Jerusalem Archives - Saint Sophia

The Great and Holy Monday. Services of the Bridegroom

04/06/2026

Introduction Beginning on the evening of Palm Sunday and continuing through the evening of Holy Tuesday, the Orthodox Church observes a special service known as the Service of the Bridegroom. Each evening service is the Matins or Orthros service of the following day (e.g. the service held on Sunday evening is the Orthros service for Holy Monday). The name of the service is from the figure of the Bridegroom in the parable of the Ten

The Sixth Friday of Great Lent. The Raising of Four-Day Dead Saint Lazarus- A Symbol of the General Resurrection

04/03/2026

Hierodeacon Rafael Misiaoulis, Theologian Great Lent has been completed and ends with two splendid festal days. These are Lazarus Saturday, on which we commemorate the raising of Christ’s bosom friend, Lazarus; the other is Palm Sunday, when we celebrate Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem six days before he was betrayed and suffered death on the Cross. Today we see the raising of Lazarus, a miracle performed by the Lord before he entered the city of

The Sixth Monday of Great Lent. The Son of Man Will Be Delivered

03/30/2026

Protopresbyter Themistoklis Mourtzanos ‘We are going up to Jerusalem’, he said, ‘and the Son of Man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law. They will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles’ (Mark 10, 33). Among all the religions, only in the Christian faith does the founder not promise long life, prosperity, pleasure and comfortable circumstances for those who follow his words and example. It’s the only

Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt

03/29/2026

Introduction On the Fifth Sunday of Lent the Orthodox Church commemorates our Righteous Mother Mary of Egypt. The feast day of Saint Mary of Egypt is April 1, however, she is also commemorated on this Sunday due to her recognition by the Church as a model of repentance. Life of the Saint Our holy mother Mary was born in Egypt. She had left her parents at the age of twelve to go to Alexandria, where

The Fifth Friday of Great Lent. We Have You as an Example of Repentance, Mary the Egyptian

03/27/2026

Hierodeacon Rafael Misiaoulis, Theologian On the fifth Sunday in Lent, the Church brings to our attention an exceptional female ascetic: Saint Mary the Egyptian. She’s someone for us to imitate and has a great deal to teach us. Her Life was preserved for us by Saint Zosimas and written down by Saint Sofronios, Patriarch of Jerusalem (commemorated on 11 March). Saint Mary lived at the time of the Emperor Justinian, in the sixth century, in

The Fourth Wednesday of Great Lent. Why the Crosses around our Neck?

03/18/2026

~Sermon preached by Dimitri Newman on Sunday, April 7, 2024 In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, One God, Amen. Christ is in our midst! What a strange symbol we wear as Christians: this cross around our necks. The cross was a tool of torture and execution in the Ancient world, most famously used and perfected by the Romans. It was an agonizing way to die; it

ON THE PRESENTATION OF CHRIST IN THE TEMPLE

02/02/2026

In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Today’s Feast has no fewer than four different names. Each name recalls a different aspect of this Feast. What are they? First of all, today’s Feast is called the Presentation of Christ. This is because it commemorates the Presentation of Christ by His Mother in the Temple at Jerusalem exactly forty days after His Birth. As we can see from

Veneration of the Precious Chains of the Holy and All-Glorious Apostle Peter

01/16/2026

The Veneration of the Honorable Chains of the Holy and All-Praised Apostle Peter: In about the year 42, on the orders of Herod Agrippa, the Apostle Peter was thrown into prison for preaching about Christ the Savior. In prison he was held secure by two iron chains. During the night before his trial, an angel of the Lord removed these chains from the Apostle Peter and led him out from the prison (Acts 12:1-11). Christians

The Fifth Day of Christmas. 14,000 Infants (the Holy Innocents) slain by Herod at Bethlehem

12/29/2025

14,000 Holy Infants were killed by King Herod in Bethlehem. When the time came for the Incarnation of the Son of God and His Birth of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, Magi in the East beheld a new star in the heavens, foretelling the Nativity of the King of the Jews. They journeyed immediately to Jerusalem to worship the Child, and the star showed them the way. Having worshipped the divine Infant, they did not

The Third Day of Christmas. The Life of Saint Stephen the Deacon and First Martyr

12/27/2025

(Commemorated on December 27) St. Stephen was a relative of St. Paul. He was the first of seven deacons whom the holy apostles ordained for the service of the poor in Jerusalem. This is why he is called the Archdeacon – the first, or chief, of them. St. Stephen did many things for the poor and widows in Jerusalem and by the power of his faith, he worked many miracles. He lived his life to

Archive

The Great and Holy Monday. Services of the Bridegroom

The Sixth Friday of Great Lent. The Raising of Four-Day Dead Saint Lazarus- A Symbol of the General Resurrection

The Sixth Monday of Great Lent. The Son of Man Will Be Delivered

Sunday of St. Mary of Egypt

The Fifth Friday of Great Lent. We Have You as an Example of Repentance, Mary the Egyptian

The Fourth Wednesday of Great Lent. Why the Crosses around our Neck?

ON THE PRESENTATION OF CHRIST IN THE TEMPLE

Veneration of the Precious Chains of the Holy and All-Glorious Apostle Peter

The Fifth Day of Christmas. 14,000 Infants (the Holy Innocents) slain by Herod at Bethlehem

The Third Day of Christmas. The Life of Saint Stephen the Deacon and First Martyr

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