Handout Resources

Ss. Joachim & Anna were childless for 50 years of their married life. Then the Archangel Gabriel appeared to them, each separately, and foretold the birth of a daughter. God had heard their prayers. They had always been very devout and gave one third of their income to the Temple, one third to the poor and lived on the remaining third. St. Joachim lived to be 80 and St. Anna lived to be 79. In response to the blessing and the Archangel's prophecy, they dedicated Mary to the Lord and presented her to be raised in the Temple from a young child.

Crucifixion was a cruel method of execution but one that the Lord willingly endured for mankind. Christ is shown dead in this icon to emphasize His humanity. The cross symbolizes the burdens we all must carry and has become the predominant symbol of Christianity.

The subject of this icon is the Second Coming with Christ as judge inviting all to their reward. The word Deisis is of Greek origin meaning prayer and petition.

The Dormition of the Theotokos is one of the twelve great feast days. Located on the west wall of our church, this icon represents the peaceful death of the Theotokos. We view this icon as we leave the church. It is a gentle reminder that we all pray for "A Christian ending to our life: painless, blameless, and peaceful".

Jesus triumphantly entered Jerusalem after the Rising of Lazarus. The adults greet the Messiah with green branches while the children spread garments on the ground. The Entry into Jerusalem is one of the great feasts of the church and is recorded in all four gospels.

Commemorated January 12

This icon is more than just a beautiful Christmas piece. It conveys important theological truth as all icons do. Jesus is wrapped in swaddling cloths in such a way that he resembles one wrapped for burial. This indicates that He was born to die for us. The red heifer is present in the cave, which is symbolic of being offered as a sacrifice for the sins of the people. The ass which bore Mary and Him out of town for his birth is there foreshadowing the Triumphal Entry as He goes willingly to the Cross to reconcile us to Himself. The angel in the mountains is shown above two shepherds. This tells the story of how the angel appeared to the shepherds singing and glorifying the birth of Christ, calling them to join in the praise. St. Joseph the Betrothed is shown in a struggle against his temptation. The old man talking to him represents his temptation, when he considered "putting Mary away quietly" not knowing whose child she was to bear. The three men on horseback are the Magi following the star that is being guided by God so they can worship the King, Jesus Christ.

"Nothing about this event is mentioned anywhere in the Holy Scriptures. But why should there be? Is there anything remarkable, anything especially unique about the normal birth of a child, a birth like any other? And if the Church began to commemorate the event with a special feast, it was not because the birth was somehow unique, miraculous, or out of the ordinary; but because, on the contrary, the very fact that it is routine discloses something fresh and radiant about everything we call 'routine and ordinary, it gives new depth to the "unremarkable" details of human life. What do we see in the icon of the feast when we look at it with our spiritual eyes? There on the bed lies a woman, Anna according to Church tradition, who has just given birth to a daughter. Next to her is the child's father, Joachim, according to the same tradition. A few women stand by the bed washing the newborn baby for the first time. The most routine, unremarkable event. Or is it? Could it be that the Church is telling us through this icon that every birth, every entrance of a new human being into the world and life is a miracle of miracles, a miracle that explodes all routine, for it marks the start of something unending, the start of a unique unrepeatable human life. The beginning of a new person. And with each birth, the world is itself in some sense created anew and given as a gift to the new human being to be his life, his path, his creation." (Father Alexander Schmemann.)

Forty days after Jesus Christ's birth, the Theotokos and her betrothed, Joseph, brought her Son to the Temple to make the customary offering for purification; a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons. There, the prophetess Anna and the aged Simeon met them. St. Simeon, one of the translators of the Septuagint, sensed the fulfillment of Isaiah's puzzling prophecies of a virginal birth (Isaiah 7:14), and received the young pre-eternal God Incarnate just as he was promised he would before his death. Then St. Simeon praised God and said, "Now lettest Thou Thy servant depart in peace, O Master."

On October 1, 911, at 4 AM, the Mother of God appeared above the people in the crowded Blachernae Church of the Mother of God in Constantinople, during an all night vigil. She had in her outstretched hands a long veil. St. Andrew the Fool for Christ was standing in the back. He said to his disciple Epiphanius, "Do you see how the Queen and Lady of all is praying for the whole world?" Epiphanius replied, "Yes, Father; I see it and stand in dread." They are depicted in the lower right of these icons. This reminds us of how the Theotokos intercedes for those who ask in time of distress.

Christ commands His friend Lazarus to come forth after three days in the tomb. After his miraculous resurrection, St. Lazarus took refuge in Cyprus where, according to Church tradition, he was consecrated bishop by Sts. Paul and Barnabas.

Christ is shown tenderly pulling our ancestral parents, Adam and Eve, from their tombs. Through His resurrection, Christ has shattered the gates of hell and scattered the chains and locks that bind mankind.

Author(s): Fr. John Matusiak

A full color Icon of The Theotokos. Can be used throughout the Theotokos Unit or as a general handout.

This iconographic type acquired its name from the prophecy found in Isaiah 7: 14, “Therefore the Lord himself will give you this sign: the Virgin shall be with child, and bear a son, and shall name him Immanuel.” The Theotokos in this iconographic depiction is most often placed behind the altar in the apse of the church. The Christ Child is found in a circle at the Virgin’s bosom. This reflects Christ having been formed in the Theotokos’ stainless womb.