The Nativity of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ: The Magi

My beloved spiritual children in Christ Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

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THE NATIVITY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST: THE MAGI

"The Magi sought the Lord Christ, born King of the Jews, among those from whose race they knew that Balaam, a Prophet from the Gentiles, had prophesied that He would come. The faith of the Magi is the condemnation of the Jews. The Magi believed in the authority of their soothsayer Balaam and the Prophet Daniel; but the Jews, from the testimony of many Prophets, refused to believe. Whereas the Magi acknowledged that the coming of Christ would terminate their profane knowledge and magical arts, the Jews would not accept the Lawgiver's doing away with their sacrifice and refused to accept the mysteries of the divine dispensation. The Magi confessed a Stranger; the Jews rejected their own."

Since the Magi believed that there was a mystical influence of the stars upon earthlings, they would constantly study the heavens, seeking extraordinary signs which might herald the "Expected One." As Blessed Theophylactos, Patriarch of Bulgaria, aptly states: "Because the Magi were astrologists, the Lord brought them in an ordinary manner, as Peter, being a fisherman, came away from the multitude of the fish." The famous Dismissal hymn for the feast also speaks of them, saying, "Those who worshipped the stars were taught by a Star, to do homage to Thee, the Sun of Righteousness [Mal. 4:2], and know Thee, the Dayspring from on high."

Saint Kosmas the Poet writes concerning this: "The Magi, beholding the strange course of an unknown and newly shining Star that exceeded the brightness of all heavenly Light, learned thereby that Christ the King was born on earth in Bethlehem for our salvation."

"...Nevertheless, the Magi, a group already involved in political maneuvering, apart from being wise and knowledgeable, brought gifts to the newborn King. They were good men who struggled to maintain the purity of their souls. They accepted Divine inspiration and were obedient to it. They then understood that the Messianic prophecy of the Kingdom would not be fulfilled immediately then and there, and they obediently departed to their own land to proclaim the newborn Christ; hence, the Persians were firstfruits of the Gentiles. "And kings shall walk in Thy Light, and nations in Thy brightness" (Isaiah 6:3).

The Identities of the Magi

Thus, we see in icons that three magi are traveling, either walking or riding spirited horses over mountainous trails in pursuit of the Star of Bethlehem. They are often depicted beyond and opposite the cave, for they were not present during those first hours after the virgin birth. One Magos is a beardless youth. The second Magos is a middle-aged man with short, dark beards, while the third Magos is an old man with a gray beard.

In holy icons of the Feast of the Nativity, we see both shepherds and Magi depicted. On one side of the cave, we see simple unsophisticated men, with whom the incorporeal on high enter into communication directly, amid their everyday occupations. Then we see Magi, men of learning, who have to undergo a long journey from the knowledge of what is relative to the knowledge of what is absolute. In the shepherds, we witness the first sons of Israel to worship the Christ Child. The Church sees the beginning of the Hebrew Church. In the Wise Men, we see the beginning of nations, the Church of the Gentiles. In the example of the Magi, we understand that the Church of the Church accepts all human science that leads toward it, provided that the relative light of the extra-Christian revelation bring them that serve it to the worship of the absolute Light. Again, we see that the Magi are men of different ages (youth, middle age, and old age), which emphasizes that revelation is vouchsafed to men independently of their years and experience.

According to Saint Dimitri of Rostov (1651-1709 A.D.), in his investigation of the identities of these three kings, he asserts that they were kings of small regions in Persia, Arabia, and Egypt. They had arrived in Bethlehem very soon after the birth of Christ. Melchior was old and withered, with long white hair and beard. It was he who offered the Lord the gift of gold. Gaspar or Caspar was of ruddy complexion, young and beardless. He offered the Lord the gift of frankincense. The third, Balthazar, was of a dark-complexion and heavily bearded. He gave the gift of myrrh. He further writes that these three Wise Men represented the three chief races of men that descended from Noah's three sons, that is, Shem, Japheth, and Ham: therefore, the Arabian, Gaspar, represented Shem; the Persian, Melchior, represented Japheth; the Egyptian, Belthazar, represented Ham. Thus, through these three Magi, the human race worshipped our Incarnate Lord and God.

"...Now after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of Herod the king, behold, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem, saying 'Where is He Who was born King of the Jews?" (Matthew 2:1, 2).

