Holy righteous Anna mother of the Blessed Virgin Mary prayer. Saint Anne mother of the Virgin Mary
On the eve of the great feast of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, let us remember Her holy parents. In Holy Scripture we do not find a story about the birth of the Blessed Virgin Mary. But this story was preserved for us by the Holy Tradition as a whole - and it was preserved, says Metropolitan Vladimir (Ikim), not by chance. After all, the story of the birth of the Mother of God is both wonderful and simply humanly touching, and carries a deep teaching meaning.
As we all remember, the parents of the Blessed Virgin were the pious Joachim and Anna, residents of Jerusalem. It seemed that these happy spouses had all the blessings of the world: mutual love, prosperity, and noble origin - they both belonged to the family of King David.
There was only one thing they didn't have: children. And not because Joachim and Anna did not want to have them - in the traditional society of that time this was unthinkable - but because the Lord, for some reason known only to Him, was slow to fulfill this long-standing desire of the pious spouses.
And the further they went, the less hope they had that this desire would ever be fulfilled: Joachim and Anna were already entering the age of old age, when childbearing becomes impossible.
Even today, infertility is the cause of mental anguish for many families. Although now we are much calmer about childbirth or its absence: after all, from the works of the holy fathers of the Church, we know that our salvation does not depend on whether we have children, but on how close we ourselves are to God.
And a pious Christian marriage does not lose its main meaning - growth in love for each other and for God - even if for some reason it does not continue in children. But the natural desire to have children lives in almost all of us. And for loving spouses who would like to see the living embodiment of their love in a common child, and together raise one or more Christians, infertility even now becomes a difficult cross.
What can we say about the Old Testament era, when believers placed their main hope in the coming of the Savior into the world and therefore sought to continue their lineage by any legal means, so that their descendants and the entire people of Israel would live to see this day of redemption promised by God through the prophets. Childbearing was considered nothing more than the sacred duty of every pious Jew to his people. Moreover, especially strict requirements were imposed on the offspring of the house of King David, among whom were Joachim and Anna.
After all, according to the prophecies, it was from this family that the Savior was to appear, and, therefore, any descendant of David who did not have children could delay His coming into the world, force the people of God and the whole world to wait even longer for the hoped-for redemption!
The participation of spouses in this great work of God's Economy was important, and therefore childlessness was regarded as a sign of sinfulness, as a sign of rejection on the part of God. The attitude towards such people on the part of those around them could also be corresponding - distrustful, contemptuous, unkind. They probably whispered about them behind their backs, or even said openly to their faces that they were probably great sinners, unworthy of their glorious and pious ancestors, since the Lord does not allow the line of David to continue in their family.
HOLY RIGHTEOUS JOAKIM AND ANNA
Saint Anna, the mother of the Most Holy Theotokos, was the youngest daughter of the priest Matthan from Bethlehem, who came from the tribe of Levi, the clan of Aaron, and his wife Mary, from the tribe of Judah. Her parents had three daughters: Ma-Riya, So-via and An-na. Of these, the first one married Mary in Beth-le-em and gave birth to Sa-lo-miya; then Sovia married, also in Beth-le-em, and gave birth to Eli-sa-ve-tu, the mother of John the Pre-te-chi; the third, Anna, the future mother of the Most Holy God, married Joachim, who was from Gaul, in the city of Nazaret.
The holy righteous Joachim, son of Barpaphir, was a descendant of King David, to whom God promised that the Messiah, the Savior of the world, would be born from the seed of his descendants. His birth is like this: the son of Da-vi-da Na-fa-na had a son, Levi, Levi gave birth to Mel-hia and Pan- fi-ra, Pan-fir gave birth to Var-pa-fi-ra, Var-pa-fir gave birth to Joaki-ma, the father of God Ma-te-ri.
The couple lived in Nazareth of Galilee (northern part of Palestine) and dreamed of children all their lives, but, by the special Providence of God, Saint Anna was barren for a long time. They led a righteous life, they were united by tender love. Every year they gave two-thirds of their income to the Jerusalem Temple and to the poor.
Joachim and Anna did not have children until they were very old, and all their lives they grieved and cried about it. They had to endure contempt and ridicule, since at that time childlessness was considered a shame. Throughout the 50 years of their marriage, the couple only fervently prayed to God, humbly trusting in His Will.
Once, during a great holiday, the gifts that the righteous Joachim took to Jerusalem to bring them to God were not accepted by the priest Reuben, who believed that a childless husband was not worthy to make a sacrifice to God. This greatly saddened the old man, and he, considering himself the most sinful of people, decided not to return home, but to settle alone in a deserted place. He decided to spend 40 days and nights in fasting and prayer, begging the Lord for mercy.
