Our New Life: The Nativity of Our Savior 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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OUR NEW LIFE: THE NATIVITY OF OUR SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST

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This new life is our Lord Jesus Christ, Who is now born in Bethlehem, as He Himself said during the last days of His earthly life: "I am the way, and the truth, and the life" (John 14:6).

What is this new life, brothers and sisters, and why do people long for it? Because before Christ, people were dissatisfied with their former life, and even now all those who separate themselves from Christ are dissatisfied; they are dissatisfied because earthly life does not correspond to their desires. They want to be healthy and full, but life burdens them with sicknesses and hunger; they want riches and high ranks, but poverty and dishonor goad them, and if they do not fall into these disasters, they still remain dissatisfied with what they have, and desire more good things.

Still, people have not all sought outward prosperity; there have always been those who were burdened by their own lawless life--both by their own and that of the whole world; the same people who were burdened by not knowing what would happen to them after death; who lamented the defeat or destruction of their fatherland; complained that there was no righteousness on earth, but rather deception and violence. For such people life was yet more burdensome than for lovers of self; the latter sought a consolation for their woes, albeit temporary, in drunkenness, debauchery, fighting and robbery, but the better people did not see a ray of light anywhere...

"...One could bring forward many more pictures from life in order to show how little life without Christ corresponds to our desires, be they good or bad. Because of this you find ordinary life burdensome, especially when you know human malice and have understood how impossible it is for people to hope for a more reasonable, just life...

"...Now you will understand why the Holy Apostle John hastens to rejoice those who listen to and read his epistle, assuring them that a new life has appeared in the Savior Who has been born. All the believing Jews had long been awaiting such an Envoy, or Messiah, and the wisest of the pagans had been waiting also. They hoped that the Messiah would both make the path virtuous life easier for each person, and also establish righteousness on the earth, so that sinners would no longer dominate over the righteous, not the pagans over the rightly believing Jews; they hoped, on the contrary, that the manifested Son of God would Himself become a righteous king-conqueror, subdue the pagans and establish righteousness and general happiness on earth, and, in general, bring a new, blessed life to the earth.

And really, He both brought new life and called Himself the Life of all. And those who have accepted His life, followed in His footsteps and united themselves with Him, have really ceased to experience that satisfaction with life which oppressed and still oppresses people who have not come to know Christ...

"...This is the meaning of the Lord's words: "Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed? for after all these things do the Gentiles seek...But seek ye first the Kingdom of God, and His righteousness" (Matthew 6:31-33).

It is not said in vain, brothers and sisters, that Christ brought new life to the earth. We see that He turned the human soul around completely; changed its nature, as it were. Formerly people accumulated wealth, now they have started to give it away; formerly they feared prisons and torments, now the Apostles exultantly thank God for them; formerly they feared afflictions, now Saint James writes to the Christians: "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations" (1:2). On earth, as before, there is injustice, and sickness, and poverty, and all kinds of offences, and the more time passes, the more of this there will be, as the Lord predicted will be, as well as the Holy Apostles Peter, Jude, Paul and John. But the souls of Christians were not overwhelmed or crushed by all these afflictions. They came to know another blessedness--inner and spiritual blessedness--and if they grieved about anything, then it was only about their falls into sin and the sins of their neighbors.

How, through what acts of His life, did our Savior change the whole essence of our souls, or our lives?

First of all, by His very Nativity. That transformation of the human soul and life, which is accomplished in Himself, was reflected in all its clarity in the town of Bethlehem. This little town in those days reflected the entire life of the whole human race.

The life of man is a universal struggle for comfort and earthly advantages. The multitude of people who had gathered in Bethlehem was crowded into various dwellings on a cold night; probably the poor envied the rich in their comfort, the rich harshly drove unwanted lodgers out of their homes, and became angry when the overcrowding forced them unwillingly to share their accommodation with others. At least, that is how it always is when a lot of people are crowded together.

