Annunciation is one of the great feasts of the Lord and Marian feasts and the Bulgarian Orthodox Church celebrates it on March 25th. On this day, Christians celebrate the good news Mary received that she would conceive and become the mother of Jesus, the Son of God, marking His Incarnation. If this was a great joyous surprise for Mary, for the whole world it was "the beginning of our road to Salvation," theologian Prof. Ivan Zhelev says.

“There could be no Resurrection without Annunciation. There could not be a result of an action, if there had not been a beginning. On this day we celebrate the beginning of human salvation. With the good news brought by the angel the Blessed Virgin Mary conceived the Savior of the world – Lord Jesus Christ, who is the incarnate Son of God. That is why we all have hope for our salvation; we only need to take advantage of the opportunity provided. We all stand in front of the open doors of God's fatherly love and great mercy – we simply have to cross the threshold and go with the Savior.”

Despite the fact more than two thousand years have passed since the event of the Annunciation, everyone can become the bearer of the good news for the people who have closed their eyes and ears. “Sometimes we can be the greatest enemies of ourselves,” the professor says and adds: "Therefore, it is always necessary to spread the good news. In this way, the eyes, the ears and the hearts of people can be opened to accept the Savior. Because salvation is not a philosophical concept, it is a personal reality for everyone.”

In the past, Annunciation used to be celebrated as Mother's Day. Unfortunately, these days the holiday has lost that nuance in secular life.

“Mankind has experienced and continues to experience not only wonderful moments in its millennial history, but also many delusions and deceits," Prof. Zhelev says. "One of them is that of atheism. In order to tear people away from the faith of their mothers and fathers, they have been imbued with various ideas. Part of this replacement included changing content and meaning, as well as the dates of the holidays. Is there a better day than Annunciation to celebrate Mother's Day? The Church does this, but without understanding and cooperation of the state, it is difficult to bring things back to the old line of healthy traditions.”

Is it possible to look at women today in a different way and recognize that the true vocation of a woman is being a mother?

“We need to look at women in a Christian way as totally equal to man, deserving love and respect even if not being mothers. Everyone must have utmost respect for mothers as they gave us life and were taking care of us non-top in order to grow up and become worthwhile persons. For a mother, there is no greater joy than seeing her children take their place in life.”

Can we learn a lesson from the Virgin Mary, who has humbly accepted God's will to become mother of Lord Jesus Christ?

“The Blessed Virgin Mary is a model for women and mothers. The purity of her soul and her dignity have made her an everlasting role-model for every woman. Her image, preserved in the Gospels, is an example of a woman and a mother who did not put her personal interests over her mother's duty. She dedicated herself wholeheartedly to being helpful to her divine Son. However, she did not live with pride, but with responsibility coming from the fact she is God-bearer. Purity, humility and dignity are qualities that every person needs. Mothers need these qualities as their educational effect on children is more natural and effective. Humility is another form of love, but humility must be accompanied by dignity in order not to become victims of cowardice. Dignity without humility leads to pride and haughtiness. A great example of spiritual purity, humility and dignity has been provided by the holy Virgin Mary. We just need to make efforts and follow this example," Prof. Zhelev says in conclusion.

English: Alexander Markov