His righteous wife Anna considered herself the main culprit of the grief that befell them. Having learned about her husband’s act, she also began, through fasting and prayer, to mournfully ask God to give her a child, promising to bring the born child as a gift to God.
And the prayer of the holy spouses was heard: an Angel appeared to both of them and announced that a Daughter would be born to them, Who would bless the entire human race.
The conception of Saint Anna took place on the ninth day of December in Jerusalem (on this day - December 9 (22)- The Orthodox Church celebrates Conception of the Blessed Virgin Mary by Righteous Anna ), and on September 8, her daughter was born, the most pure and most blessed Virgin Mary, about the birth of Ko- she was delighted with both heaven and earth. On the occasion of Her birth, Joachim brought great gifts, sacrifices and all-burnings to God and received the blessing of the word -the first-priest, the priests, the Levi-tov and all the people for the fact that they supported the good-word -the knowledge of God. Then he arranged a rich meal in his house, and everyone glorified God with glee.
Under-the-ra-ta-yu-yu-Vu-Vu-Vu-R-o-di-te-li took care of Her like the zen-ni-tsu of an eye, knowing, especially from- the blood of God, that She will be the light of the whole world and renew the nature of man. That's why they re-watched Her with such a thorough inspection, like the one who -paradise had to be the Mother of the Savior of the world. They loved Her not only as a daughter, I had been waiting for such a long time, but also as their mistress, I remember An -Gelic words spoken about Her, and seeing in the spirit what should happen to Her. She, full of the Divine bliss, ta-in-but de-ified with the same bliss and her own -their ro-di-te-ley. In the same way as the sun illuminates the heavenly stars with its rays, devoting to them parts of its God's light, and God's-from-bra-naya Maria, like the sun, oz-rya-la lu-cha-mi given to her by the b-go-da-ti of Joaki-ma and An-well, so they too were filled with the Spirit of God, and firmly believed in the fulfillment of the Angel’s words .
Until the age of three, the Most Holy Mary lived in the house of her parents, and then she was solemnly brought by Saints Joachim and Anna to the Temple of the Lord, where she was raised until she came of age.
Several years after Mary was introduced into the temple, Saint Joachim died at the age of 80. Saint An-na, left a widow, went to Na-za-ret and came to Jerusalem, where she lived near her to her Most Holy Do-che-ri, praying without ceasing in the temple of God. Having lived in Ieru-sa-li-me for two years, she died peacefully at the age of 79, before the Annunciation to the Blessed Virgin Mary. The glory of the Daughter was revealed to her in eternal life.
Memory Dormition of Righteous Anna July 25 (August 7) .
Joachim and Anna are buried near the future tomb of their daughter, as well as the grave of Joseph the Betrothed, in the Garden of Gethsemane, under the Mount of Olives, near Jerusalem. These tombs were located on the edge of the Valley of Jehoshaphat, which lay between Jerusalem and the Mount of Olives.
The dignity and holiness of the righteous Joachim and Anna
The advanced age of the righteous spouses shows that the birth of their Daughter was an act of special Providence of God . In the very Conception and Birth of such a Daughter was revealed And the power of God's grace , and the honor of the Born and the dignity of the parents; for it is impossible for a barren and aged woman to give birth otherwise than by the power of God’s grace: it is no longer nature that acts here, but God, who defeats the laws of nature and destroys the bonds of infertility.
To be born from barren and elderly parents is a great honor for the one born herself, because she is born not from incontinent parents, but from abstinent and elderly ones, such as Joachim and Anna, who lived in marriage for 50 years and had no children. Finally, through such a birth the dignity of the parents themselves is revealed, since after a long period of infertility they gave birth to joy to the whole world, to which the holy patriarch Abraham and his pious wife Sarah, who, according to the promise of God, gave birth to Isaac in old age, were likened (Gen. 21:2). However, without a doubt, it can be said that the Nativity of the Mother of God is higher than the birth of Isaac by Abraham and Sarah. Just as much as the born Virgin Mary herself is higher and more worthy of honor than Isaac, so much greater and higher is the dignity of Joachim and Anna than Abraham and Sarah. They did not immediately achieve this dignity, but only through diligent fasting and prayers, in spiritual grief and in heartfelt sorrow, they begged God for this: and their sorrow turned into joy, and their dishonor was a harbinger of great honor, and the diligent petition of the leader to receive benefits, and prayer is the best intercessor.