The Star appeared in the East at the time of the Annunciation and led the Magi about for nine months. The Tradition of the Church never held that the Star was truly a celestial star but that it was some invisible power transformed into this appearance and made visible to men. Saint John Chrysostomos points out in a homily (sermon) that "no natural star could have traversed such a course, nor could it have shone so brilliantly at midday: and furthermore, it stood still over the Child."

"...In the Epistle (Letter) to the Ephesians, Saint Ignatios the God-bearer writes: "A Star shone forth in heaven above all the other stars, the Light which was inexpressible, while its novelty struck men with astonishment. And all there rest of the stars, with the sun and the moon, formed a chorus to this agitations fell as to whence this new spectacle came, so unlike to everything else in the heavens. Hence, every worldly wisdom became folly; conjuration of the wickedness vanished away; the darkness of ignorance was dispersed, and tyrannical authority was destroyed, God being manifested as Man, and man displaying power as God. Now the former was not mere imagination; and the second did not imply a bare humanity.  But the one was absolutely true and had been prepared by God. Henceforth, all things were in a state of tumult, because He meditated the abolition of death."

"...Patriarch Theophylactos also agrees that what was seen by the Mai was "the divine power and an angelic appearance in the form of a star." Saint Leo the Great adds that this Light was hidden from the Jews, but shone forth to the heathen (pagans).

Also, in holy icons of the Feast of the Nativity of Christ, we see that the Star points directly to the cave. It is a long ray which connects the Star with a part of the sphere which goes beyond the limits of the holy icon. Here we have a symbolic representation of the heavenly world. Hence, this Star is not merely a cosmic phenomenon, but also a messenger from the world on high, bringing tidings of the birth of the "heavenly One" on earth. (Source: The Great Synaxaristes of the Orthodox Church)

(To be continued)

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"Glory Be To GOD For All Things!"- Saint John Chrysostomos

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With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia (Ministry)
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+Father George  

December 12 - Saint Spyridon the Wonderworker

My beloved spiritual children in Christ Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,

CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

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ON DECEMBER 12th OUR HOLY ORTHODOX CHRISTIAN CHURCH COMMEMORATES OUR HOLY AND GOD-BEARING FATHER SPYRIDON THE WONDER-WORKER BISHOP OF TRIMYTHOUS IN CYPRUS

Spyridon, our Holy Father among the Saints, the boast of the inhabited world, and the adornment of the faithful, flourished during the reign of Emperor Constantine the Great (Saint Constantine) [306-337 A.D.]. He hailed from the famous island of Cyprus. The Saint's virtue and divine conduct were such that his accomplishments shone forth brightly throughout the inhabited world, leaving no adult Christian who is not acquainted with his life. This is the same God-bearing Father who had taken part in the First Ecumenical Synod (325 A.D.). Who has not heard of his renowned demonstration at Nicaea? But his participation at that First Synod shall be triumphantly recounted later.

Our great Father Spyridon from his youth was simple, open, unpretending, and humble. He always kept as models, worthy of emulation, the blessed Prophet David for meekness, Jacob for being natural and unaffected, and Abraham for his hospitality. He was in the habit of distributing his goods and expending his means on the poor. On account of his virtue and generosity, he inherited an imperishable land, one that was blessed and perpetual, in accordance with the unfailing promise of the Lord Who said, "blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth" (Matthew 5:7), and "blessed are the merciful, for they shall find mercy" (Matthew 5:7). By means of transitory wealth, which he held in contempt during his lifetime, he now receives for unending ages the incorruptible treasure, that is, the Christ, the Pearl of great price. He was also enriched by a river of miracles, which was energized in him at all times and places, and from which he was never drained.

Spyridon was sanctified from his mother's womb and was born in Askia, Cyprus. From his youth, he was adorned with all the virtues and loved true simplicity and serenity. Though the holy man started out as a shepherd of sheep, yet he was neither a rustic in character and disposition nor one uncommunicative. Indeed, he diligently conducted his life in an orderly manner. He attended to the needs of the indigent and strangers with such mercy and compassion that he received all with love into his home.

According to the sacred canons, he was lawfully wedded to an honorable and prudent woman with whom he begat children. After her premature death, he continued to comport himself in a venerable and temperate manner.