Look what happens according to the customs of the new life. He to Whom all the houses, all the towns, and the whole universe belong, deprives Himself of the last human dwellings and takes up His abode together with beasts, committing Himself to an irrational manger instead of the Throne of Cherubim. O, people! Is it for you to struggle and torment each other for preference in honor, cleanliness and comfort when God does not spurn not being allowed in to where people are and is satisfied with an animal shed!

Man! You murmured about your poverty, you looked with an envious eye on the rich and famous, you lamented the poverty of your own hut, you grieved that you are accounted as one of the simple folk. Go down yet lower in your station in life, and you will be accounted to be with God! You considered it a great honor to approach the doorstep of a lord, but look how easily you can obtain a dwelling equal to God's house. You look at palaces with desire because kings live in them or have lived in them; look rather at the stall where the Incarnate Son of God dwelt.  You can see the beginning of the new teaching, of the new life, of the new customs. If you follow after Christ in this way, no place will be crowded for you. If everyone takes to heart the image of Christ's life, then there will be plenty of room and no offense for anyone...

"...And further, Christian, go over in your mind everything that the Gospel reading about the Nativity of Christ has proclaimed to us. All our customs, all concepts changed into the new life of the whole of human nature.

Are you grieving over the fact that you have been subject to unjust persecution? But surely you are not more righteous than Christ, Who was pursued by the impious Herod. Are you grieving over exile or banishment? Remember the flight into Egypt. Do you find the yoke of the law burdensome? Gaze on the circumcisions of the Lord and His presentation in the Temple on the 40th day. Or are you distressed at having to submit to one who is worse than you, while you yourself are more enlightened and better than others? But Jesus was far more superior than you to the elder Joseph and, however, He submitted to him...

"...The new life in Christ consists in willingly renouncing worldly goods and not grieving when they are taken away by force. Perhaps you cannot direct your mind this way at once. But to the extent that you willingly deprive yourself of earthly enjoyments, however reluctantly, fast; offend yourself by giving to the poor or giving way to others; do not become angry or take revenge for oppression. Instead, bear offenses in silence. To the extent that you crucify the old man in yourself, to this extent will a new fount of grace-filled life flower out of your heart. "He that believeth on Me, says the Lord, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water" (John 7:38).

It is no longer either riches, or health, or glory, or the destruction of enemies that will make you rejoice, but, just as a farmer rejoices over a ripening field, or a hunter over a lot of wild fowl fluttering about, or an artist over the beauty of a sunset--so you will rejoice over prayer, spiritual reading and the opportunity to be kind to your neighbor, either by giving, or consoling one who is grieving, calming one who is angry, or bringing a villain to his senses...

"...Christ God taught us, brothers and sisters, to reach others not to seek for rights, but to renounce them, not to demand equality with the gentry, but self-abasement, not to fight, but to give way, not to commit crimes, but bear offenses. This is how the manifest Sun of Righteousness "hath given us light and understanding" (1 John 5:20), has opened for us the path to eternal and blessed life; this is what righteousness in human society is based on. Then let us, brothers and sisters, glorify the Lord Who has appeared, rejoice in His Nativity! Nothing will take this joy away from us--neither poverty, nor offenses, nor labor day and night. He has blessed all this, and magnified it, and sanctified it with Himself in the town of Bethlehem. Let us draw instructions from here, and to Him, Who has loved us, glory and honor, power and worship, with the Father and the Spirit forever. Amen. (Source: Metropolitan Anthony (Khrapovitsky +19360, first Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside Russia. This was his 1906 Nativity homily to his flock.) [Orthodox Heritage]

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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 and Savior Jesus Christ: The Magi (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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THE NATIVITY OF OUR LORD AND SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST: THE MAGI (Part II)

Herod Makes Inquiries

Entering Jerusalem, the Wise Men asked, "Where is He Who was born King of the Jews? For we saw His star in the east, and came to do homage to Him." But after Herod the king heard these things, he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him" (Matthew 2:3).

