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The Thirty-First Day of Christmas Advent. The Feast Day of the Holy Hieromartyr Eleftherios

~By Father George Konstantopoulos My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ God, CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE. ON THE 15th OF DECEMBER OUR HOLY ORTHODOX CHURCH COMMEMORATES THE HOLY HIEROMARTYR ELEFTHERIOS, BISHOP OF ILLYRICUM Eleftherios (meaning freedom or liberty), the wondrous and glorious hieromartyr, shone forth as a brilliant luminary during the 2nd century after Christ. He was born in the renowned and great city of Rome of

Holy Apostle James the Brother of the Lord

In the Epistle to the Galatians, the Apostle Paul writes that together with the Apostle Peter, the Apostles James and John were also considered to be pillars of the Church. Saint James was the son of Joseph the Betrothed by his first wife and therefore is called the brother of the Lord in the Gospel. According to tradi­tion, the Lord Jesus Christ appeared to him after His Resurrection and set him as bishop of the

The Twenty-Seventh Day of Christmas Advent. Accepting the Lord’s invitation

By Fr. Steven Kostoff Within the Orthodox Church, the Sunday between December 11-17 is called, simply enough, the “Second Sunday Before the Nativity of the Lord,” and more specifically, the “Sunday of the Forefathers.”  This liturgical preparation for the Feast of our Lord’s Nativity—something of a build-up—is a conscious echo of the lengthy time of preparation, determined by God and embodied in the history of Israel, before the sending of His only-begotten Son into the

Greatmartyr Procopius of Caesarea, in Palestine

The Holy Great Martyr Procopius, in the world Neanius, a native of Jerusalem, lived and suffered during the reign of the emperor Diocletian (284-305). His father, an eminent Roman by the name of Christopher, was a Christian, but the mother of the saint, Theodosia, remained a pagan. He was early deprived of his father, and the young child was raised by his mother. Having received an excellent secular education, he was introduced to Diocletian in

The Third Day of Christmas: The Life of Saint Apostle Stephen the Proto-martyr

On December 27, we commemorate the holy, glorious, all-laudable Apostle Stephen the Protomartyr. The holy, glorious, all-laudable Apostle Stephen the Proto-martyr was an early Christian convert from among the Hellenistic Jews, one of the original seven deacons ordained by the Apostles, and the first martyr of the Orthodox Church. The Church remembers the martyrdom of St. Stephen on December 27, and the translations of his relics on August 2. Life of Saint Stephen St. Stephen was

Finding the Barriers Within Ourselves

Sermon preached by Fr. Antony Hughes on Sunday, December 1, 2019 “So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure is joined together and grows into a holy temple in the Lord; in whom you also are built into it

ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ! CHRIST IS RISEN! The Fourth Friday of Pascha: The Resurrection of the Dead

Published by Pemptousia Partnership on May 6, 2021 Metropolitan Meletios of Nikopolis † We people aren’t only bodies. We also have a soul. Even when the body ceases to exist, the soul continues to live. But without the body, it’s as if it’s naked. When it’s separated from the body, it feels stripped. And, until the second coming, it’ll feel poorer, which is why, until the second coming, every soul ‘awaits the resurrection of the dead and life

The Fourth Friday of Great Lent: Christianity in a Plain Brown Wrapper

By Fr. Stephen Freeman, March 29, 2021 But we all, with unveiled face, beholding as in a mirror the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from glory to glory, just as by the Spirit of the Lord. (2Co 3:18) Among the many losses within modern Christianity has been the place of transformation. Nineteenth century revival movements and theology emphasized a single experience that was associated with salvation. Those who concerned

The Third Friday of Great Lent: St. Patrick, Enlightener of Ireland

Authored by Orthodox Church of America Parades, wearing of the green, shamrocks, celebrations – which one of these is a true event in the life of St. Patrick? The humble bishop who helped establish Christianity in the country now known as Ireland would be surprised, and perhaps saddened, by some of the “traditions” associated with his missionary work during a challenging period in the life of the Church. A little-known fact is that Patrick was

Synaxis of the Archangel Michael & the other Bodiless Powers: Gabriel, Raphael, Uriel, Salaphiel, Jegudiel, & Barachiel

Reading All the Angels, according to the Apostle Paul, are ministering spirits, – sent forth to minister to them who shall be heirs of salvation – (Heb. 1:14). God set them as overseers of every nation and people, and guides to that which is profitable (Deut. 32:8); and while one Angel is appointed to oversee each nation as a whole, one is also appointed to protect each Christian individually. He commands them to guard them