The holy righteous Joachim and Anna are called "Godfathers" because they are the direct ancestors of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Saints Anna and Jacob did not perform a miracle, did not suffer martyrdom or venerable deeds. They bore other sorrows - the sorrow of fruitless loneliness, and patient hope in God, which they would carry until old age.With patience and hope, the righteous Anna and Joachim acquired their treasure in earthly life. Patience and hope culminated in the joy of Christmas and became the guarantee of eternal joy in God. And Christ the Savior commands us: “Through your patience save your souls”(Luke 21:19).
Traditionally, the parents of the Blessed Virgin Mary pray for the gift of children.
Troparion of the Righteous Saints Joachim and Anna
Those who were righteous in the grace of the law,
Joachim and Anna gave birth to the God-given child.
Meanwhile today the light triumphs,
joyfully celebrating the divine Church,
your honest memory,
glorifying God, who raised up the horn of salvation for us in the house of David.
Troparion of Righteous Anna, tone 4
You, the Pure Mother of God, God-wise Anno, bore the life that you gave birth to in your womb. Moreover, you have now reposed in heavenly acceptance, where those who rejoice are the dwelling place, rejoicing in glory, honoring you with the love of sins, asking for cleansing, ever-blessed.
Prayer to the righteous saints Joachim and Anna
O holy righteous woman, Godfathers Joachim and Anno! Pray to the Merciful Lord, that He may turn away His anger from us, righteously moved against us by our deeds, and may, despising our countless sins, turn us, the servant of God (names), to the path of repentance, and may He establish us on the path of His commandments. Also, with your prayers in the world, save our life, and in all good things, ask for good haste, all that we need from God for life and piety, from all misfortunes and troubles and sudden death, through your intercession, delivering us and protecting us from all enemies, visible and invisible, and So in the world this temporary life has passed. Let us achieve eternal rest, where through your holy prayer may we be worthy of the Heavenly Kingdom of Christ our God, to Him, together with the Father and the Holy Spirit, be due all glory, honor and worship forever and ever. Amen
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In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.
On this Sunday we commemorate the holy righteous Godfather Joachim and Anna.
The memory of them is inextricably linked with the Virgin Mary, who gave birth to the God-man Jesus Christ. Since the Son of God was incarnate from Her womb and appeared to the world, it means that She gave birth not just to the human nature of the Son, but to the very Person, Face and Hypostasis of the incorruptible God the Word. And since Mary is the Mother of God, then Her parents are not just the grandfather and grandmother of Jesus, but are the parents of the Mother of God Herself and, thus, are themselves Godfathers.
In the liturgical texts of today's holiday, both of them - Joachim and Anna - are often designated by one word - parents, the holy duo, Godfathers. Although only Anna gives birth, Joachim seems to give birth together with her; although only Joachim is the father in the proper sense of the word, Anna, as inseparable from him, is remembered in the same word - Godfather. Two are like one, the holy duo gives birth, nourishes, educates and introduces the Divine Maiden into the temple.
They are no longer two, but one flesh (see: Matt. 19:6). Saints Joachim and Anna set an example of fulfilling the commandment that God gave to Adam in Paradise: “A man shall leave his father and his mother and cleave to his wife; and the [two] will become one flesh” (Gen. 2:24).
Moreover, they were not only one flesh, but also one soul and one spirit. Their marriage was not a Jewish obligation to procreate, nor a duty to society to solve the demographic problem. They were united by a gracious, indescribable, deep mutual reckless romantic feeling, which we call love. Their mutual love lasted until old age, until death.
These features of human love between husband and wife are very touchingly depicted on Orthodox icons. The icon painters created an amazing and seemingly not at all religious image of marital unity and fusion - not only spiritual, but also carnal. The portrait of the holy Godfathers Joachim and Anna is a unique case when the Church glorifies marital love in color.
Here in the small image around the icon of the Novgorod letter “The Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos with the Life” we see how the high priest expels Joachim from the temple for childlessness, in the next two images Joachim and Anna are sad separately: he is in the desert, and she is in the forest. Joachim, like a cursed man, goes into the desert because the priest did not accept his sacrifice. Birds making nests on tree branches remind Anna of what she is crying about. But their suffering alone in the desert and in the forest is alleviated by the vision of a comforting angel, announcing the coming joy.
On icons such as “The Meeting of Joachim and Anna at the Golden Gate” of Jerusalem, Joachim and Anna are presented in full growth, directed towards each other, their hands are closed in an embrace, their faces touch, as if in a kiss.
