Galilee Archives - Saint Sophia

The Twenty-Fifth Day of Christmas Advent. The Conception by Righteous Anna of the Most Holy Mother of God (9 December)

12/09/2025

Saint Anna, the mother of the Virgin Mary, was the youngest daughter of the priest Nathan from Bethlehem, descended from the tribe of Levi. She married Saint Joachim (September 9), who was a native of Galilee. For a long time, Saint Anna was childless, but after twenty years, through the fervent prayer of both spouses, an angel of the Lord announced to them that they would be the parents of a daughter, who would bring

Walking on Water

10/15/2025

~Sermon prepared by Father Antony Hughes for Sunday, September 4, 2005 In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. Glory to Jesus Christ! When we read Holy Scripture the Holy Fathers and Mothers of the Church teach us that there are at least two levels of understanding . There is the literal understanding that sees the events as historical and, well, literal. So when we

The Beheading of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John

08/29/2025

The Beheading of the Prophet, Forerunner of the Lord, John the Baptist: The Evangelists Matthew (Mt.14:1-12) and Mark (Mark 6:14-29) provide accounts about the martyric end of John the Baptist in the year 32 after the Birth of Christ. Following the Baptism of the Lord, Saint John the Baptist was locked up in prison by Herod Antipas, the Tetrarch (ruler of one fourth of the Holy Land) and governor of Galilee. (After the death of

Saint Jude: Brother of the Lord

06/19/2025

St Jude, also known as Apostle Jude, is celebrated on June 19 in the Orthodox Church. He was one of the Twelve Apostles and brother of James the Just, Brother of the Lord. Both Jude and James were sons of Joseph the Betrothed. Joseph had a previous marriage before he was betrothed to the Virgin Mary. Although James and Jude were kinsmen of Jesus, they did not believe in His divinity at first. According to

Feast of the Holy Apostles Bartholomew and Barnabas

06/11/2025

Apostle Bartholomew of the Twelve The Holy Apostle Bartholomew was born at Cana of Galilee and was one of the Twelve Apostles of Christ. After the Descent of the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost, it fell by lot to the holy Apostles Bartholomew and Philip (November 14) to preach the Gospel in Syria and Asia Minor. In their preaching they wandered through various cities, and then met up again. Accompanying the holy Apostle

The Fifth Friday of Pascha. The Boundaries We Draw and the Boundaries God Draws

05/23/2025

ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ! CHRIST IS RISEN! ~By Stephen Freeman, May 1, 2008 I pushed the envelope a little in my last post, intentionally pressing against what I understand to be false boundaries created by an inadequate understanding of Scripture and a view of the world that establishes limits at places they need not be. I am not an enemy of boundaries – indeed – without them we would not exist – at least not as Persons.

Sunday of the Paralytic

05/11/2025

ΧΡΙΣΤΟΣ ΑΝΕΣΤΗ! CHRIST IS RISEN! Excerpt from a Homily by Saint John Chrysostom If someone’s really knowledgeable about gold mines, they wouldn’t be able to bear not examining the smallest vein for the wealth it contained. So, in the Scriptures, it’s impossible without loss to pass over the merest jot. We must investigate everything since everything’s uttered by the Holy Spirit, and there’s nothing written in them to distract us. Consider, for instance, what the

Philip the Apostle and Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessaloniki

11/14/2024

Philip the Apostle This Apostle, one of the Twelve, was from Bethsaida of Galilee, and was a compatriot of Andrew and Peter. He was instructed in the teachings of the Law, and devoted himself to the study of the prophetic books. Therefore, when the Lord Jesus called him to the dignity of apostleship, he immediately sought out and found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found Him of Whom Moses in the Law and

Holy and Righteous Ancestors of God, Joachim and Anna

09/09/2024

Saint Joachim, the son of Barpathir, was of the tribe of Judah, and was a descendant of King David, to whom God had revealed that the Savior of the world would be born from his seed. Saint Anna was the daughter of Matthan the priest, who was of the tribe of Levi. Saint Anna’s family came from Bethlehem. The couple lived at Nazareth in Galilee. They were childless into their old age and all their

Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord

06/19/2024

The Holy Apostle Jude, one of the twelve apostles of Christ, is descended from King David and Solomon, and was the son of Righteous Joseph the Betrothed (Sunday after the Nativity of the Lord) by his first wife. The Holy Apostle John the Theologian writes in his Gospel, “… neither did his brethren believe in Him” (John. 7:5). Saint Theophylact, Archbishop of Bulgaria, explains this passage. He says that at the beginning of the Lord

Archive

The Twenty-Fifth Day of Christmas Advent. The Conception by Righteous Anna of the Most Holy Mother of God (9 December)

Walking on Water

The Beheading of the Holy Glorious Prophet, Forerunner, and Baptist John

Saint Jude: Brother of the Lord

Feast of the Holy Apostles Bartholomew and Barnabas

The Fifth Friday of Pascha. The Boundaries We Draw and the Boundaries God Draws

Sunday of the Paralytic

Philip the Apostle and Gregory Palamas, Archbishop of Thessaloniki

Holy and Righteous Ancestors of God, Joachim and Anna

Apostle Jude the Brother of the Lord

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