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The Nativity of Christ

12/24/2021

SSCORRE! Saint Sophia Cathedral Online Resources for our Religious Edification Topic of the Week: The Nativity of Christ “We are approaching, beloved brethren, the world-saving feast of the birth in the flesh of our Lord God and Savior, Jesus Christ. For several days before the feast, the holy Church will celebrate this wondrous mystery in the spiritual hymns of her daily services. These hymns remind us of our divine birthright, and the squandering of our sonship through

Christmas Eve, the Fortieth Day of Christmas Advent. Making Sense of a Jumbled World.

12/24/2021

By Fr. Stephen Freeman, December 27, 2014 Listening to the Nativity collection of readings for the Vespers of Christmas Eve (there were eight of them), my mind drifted to the “jumbled mess” that is the Old Testament. We speak of it as if it were a single thing, when, it is many things (over 40), and some of those things are jumbled concatenations of other jumbled things. I can only imagine what someone coming to

The Thirty-Ninth Day of Christmas Advent. Let’s Celebrate: The 12 Days of Christmas

12/23/2021

Melissa K. Tsongranis O Christ, what shall we offer You for Your coming on earth as a Man for our sake? Every creature that has its being from You give thanks to You: the angels offer hymns of praise, the heavens give a star: wise men present their gifts, and the shepherds, their wonder; the earth provides a cave and the desert a manger. As for us, we offer You a Mother, a Virgin Mother.

The Thirty-Eighth Day of Christmas Advent. I Have No Gift to Bring! Wait. There is Exactly ONE Gift I CAN Bring!

12/22/2021

Fr. Stavros N. Akrotirianakis Then opening their treasures, they offered Him gifts – gold, frankincense and myrrh. -Matthew 2: 11 As we run around purchasing, wrapping, and delivering gifts for other people this Christmas, we must ask ourselves seriously and soberly, “What gift am I offering to Him this Christmas?” As we are now in the home stretch heading towards the Feast of the Nativity as we count down now the hours until we are at the manger,

The Thirty-Seventh Day of Christmas Advent. Christ’s Family—Our Family

12/21/2021

Melissa K. Tsongranis The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham: Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers. Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram. Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nahshon, and Nahshon begot Salmon. Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth… First verses from the gospel reading for the Sunday before the Nativity (Matthew 1:1-25) For a long time, in

The Thirty-Sixth Day of Christmas Advent. Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer, Bishop of Antioch

12/20/2021

The Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer, was a disciple of the holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, as was also Saint Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna (February 23). Saint Ignatius was the second bishop of Antioch, and successor to Bishop Euodius, Apostle of the Seventy (September 7). Tradition suggests that when Saint Ignatius was a little boy, the Savior hugged him and said: “Unless you turn and become as little children, you shall not enter into

The Twenty-Seventh Day of Christmas Advent. Christmas Time.

12/17/2021

By Father Stephen Freeman, December 24, 2010 The feast of the Nativity of Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ, draws near and the anxiety of the world increases. There are those who worry that the feast is surrounded by too much commercialism. Others fear that religion will once again invade their safely guarded secular spaces. These are only the most vocalized anxieties – busyness consumes our lives. I think of the words from the

Without Christ, Everything is in Vain

12/16/2021

SSCORRE! Saint Sophia Cathedral Online Resources for our Religious Edification Topic of the Week – Without Christ, Everything is in Vain “Fasting, prayer, alms, and every other good Christian deed is good in itself, but the purpose of the Christian life consists not only in the fulfillment of one or another of them. The true purpose of our Christian life is the acquisition of the Holy Spirit of God. But fasting, prayer, alms and

The Thirty-Second day of Christmas Advent. Giving and Receiving.

12/16/2021

Melissa K. Tsongranis They shall not appear before the Lord empty handed; every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessings of the Lord your God which he has given you. – Deuteronomy 16:16-17 We are an indulgent society. If we want something, we get it. We love receiving gifts—gifts for birthdays, gifts for holidays, gifts for jobs well done, and even gifts for no reason whatsoever. Sometimes, we even indulge by

The Thirty-First Day of Christmas Advent. Hieromartyr Eleutherius, Bishop of Illyria, and his mother, Martyr Evanthia

12/15/2021

Hieromartyr Eleutherius, his mother Evanthia and Caribus the Eparch: Saint Eleutherius, the son of an illustrious Roman citizen, was raised in Christian piety by his mother. His virtue was such that at the age twenty, he had been elevated to bishop of Illyria. In the reign of the emperor Hadrian, Saint Eleutherius was tortured for his bold preaching about Christ, then was beheaded at Rome with his mother Evanthia. The Eparch Caribus, who had tortured

SSCORRE!

The Nativity of Christ

Christmas Eve, the Fortieth Day of Christmas Advent. Making Sense of a Jumbled World.

The Thirty-Ninth Day of Christmas Advent. Let’s Celebrate: The 12 Days of Christmas

The Thirty-Eighth Day of Christmas Advent. I Have No Gift to Bring! Wait. There is Exactly ONE Gift I CAN Bring!

The Thirty-Seventh Day of Christmas Advent. Christ’s Family—Our Family

The Thirty-Sixth Day of Christmas Advent. Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer, Bishop of Antioch

The Twenty-Seventh Day of Christmas Advent. Christmas Time.

Without Christ, Everything is in Vain

The Thirty-Second day of Christmas Advent. Giving and Receiving.

The Thirty-First Day of Christmas Advent. Hieromartyr Eleutherius, Bishop of Illyria, and his mother, Martyr Evanthia

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