In the icon “The Conception of Anna,” the purely intimate meaning of the scene, thanks to the chastity of the image, does not seem shameful. Contemplating the icon, the viewer does not feel awkward and does not feel like he is peeping behind the curtain of the canopy of the marital bedroom. The embrace of the holy spouses exudes incredible purity, and therefore the sight of the icon “The Conception of Anna” even turns out to be instructive for those for whom this lesson of love is intended.
On ancient icons of Pskov churches in the image of the “Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary” you can see how Joachim and Anna caress a newborn baby and white doves flock to watch family joy. Poultry - a goose and a duck - give the picture the character of a happy family idyll, in the center of which is the mutual love of husband and wife.
Like the sun from the sun and the moon from the moon, Holy Mary is born from holy, loving parents. The liturgical chants of the holiday place Joachim and Anna above all other parents on earth. They overcome the Old Testament dependence of the happiness of spouses on the fact of the presence or absence of children. And in the time of Christ, by the way, a husband could give a divorce if his wife simply over-salted the food.
According to Elder Paisius the Holy Mountain, Christ would have come to earth earlier if such a pure, chaste married couple as Saints Joachim and Anna had appeared on earth earlier. At the same time, Elder Paisius the Svyatogorets called them the most dispassionate married couple, since “they had no worldly wisdom.” The Holy Fathers of God were already advanced in years, they were more than 60 years old when they conceived Mary. Their mutual attraction no longer contained youthful passion. They suffered from the fact that they did not have children, and therefore fervently prayed to God to give them a child. After prayer and the gospel from an angel, they came together as spouses “not out of carnal lust,” wrote Paisius, “but out of obedience to God.”
Judging by ancient legends, Saints Joachim and Anne loved each other undividedly, but dispassionately. Their love is characterized by words such as loyalty, compassion and tenderness for each other. They wanted a child not from the lust of the flesh, but from mutual love.
The Apostle Paul wrote that if in one body “a member suffers, all the members suffer with it, and if one member is glorified, all the members of the body rejoice with it” (see: 1 Cor. 12:26). From the lives of the holy Fathers of God, we see how touchingly they hide their pain from each other (and Joachim goes into the desert, and Anna away from home) and how happy they are to share joy with each other (they run towards each other and squeeze into each other’s arms).
How different their portrait is from what we see today!
The minds of many these days are infected with the idea that the ideal man is a bag of money, and the ideal woman is a top model on the cover of a magazine. The birth of a child, and this, as they say, sometimes happens “by chance,” is driven by passion, but not by love. The words “loyalty” and “devotion” are not in fashion now, the main thing is that to me“It was good with him.” And if young people decide to “bind themselves into legal marriage” (pay attention to the negative meaning of each word: yourself, tie, law, marriage), then the family becomes not the center of happiness, but a space where everyone “rests” in their own way from the outside world. Outside, at work in the work collective, everyone tries to keep themselves “in line” and seem “good.” But at home, within the four walls of a small apartment, everyone allows himself to “discharge”, throwing lightning at his other half, thereby killing both her and himself.
In almost every third family confession, we priests hear a plaintive story about an impending divorce. Often such a confession is not a desire to strengthen one’s desire to save the family, not a quick reaction to the fact that mutual feelings have changed by a milligram, but an attempt to find in a priest a worthy co-conspirator for one’s complaints, when everything has actually been decided. And at the same time, it is quite possible that the complainant, due to internal spiritual blindness, once gradually killed the feelings in his other half. He or she, expecting love from another, no longer has an ounce of love in themselves.
“Love does not seek its own, does not rejoice in unrighteousness, endures all, covers all, believes all,” wrote the Apostle Paul (see: 1 Cor. 13: 5-7). If we had this mindset: “I trust him because he is mine.” husband", "I cover up his offense, because I I could be wrong”, “I tolerate his shortcomings because herself far from an angel”, “I don’t rejoice at his shortcomings, because his pain is my pain too“,” “I wish him happiness and for this I give him my love,” then perhaps such a family would not be on the verge of divorce.
The marriage of Joachim and Anna is an example of a timeless, unceasing appeal to each other, a constant aspiration towards each other, which, despite the hostility of the world, remains so until the end of life. Everything that happens around the holy spouses (news, society, work) is all secondary in comparison with their attitude towards each other. Each of the spouses looks for himself in his other half, “self-realizes” in her, wants to see all the harmony of the world in her face, wants to give himself to her.
