Tomorrow in Kalmykia they will glorify the righteous Joachim and Anna

The Orthodox Church on September 22 marks the day of memory of the righteous Joachim and Anna, the parents of the Virgin Mary.

The couple were childless for a long time and prayed tirelessly that the Lord would send them a child. Once, on a great feast, Joachim brought gifts to the Jerusalem Temple, but the high priest Issachar did not want to accept them from a childless couple, since the absence of children was considered a curse of God in Israel.

The sad elder retired to the desert, where he fervently prayed for the birth of a child. Anna continued to pray. After many prayers, an angel appeared to her and announced the birth of a daughter, who would be glorified by the entire human race.

Soon a girl was born, who was called Maria. At the age of three, she was brought to the temple, where she lived until adulthood in prayer and labor for the glory of God.