The First Ecumenical Synod

When the Great Constantine reigned, he convened the Fist Ecumenical Synod in 325 A.D. The major sees of the Eastern Empire were well represented.  The Synod was assembled against Arius, who kept spreading his blasphemy, saying that the Son and Logos/Word of God was not coessential (homoousios) with the Father, Thus, Arius the heretic was declaring that Jesus was not the True God but a creature (ktisma), a Greek word meaning anything that is built.

In the midst of this company of 318 holy Fathers and luminaries was the humble-minded Spyridon, whose indwelling of the Holy Spirit and virtue empowered him to surpass the worldly philosophers who were given imperial permission to attend. The philosopher's seemingly superior credentials, however, brought him no understanding of the exact Faith...Spyridon who with Saint Paul said, "I decided not to know anything among you, except Jesus Christ, even this One Who was Crucified [1 Corinthians 2:2). The Saint did not pretend to anything. He deemed himself a simple and unlettered man; nevertheless, he could not stand by idly, as the philosopher's heated and abusive words and arguments reviled the Christ.

Then Spyridon, great in virtue and simple, or should we say singular, in learning, borne about and filled full of the All-Holy Spirit, took up a tile in his hands and went on speaking: "One is God Who made the heaven and the earth, the Creator of all things. The same One created the heavenly powers and fashioned man, so that 'all things came into being through Him, and without Him, not even one thing came into being that hath come to be' (John 1:3)...This Logos/Word, Whom we know to be the Son of the True God and of one essence with the Father, we believe to be born of the Virgin. He was crucified and buried as Man, and as God, He raised us up with Himself. It is He Who grants us incorruptible and everlasting life. Furthermore, we believe that, as Judge of the cosmos (world), He shall come in order to judge all, at which point we shall give Him AN accounting of all our works, words and desires.

"Again, we know Him to be coessential with the Father, coequal in dignity, honor, and glory. The Holy Trinity, though one in essence, is tri-hypostatic, three Persons, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit.  This is an ineffable and incomprehensible mystery, and the mind of man is not able to compass or comprehend the greatness of Infinite Divinity...

"...After the Saint, inflamed with love for the Trinity, made the sign of the Honorable Cross with his right hand, while holding the tile in his left hand, he pronounced: "In the name of the Father," and instantly--lo, thy wonders, O Christ our King!--the fire which had baked the tile flared upward. Then he said, "and of the Son," and at once, the water wherewith it had been mixed ran down. Immediately following, he said, "and of the Holy Spirit," and he opened his hand in which only the clay from which it was made remained. This miracle was witnessed with astonishment by all. Thus the Saint put to shame the disputes reputed to be wise.

The Repose of the Saint's Daughter

When the Saint arrived in Cyprus, he found that his daughter Irene had reposed. She was a virgin who had never known a man, and she had kept her virginity inviolate that she might present it to her heavenly Bridegroom Christ. The bereaved holy man endured this affliction courageously, as one sensible and prudent. A few days after Irene was interred, a tearful woman approached the Saint and excitedly said, "I entrusted to thy late daughter's care certain articles, that is, expensive gold jewelry. But here repose came so quickly thereafter that I had not the opportunity to inquire where she deposited them."

Now Irene, for greater security, had buried the articles. The Saint carefully and diligently searched his entire house, but he was unable to find the jewelry. The Saint then went to the tomb of his daughter, followed by some other persons. Then, as though Irene were still alive, he began asking her, "Irene, my child, where did you put the woman's gold jewelry?" The dead answered with a lively voice and disclosed a certain place. "That is where I have hidden the articles, my father." The Saint, as though he were master of life and death, spoke again to his girl, saying, "Be sleeping, child, until the Lord should raise thee at the universal resurrection." The Saint then went to the spot disclosed by his daughter and found the gold jewelry.

The Saint's Repose

Then, on the 12th of December, in the year 348 A.D., Saint Spyridon gave his soul into the hands of God. He was 78 years old. He bequeathed his sacred relics to the island of his birth, as a consolation for the faithful and as a fountain of healings. Upon his repose and up to the present day, his boldness before the lord is even greater than when he was alive, as he has been shown to be a wellspring of miracles. The wonderworking (miracles) have not ceased. Each is extraordinary and worth telling. (Source: The Great Synaxaristes of the Orthodox Church)

Personal Note: I am confident that most of you know the true story of how Saint Spyridon, the Patron Saint of the small city of Zaharo, and the place of my birth in Greece saved our entire family from death. 