The image of such aspiration towards each other is an image of Divine love. God seeks His image in man, God wants to be reflected in man, God wants to give Himself to man.
If we can find love in ourselves that is at least a little similar to the love of Joachim and Anna, we will be on the same wavelength as Divine love. But if we look for prayers “for our spouses” and at the same time cold-bloodedly disdain our other half, we are wasting both our time and the priest’s. God is not stupid, and He sees if there is even a drop of love in our hearts. If, in the depths of the spouse’s soul, “divorce” already reigns, God cannot give her or him anything more.
Let, dear brothers and sisters, the example of the righteous saints Joachim and Anna, whom we commemorate every day during the liturgical holiday, be for us an example of what the love of spouses should be: love beyond space and time, love to the point of gray hair, eternal love.
Holy Godfathers Joachim and Anno, pray to God for us!
The Most Pure Virgin Mary, who by the will of God gave the Messiah to the world of people, is revered in the Russian Orthodox Church, and in Christianity in general, almost on an equal footing with Jesus. It is not for nothing that she is called an intercessor, an intercessor, because the Mother of God is able to convey any prayer to the Creator, to help when there is no hope for improving the situation, avoiding danger, or healing the disease. Meanwhile, the holy parents of the Most Pure One: Joachim and Anna also enjoy special veneration among believers. The Church celebrates August 7.
Life and personality of the saint
The Mother of the Most Holy Theotokos was born into the family of the priest Matthan from Bethlehem and Mary, his wife. The latter came from the tribe of Levi, the clan of Aaron. Almost nothing is known about the childhood and youth of the righteous woman, but it is clear that she grew up in an atmosphere of deep religiosity and fear of God, taking into account the specific nature of the activity of the father of the saint of God. When the time came, righteous Anna married Joachim, a man originally from Gaul. They lived in perfect harmony, but both spouses were saddened by one circumstance: the couple could not have children. In those days, childlessness was considered a shame, so Joachim and Anna were continually subjected to ridicule and public contempt. We must give them their due: the couple did not grumble, but only fervently prayed to the Lord to grant them the happiness of becoming parents, showing absolute humility before the will of the Almighty.
Thus passed 50 years of their life together. One day during the holiday, Joachim went to Jerusalem to bring gifts to God. Imagine his disappointment and sorrow when the Israeli priest rejected his husband’s offerings, citing the latter’s childlessness as the reason for his refusal: supposedly, a person who does not have children is not worthy to show his respect and love to the Creator in this way. The elder, plunged into deep sadness, did not return home, but settled in the desert, where, observing strict fasting, he spent days and nights in prayer to God for the gift of a baby to him and his wife. Righteous Anna, having learned how her husband was humiliated in Jerusalem, followed his example: she retired into seclusion and began to constantly pray to God through fasting for deliverance from infertility.
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The common prayer of Joachim and Anna was heard by the Lord many years later. An angel appeared to them and told the couple about the imminent birth of their daughter, who would be blessed by the entire human race. Having heard the prophetic words, righteous Anna vowed to dedicate to God the child that would be born to her, so that she would serve the Lord faithfully. The conception of the child took place in Jerusalem, and the birth of the long-awaited baby also took place there. On this occasion, Joachim again went to Jerusalem and this time, without obstacles, he brought gifts to the Creator, favorably received and approved by the local priest. Afterwards, he organized a celebration in his house with a hearty meal in honor of the fulfillment of his and his wife’s main desire by the merciful God.
Maria's parents loved her very much. They protected her in every possible way and raised her in love for the Lord, so that the prophecy announced by the Angel would be fulfilled in due time. The love of Joachim and Anna for their daughter was twofold: on the one hand, the spouses experienced tender feelings for their child, which should be felt for an offspring; on the other hand, they revered the future Mother of God as if she were a mistress, understanding that she was chosen by the Creator to carry out a great mission. Mary responded to her parents in full reciprocity, bestowing them with her grace.
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When the baby reached the age of three, Anna and Joachim took her to the temple of God in order to fulfill the promise they once made to the Creator to dedicate the child given to them to serve the Creator. Every time we are reminded of this wonderful and in many ways significant event by the great Christian holiday called “The Entry into the Temple of the Most Holy Theotokos.” Since then, the future Mother of God remained in the house of God in the care of the clergy, where, one might say, she was preparing to fulfill her great destiny.
