The High Priest Zacharias, the husband of Anna's niece Elizabeth, was the future father of Saint John the Baptist and Forerunner. When he beheld the Virgin's approach, he rejoiced in the Spirit, and said, "Mary, the Lord God has magnified thy name to all generations and, by thee, to the very end of time, the Lord will show His redemption to the children of Israel." The High Priest Zacharias unites in his person two traditions--priestly and prophetic. Rejoice, Mary, preaching of the Prophets and the fulfillment of their words! The Prophets prophesied of thee and have thee as their boast.

When the Most Pure and divine Maiden, the Most Blessed Virgin Mary the Theotokos, reached the age of three, her holy and righteous parents, Joachim and Anna, remembered the vow they had made when they prayed to be delivered from childlessness, promising to offer their offspring as a gift to God. Therefore, as all the ancient Holy Fathers testify, they called together their relatives living in Nazareth, persons of royal and high-priestly lineage, for the righteous Joachim was of royal stock and his spouse Anna was of the high-priestly line.

Here is a man of God and a mighty wonderworker, who was called a second Moses! Born of wealthy and eminent pagan parents, Gregory at first studied Hellenic and Egyptian philosophy, but, seeing its barrenness and insufficiency, he turned to Christian teachers, particularly Origen of Alexandria, with whom he studied for several years and by whom he was baptized. Pure in soul and body, he desired to consecrate himself utterly to Christ, to which end he withdrew to the desert, where, in painful asceticism, he spent many years.

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.