Our house was bombed during the civil war in Greece following World War II and we were all in it. Through the prayers of my pious parents who sought the Saint's intercessions to our Lord and Savior, we were saved from death. However, because of this disastrous event, God brought us to America. It is He Who called me to the Holy Priesthood and allowed me to serve Him for 51 years. How great a blessing! It is indeed a holy and special day!

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Divine Liturgy at 10:00 a.m.

Officiating Priests: Father George and Father Alexis Torrence.

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"Glory Be To GOD For All Things!" - Saint John Chrysostomos

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With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia (Ministry)
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+Father George 

Christian Orthodoxy in the Home

My beloved spiritual children in Christ Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

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CHRISTIAN ORTHODOXY IN THE HOME
By Bishop Athenagoras Kokkinakis, Bishop of Elaia

Scripture and Religious Book Readings.

The Holy Bible is recognized by the Church as the written part of Christian Tradition. It contains the word of God. It is the source of religious truth and the unmistakable guide to Christian life. Holy Tradition as it is formed in the experience of the Church of Christ, in the Liturgical sources of interpreting the Bible, in the Church laws, in the objects of Religious art, the lives of the Saints, the writings of the Holy Fathers, is also a venerable guide to Christian faith and life, equal in value and authority with written Tradition, the Bible itself. The Bible and Religious books of devotional character, recognized by the Church as Orthodox and conducive to piety are highly recommended to be read and kept in the Orthodox home for study and guidance. Consulting the Parish Priest for reading and buying books is recommended, for sometimes people in their innocence and piety may become victims of heretical and atheistic propaganda.

Every Sunday the Orthodox family observes the day of the Lord commemorating His Resurrection and Triumph over death. Usual preparation takes place Saturday night when all social affairs are avoided so that parents and children may go to Church together in the morning to worship the Lord in the Sacrament of Holy Communion. They are there on time, not just at any moment of the Divine Liturgy. They are in Church at the Beginning to hear the Doxology and the opening words of the Liturgy, "Blessed be the Kingdom of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." Upon entering the Church they bow their heads in reverence before God and cross themselves as a sign that they are followers of the crucified Lord, Jesus Christ. They light candles, venerate the holy icons of the Saints and take their seat.

In Church no one talks, for Church is the place where God speaks and His children listen carefully. God speaks through the service, the Holy Scripture readings, the sermon, the Sacrament itself through which the Gift of God is given to all faithful, the Orthodox people attending. The gift is the saving grace of the Holy Spirit which overshadows all present, united in prayer in faith, love and hope.

Only in Church is the Gift imparted. Only in togetherness of prayer is the Body of the Church formed mysteriously and Christ the Head of the Body enlivens the faithful, the members of His Body, by the grace of the Holy Spirit. He feeds them with the Sacrament and strengthens the bond of their unity so that they may be inheritors of His Kingdom. For this reason the Holy Fathers of the Church emphasize the importance of Church attendance.

Those who neglect this duty commit a mortal sin. They miss happy opportunities to be with Christ and contribute with their participation, according to their power, to the salvation of the worshippers and receive from them in return spiritual courage and strength for the work of their salvation. Prayer in togetherness by the living and dead participating before the Altar of Christ, where His Body and Blood are offered "for the remission of sins" by the priest on behalf of all, is prayer of salvation. Private prayers and devotions are prayers of enlightenment and guidance and must culminate in common prayer with the other faithful in church at the Divine Service of Holy Communion. Therefore, it is a sacred duty of the Orthodox family to attend the Sunday Service avoiding all other engagements and work. The excuse one hears from some people here and there that they prefer to pray alone is not simply an excuse but, more than this, hypocrisy. For, in fact, they don't pray. Those who pray alone feel very deeply the need of praying in church with others.

It is the privilege and duty of all Christians to participate in the work of the Church both as contributors and workers for the spread of the kingdom of God. Church does in every Community and other offerings are given gladly, for those who give for the work of Christ must do it whole-heartedly and joyfully. For the general needs and the missionary undertakings of the whole Orthodox Church for its institutions and movements to enlighten the faithful, for her administration requirements, for religious education and publications, all Orthodox families should contribute, be it from their abundance or want.

