The Twenty-Seventh Sunday After Pentecost. The Entry of the Theotokos Into the Temple

On the feast of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Temple, they begin to sing: ”Christ is born”[1] — preparing the faithful for a worthy reception of the feast of the Nativity of Christ. Understand this prompting and act upon it. Enter more deeply into the mystery of the Incarnation of the Only-Begotten Son of God; ascend to its origin in the eternal counsel of God concerning the existence of the world and of man within it; perceive its reflection in the creation of man; joyfully receive the first good news of it immediately after the Fall; trace with care its gradual unfolding in the prophecies and foreshadowings of the Old Testament; clarify who was prepared and how for the reception of the incarnate God, through the divine formative institutions and workings among Israel; cross over, if you will, beyond the borders of the people of God, and there gather the rays of God’s light shining in the darkness—and reflect on how far those chosen from among all the nations had come in their premonition of an extraordinary manifestation of God’s care for humanity. This will be your mental preparation. But there is a fast at this time: gather yourself, then, to make your confession, and receive the Holy Mysteries of Christ—this will be preparation that is active and life-giving. If, as a result of all this, the Lord grants you to feel the power of His coming in the flesh—then, when the feast arrives, you will celebrate it not out of a joy that is foreign to you, but out of your own heartfelt joy.