Annunciation to St. Mary, Mother of God (Suboreh Dabthulto)

Annunciation to St. Mary, Mother of God (Suboreh Dabthulto)

The Sunday of the Annunciation to the Virgin Mary the mother of God (had'bshabo d'Suboro da'bthulto Mariam Yoldath Aloho) 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. 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 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) Source: 'The Virgin Mary in the Syrian Orthodox Church', 'Bride of Light' & 'Mariological Thought of Mar Jacob of Serugh' The Holy Bible readings from the Church Lectionary:Evening:St. Luke 1:26-38Morning:St. Mark 3:31-35Before Holy Qurbono:Deuteronomy 26:16-27:10Judges 13:2-14Zechariah 2:10-13, 4:1-7, 8:3Isaiah 63:15-64:5Holy Qurbono:1 John 3:2-17Hebrews 6:13-7:10St. Luke 1:26-38For sermons/commentaries based on the Gospel reading: https://goo.gl/N0XC2rTone of the Day: 4 (8 for alternative days of the week)Syriac Prayers: https://tinyurl.com/yckt7zvj Hymns: https://goo.gl/MsNi9E