, precisely because she conceived Christ in
the Holy Spirit.
This must be stressed because in times of old a great theological conversation occurred as to if the
Virgin Mary ought to be called Theotokos and not Christotokos. The Christological dogma has a
consequence in the theotokological discussion. The Virgin Mary is a Theotokos, precisely because
http://orthognosia.blogspot.in/2016/03/theannunciationofvirginmarymet.html 4/8
31/03/2016 The Annunciation of the Virgin Mary(Met Hierotheos Vlachos) ORTHOGNOSIA
consequence in the theotokological discussion. The Virgin Mary is a Theotokos, precisely because
she conceived Christ in the Holy Spirit.
This must be stressed, because in times of old a large theological discussion occurred as to
whether the Virgin Mary should be called Theotokos, due to the existence of heretical teachings. In
addition, the final validation of the teaching that the Virgin Mary gave birth to God, and that
immediately with the adoption of the human nature there exists its theosis, occurred in the 3rd
Ecumenical Synod. The heretic Nestorios, using philosophical terms and human pondering,
supported that the Virgin Mary was a human and for this reason it was impossible for her to give
birth to God. The babe who was in her was not God, but a human. God simply "passed through" or
"passed along with" through the Theotokos. Of course, there was a problem in his theology about
the relationship between the two natures of Christ. Nestorios believed that the flesh of Christ was
imply united with the nature of the Godhead. The Word was not God, but was united with man and
dwelt inside him. With such presuppositions he named the Virgin Mary Christotokos and not
Theotokos.
However Christ is a Godman, perfect God and perfect man, and every nature acted "with the other
communion" in the hypostasis of the Word. We will see this topic when we will speak of the birth of
Christ. Here though it must be underlined that human nature was deified immediately with its union
with the divine nature in the hypostasis of the Word, in the womb of the Theotokos. For this reason
the Virgin Mary is and is called Theotokos, since she gave birth to God humanly.
The direct theosis of human nature by the divine nature of the Word does not mean that the qualities
of human nature are abolished. This shows that the conception and carrying in the womb, but also
the birth of Christ occurred by nature and supernaturally. Supernaturally, because it occurred
creatively by the Allholy Spirit and not by seed. Naturally, because the carrying in the womb
occurred in the manner in which the infant is carried in the womb.
There is however one point which must be underlined. In every infant there are a few stages, until
the time for birth comes. To begin with there is the conception, subsequently after a period of time
the depiction of the members of his body, afterwards little by little they are developed, and according
to the level of his development movement follows. Finally, when it is completed, he comes out of the
womb of his mother.
Whereas in the divine infant we do have an increase little by little, nevertheless a period of time did
not intervene between the conception and the depiction of the members. Basil the Great literally
says: "immediately what was conceived was perfect in the flesh, not the shape formulated little by
little". We must see this from the viewpoint that the members of His body were depicted
immediately, he was created a perfect man, but nevertheless he was not found in the formulation of
the nine months. He was developing little by little, although His body had been comprised from the
beginning.
The conception of Christ occurred by the All Holy Spirit in the womb of the Theotokos creatively and
not by seed, because Christ had to undertake the pure nature that Adam had before the
transgression. Of course, Christ adopted a possible and mortal flesh, as it became after Adam's
transgression, to defeat corruption and death, but it was however utterly pure and spotless, as it
was prior to the transgression. Thus, Christ's flesh from a viewpoint of purity was as Adam's body
was prior to the transgression, while from a viewpoint of mortality and corruption it was the body of
Adam after the transgression.
Consequently the conception occurred through the Holy Spirit, because the manner in which man is
born today (through the seed) is after the transgression. According to Saint Gregory Palamas, the
movement of the flesh towards birth is not completely delivered from sin, because, whereas God
has placed the intellect to rule over man, it acts "unsubmittedly" in the duration of the movement of
the flesh. Thus, the pure nature of Christ has a relationship with the creative and not the conception
by seed.