In every home the Christian family dedicates a little corner, usually in the bedroom, for the family sanctuary. There one may see the holy Icon of Christ, of the Ever-Virgin Mary, the Mother of God, of the Patron Saint, the Holy Cross, the prayer Book, the Gospel, the marital crowns (stefana), dried blessed flowers of Holy and Great Friday, Holy Water of the Epiphany, the seal of the Eucharistic Bread (prosphora) and the censer. In this place the Orthodox family is united in prayer led by the parents, who read from the prayer book, from the Holy Bible and offer incense. There young and old kneel or stand in prayer, before the holy Icons of the Saints with the vigil light burning as a symbol of Sacrifice and of their faith's warmth and vitality. Incense is offered once a day...Over every bed there is a cross or the holy Icon of the Theotokos holding the Infant Christ or the holy Icon of each one's Patron Saint.

All religious objects which one may see in an Orthodox Christian family sanctuary are not just articles of decoration. They are symbols offering aid in devotional concentration. They are not objects of idolatrous superstition. In the eyes of the unbeliever they seem ridiculous. But in the eyes of the faithful they are vehicles of grace, treasures of blessing and means for spiritual edification and uplifting. They do not represent mere religious art. For every religious picture is not an Icon.

The Holy Icons bear their own characteristics. They depict the spirit and virtue rather than the body of the Saint. For this reason statues are not in use in the Orthodox Church or in Orthodox Christian sanctuaries.

Pictures of Christ with the 'Sacred Heart' and all other productions of Roman Catholic piety are not used, nor recommended by the Orthodox Church. One is really at a loss trying to find a Theological explanation of these pictures of Christ decorated with His Heart. For Christ is worshipped not partially but wholly. We have learned to worship the whole Christ "Christus totus" with the Two Natures, the Divine and the human, united inseparably. How can one separate from the whole Christ His Heart and worship it? How can one detach a part from an undivided unity? Christ is not divided. In His Theandric personality He remains whole and one. As such He is worshipped and received by us in Holy Communion.  

The Parish Priest is asked to come and bless the House with Holy Water from time to time and especially during the week of Epiphany (5-12 January). The Orthodox family asks the Priest to come for the Supplication Service to the Theotokos (Paraklesis), to offer the Sacrament of Holy Unction (Holy Oil), to pray for the sick, to advise the family when problems and difficulties disturb the serene peace.

As a means of self-sacrifice for the sake of Christ, of self-discipline and will-strengthening, as a kind of healthy diet, as an antidote against temptations and the desires of the flesh (passions) fasting is highly recommended both by the Church and medical science. Our Lord gave us great examples of fasting. He taught His holy Apostles to fast and pray in order to fight the devil victoriously, and overcoming all of his machinations. In the wilderness Christ fasted forty days and he turned His tempter back in shame. We are all tempted, young and old. The devil is real, as we are real. Satan, the Evil spirit of disobedience to the will of God is successful not only when we weaken and are overcome by his temptations, but also when he convinces us that he is not real and existing, that there is no sin, that sin is a natural expression of biological necessity, that Church-going and Bible reading, fasting and kneeling in prayer and all Religious observances are superstitious, inventions of the monks, a "racket" of the Church and so on. Through the holy Apostles, Christ instituted fasting for the faithful. According to Tradition all Wednesdays and Fridays are fast days when Orthodox Christians abstain from meat and all animal products, except fish. We fast Wednesdays in commemoration of the seizure and torture of Christ while on Fridays, in commemoration of His Crucifixion and Death. The Church has prescribed periods of fast for the spiritual uplifting of the faithful and their preparation for Holy Communion.

(To be continued)

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"Glory Be To GOD For All Things!" - Saint John Chrysostomos

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With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia (Ministry)
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+Father George

The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Part II)

My beloved spiritual children in Christ Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

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God Made Man

We chant: "He Who is equal in Honor with the Father and Spirit, out of compassion, has clothed Himself in our substance...and He Who before the morning star was begotten without mother of the Father, is today without father made flesh upon earth of thee" (Vespers Sticheron of Forefeast, Mode Four). Saint Paul confirms His manhood, saying, "But when the fullness of the time came, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order that might redeem those under the law, that we might receive what is our due, the adoption as sons" (Galatians 4:4).

