Entrance of the Theotokos Into the Temple

Sticheria 6 on “Lord I Call,” Vespers of the Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple

Church Prayers, Hymns, Services / By Orthodox Church Quotes

Anna the all-praised cried out rejoicing: “Receive O Zachariah, her whom God’s Prophets proclaimed in the Spirit, and bring her into the holy Temple, there to be brought up in reverence, that she may become the divine throne of the Master of all, His palace and resting place and dwelling filled with light!”

— Sticheria 6 on “Lord I Call,” Vespers of the Entrance of the Theotokos into the Temple

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St. Andrew of Crete: Thus the immaculate fruition issuing forth from the womb occurred from an infertile mother . . .

“Thus the immaculate fruition issuing forth from the womb occurred from an infertile mother, and then the parents, in the first blossoming of her growth brought her to the temple and dedicated her to God. The priest, then making the order of services, beheld the face of the girl and of those in front of and behind, and he became gladdened and joyful, seeing as it were the actual fulfillment of the Divine promise. He consecrated her to God, as a reverential gift and propitious sacrifice and, as a great treasury unto salvation, he led her within the very innermost parts of the temple. Here the Maiden walked in the upright ways of the Lord, as in bridal chambers, partaking of heavenly food until the time of betrothal, which was preordained before all the ages by Him Who, by His inscrutable mercy, was born from her, and by Him Who before all creation and time and expanse Divinely begat Him, …”

— St. Andrew of Crete, Homily on the Nativity of the Theotokos

St. Andrew of Crete: Thus the immaculate fruition issuing forth from the womb occurred from an infertile mother . . . Read More »

St. Germanus: Today she who will receive the Holy of Holies . . .

Sayings from Saints, Elders, and Fathers, St. Germanus of Constantinople / By Orthodox Church Quotes

“Today she who will receive the Holy of Holies, that is the Christ, through the sanctification of the Holy Spirit is, through an even greater sanctification, placed in the Holy of Holies with holiness and majesty.”

– St. Germanus of Constantinople, First Homily on the Presentation

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St. Gregory Palamas: . . . she enjoyed ineffable nourishment such as even Adam did not succeed in tasting; . . .

Sayings from Saints, Elders, and Fathers, St. Gregory Palamas / By Orthodox Church Quotes

“A vow was given by those who marvelously begot her to return her that was given to the Giver; so accordingly the Mother of God strangely changed her dwelling from the house of her father to the house of God while still an infant. She passed not a few years in the Holy of Holies itself, wherein under the care of an angel she enjoyed ineffable nourishment such as even Adam did not succeed in tasting; …”

— St. Gregory Palamas, Homily on the Dormition of the Theotokos

St. Gregory Palamas: . . . she enjoyed ineffable nourishment such as even Adam did not succeed in tasting; . . . Read More »

St. Germanus . . . it is there in this holy sanctuary of grace that Mary is offered to stay there indefinitely.

Sayings from Saints, Elders, and Fathers, St. Germanus of Constantinople / By Orthodox Church Quotes

“There where only the High Priest may enter, and then rarely: only once a year, it is there in this holy sanctuary of grace that Mary is offered to stay there indefinitely. Who has ever heard anything similar? Who has ever seen or heard, now or formerly, that a woman was introduced into the intimacy of the Holy of Holies, and that it was in this place, almost inaccessible even to men, that she lived and ate. Is this not a striking demonstration of the strange magnificence of which her womb would be the object? Is it not a manifest sign, a irrefutable proof?”

— St. Germanus of Constantinople, Second Homily on the Presentation

St. Germanus . . . it is there in this holy sanctuary of grace that Mary is offered to stay there indefinitely. Read More »

St. Gregory Palamas: . . . so that through Her, the Heavenly Abodes might be opened and given for an eternal habitation . . .

Sayings from Saints, Elders, and Fathers, St. Gregory Palamas / By Orthodox Church Quotes

In Her manner She showed that She was not so much presented into the Temple, but that She Herself entered into the service of God of her own accord, as if she had wings, striving towards this sacred and divine love. She considered it desirable and fitting that she should enter into the Temple and dwell in the Holy of Holies.

Therefore, the High Priest, seeing that this child, more than anyone else, had divine grace within Her, wished to set Her within the Holy of Holies. He convinced everyone present to welcome this, since God had advanced it and approved it. Through His angel, God assisted the Virgin and sent Her mystical food, with which She was strengthened in nature, while in body She was brought to maturity and was made purer and more exalted than the angels, having the Heavenly spirits as servants. She was led into the Holy of Holies not just once, but was accepted by God to dwell there with Him during Her youth, so that through Her, the Heavenly Abodes might be opened and given for an eternal habitation to those who believe in Her miraculous birthgiving.

— St. Gregory Palamas, Excerpt from the Discourse on the Feast of the Entry of the Most Holy Theotokos into the Holy of Holies

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St. Theophylact: At that time, the High Priest was in ecstasy, filled with the Spirit of God . . .

Sayings from Saints, Elders, and Fathers, St. Theophylact of Ochrid / By Orthodox Church Quotes

“At that time, the High Priest was in ecstasy, filled with the Spirit of God, and understood that the maiden was the dwelling place of divine grace and more worthy then he to stand always before God’s countenance. He remembered that the Law commended the Ark be placed in the Holy of Holies and straightway perceived that this ordinance pertained to the maiden.”

— St. Theophylact of Ochrid

St. Theophylact: At that time, the High Priest was in ecstasy, filled with the Spirit of God . . . Read More »