The divinely blessed Peter was from Bethsaida of Galilee. He was the son of Jonas and the brother of Saint Andrew the First-called. He was a fisherman by trade, unlearned and poor, and was called Simon; later he was renamed Peter by the Lord Jesus Christ Himself, Who looked at him and said, "Thou art Simon the son of Jonas; thou shalt be called Cephas (which is by interpretation, Peter)" (St. John 1:42).

The Holy Orthodox Church confesses the Holy Spirit as the True God, the Third Person (Hypostasis) of the Holy, Consubstantial, Life-Giving and Indivisible Trinity. The Church confirmed her hope and faith in the Holy Spirit as God in the definition of the Second Ecumenical Council (Constantinople, 381 AD), which was convened to condemn, among other things, the heresy of Macedonius who denied the divinity of the Holy Spirit. This definition entered into the Creed as the eighth article.

The Holy Fathers of the Church included in the Creed the most important truths of the faith taught in the Gospels. Here, in the first and second verses of the Creed, they stated the dogmatic truths about God's Essence and the Creation of the world. Through Divine Revelation, the Holy Church teaches us to believe in the One God (Deut. 6:4; 1 Tim. 1:17) in Three Persons, Who in the Holy Scripture are called God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit (St. Matthew 28:19).

Orthodox Christian are constantly asked and challenged as to what they believe by the heterodox Christians. We believe that the Holy Orthodox Christian Church is the authentic Church of Christ, the continuation of the early Church, the New Testament Church, the Church of the Ecumenical Councils, the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. For the Orthodox Christian, God is the object of our faith, first and foremost, and nothing supersedes this, as is clear in our statement of faith, the historic Nicene Creed, the Symbol of faith.

With the foundation in place, Saint Paul then notes that although there are differences among the various gifts, ministries, and activities in the Church, they all have the same source. "The grace of the Spirit is one and unchanging; but energizes each one of as He wills (1 Corinthians 12:11). When rain falls on the earth, it gives life to the quality inherent in each plant: sweetness to the sweet; astringency to the astringent. Similarly when grace falls upon the hearts of the faithful, it gives to each the energy appropriate to the different virtues without itself changing."

Apolytikion (Dismissal) Hymn. Fourth Mode

O Prophet and Forerunner of the presence of Christ, we who fervently honor you cannot worthily praise you. For by your revered and glorious birth the barrenness of your mother and the muteness of your father were unbound, and the incarnation of the Son of God is proclaimed to the world.