Why was Herod overcome with wrath? This is because His kingdom would soon come to an end. Why was Jerusalem troubled with him? This is because they were living in unrighteousness, and the time of censure had come. Sadly, Saint John Chrysostomos comments, "See, too, how the Jewish people are troubled, though they should rejoice that it was a Jewish king that was born. But they were troubled because the wicked can never rejoice at the coming of the just. Hence we have, 'And all Jerusalem with him.'

The Protoevanggelion relates the following. Herod then sent messengers to the priests (rabbis) and to the Wise Men whose names were Melchior, Gaspar, and Balthazar, so that he might pose inquiries to them in the public hall. Now when Herod had gathered all the chief priests (rabbis) and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where it was written concerning Christ (messiah) the King and where should be born.

"And after he gathered all the priests (rabbis) and scribes of the people he kept on inquiring of them where the Christ is born" (Matthew 2:4).

Saint John Chrysostomos asks, "To what end did Herod, who did not believe in the Scriptures, question them? Or, if he believed, how did he hope to kill Him Whom they said was to be the future King? But Herod was urged on by the devil, who did not believe that Scripture lied."

The Jews then answered: "And thou, Bethlehem, in the land of Juda, art in no wise the least among the governors of Juda; for out of thee shall come forth a Governor Who shall shepherd My people Israel" (Matthew 2:6).

However, was the Prophet Micah had actually said is as follows: "And thou, Bethlehem, house of Ephratha, art few in number to be reckoned among the thousands of Juda; yet out of thee shall One come forth to Me, to be a Ruler in Israel; and His goings forth were from the beginning, even from eternity" (Micah 5:2).

Saint Gregory the Great writes: "Fitting was it that He was born in Bethlehem; for Bethlehem is interpreted as the 'House of Bread'; for He says of Himself, "I am the Bread, the Living one, the One having come down out of the heavens" (John 6:51).

Saint John Chrysostomos says: "After Herod had received an answer, he believed it to be credible for two reasons: first, because it was spoken by the priests (rabbis); and second, because it was confirmed by prophetic testimony. Herod was not inclined toward reverence for the newborn King, rather, he was disposed to commit that evil slaughter--and that by treachery. He perceived that he could not beguile the Magi by flattery, nor frighten them by threats, nor corrupt them by gold, so as to force them to consent to the death of the future King; accordingly, he planned to deceive them."

Here too, Saint John Chrysostomos points out a wondrous dispensation: "The Jews and the Magi mutually teach each other. The Jews learn from the Magi that a star in the east had proclaimed the Christ, and the Magi learn from the Jews that of old the prophecies have foretold Him. Thus strengthened by this twofold testimony, the Magi desired Him with more ardent faith."

The Wise Men Before Herod

"Then Herod, after he secretly called the Magi, inquired carefully of them the time of the appearing star" (Matthew 2:7).

"Herod was struck with amazement, seeing the piety of the Magi and, overcome by wrath, he inquired concerning when the Child was born."

And having sent away the chief priests (rabbis), Herod inquired diligently of the Wise Men, and said unto them, "What was the sign that did appear concerning the King Who is born?" They answered him declaring, "We saw an extraordinary large star shining among the stars of heaven. It outshone all the other stars, so that they became indiscernible. We knew, thereby, that a Great King was born in Israel and, therefore, we came to worship Him."

Thus, Herod had a private audience with the Magi. Saint John Chrysostomos discloses that "he called them secretly, so that the Jews might not see that he suspected them; lest also, perhaps, they, preferring a King of their own race (and rejecting him), should betray his purpose."

Saint John Chrysostomos adds that "each (Satan and Herod) is troubled by his own greed, and fears a succession to his kingdom: Herod an earthly successor, the devil a heavenly one."

Herod then sent them to Bethlehem and said, "Go and search diligently for the young Child; and when ye have found Him, bring me word again, that I may come and worship Him also." When they had heard the king, they departed; and, lo, the Star, which they saw in the east, went before them till it came and stood over where the young Child was. When they saw the Star, they rejoiced with exceeding great joy" (Matthew 2:8-10).

Herod reigned to revere the Child when, in reality, he planned violence. Saint Kosmas characterized Herod "as the troubled enemy of God, who, in his wild madness, plotted how he might slay Christ."

