JOY TO THE WHOLE UNIVERSE
(September 21, OC-Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos)
“Your Nativity, O Virgin Theotokos, / Has proclaimed joy to the whole universe! / The Sun of Righteousness, Christ our God, / Has shone from You! / Having annulled the curse, / He bestowed blessing. / Having destroyed death, He has granted us eternal Life.” (Troparion of Nativity of the Theotokos)
The birth of a baby-girl to a heretofore childless, Jewish couple, Joachim and Anna, over 2,000 years ago in a small village called Nazareth, did proclaim joy “to the whole universe,” – but the whole universe did not rejoice at this news when it happened. And still today, we might not experience this good news as joy. Unlike a lot of the bad news that almost-instantly angers us in our 24/7 news-cycle, the joy of the good news that God has proclaimed to us throughout the centuries seems very slow to reach us. Why? Is it because we are generally quick to anger, but slow to hear and receive joy?
I think anger is easier, in a way, than joy. Especially self-righteous anger, which can make us feel like faithful Christians, if we get angry together with our co-religionists for the “right” reasons. But joy takes daily work on fostering our faith; it takes active participation in it. As I read somewhere, “Joy is not just the absence of pain; it is the gift of continued spiritual awakening.” Joy comes from paying attention daily to the words and actions of God in our midst, and letting His grace empower my own words and actions, sharing this experience with others.
Today, as those of us on the Older Calendar celebrate the Nativity of the Theotokos, we are invited to partake of it, like of a source of joy, blessing, and also of healing, from all the anger we carry around and sometimes readily perpetuate among or even against one another on social media. Lord, this morning let me let myself rejoice, and to be blessed, by just one little factoid of Salvation History, the birth of Your Mother in Nazareth. Most Holy Theotokos, save us!
