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The Second Day of Christmas. The Synaxis of the Most Holy Theotokos

12/26/2025

~By Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov), 1/8/2019 Translation by Nun Cornelia (Rees) In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit! Dear brothers and sisters, today we celebrate the second day of the great feast of the Nativity of Christ. This day is called the day of the Synaxis of the Most Holy Theotokos, because in antiquity, on the second day of the feast of the Nativity of Christ the first Christians gathered in the

The Fortieth Day of Christmas Advent. On the Eve of the Nativity of Christ

12/24/2025

~Sermon Preached by Fr. Antony Hughes on Sunday, December 24, 2006 In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, one God. Amen. Glory to Jesus Christ! St. Gregory of Nyssa writes that “even the pagans and the philosophers heard the thunder from Mt. Sinai.” From that dramatic and earth-shaking theophany came the Law, the Ten Commandments which were meant to curtail the barbarity of the people, to teach

The Sixth Day of Christmas Advent. The Word became flesh (John 1:14) A Sermon on the Nativity of Christ

11/20/2025

Saint John of Kronstadt The Word became flesh; that is, the Son of God, co-eternal with God the Father and with the Holy Spirit, became human — having become incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary. O, wondrous, awesome and salvific mystery! The One Who had no beginning took on a beginning according to humanity; the One without flesh assumed flesh. God became man — without ceasing to be God. The Unapproachable One

Presentation of Christ to the Temple

02/02/2024

Introduction This feast, celebrated on February 2, is known in the Orthodox Church as The Presentation of Christ in the Temple. Another name for the feast is The Meeting of our Lord. Roman Catholic and Protestant Christians call the feast, The Purification of the Holy Virgin. About 450 AD in Jerusalem, people began the custom of holding lighted candles during the Divine Liturgy of this feast day. Therefore, some churches in the West refer to

The Thirty-Fourth Day of Christmas Advent: The Advent of God on Earth and in our Lives

12/18/2023

By Archimandrite Nikanor Karayannis, 20 December 2021 The feast of Christmas, which is approaching, invites us to experience the mystery of God’s coming to earth. This advent is a fundamental starting-point which deepens the meaning of our life and existence and renews our faith and hope in the living presence of God in and around us. The Church triumphantly proclaims that God has become human so that we can become gods. This truth shines a light

The First Day of Christmas Advent: The Christmas Fast

11/15/2023

Published by Pemptousia Partnership on November 16, 2021 Georgios Arabatzoglou Another blessed period of fasting begins, a time of spiritual struggle and an effort to turn our mind to God, each of us with the strength and spiritual ‘nobility’ at our disposal, and, as always, in conjunction with the advice of our spiritual guide. This fast begins on 15 November and lasts until 24 December, while on 25 December, when we celebrate the Nativity of Christ, we have

Presentation of Christ to the Temple

02/02/2023

Introduction This feast, celebrated on February 2, is known in the Orthodox Church as The Presentation of Christ in the Temple. Another name for the feast is The Meeting of our Lord. Roman Catholic and Protestant Christians call the feast, The Purification of the Holy Virgin. About 450 AD in Jerusalem, people began the custom of holding lighted candles during the Divine Liturgy of this feast day. Therefore, some churches in the West refer to

Venerable Ephraim the Syrian

01/28/2022

Saint Ephraim the Syrian, a teacher of repentance, was born at the beginning of the fourth century in the city of Nisibis (Mesopotamia) into the family of impoverished toilers of the soil. His parents raised their son in piety, but from his childhood he was known for his quick temper and impetuous character. He often had fights, acted thoughtlessly, and even doubted God’s Providence. He finally recovered his senses by the grace of God, and

The Nativity of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ

12/25/2021

The incomprehensible and inexplicable Nativity of Christ came to pass when Herod the Great was reigning in Judea; the latter was an Ascalonite on his father’s side and an Idumean on his mother’s. He was in every way foreign to the royal line of David; rather, he had received his authority from the Roman emperors, and had ruled tyrannically over the Jewish people for some thirty-three years. The tribe of Judah, which had reigned of

The Twenty-Third Day of Christmas Advent. It’s About Time.

12/07/2021

Early peoples created Myths, when they could not explain how or why things happened – from their own emotions to Nature. Traditional historians rely on man’s written & drawn records to interpret past progress & myths. Archaeologists’ science & artifacts form the basis of our knowledge of prehistorical civilizations, most of which seem to be in Africa, Europe, & Asia. We don’t know much about ancient cultures here in North America, but we need to.

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