Saint John Chrysostomos brings to our attention that, when the Magi were in that place, "the Star had hidden from them. Hence, they were compelled to make inquiry in Jerusalem concerning Christ. Thus, at the same time, they made Him known. This took place for two reasons. First, for the confounding of the Jews; for the Magi, encouraged only by the rising of a star, have been seeking Christ, and in strange lands, while the Jews, who have been reading from their childhood the prophecies that spoke of Christ (Messiah), and though He was born in their midst, have not received Him. Secondly, so that the priests (rabbis), being questioned as to where Christ was born, would make answer to their own condemnation, "from Bethlehem"; because they who had instructed Herod concerning Christ, were themselves without knowledge of Him. Thus, after the Magi made their inquiry, the Star appeared. And they, observing the obedience of the Star, understood the dignity of the King."

The Wise Men Enter the House

The Magi, being led by the Star, followed it "till it came and stood over where the young Child was" (Matthew 2:9) with His Mother. Now by this time, Joseph had secured a room for the Theotokos and her Son. Thus, in Orthodox iconography of "The Veneration of the Magi," they are depicted in a house, which is in agreement with the words of the Evangelist Matthew that "they (the Magi) came into the house (εις τήν οικίαν) [Matthew 2:11]. The Theotokos is usually seen sitting on a throne with a high polygonal back. The Christ Jesus is sitting on His Mother's lap.

"And after they came into the house, they saw the young Child with Mary His Mother, and fell down and did homage to Him" (Matthew 2:11).

Saint Leo the Great remarks that the Magi beheld a child, "small in size, depending on others, powerless to act, differing in no way from any other human infant; for the Son of God had assumed the true nature of man." Saint John of Damascus writes that "they saw Thee wrapped in swaddling clothes...Who sharest all our suffering. And in joy, they gazed upon Thee, Who art at once both mortal and Lord."

The Magi did not see before them either scepter or throne, only utter poverty. Saint John Chrysostomos adds that "He was not crowned with a diadem, nor resting on a gilded bed...If, therefore, they had come searching for all earthly king, they would have been rather mortified than filled with exceeding joy, for they would have undertaken the toil of a journey without reward. But now they seek a heavenly King, though they saw in Him nothing regal; yet satisfied by the testimony of a Star, their eyes were glad as they looked upon a poor little child; for the Spirit within them showed that He was a Being of awe." Saint John Chrysostomos further comments, "What moved them to venerate Him? For the Virgin bore no distinguishing mark, and the abode which would either compel them or induce them to do this...What was it then that moved them?...The Star and the Light that God had placed in their hearts led them step by step to more perfect knowledge."

The Magi Open Their Treasures

"And after they opened their treasures, they offered gifts to Him: gold, and frankincense and myrrh" (Matthew 2:11).

Then they brought forth out of their treasures. "And eagerly opening their treasures, they offered to Him precious gifts: refined gold, as to the King of the ages, and frankincense, as to the God of All; and myrrh they offered to the immortal, as to one three days dead."

What was the significance of these gifts?  Hymns from the Canon of the Forefeast disclose their meaning. "The kings, first-fruits of the nations, bring Thee gifts;...by myrrh they point to Thy death, by gold to Thy royal power, by frankincense to the dignity of Thy Divinity." Furthermore, "The error of Persia has ceased: for the stargazers, kings of the east, bring gifts of gold, myrrh, and frankincense to Christ the King of all at His birth."

Saint John Chrysostomos and Saint Gregory the Great make an important observation: the Magi did not return by the same route. Saint John writes that "It was not possible that, after having come from Herod to Christ, they should return again to Herod." Concurring with this, Saint Gregory writes: "They intimate something here of great import. Our true country is Paradise, to which, having now come to the knowledge of Jesus, we are forbidden to return by the path we left." (Source: The Great Synaxaristes of the Orthodox Church)

Through the intercessions of Thy Saints, O Christ God, have mercy on us. Amen.

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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 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