An eminently Marian season

The highlighting of the significance of Advent as "a time particularly suited to the worship of the Mother of the Lord," does not mean that this liturgical season should be presented as a "month of Mary."

In Eastern Christian liturgical calendars, the preparation period to the mystery of the event (Advent) of divine salvation (Theophany) in the mysteries of the Nativity-Epiphany of the only Son of God the Father, appears as an eminently Marian time. Attention is set on preparing for the coming of the Lord in the mystery of the divine motherhood.

In the East, all the mysteries pertaining to the Virgin Mary are Christological mysteries, that is to say, they refer to the mystery of our salvation in Christ. Thus, in the Coptic rite, during this period the faithful sing the praises of Mary in the Theotokia. The Syrians call this time Subbara, a term meaning “Annunciation” to highlight its Marian character. In the Byzantine rite, preparing for Christmas is marked by a growing series of Marian feasts and hymns sung in honor of the Virgin Mary.

The Mary of Nazareth Team