Dormition of Righteous Anna
A couple of years after the Entry of young Mary into the temple, the Father of the Most Pure One died. He was 80 years old at that time. Left a widow, righteous Anna left Nazareth for Jerusalem, to the temple, where her daughter was henceforth raised. The saint prayed to the Creator day and night and was next to her extraordinary child. She lived like this for two years and then died at the age of 70. The said temple was renovated soon after this event by order of Emperor Justinian II. The reason was a dream that the ruler’s pregnant wife had: in it she saw Saint Anne. Justinian also ordered the body of the Mother of God and her maforium (veil) to be transferred to the Byzantine capital - Constantinople.
Thus, if you believe church tradition, the dormition of Saint Anna occurred even before the Annunciation. As a result, the glory of her daughter, who was honored to become the mother of the Messiah, was revealed to the righteous woman only in eternal life, “in the next world.” Why does the Church consider Anna herself a saint? She did not suffer from mortal torment for Christ, did not perform feats that are typical for people leading an ascetic lifestyle, and did not heal the sick. Here is something else: righteous Anna, during her earthly existence, experienced purely feminine sorrows. And she deserved to be canonized by the unshakable patience and persistent, unceasing hope she demonstrated during her life. The latter were crowned with the joy of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary, although tasted towards the end of existence, in old age. However, this is exactly what Jesus Christ commanded us, saying: “Through your patience save your souls” (Luke 21:19).
How and what to pray to a saint
Righteous Anna helps in many life situations. Mostly women turn to her in prayer. The main requests of the saint are addressed to those representatives of the fair sex who suffer from infertility.
There are icons depicting righteous Anna holding the Blessed Virgin Mary in her arms as an infant. One of these images, a very old one, was in the village of Minkovitsy, Dubensky district, Volyn diocese. The very feast of the Dormition of Righteous Anna, the mother of the Mother of God, has been revered by pregnant women from time immemorial.
🙏Holy righteous Joachim came from the tribe of Judah, from the house of King David. His genealogy is as follows: David’s son Nathan gave birth to a son, Levi, Levi gave birth to Melchia and Panfir, Panfir gave birth to Varpafir, and Varpafir gave birth to Joachim, the father of the Mother of God.
Saint Joachim lived in the city of Nazareth of Galilee and had a wife named Anna from the tribe of Levi, from the family of Aaron, the daughter of the priest Matthan, who lived before the reign of Herod, the son of Antipater. This priest Matthan had as his wife Mary, from the tribe of Judah, from the city of Bethlehem, and three daughters: Mary, Sovia and Anna. Of these, Mary was the first to marry in Bethlehem and gave birth to Salome; then Sovia married, also in Bethlehem, and gave birth to Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist; the third, as we have already said, the mother of the Most Holy Theotokos, was given in marriage to Joachim in the country of Galilee, in the city of Nazareth. These spouses, Joachim and Anna, coming from a noble family, studied the law of the Lord and were righteous before God. Having material wealth, they were not deprived of spiritual wealth. Adorned with all virtues, they immaculately observed all the commandments of God's law. For each holiday, pious spouses separated two parts from their property - one was given for church needs, and the other was distributed to the poor.
With their righteous life, Joachim and Anna pleased God so much that He vouchsafed them to be the parents of the Blessed Virgin, the chosen Mother of the Lord. From this alone it is already clear that their life was holy, pleasing to God and pure, since they had a Daughter, the Holiest of all saints, who pleased God more than anyone else, and the Most Honest of the Cherubim. At that time there were no people on earth more pleasing to God than Joachim and Anna, because of their immaculate lives. Although at that time it was possible to find many living righteously and pleasing God, these two surpassed everyone in their virtues and appeared before God as the most worthy for the Mother of God to be born from them. Such mercy would not have been granted to them by God if they had not truly excelled everyone in righteousness and holiness. But just as the Lord Himself had to be incarnate from the Most Holy and Most Pure Mother, so it was fitting for the Mother of God to come from holy and pure parents. Just as earthly kings have their purples, made not from simple matter, but from gold-woven material, so the Heavenly King wanted to have His Most Pure Mother, in whose flesh, as in royal purple, He had to put on, born not from ordinary incontinent parents, as would be from simple matter, but from chaste and holy ones, as if from cloth woven with gold, the prototype of which was the Old Testament tabernacle, which God ordered Moses to make from scarlet and scarlet cloth and fine linen (Ex. 27:16). This tabernacle prefigured the Virgin Mary, in whom God dwelt “to dwell with men,” as it is written: “Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them” (Rev. 21:3). The scarlet and scarlet cloth and fine linen from which the tabernacle was made typified the parents of the Mother of God, who came and was born from chastity and abstinence, as if from scarlet and scarlet clothing, and their perfection in fulfilling all the commandments of the Lord, as if from fine linen.