Saint Athanasius comments, "Therefore what came forth from Mary, according to the divine Scripture, was human, and the Lord's body was real; real, I say, since it was the same as ours. For Mary is our sister, in that we are all sprung from Adam" (Saint Athanasius). The two natures would be united without confusion or loss of identity as God or man. The humanity of Jesus was the same as sour own; and, according to His divinity, He was of one essence with the Father and the Holy Spirit.

Saint Kyril of Alexandria writes that "an ordinary man was not born of the Holy Virgin and then the Logos/Word descended into Him. United with flesh in her womb, the Logos/Word is said to have endured birth according to the flesh, so as to claim, as His own, the birth of His own flesh...For our sake and for our salvation, He united a human nature to Himself by hypostatically and was born from a woman; in this manner, He is said to have born according to the flesh...We do not hesitate to call the Holy Virgin the Mother of God. The holy Fathers do not say that the nature of the Logos/Word or His Divinity took the beginning of being from the Holy Virgin, but that His Holy Body, animated by a rational soul, was born of her...Thus, the Logos' being made flesh is nothing else than that He partook of flesh and blood in like manner with us, and made our body His Own, and was born Man from a woman, without having cast away His Divinity...This is what the expression of the exact Faith everywhere preaches; this is the mind we shall find in the Holy Fathers."

Saint Kyril goes on to say that "neither was the flesh turned into the nature of Divinity, nor, indeed, was the ineffable nature of the Logos/Word of God altered into the nature of the flesh; for He is immutable and absolutely unchangeable, always the same, according to the Holy Scripture. But when He was visible, and still remained an Infant in swaddling clothes, and in the bosom of the Virgin who bore Him, He filled the whole of creation as god and was Co-Ruler with the One Who begot Him. For the Divine is both without quantity and without magnitude, and does not admit of limitation." And in the same letter, he points out that Christ "was born in order that He might bless the very beginning of our existence, and in order that the curse against the whole race might be stopped. This curse was sending our bodies from the earth to death; and by abolishing it, He abolished the saying, "in pain thou shalt bring forth children" (Genesis 3:17).

Patriarch Germanos of Constantinople chants: "No more shall women bear children in sorrow: for joy has put forth its flower, and the Life of men has come to dwell in the world." Saint Joseph the Hymnographer writes: "Eve hath been delivered from pain, O All-Immaculate One; for thou gavest birth without pain unto Christ Our God Who hath manifestly healed the sufferings and pain of all." Before the coming of Christ, women would bear children in sorrow with the knowledge that their offspring would be subject to sin, death, and Hades. Although the physical discomfort of pregnancy and labor still exists to the present day, yet the hymnographers speak of deliverance from the grief of death and sin to the offspring of those mothers who would be regenerated in Christ through Baptism.

Saint Ephraim then speaks of what Mary gained by carrying in her womb the Christ Child, "The Son of the Most High came and dwelt in me, and I became His Mother, and as by a second birth I brought Him forth, so did He bring me forth by the second birth, because He put His Mother's garments on, she clothed her body with His glory."

In the classic passage of Saint John of Damascus, he writes: "Hence it is with justice and truth that we call the Holy Mary the Theotokos, God's birth giver. For this name embraces the whole mystery of the dispensation...moreover, we proclaim the Holy Virgin to be in strict truth the Theotokos. For inasmuch as He Who was born of her was True God, she who bore the True God Incarnate is the True Mother of God." Saint Kyril of Jerusalem also comments that "He did not pass through the Virgin as through a channel but was truly made flesh from her, and truly was nourished with her milk."

In his sermon on the Feast of the Nativity, Saint Leo the Great (+ 461 A.D.) writes: "The bodily nativity therefore of the Son of God took nothing from and added nothing to His Majesty because His unchangeable substance could be neither diminished nor increased. For that "the Logos/Word became flesh does not signify that the nature of God was changed into flesh, but that the Logos/Word took flesh into the unity of His Person (hypostasis): and therein undoubtedly the whole man was received with which within the Virgin's womb was made fruitful by the Holy Spirit; her virginity was foreordained never to be lost. Thus, the Son of God...Who was born without time of the Father's essence was Himself in time born of the Virgin's womb. We could not otherwise be released from the chains of everlasting death but by Him becoming humble in our nature. Thus, Our Lord Jesus Christ, being at birth True Man, though He never ceased to be True God, made in Himself the beginning of a new creation, and in the 'form' of His birth started the spiritual life of mankind afresh. (Source: The Great Synaxaristes of the Orthodox Church)

