"He, Himself, took on our infirmities and bore our sickness"
Matthew Chapter 8: 17 (Quoting Isaiah.)
Theophany - 6th JanuaryTheophany is celebrated on January the 6th.
The name is derived from the Greek theophania, translating as "appearance of God" and on this day we recall the Baptism of Our Lord, Jesus Christ in the river Jordan by John the Baptist and the appearance of the Holy Spirit descending upon him in the form of a dove.
Luke 3: 21-22
21 Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened,
22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.
The Great blessing of the water is performed on the day before this feast or after Divine Liturgy on the day of the feast.
Often the Parish will go to a nearby lake or river to perform this ceremony.
The faithful will take bring containers to take some of the holy water home with them.
This Feast reminds us not only of of Our Lord Jesus Christ's Baptism but by our own baptism we are Baptised into Christ.
Troparion
When You, O Lord were baptized in the Jordan
The worship of the Trinity was made manifest
For the voice of the Father bore witness to You And called You His beloved Son.
And the Spirit, in the form of a dove, Confirmed the truthfulness of His word.
O Christ, our God, You have revealed Yourself And have enlightened the world, glory to You!
Kontakion
Today You have shown forth to the world, O Lord, and the light of Your countenance has been marked on us.
Knowing You, we sing Your praises.
You have come and revealed Yourself, O unapproachable Light.
| 24th December (NS) | Christmas vigil from 8 pm |
| 7th of January (NS) 25th December (OS) | Divine Liturgy of St John Chyrstostom at 10 am |
Today is the second Sunday before the Nativity and we remember the forefathers of Christ according to the flesh, from Adam through to the Theotokos, all of whom came before the Law but some of whom lived to see the giving of the Law.
In particular we take note of the promise made to Abraham in Genesis 12:3 and " And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed." and again in Genesis 22:18, "And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice". A promise
We also remember Joachim and Anna, the father and mother of the Theotokos.
Memory Eternal, Patriarch Alexy II of MoscowPatriarch Alexy II of Moscow reposed last Friday, the 5th of December.
Patriarch Alexy was born on February the 23rd 1929 and ordained to the priesthood in 1950. He succeeded Patriarch Pimen as Patriarch of Moscow in 1990.
| 24th December (NS) | Christmas vigil from 8 pm |
| 7th of January (NS) 25th December (OS) | Divine Liturgy of St John Chyrstostom at 10 am |
St Ambrose was born in the middle of the fourth century AD at time when the Arian controversy was splitting the Church.
Highly educated in literature, the law and rhetoric Ambrose became consular prefect with headquarters in Milan. He showed himself to be a capable and excellant administrator.
In 374 the Bishop of Milan, the Arian Auxentius died; leaving the see vacant and civil disorder arose between the Orthodox and Arians over the choice of his successor.Called on to restore order Ambrose delivered a speech of such eloquence that the people called for him to succeed Auxentius as Bishop, although at that time Ambrose was still only a catechumen. St Ambrose was initially reluctant to take on the position but after settling his affairs, selling his property and distributing it to the poor he was baptized, ordained and elevated to the rank of Bishop.
As a Bishop, Ambrose was was an eloquent and valiant defender of the Faith, influencing another of Western Fathers, St Augustine. St Ambrose reposed on the 4th of April 397 - the night of Pascha.
Today we remember St Andrew, the first called.
Next Friday is the celebration of the Presentation of the Theotokos in the Temple, one of the 12 Great Feasts of the Orthodox Church.
"Do not be despondent when fighting against the incorporeal enemy,
but even in the midst of your afflictions and oppression praise the Lord,
Who has found you worthy to suffer for Him,
by struggling against the subtlety of the serpent,
and to be wounded for Him at every hour; for had you not lived piously,
and endeavored to become united to God,
the enemy would not have attacked and tormented you."
With the apostles your message has gone out to the ends of the world,Kontakion
And with the confessors you suffered for Christ!
You are like the hierarchs through your preaching of the word;
With the righteous you are radiant with the grace of God.
The Lord has exalted your humility above the heavens
And given us your name as a source of miracles.
O wonder-worker, living in Christ for ever,
Have mercy on those beset by troubles;
And hear us when we cry out in faith, O our beloved shepherd John!
This day the pastor of Kronstadt
Appears before the throne of God
Praying fervently on behalf of the faithful
To the chief pastor Christ, who has promised:
"I will build my church, and the powers of death shall not prevail against it!"
About 726 AD a dispute arose in the Church about the place of Icons in Christian worship.Concerning the charge of idolatry: Icons are not idols but symbols, therefore when an Orthodox venerates an icon, he is not guilty of idolatry. He is not worshipping the symbol, but merely venerating it. Such veneration is not directed toward wood, or paint or stone, but towards the person depicted. Therefore relative honor is shown to material objects, but worship is due to God alone.
We do not make obeisance to the nature of wood, but we revere and do obeisance to Him who was crucified on the Cross... When the two beams of the Cross are joined together I adore the figure because of Christ who was crucified on the Cross, but if the beams are separated, I throw them away and burn them
Troparion (Tone 8)
Most glorious are You, O Christ our God!
You have established the Holy Fathers as lights on the earth!
Through them you have guided us to the true faith!
O greatly Compassionate One, glory to You!
Kontakion (Tone 6)
The Son who shone forth from the Father
Was ineffably born, two-fold in nature, of a woman.
Having beheld Him, we do not deny the image of His form,
But depict it piously and revere it faithfully.
Thus, keeping the True Faith,
The Church venerates the icon of Christ Incarnate.
Church