Precisely this event is very closely associated with the fact that the conception, carrying in the womb
and birth of Christ by the Virgin Mary was effortless, painless and without pleasure. So Christ, was
conceived, carried in the womb as a babe and was born without pleasure, without toil and without
pain. He was conceived seedless for two basic reasons. Firstly, to undertake the pure human
nature, and secondly, to be born without corruption and painlessly.
The Virgin Mary as she conceived Christ without pleasure, in the same way held Him for nine
months in her womb without toil and without weight. She did not feel weight, despite the fact that the
divine infant was developing naturally and had the weight of a developing embryo. Thus the
prophecy of the Prophet Isaiah was fulfilled: "Behold the Lord is sitting upon a hollow cloud" (Is.
19:1). With the term "hollow cloud" is meant the human flesh, which was so very light that it did not
cause any weight and toil to the Virgin Mary during the time of the nine month carrying in the womb.
The seedless and 'pleasureless' conception of the Virgin Mary and the effortless carrying in the
womb is closely associated with the incorrupt and painless birth of Christ. According to Saint
Gregory Nyssa there is a close relationship between pleasure and pain, since every pleasure has
pain connected with it. Adam felt pleasure and pain followed to the whole human race. Thus also
http://orthognosia.blogspot.in/2016/03/theannunciationofvirginmarymet.html 5/8
31/03/2016 The Annunciation of the Virgin Mary(Met Hierotheos Vlachos) ORTHOGNOSIA
pain connected with it. Adam felt pleasure and pain followed to the whole human race. Thus also
now through freedom from pleasure joy comes to the human race. The birth of Christ did not corrupt
the virginity of the Theotokos, precisely as the conception did not occur with pleasure, and the
carrying in the womb did not occur with weight and toil. There where the Allholy Spirit acts "the
order of nature is overcome".
The duration of the carrying in the womb of the Virgin Mary is a foreshadowing of the ceaseless
communion that the Saints will have in the Kingdom of God.
It is known and a given fact that the mother who has a babe in the womb has a close and organic
relationship with him. Contemporary scholars have proven that the infant is very much influenced
not only by the physical state of his mother, but also from her psychological make up. And because
the divine infant was conceived of the Holy Spirit, but grew up in the natural manner, that is He had
a communion with the Virgin Mary's body, for this reason there exists a close relationship between
Christ and the Theotokos. Naturally, we must see this from the viewpoint that the Virgin Mary gives
her blood to Christ, but also Christ gives His Grace and blessing to her. So Christ being carried in
the womb did not cease simultaneously being at God's throne united with His Father and the Holy
Spirit.
The human nature was united with the divine nature without alteration, unconfusedly, indivisibly,
inseparably, immediately from the moment of conception. This means that first the Virgin Mary
tasted the goods of the divine incarnation, theosis. That which the Disciples of Christ tasted during
Pentecost, and we during Baptism, at the time of the mystery of the divine Eucharist, when we
commune of the Body and Blood of Christ, and that which the Saints will live in the Kingdom of the
Heavens., the Virgin Mary lived from the first moment of the conception and carrying in the womb.
Consequently Christ for nine whole months, day and night, nourished with His sanctified blood the
Virgin Mary. This is a foreshadowing of the ceaseless divine Communion and of the ceaseless
relationship and communion of the Saints with Christ which will occur mainly in the next life. For this
reason the Virgin Mary is a foreshadowing of the future age. From this viewpoint she is Paradise.
Saint Nikodemos the Haghiorite, speaking of the Annunciation of the Theotokos proceeds to a
personal and existential approach of this event. Because, it does not suffice for us to celebrate only
externally the events of the divine incarnation, but we should approach them existentially and
spiritually. For this reason he gathered many passages of Saints in which mainly there is speech
about this existential approach.
The saying of the Prophet Isaiah is characteristic "we were with child, we writhed, we have given
birth. We have brought forth a spirit of salvation upon the earth" (Is. 26: 18). According to the
interpretation of the holy Fathers the seed is the word of God and the intellect is the womb and the
heart of man. Through faith the word of God is sewn in the heart of man and makes it pregnant with
the fear of God. This is the fear that man not remain far from God. Through this fear the struggle for
cleansing the heart and the obtaining of virtues begins, which resembles a pain, childbearing pains.
In this manner the spirit of salvation is born, which is theosis and sanctification.
The forming of Christ in us happens with spiritual pains. The Apostle Paul says: "My little children,
with whom I am again in travail until Christ be formed in you!" Gal. 4:19). Travails are the ascetical
struggle, and formation is theosis and sanctification.
According to the holy Fathers (Saint Gregory Nyssa, Saint Maximos the Confessor, Saint Symeon
the New Theologian, Saint Niketas Stethatos etc.) that which happened physically in the Virgin
Mary, this happens spiritually to each one whose soul is virginal, that is, is cleansed of the passions.
Christ, who was born once in the flesh, wants to be born, always in the spirit, by those who wish,
and thus He becomes a babe, forming Himself in them through the virtues.
The spiritual conception and birth becomes understood from the fact that the flow of blood stops,
that is the desires to commit sin cease, passions are not active in man, man hates sin and
constantly wants to do God's will. This conception and birth is obtained with the implementation of
the divine commandments, mainly with the return of the intellect in the heart and with the ceaseless
monologistic prayer. Then man becomes a temple of the Allholy Spirit.
The Annunciation of the Theotokos is an annunciation of the human race, the information that the
Son and Word of God incarnated. This universal feast must aid in a personal feast, in a personal
annunciation. We must accept the preludes of our salvation, which is the greatest notification in our
life.
Source orthodoxresearchinstitute.org
http://orthognosia.blogspot.in/2016/03/theannunciationofvirginmarymet.html 6/8
31/03/2016 The Annunciation of the Virgin Mary(Met Hierotheos Vlachos) ORTHOGNOSIA
SHARE ARTICLE:
Next Previous
π. Ανδρέας Κονάνος - Όταν οι θλίψεις κρύβουν ευλογίες και δώρα... Ευαγγελισμός της Θεοτόκου. Ευαγγελίζου γη χαρά μεγάλη...
RELATED POSTS
The Annunciation of the Virgin Mary(Met Hierotheos Metropolitan Hierotheos of NafpaktosOn Eternal Hell
Vlachos) By Metropolitan Hierotheos of NafpaktosIn many of his
By Metropolitan Hierotheos (Vlachos) of Nafpaktos texts St....
The feast ...
Met. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos The Devil and His The East of the West and the West of the East
Wiles(Part1) Metropolitan Ierotheos of Nafpaktos and Ayios Vlasios
by Metropolitan Hierotheos of Nafpaktos Describing compares e...
the w...
Metropolitan Ierotheos: “Holy Mount Athos's Secret When Orthodox Theologians Theologize Like
Cry” Protestants
Metropolitan of Nafpaktos and Ayios Vlasios, Ierotheos, Breaking the Unity of Theology By His Eminence
speaks on ... Metropolitan ...
Blogger Comments Facebook Comments
0 comments:
Post a Comment
Enter your comment...
Publish Preview Notify me
Create a Link
Item Reviewed: The Annunciation of the Virgin Mary(Met Hierotheos Vlachos) Rating: 5 Reviewed By: Tom Manakis
Name
Send
Copyright © 2014 ORTHOGNOSIA All Right Reserved
Posts RSS • Comments RSS
http://orthognosia.blogspot.in/2016/03/theannunciationofvirginmarymet.html 7/8
31/03/2016 The Annunciation of the Virgin Mary(Met Hierotheos Vlachos) ORTHOGNOSIA
Copyright © 2014 ORTHOGNOSIA All Right Reserved
Blogger Designed by PBT Posts RSS • Comments RSS
http://orthognosia.blogspot.in/2016/03/theannunciationofvirginmarymet.html 8/8