Everyone is cognizant of the ever-changing world and society that we live in and everyone knows that the changes that have become part of our daily lives are not always positive ones and profitable. Nowhere is this more obvious than in the average home. The home was once viewed as a safe haven for families (oikoggenies). It was a sacred place, 'the little church', a place of guidance, of prayer, of teaching the Christian faith, values, precepts, morality, respect for others, of compassion for others, of love. For Orthodox Christian families, the home was thought to be an extension of the Church, a place to practice what was taught on Sundays.

The feast of the Meeting of Christ is not simply a feast referring only to Christ the Lord and pointing to one of the stages of the Divine Economy, but it is also a feast of the person who lives by Christ.

Love

Giving of ourselves sacrificially through genuine mutuality.

• As family ministry leaders, read 1 Corinthians Chapters 12 and 13 together. Which aspects of the body of Christ or the essence of love stand out for you? How can these aspects assist us in our ministry to families?

"The family is a microcosm of the entire Church, a most sacred place where relationships with one another are cultivated in the love of Jesus Christ." - Archbishop Demetrios, Geron of America

Christ is called first-born in three ways. First, because He was born of the Father before all ages. The holy Apostle Paul says: "He is the image of the invisible God, the first-born over all creation" (Col. 1:15). The "first-born" is identified with the "Only-Begotten". Secondly, He is called first-born in His human birth, and regardless of whether another was born of the Panagia. "And she brought forth her first-born son" (St. Luke 2:7). And thirdly, He is called first-born from the dead because He was the first to rise from the dead, thus making it possible for everyone to be raised at the appropriate time.

"Then took [Symeon Jesus] up into his arms, and blessed God, and said, 'Lord, now lettest though thy servant depart in peace, according to your word: for mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; to be a light to lighten the Gentiles and the glory of thy people Israel.' And Joseph and his mother marveled at those things which were spoken of him. And Symeon blessed them, and said unto Mary his mother, 'Behold, this child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel; and for a sign which shall be spoken against; (yea, a sword shall pierce through thy own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed."