Day 7 · The Nativity Fast
The Entry of the Mother of God into the Temple
“Hear, O daughter, and see, and incline thine ear; forget also thy people, and thy father's house.”Psalm 44:10 (45:10)
Reflection
Today, November 21, the Church celebrates the Entry of the Most Holy Mother of God into the Temple. According to an ancient tradition, preserved in an early Christian writing called the Protoevangelium of James rather than in the Bible itself, Mary was brought to the Temple as a small child by her parents, Joachim and Anna, and given to God. The feast falls in the middle of the Fast for a reason: the one who will become the living temple of God is being prepared. Her quiet “yes” began long before the angel came. Today's prayer begins with the kontakion of the feast, from Isabel Hapgood's Service Book (1906), lightly modernized.
A prayer
The all-pure Temple of the Saviour, the most precious Bridal-chamber and Virgin, the Treasure-house of the glory of God, today is led into the temple of the Lord, bringing with her the grace which is in the Divine Spirit; whom also the Angels of God celebrate in song: This is the Abode of Heaven. Most holy Mother of God, pray for us, that we too may be given wholly to God. Amen.
Carry this with you
What would it mean for you to give God your whole heart, as Mary was given?