Matthew the son of Alphaeus was at first a tax-collector, and it was as such that the Lord saw him in Capernaum and said to him: "Follow me!" Leaving everything, he followed Him (St. Matthew 9:9). After that, Matthew prepared a feast in his house, and there provided an opportunity for the Lord to voice some great truths about His coming to earth. After receiving the Holy Spirit, Matthew preached the Gospel among the Parthians and Medes and in Ethiopia, the land of the negroes.

According to our Holy Orthodox Christian Tradition today, November 15th, we commence the 40 day Nativity Fast, one of four seasons of the ecclesiastical year during which we, the Orthodox Christians, are summoned to intensify our spiritual lives through prayer, fasting, and almsgiving (charity). We are guided by our Holy Church, to observe a fast as we prepare for the coming of the Son of God in the flesh (Incarnation).

By the sea of Galilee, near Chorazin and Capernaum, stands the town named Bethsaida in the Hebrew tongue means "House of Fishermen," and many fishermen lived there. Three Apostles were born there: Peter, Andrew, and Philip. Peter and Andrew were fishermen and followed that occupation until called by Christ, but Philip was given an education by his parents. He was educated in the Sacred Scripture and knew well the prophecies concerning the longed-for Messiah, which he often read, and thus was smitten with love for Him Whom he did not yet know and filled with the desire to behold the face of Him Whom he had not seen. At that time, Philip was unaware that He Whom many desired to see but had not seen had already appeared upon the earth.

Saint John Chrysostom (the Golden-mouth), Archbishop of Constantinople, was the great beacon and grandiloquent of the inhabited world. He hailed from the great city which bore the honorary title of "Queen of the East," that is, Antioch in Syria-Coele. He may have been born as early as A.D. 347 or as late as 354, and was the scion of the distinguished and high ranking military officer (stratelatos) Secoundos and his wife Anthousa.

Once a year the local Orthodox parish commemorates, celebrates, and honors its Patron Saint. It is a solemn Christian festival at which time the members of the local church express their devotion and thanksgiving to their beloved Saint who intercedes and protects them throughout the year.

When Saint Nektarios settled in Aegean, he took on many concerns and cares. He exhibited zeal and courage that the work might be accomplished with the help of God. Who can recount the labors, toils, and struggles which he undertook at all hours of the day and night so that the august Women's Monastery might succeed and grow? As a loving and compassionate father, he sought to cultivate and implant in their souls the fear of God, reverence, and compunction. He also desired to instill the nuns with love for one another and obedience in imitation of Christ.