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In this video recording, Fr. Abraham Dabour from Jordan talks about the moment when the Archangel Gabriel was sent from Heaven to say to the Mother of God: ‘Rejoice!’. “Why ‘Rejoice’? Because he wanted to transfer joy to her… Why Theotokos is described as the fleece of Gideon? As the water came out from the dry fleece and the fleece was still dry, and gave water and life to all mankind, so did the Virgin Mary stay a virgin and gave life to the whole world.” This is a sermon recorded in March 3rd, 2023 by the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese – Amman – Church of the Lord’s Entry into the Temple – Sweifieh, Jordan.
English translation by Waad Rabahie
Video source (watch the full video here): Greek Orthodox Archdiocese – Amman – Jordan (https://youtu.be/RurHu97kCHg)
Fr. Abraham:
Our beloved children, ‘an Archangel was sent from Heaven to say to the Theotokos: Rejoice!’ Not ‘peace be upon you’, as if he’s greeting her saying: ‘Hi! How are you doing?’
Instead, he wanted to transfer joy to her. Rejoice! Why rejoice? Because with the incarnated voice, at the same moment, when the angel announced the virgin of the birth of Christ, at the same time God the word dwelt in her womb and created for Himself human nature from her pure womb and stopped the offspring of fallen Adam so that HE will be the new Adam, who through the virgin Mary, through her giving birth to the incarnated God, as the hymn says “in You the creation is renewed”.
So through the incarnation of God, through the Virgin Mary, the creation was renewed and we became through the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ a new creation.
Everything has become new. So it’s said in Romans: “so we also should walk in newness of life” [Romans 6:4]. Or in the new life. And what is the newness of life? It is to be united with God, because God has united Himself with us. God was incarnated and took this human nature. And you see that He didn’t take a person or a fetus called Jesus and dwelt in him. This is Nestorianism.
The person is God the Son. The Hypostasis is God the Son. In His divine nature, He took human nature from the blood of the Holy Virgin Mary. Thus He took all mankind because He wanted to save all mankind.
Why the Virgin Mary stayed a virgin? Uncorrupted, meaning she stayed a virgin… God kept Mary a virgin so that He shows that He is the incarnated God, and that He kept her virginity.
That’s why today you heard the beautiful hymns that the choir chanted: “Rejoice o fleece of Gideon!” What does the fleece of Gideon mean? What is a fleece? It’s the sheep’s wool when they shear the sheep. When Gideon was to save the Israeli people in the Old Testament, God said to him, “I shall be with you”. Gideon said, “I don’t have an army”. The Lord said, “I will be with you”. He said, “give me a sign”. He told him to put the fleece of wool on the threshing floor and tomorrow if there is dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground, then I shall know that I will win. And indeed the next day there was dew on the fleece only, and it is dry on all the ground. Then he asked the opposite, let the fleece be dry, but on all the ground let there be dew. The next morning he found that it was dry on the fleece only, but there was dew on all the ground. And indeed He trusted God in this sign and he conquered the enemy and freed the Israeli people.
Why Theotokos is described as the fleece of Gideon? As the water came out from the dry fleece and the fleece was still dry, and gave water and life to all mankind, so did the Virgin Mary stay a virgin and gave life to the whole world. See Old Testament symbols of the Virgin Mary…
Today I wanted to talk about this summarized one. This Virgin stayed a virgin so that she takes us back to the life of virginity, the life of chastity and purity, which Adam lived before the fall and Christ has called us to this purity so that we enter the kingdom of Heaven and stay pure with the Lord, especially during fasting, we should remember that our life here on earth should be a life of purification and staying away from vices and overeating, because it all will vanish and is vain.
So we should keep in mind that man in paradise was virgin and in fasting, we should go back to that mindset so that we enter the Kingdom of Heaven and remain all pure as the virtuous Joseph.
May you have many years!
