Today the Holy Orthodox Church commemorates and solemnly celebrates a joyful event — the Nativity of the Most Holy Virgin Mary.

For us Christians, it is very important to understand the spiritual significance of each Church feast, for each of them contains a profound spiritual meaning and teaches us how we should live.

Today’s feast of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos also speaks to us of the spiritual benefit which the event we are celebrating reminds us of and gives us.

We know from Holy Scripture that the parents of the Most Holy Theotokos, the righteous Joachim and Anna, had been childless for a long time. They prayed to God, asking Him to grant them deliverance from their barrenness. And the Lord heard their prayer.

We also know how important prayer is in the life of every Christian. Without prayer, it is impossible to live a spiritual life, to receive God’s help, or to attain salvation.

In the Acts of the Holy Apostles we read that, when the Apostles prayed, “the place where they were assembled was shaken” (Acts 4:31). This shows us the power of prayer.

The Lord Himself tells us: “Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you” (Matthew 7:7).

But it is very important to understand what exactly we should pray for. Often a person asks God for something which seems necessary for their life, but which may in fact prove harmful to them. Therefore, above all, we should ask God that His holy will may be fulfilled concerning us.

The Lord says: “But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you” (Matthew 6:33).

The will of God, as the Apostle says, “is your sanctification” (1 Thessalonians 4:3). It is to holiness that the Lord calls us, and in this lies the principal purpose of our earthly life.

Therefore, when we turn to God in prayer, we should not only ask Him for our needs, but also strive to accept His will concerning us. In the prayer “Our Father” we say every day: “Thy will be done” (Matthew 6:10).

However, this does not mean that we should not ask God for our earthly needs. On the contrary, the Lord Himself teaches us to turn to Him with all our requests. But we must remember that not every desire we have is beneficial or conducive to our salvation.

Sometimes a person asks for something that seems necessary to them, but the Lord does not grant it. The person may then wonder: why did God not hear their prayer? But we must understand that the Lord knows us better than we know ourselves, and He knows what will truly be beneficial for us.

Therefore, let us ask God for everything that is necessary for our life, but let us always add: “Thy will be done”. Let us ask for what we need, provided that it is beneficial to us and to our souls.

We see precisely such an example in the lives of the righteous Joachim and Anna. They prayed for a long time that a child might be granted to them. The Lord heard their prayer and gave them the Most Holy Virgin Mary. And through Her the great work of our salvation was accomplished.

As we celebrate the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos today, let us remember the power of prayer and how important it is to trust in God and in His holy will.

Let us pray to the Lord with unceasing and constant prayer, as the righteous Joachim and Anna did. Let us ask Him for help in our sorrows, illnesses, needs and trials, but above all let us ask for the salvation of our souls.

May the Most Holy Theotokos, Who was born to become the Mother of the Saviour of the world, always cover us with Her venerable omophorion and lead us to Christ.

On this feast day, let us turn to Her with particular fervour in prayer:

“O Lady, receive the prayer of Thy children and deliver us from every need and sorrow.”