The Nativity of the Mother of God and the Beginning of Joy
Gerald Largent
The Nativity of the Mother of God: The Beginning of Joy
September 8
Joachim and Anna’s long wait
On September 8, the Church celebrates the Nativity of Our Most Holy Lady, the Birthgiver-of-God and Ever-Virgin Mary. It is the first Great Feast of the new ecclesiastical year, and appropriately so: with the birth of the Mother of God, the Church sees the first light of the approaching mystery of the Incarnation.
The Gospel does not give us an account of Mary’s birth or childhood. The Church’s tradition, preserved from ancient Christian sources, tells us of her righteous parents, Joachim and Anna. They had remained childless for many years, carrying both sorrow and, in the culture of their time, the burden of reproach. Yet they remained faithful to God.
Their long waiting eventually became the setting for an extraordinary gift. In answer to their prayers, Anna conceived and gave birth to Mary—the woman who would later freely say yes to God and become the Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ.
The Church therefore celebrates Mary’s Nativity not simply because an unusually holy person was born. We rejoice because her birth marks a decisive step toward our salvation.
Patience and trust in God
The hymns of the feast proclaim that her Nativity has announced joy to the whole universe, because from her would shine forth Christ, the Sun of Righteousness. The focus ultimately remains on Christ. Everything that makes the Birthgiver-of-God glorious comes from her unique relationship with Him. She is honored because through her obedient cooperation with divine grace, the eternal Son of God truly entered human history and took flesh for our salvation.
Her birth also teaches us about the mysterious patience of God. Joachim and Anna waited for years. Perhaps they wondered why their prayers remained unanswered. Yet what seemed like a long silence was not abandonment. Divine Providence was preparing something greater than they could have imagined.
Many Christians know that experience. We pray for healing, reconciliation, direction, a child, the conversion of someone we love, relief from suffering, or an answer to a difficult problem. Days become months, and sometimes months become years.
The Nativity of the Birthgiver-of-God reminds us that God’s apparent silence is not the same as His absence. The Lord may be at work in ways hidden from us. Joachim and Anna could not yet see that their personal sorrow would become part of the story of salvation for the whole world.
Learning from Mary’s faith
The feast also reveals how God works through humility. The salvation of mankind does not begin with the birth of a ruler in an imperial palace. It unfolds quietly, through an elderly couple’s prayers and through the birth of a little girl whose greatness would consist not in worldly power but in perfect openness to God.
Later, at the Annunciation, Mary would say, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord.” Her entire life becomes a model of this receptive obedience: hearing God, trusting Him, and allowing His will to take flesh within her life.
That is also our calling.
We will not bear Christ physically as the Birthgiver-of-God did, but every Christian is called to bear Christ spiritually into the world. When we forgive, Christ becomes visible. When we show mercy, Christ becomes visible. When we receive suffering with faith, speak truth with love, care for the forgotten, repent of our sins, and offer ourselves to God, His life takes shape within us.
The Nativity of the Birthgiver-of-God is therefore a feast of hope. From barrenness comes life. From long waiting comes fulfillment. From hidden faithfulness comes the beginning of salvation. As we celebrate her birth, may we learn from Joachim and Anna to persevere in prayer, and from the Most Holy Birthgiver-of-God to answer God with humility and trust.
Most Holy Birthgiver-of-God, save us through your holy intercessions.
Originally published in the September 6, 2026 St. Panteleimon Orthodox Christian Outreach devotional.