Day 7

In the Divine Liturgy for the Feast of the Entrance of the Mother of God today, there were a number of parts of the Liturgy that were replaced with hymns specifically about the Feast. One of those parts was the Hymn to the Birth-giver, "You are truly deserving of glory.." that is normally sung following the Anaphora, after the gifts of bread and wine have been consecrated into the Body and Blood of Christ. This hymn is often replaced with the specific hymns for the Feast, the Magnification and the Irmos (taken from the Canon of Matins for the Feast). For this Feast of the Entry, there is also a "special" glorification that is called to be sung prior to the Irmos. It is this hymn that I would like to take a look a today:

 

 

Aside from being a beautiful hymn, it is a hymn that speaks directly to what we have been speaking of...that the Virgin will become the dwelling place of God on earth. No longer will God be contained to the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies in the Temple. God will now dwell on this earth, among His creation. If we remember from Genesis, Adam and Eve dwelt in the Garden of Eden with God. They walked and talked with God in the cool of the evening. After the Fall, that closeness was lost. There was a separation. That separation was shown in the Temple by the curtain that separated the Holy of Holies from the rest of the Temple. 

 

Now, God comes to dwell with us once again. In time, that curtain will be torn. It will be torn on Holy Friday and Jesus hangs on the Cross and breathes his last breath. At that moment, the promise of salvation that begins with the events of today's Feast will be fulfilled. As the angels behold this child entering the Holy of Holies, they witness God's promise to His creation of salvation and eternal life, and they are amazed. What a powerful and beautiful image this Feast of the Entry presents to us here at the start of this journey of Advent. 

 

Today, let us also be amazed at the good will of God. Let us rejoice in the promise that is extended to each of us. And most importantly, let us embrace this journey of the Nativity Fast, with joy, with fasting and with expectation. Today is most assuredly the foreshadowing of the good pleasure of God!