(To be continued)

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"Glory Be To GOD For All Things!" - Saint John Chrysostomos

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With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia (Ministry)
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+Father George

The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ

My beloved spiritual children in Christ Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

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THE NATIVITY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST

The Manger a Throne

"O Creator, Thou makest new those born on earth by Thyself becoming clay. A manger and swaddling clothes and a cave are the mark of Thy lowliness. The betrothed of Thy Mother, Joseph, is thought by men to be Thy father according to the flesh" (Canon of Forefeast of Nativity, Ode Five. Mode Plagal Two).

Saint Gregory of Nyssa writes that "the Child is wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger; and the Mother is an incorrupt Virgin after childbirth, and embraces her Son" (Saint Gregory of Nyssa). The Saint then accentuates the note of joy in his writing about the Theotokos. As Eve introduces death through sin and gave birth in sorrow and pain. "It was fitting that the Mother of Life (New Eve) should begin her pregnancy with joy and complete her giving birth in joy" (Saint Gregory of Nyssa).

The New Eve

In this festival of re-creation, Mary is the renewal of all born o the earth. She is the New Eve. As the first Eve became the mother of all living people, so the New Eve became the Mother of all renewed mankind, divinized through the Incarnation of the Son of God. The Virgin Mary, the glory of our race, is the highest thanksgiving to God, which man, from among all created beings, brings to the Creator. (Quspensky and Lossky, The Meaning of Icons, p. 159).

Saint Andrew of Crete, in the Praises of the Feast, chants: "O virgin Theotokos who hast born overthrown the ancient curse of Eve" (Lauds of Nativity, Mode Four). Saint Ephraim the Syrian also speaks of the mystery concerning the two virgins, Eve and Mary. "Today Adam has been recalled from error and from the dark deceiving of the adversary (Satan), for Christ is made flesh as man from the Virgin; and renewing Adam, He has removed the curse that came from the virgin Eve" (Lauds of Forefeast). And, "Let women praise her, the pure Mary: that as Eve their mother, great was their reproach; lo! In Mary their sister, greatly magnified was their honor. Blessed is He Who sprang from women!" (Saint Epraim, "Hymn XV," On the Nativity).

Saint Hesychios of Jerusalem succinctly states that "the Only-begotten Son of God, Creator of the world, was born by her as an infant, He Who refashioned Adam, sanctified Eve, destroyed the Serpent, and opened paradise keeping firm the virginal seal."

Saint Gregory Palamas writes that "after dwelling in the Theotokos in an inexpressible manner, He proceeded from her bearing flesh. Then appearing on earth and living among men, He divinized our nature and granted us thing which Angels desire to look into" (1 Peter 1:12).

Righteous Joseph's Trial

We see in holy icons that Righteous Joseph is not depicted in the immediate group of the Christ Child and His Mother. He is not the father and therefore he is emphatically separated from them. At times he is depicted as though pondering the wonder (miracle) of the Event, which is beyond the natural order of things. In many holy icons, the devil, in the guise of an old and bent shepherd, is seen standing before Joseph trying to tempt him. This scene bespeaks Joseph's doubts and troubled state of soul, which are expressed by his dejected attitude. The devil is telling him that a virgin birth is not possible; that it is opposed to the laws of nature and beyond words or reason.

However, in a hymn from the Third Hour on the Eve of the Feast of the Nativity, let us hear how Joseph answered these thoughts: "Tell us, Joseph, how is it that thou bringest to Bethlehem, great with child, the Maiden whom thou hast received from the sanctuary? 'I have searched the Prophets," said he, "and have been warned by an Angel. And I am persuaded that Mary shall give birth to God, in way surpassing all interpretation. And Magi from the east shall come to worship Him with precious gifts."

By a Strange Self-emptying He Passed Through Thy Womb, Vaster than the Heavens

"What shall we offer Thee, O Christ, Who for our sakes hast appeared on earth as Man? Every creature made by Thee offers Thee thanks. The Angels offer Thee a hymn; the heavens, a Star; the Magi, gifts; the shepherds, their wonder; the earth, its cave; the wilderness, the manger; and we offer Thee a virgin Mother, O Pre-eternal God, have mercy upon us!"

