4th December 2020, The Orthodox Church celebrates today the Feast of the Entry of the Theotokos into the Temple of Jerusalem.
Metropolitan Vladimir of Chisinau and all Moldova celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the Nativity of the Lord Cathedral, assisted by the clergy of the holy shrine. Numerous church-goers participated in the Divine Service, praying to God and to the Most Pure Virgin Mary for salvation, peace and health.
The feast, also called the Presentation of the Mother of God, reminds of an event described in the Holy Tradition, when 3 year-old infant Mary was brought by her parents Joachim ad Anna into the Temple of Jerusalem, and consecrated to the service of God. Virgin Mary was raised in the Temple school until she turned 15, when she was wed to elder Joseph.
This holiday is one of the most recent feasts dedicated to the Mother of God. It dates back to the 6th century, when a new church dedicated to the Theotokos was edified in Jerusalem in the time of Emperor Justinian. The Entry of the Theotokos into the Temple is one of the 12 Great Feasts of the Orthodox Church, and is celebrated on the 21st November/4th December.
This Feast reminds to all parents that a child may only be successful when he or she is dedicated to God and lives a God-loving life.
The Orthodox Church entered into Advent, or Nativity Feast, a period that prepares the Christians for the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.
Synodal Sector of Institutional Communication and Mass-Media Relations.