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the Maiden entered the house of the Lord…

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Theotokos enters the Temple

Saint Germanus…writes that when Zacharias took the Maiden by the hand and joyfully led her into the Holy Place, he said to her, ‘Come, O performance of my prophecy; come, fulfillment of the Lord’s pledges; come, O seal of His covenant; come, accomplishment of His Mysteries, mirror of all the prophets!  Come, renewal of what has been promised; come, O light of those who lie in darkness, most divine and newest of gifts, and enter into the Temple of your Lord!  Now the sanctuary here below is opened to men, and soon that above, which before could not be entered.’  Rejoicing greatly, the Maiden entered the house of the Lord as though it were a bridal chamber.  Although she was very young, only three years of age, she was perfect in the grace of God, for He had foreseen before the creation of the world that she was to become His mother and had foreordained her to bear him.   Then, the High Priest Zacharias did a strange thing, which caused all to marvel; he led the Maiden into the inner sanctuary known as the Holy of Holies, beyond the second veil, in which were the ark of the covenant, overlaid round about with gold and the cherubim of glory overshadowing the mercy seat.  Not only women but even priests were forbidden to enter the inner sanctuary.  Only the High Priest went into the Holy of Holies, and that but once a year, yet Zacharias led the most pure Virgin directly into the sacred Tabernacle and permitted her to make use of it as a place of prayer.

Selection from:  “A Narrative Concerning the Entrance of Our Most Pure, Most Blessed Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-virgin Mary, into the Temple of the Lord and Her Life” in The Great Collection of the Lives of the Saints, Vol III: November, translated from the Slavonic edition published by the Christian Printshop of the Transfiguration Alms-House, Moscow, First  English Edition, Thomas Marretta (tr), Chrysostom Press, House Springs, MO, 1917, pp. 485-486.

hat tip: Daily Dynamis


Filed under: Christian, Eastern Orthodox, faith, Theotokos Tagged: High Priest Zacharias Image may be NSFW.
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