The Holy Scriptures tell almost nothing about Her birth and childhood. The tradition of the Church has preserved the story of the righteous Joachim and Anna, elderly spouses who had no children for many years. For ancient man, childlessness was not only a family sorrow, but also a severe social ordeal. One day, Joachim, who came to the Jerusalem temple with gifts to God, was not accepted: his childlessness was considered a sign of God's displeasure. The sorrowful elder retreated into the desert and began to pray. Upon learning about the incident, Anna also turned to God with a fervent prayer.
And the prayer was answered. According to legend, an angel announced to Joachim and Anna that they would have a Daughter and through Her the whole human race would be blessed. The couple made a vow to dedicate the child to God. In due course, they had a daughter, who was named Maria. Later, fulfilling her promise, her parents brought Her to the Jerusalem Temple. Thus, in the home of two elderly people who had endured years of sorrow and hope, the One Who would become the Mother of the Savior of the World was born.
The Church calls the Nativity of the Virgin Mary not just a memory of the birth of a holy woman. This is the beginning of the fulfillment of God's plan for the salvation of man. The birth of Mary becomes a preparation for the Nativity of Christ. It is not for nothing that St. Dimitry of Rostov compares the Blessed Virgin to the temple that God Himself prepared for His incarnation. Solomon once built a magnificent Jerusalem temple, decorating it with gold and precious materials. But God has prepared for Himself another temple, not a man—made one, but a living one: the Most Pure Virgin Mary.
There is a special depth to this image. God does not act the way a person is used to. Where a person sees the small and insignificant, the Lord can begin the great. Where human hope has run out, the road to a miracle can open.
Mary's birth does not take place in the royal palace. Her parents are not the rulers of the world. Their family story begins with grief, infertility, humiliation, and a long wait. But out of this house comes the One whom the Church calls the most honest Cherubim and the most glorious Seraphim without comparison.
The Nativity of the Virgin is not only a holiday about the past. It contains a very personal appeal to every person who has ever felt that his prayer remains unanswered. Joachim and Anna have been waiting for many years. Their hope did not disappear along with the first disappointments. They continued to pray. And what might have seemed like the end of the story to a human eye turned out to be just the beginning.
The church hymns of the feast call Mary a "life-giving garden" that grew from an unfruitful root. This image contains the very secret of the holiday: hope for life grows out of human infertility, and from a quiet family home begins the path to an event that will change the history of the world.
A few centuries later, St. Dimitry of Rostov would write about the Virgin Mary as the "animated chamber" of the Heavenly King. And St. John of Damascus, addressing Her parents, will glorify them for having prepared this priceless gift for the world with their righteous lives.
On this day, the Church addresses the Blessed Virgin Mary with a joyful greeting.: "Hail, all-immaculate chamber of the King of all." And at the same time, this holiday seems to remind each of us that God's plan often begins where the human eye sees only the small, weak and hopeless.