Today we celebrate the conception of the Most Holy Theotokos by Righteous Anna. What a wonderful feast! Today begins the advent of our salvation...The Virgin Mary like every other woman is conceived according to the laws of nature and like everyone bears the ancestral sin of our forefathers. In this respect she is a true daughter of Eve. But what makes her very special is that she leads a sinless life. In this respect she is model for every Orthodox Christian. Christ takes on the flesh of Adam from His Mother who is the greatest of ascetics, who by her virtuous life becomes like Christ. And so she is able to stand before God and intercede for us. In Mary we see that true synergy available to everyone of us. Man strives and the grace of God makes perfect. It is not her conception that is immaculate but her life in total conformity to the will of God. Blessed art thou among women! O Thou who art full of grace!
There is wonderful book on this theme by St John of Shanghai.
Fr Serafim