But these holy spouses, by God’s will, were childless for a long time, so that in the very conception and birth of such a daughter the power of God’s grace, and the honor of the Born One and the dignity of the parents would be revealed; for it is impossible for a barren and aged woman to give birth otherwise than by the power of God’s grace: it is no longer nature that acts here, but God, who defeats the laws of nature and destroys the bonds of infertility. To be born from barren and elderly parents is a great honor for the one born herself, because she is born not from incontinent parents, but from abstinent and elderly ones, such as Joachim and Anna, who lived in marriage for fifty years and had no children. Finally, through such a birth, the dignity of the parents themselves is revealed, since after a long period of infertility they gave birth to joy to the whole world, thereby becoming like the holy patriarch Abraham and his pious wife Sarah, who, according to the promise of God, gave birth to Isaac in his old age (Gen. 21:2). However, without a doubt, it can be said that the Nativity of the Mother of God is higher than the birth of Isaac by Abraham and Sarah. Just as much as the born Virgin Mary herself is higher and more worthy of honor than Isaac, so much greater and higher is the dignity of Joachim and Anna than Abraham and Sarah. They did not immediately achieve this dignity, but only through diligent fasting and prayers, in spiritual grief and in heartfelt sorrow, they begged God for this: and their sorrow turned into joy, and their dishonor was a harbinger of great honor, and the diligent petition of the leader to receive benefits, and prayer is the best intercessor.
Joachim and Anna grieved and cried for a long time that they had no children. Once, on a great holiday, Joachim brought gifts to the Lord God in the Jerusalem Temple; together with Joachim, all the Israelites offered their gifts as sacrifices to God. Issachar, the high priest at that time, did not want to accept Joachim’s gifts because he was childless.
“We should not,” he said, “accept gifts from you, because you do not have children, and therefore no blessings from God: you probably have some secret sins.”
Also, one Jew from the tribe of Reuben, who brought his gifts along with others, reproached Joachim, saying:
- Why do you want to make sacrifices to God before me? Don’t you know that you are not worthy to bring gifts with us, for you will not leave descendants in Israel1]?
These reproaches greatly saddened Joachim, and in great sorrow he left the temple of God, disgraced and humiliated, and the holiday for him turned into sadness, and the festive joy was replaced by sorrow. Deeply grieving, he did not return home, but went into the desert to the shepherds who tended his flocks, and there he cried about his barrenness and about the reproaches and reproaches made to him. Remembering Abraham, his forefather, to whom God had given a son already in old age, Joachim began to earnestly pray to the Lord that He would grant him the same favor, would hear his prayer, have mercy and take away the reproach from people from him, granting him in his old age the fruit of his marriage, as Abraham once was.
“May I,” he prayed, “have the opportunity to be called the father of a child, and not endure reproaches from people childless and rejected by God!”
Joachim added fasting to this prayer and did not eat bread for forty days.
“I won’t eat,” he said, “and I won’t return to my house; Let my tears be my food, and let this desert be my home, until the Lord God of Israel hears and takes away my reproach.
In the same way, his wife, being at home and hearing that the high priest did not want to accept their gifts, reproaching her for barrenness, and that her husband had retired into the desert out of great sorrow, cried inconsolable tears.
“Now,” she said, “I am the most unfortunate of all: rejected by God, reproached by people and abandoned by my husband!” What to cry about now: about your widowhood, or about childlessness, about your orphanhood, or about the fact that you are not worthy to be called a mother?!
She cried so bitterly all those days.
Anna's slave, named Judith, tried to console her, but could not: for who can console one whose sadness is as deep as the sea?
One day, sad Anna went into her garden, sat down under a laurel tree, sighed from the depths of her heart and, raising her eyes, full of tears to the sky, saw a bird’s nest with little chicks on the tree. This sight caused her even greater grief, and she began to cry with tears:
- Woe to me, childless! I must be the most sinful among all the daughters of Israel, that I alone am so humiliated before all the wives. Everyone carries the fruit of their womb in their hands - everyone is comforted by their children: I alone am alien to this joy. Woe is me! The gifts of all are accepted in the temple of God, and they are shown respect for their childbearing: I alone am rejected from the temple of my Lord. Woe is me! Who will I be like? neither to the birds of the air, nor to the beasts of the earth: for they too bring You, O Lord God, their fruit, but I alone am barren. I cannot even compare myself with the earth: for it vegetates and grows seeds and, bearing fruit, blesses You, the Heavenly Father: I alone am barren on earth. Woe is me, Lord, Lord! I am alone, sinful, without offspring. You, Who once gave Sarah the son Isaac in her old age (Gen. 21:1-8), You, Who opened the womb of Anna, the mother of Your prophet Samuel (1 Sam. 1:20), look now upon me and hear my prayers. Lord Hosts! You know the reproach of childlessness: stop the sadness of my heart and open my womb and make me barren fruitful, so that we bring what I have born to You as a gift, blessing, singing and glorifying Your mercy in agreement.