On this occasion of the Divine Birth-giving, Saint John Kronstadt comments upon the unsurpassing affection of the Mother for her Son. "The Theotokos is one flesh and blood, and one spirit with the Savior, as His Mother. So infinitely great was her virtue by the grace of God that she became the Mother of God. She gave Him her most pure and most sacred flesh, nourishing Him with her milk, carrying Him in her arms, clothing Him, caring in every way for Him in His infancy, kissing Him over and over again and caressing Him. O Lord, who can describe the presence of the God-bearing Virgin?...She is one with God..." (Saint John Kronstadt, My Life in Christ, p.255) [Source: The Great Synaxaristes of the Orthodox Church)

(To be continued)

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"Glory Be To GOD For All Things!"- Saint John Chrysostomos

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With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia (Ministry)
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+Father George

On the Mysterion (Sacrament) of the Priesthood (Part II)

My beloved spiritual children in Christ Our Only True God and Our Only True Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.

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ON THE MYSTERION (SACRAMENT) OF PRIESTHOOD (Part II)
By Saint John Chrysostomos

Again, if a king confers on one of his subjects the right to imprison and release again at will, that man is the envy and admiration of all. But although the priest has received from God an authority as much greater than that, as heaven is more precious than earth and souls than bodies, some people think he has received so slight an honor that they can imagine someone entrusted with it actually despising the gift. God save us from such madness! For it is patently mad to despise this Great Office without which we cannot attain to salvation or God's good promises.

For if a man "cannot enter into the Kingdom of Heaven except he be born again of water and the spirit," (John 3-5) and if he that eateth not the Lord's Flesh and drinketh not His Blood is cast out of everlasting life (cf. John 6:53), and all these things can happen through no other agency except their sacred hands (the priests', I mean), how can anyone, without their help, escape the fire of Gehenna or win his appointed crown? They are the ones--they and no others--who are in charge of spiritual travail and responsible for the birth that comes through baptism. Through them, we put on Christ and are united with the Son of God and become limbs obedient to that blessed Head. So they should properly be not only more feared than rulers and kings, but more honored even than the fathers. For our fathers begot us "of blood and the will of the flesh"; but they (the priests) are responsible for our birth from God, that blessed second birth, our true emancipation, the adoption according to grace.

The priests of the Jews had the authority to cure the leprosy of the body, or rather, not to cure it, but only to certify the cure. And you know what rivalry there used to e for the priesthood then. But our priests have received authority not over leprosy of the body but over uncleanness of the soul, and not just to certify its cure, but actually to cure it. So people who look down on them are far more execrable than Dathan and his company and deserve more punishment. For although they claimed an office which did not belong to them, at least they had a marvelous opinion of it, as they showed by wanting it so much. But the people we are considering have done just the opposite at a time when the priesthood has been so embellished and enhanced. Their presumption, therefore, is far greater. In the assessment of contempt, there is no comparison between coveting an honor that does not belong to you and making light of it. Between one and the other, there is all the difference between admiration and disdain.

But, to return to the topic from which I digressed, God has given greater power to priests than to natural parents, not only for punishment, but also for help. The differences between the two are as great as between the parents and the future life. Parents bring us into this life; priests into the life to come. Parents cannot avert bodily death nor drive away the onset of disease: priests have often saved the soul that is sick and at the point of death, by making the punishment milder for some, and preventing others from ever incurring it, not only through instruction and warning, but also through helping them by prayer. They have authority to remit sins, not only when they make us regenerate, but afterwards too, "is any among you sick? Let him call for the presbyters (elders) of the church, and let them pray over him, anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord. And the prayer of faith shall save him that is sick, and the Lord shall raise him up, and if he have committed sins, they shall be forgiven him" (John 5:14-15). Again natural parents cannot help their sons if they fall foul of the prominent and powerful, but priests have often appeased the anger of God himself, to say nothing of rulers and kings.

Will anyone still dare to accuse me of arrogance after this? I think that after what I have said, such reverence must fill the minds of my hearers that they can no longer accuse of conceit and presumption those who avoid this honor, but only those who seek it of their own accord and are determined to get it for themselves. (Source: Saint John Chrysostom On the Priesthood)

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"Glory Be To GOD For All Things! - Saint John Chrysostomos

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With sincere agape in His Holy Diakonia (Ministry)
The sinner and unworthy servant of God

+Father George