Pre-Christmas Feasts
Jump to Conception of St. Anna
Our Holy Father
Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia
December 6
Our
Holy Father Nicholas was born (c. 270) in
the region of Lycia (southern Asia Minor),
in the city of Patara. His parents,
Theophanes and Nonna, were both pious
Christians, and being childless until his
arrival, consecrated Nicholas to God at his
birth (the name Nicholas meaning “Conqueror
of nations”). Nicholas would always remember
his parents’ love and devotion to God, and
in his later years promised to come to the
aid of those who remembered them in their
prayers. As a young man, he desired to
espouse the solitary life. He made a
pilgrimage to the holy city Jerusalem, where
he found a place to withdraw to devote
himself to prayer. It was made known to him,
however, that this was not the will of God
for him, but that he should return to his
homeland to be a cause of salvation for
many. He returned to Myra, and was ordained
Bishop.
As a
Good Shepherd, Saint Nicholas dedicated
himself to
the
care of his people and made great efforts to
feed his people during times of famine. He
became known for his abundant mercy,
providing for the poor and needy, and
delivering those who had been unjustly
accused. Because of these acts of charity
and his observed holiness, Nicholas was
revered as a Saint even before his death. At
the Council of Nicaea in the year 325, the
holy Archbishop of Myra Nicholas defended
the true nature of Christ against the Arian
heresy and helped write the Nicene Creed.
The Conception by Righteous Anna of the Most Holy Theotokos - December 9
Celebrated for many centuries under a variety of titles, the Feast widely known in the Eastern Church as the Feast of the Conception by St. Anna is celebrated in the Roman Church as the Feast of the Immaculate Conception. This Feast commemorates Saint Anna’s conception of Mary, the Mother of God. The writings of the early Church tell us that Mary’s parents, the righteous Joachim and Anna, prayed earnestly for a child. Joachim was of the tribe of Judah and a descendant of King David. Anna was the daughter of the priest Matthan. Anna’s sister, Zoia, was the mother of Elizabeth (who became the mother of forerunner of Christ John the Baptist). Anna however, was childless. Anna and Joachim had lived devoutly in marriage for fifty years. They gave a third of their income to the poor and a third to the Temple in Jerusalem. Still, they were scorned for being without offspring. With heavy hearts, they prayed that God would bless them with a child to comfort them in their old age. The Almighty God answered their prayers by allowing Anna to conceive a child who would be the Mother of God’s own Son, Jesus Christ.
Against all hope, the bonds of barrenness are loosed today. For, God has hearkened unto Joachim and Anna clearly promising that they would bear a godly maiden. He who commanded the angel to cry out to her, “Hail, full of grace, the Lord is with you,” will be born of her, the infinite One Himself, becoming man.