When Anna cried and sobbed, an angel of the Lord appeared to her and said:
- Anna, Anna! your prayer has been heard, your sighs have passed through the clouds, your tears have appeared before God, and you will conceive and give birth to the most blessed Daughter; through Her all the tribes of the earth will receive blessings and salvation will be granted to the whole world; her name will be Maria.
Hearing the angelic words, Anna bowed to God and said:
- The Lord God lives, if a child is born to me, I will give him to serve God. Let him serve Him and glorify the holy name of God day and night throughout his life.
After this, filled with indescribable joy, Saint Anna quickly went to Jerusalem, there to give thanks to God with prayer for His merciful visit.
At the same time, an Angel appeared to Joachim in the desert and said:
- Joachim, Joachim! God has heard your prayer and is pleased to grant you His grace: your wife Anna will conceive and give birth to you a daughter, whose birth will be a joy for the whole world. And here is a sign for you that I am preaching the truth to you: go to Jerusalem to the temple of God and there, at the golden gates, you will find your wife Anna, to whom I announced the same thing.
Joachim, surprised by such angelic news, praising God and thanking Him with his heart and lips for his great mercy, hastily went to the Jerusalem temple with joy and joy. There, as the angel had told him, he found Anna at the golden gate, praying to God, and told her about the angel’s gospel. She also told him that she had seen and heard an angel who announced the birth of her daughter. Then Joachim and Anna glorified God, who had shown them such great mercy, and, having worshiped Him in the holy temple, they returned to their home.
And Saint Anna conceived on the ninth day of December, and on the eighth of September her daughter was born, the Most Pure and Most Blessed Virgin Mary, the beginning and intercessor of our salvation, at whose birth both heaven and earth rejoiced. On the occasion of Her birth, Joachim brought great gifts, sacrifices and burnt offerings to God, and received the blessing of the high priest, priests, Levites and all the people for being worthy of God’s blessing. Then he arranged a rich meal in his house, and everyone glorified God with joy.
Her parents took care of the growing Virgin Mary like the apple of their eye, knowing, by a special revelation of God, that She would be the light of the whole world and the renewal of human nature. Therefore, they raised Her with such careful prudence as befitted the One who was to be the Mother of our Savior. They loved Her not only as a daughter, long awaited, but also revered Her as their mistress, remembering the angelic words spoken about Her, and foreseeing in spirit what would happen to Her. She, filled with Divine grace, mysteriously enriched her parents with the same grace. Just as the sun illuminates the stars of heaven with its rays, giving them particles of its light, so God’s chosen Mary, like the sun, illuminated Joachim and Anna with the rays of the grace given to her, so that they too were filled with the Spirit of God and firmly believed in the fulfillment of the angelic words.
When the youth Mary was three years old, her parents led Her with glory into the temple of the Lord, accompanying her with lighted lamps, and dedicated Her to the service of God, as they had promised. Several years after the introduction of Mary into the temple, Saint Joachim died, eighty years old. Saint Anna, remaining a widow, left Nazareth and came to Jerusalem, where she remained near her Most Holy Daughter, praying incessantly in the temple of God. Having lived in Jerusalem for two years, she rested in the Lord, being 79 years old.
Oh, how blessed are you, holy parents, Joachim and Anna, for the sake of your Most Blessed Daughter!
You are especially blessed for the sake of Her Son, our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom all the nations and tribes of the earth received blessings! It is right that the Holy Church called you Fathers of God,3 for we know that God was born from your Most Holy Daughter. Now standing close to Him in heaven, pray that at least some part of your endless joy will be given to us. Amen.
Troparion, tone 1:
Who in legal grace was righteous and gave birth to a God-given child to us, Joachim and Anna: the same day, joyfully celebrating, the divine church honors your memory, glorifying God, who raised the horn of salvation for us in the house of David.
Kontakion, voice 2:
Now Anna rejoices, having resolved her infertility, and nourishes the Most Pure One, calling all to sing praises, who from her womb bestowed upon man only the Mother and the inexperienced one.