Annunciation to St. Mary (sooboro)

Annunciation to St. Mary (sooboro)

March 25th is the Feast of the Annunciation to the Virgin St. Mary the mother of God (Hido d'Suboro da'bthulto Mariam Yoldath Aloho) or Vachanippu Perunaal (വചനിപ്പു പെരുനാള്‍) according to the Liturgical Calendar of the Syriac Orthodox Church. Today we commemorate the archangel Gabriel's announcement of the incarnation of our Lord to St. Mary. We celebrate the Feast of Annunciation (Suboro) to St. Mary twice a year; on the 3rd Sunday after Qudosh Idto & on March 25th (9 months before Christmas). Suboro is considered to be one of the most important feasts of the Church, so much so that the Holy Qurbono must be held on this day even if March 25th also happens to be Good Friday! "So the holy thing which shall be born of the virgin shall be called Holy & the Son of God." (Luke 1:35). The event of Annunciation of Divine Conception marks the beginning of the two mysteries of Incarnation & Redemption. In the Syriac tradition, St. Mary is never a passive figure, nor is she credulous, which is clearly evident in the scriptures (Luke 1:34). She is often portrayed as questioning the angel closely in order to make sure he was not a messenger of Satan disguised as an angel of light. (II Cor 11:14) The moment Mary yielded to God’s Command, the Holy Ghost came upon her absolving her of sin & sanctifying her (Luke 1:35). Divinity dwelt in her womb & of her blood a full man was created initiating, thus the mystery of Divine Incarnation without the seed of a man “before they came together”(Matt 1:18). The Lord had the complete human nature of his mother, that is a real body with articulate human soul (Luke 23:46 Matt 26:38), resembling us, yet without sin (Heb. 4:15). St. Mary is perpetually virgin. She conceived as a virgin, & brought forth her son without breaking the seal of virginity. (Matt 1:25) She remained unknown to man. In the typology of the Syriac tradition various names are given to Mary to symbolize said virginity: -The Closed Door (thar'o dahid) -The Sealed Letter (egartho htimtho) -Unploughed Land (ar'o dlo ethpalhath) -Unpruned Vine (satho lo kashuh) -Thirsty Land (ar'o zahitho) -Gideon's Fleece (geztho d'Gideon) To celebrate this blessed feast, the Suryoye have a number of customs which though not dogmatic, are passed on for generations. These traditions have not carried forward into Malankara: The Syriac Orthodox in the Middle East have a tradition where the faithful put on a "siboro" around the wrist. This "siboro" consists of a white thread & a red thread wound around each other. When Virgin Mary became pregnant the Divine nature (God the Word; the red thread) united with the human nature (the white thread) which God the Word took from Virgin Mary through the holy Spirit's action. Thus our Lord Jesus Christ is "One nature from two natures" or as professed by St. Cyril of Alexandria, "one pre-incarnate divine nature assumed human nature becoming perfectly united in Jesus. The one nature of the Incarnate Logos." The faithful wear the "siboro" from March 25th (the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary) until Qymtho (Easter Sunday) when it is clipped off & burnt. Another tradition is the preparation of 'laysho' bread. While the morning prayers for the Feast are recited, the Virgin woman of the Church will prepare the dough needed. During prayers there will be a procession around the inside of the Church. Finally, the baked bread is prepared & then blessed by the priest to be distributed. Source: 'The Virgin Mary in the Syrian Orthodox Church', 'Bride of Light' & 'Mariological Thought of Mar Jacob of Serugh' and others The Holy Bible readings from the Church Lectionary: Evening: St. Luke 1:26-38 Morning: St. Mark 3:31-35 Before Holy Qurbono: Deuteronomy 26:16-27:10 Judges 13:2-14 Zechariah 2:10-13, 4:1-7, 8:3 Isaiah 63:15-64:5 Holy Qurbono: 1 John 3:2-17 Hebrews 6:13-7:10 St. Luke 1:26-38 For sermons/commentaries based on the Gospel reading: https://web.archive.org/web/20210616013512/https://www.malankaraworld.com/Library/Sermons/Sermon-of-the-week_annunciation_Mary.htm Tone of the Day: 4 Syriac Prayers: https://tinyurl.com/mvykth5y  Malayalam Hymns: https://goo.gl/MsNi9E Fixed Feast