Homily Two for New Years Eve (St. John of Kronstadt)

Homily Two for New Years Eve

By St. John of Kronstadt

"If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation" (2 Cor. 5:17).

Happy New Year, beloved brothers and sisters!

Sincerely, with all my heart, what should I wish for myself and you in the New Year? This is what: that we all become new, putting off the old. "What is old in us?" – you ask. Of course, sin, passions and wicked inclinations and our creeping various bad habits. All this is decay, which extremely corrupts our souls and bodies, removing them from God and depriving them of peace, health, quietness, freedom, light. For example, if I feel in myself every day a tendency to anger, or envy, pride, or I am really angry, mad, envious, proud, or have a passion for money, food and drink, and the like, then I am not a new, but an old man, not a man of God, but a child of the devil, and only then do I become a new man and a child of God, and not of the devil, when I sincerely repent, pay for my sin, and completely change in my thoughts, feelings, dispositions and inclinations for the better; I will be meek, humble, patient, good-natured, sincerely benevolent to everyone, not covetous, temperate, indifferent and cold to all pleasant food and drink; when I am sincerely, with all my soul merciful, compassionate to all sinners like me, to the unfortunate, to the sick, the poor, when I am almsgiving, in simplicity, willingly, zealously and with constant humility; when I do not lustfully look at corruptible beauty, in whatever it may be: in living persons or things, but I desire and seek with all my might the incorruptible, eternal, uncreated beauty, to delight in it, to admire it, and that which constitutes this beauty: holiness, truth, wisdom, goodness - in a word - God, then I will be a new man. In this sense, I wish with all my soul for myself and you to become new, for the glory of God, and for the salvation and true good of us all and for the confirmation of our hope in eternal life. May God grant that we all be inflamed with the desire for incorruptible and eternal blessings, an eternally new life in heaven, and to despise corruptible blessings that remove us from God, corrupt both our souls and bodies, through our passion for them. Amen.

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.

 

Homily One for New Years Eve (St. John of Kronstadt)

Homily One for New Years Eve

By St. John of Kronstadt

"If anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation" (2 Cor. 5:17).

Behold, beloved brothers and sisters, we are celebrating the New Year, 1880 from the Nativity of Christ. This is news to various other news. And we all love news so much, each according to his character, inclinations, habits, or so-called specialty, according to the nature of his occupation, his service. Some people like new books, newspaper news, magazine news, or news at work, others new clothes, children love new toys, dresses, gifts – but can you read all the news that occupy each of us in life? Very strange, surprising in each of us is the passion for the new.

December: Day 31: Teaching 5: On the Eve of the Feast in Honor of Saint Basil the Great

December: Day 31: Teaching 5:
On the Eve of the Feast in Honor of Saint Basil the Great
 
(For the All-Night Vigil - Lessons From His Life:
a. Modesty in Clothing,
b. Unanimity With the Holy Church, and
c. Preparation for Departure From This Life)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The entire Christian Church has from ancient times adopted the title of "Great" for Saint Basil, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia, who is glorified in today's ecclesiastical hymns and readings. How did he acquire this title? What is the greatness of Saint Basil? His life will show us this.

Saint Basil was born in Caesarea in Cappadocia in the year 329, at the end of the pious reign of Saint Constantine, Equal to the Apostles. His parents were named: Basil, distinguished not only by his virtues, but also by his education, and Emmelia, whom Saint Gregory the Theologian calls "the nurse of the poor." Saint Basil received his initial understanding of the sciences from his father, and his first instructions in faith and good morals from his pious mother. Even in his youth, Saint Basil was distinguished by his extraordinary success in the sciences and his sedate disposition; he was eloquent, not yet learning the rules of rhetoric, and was a sage or philosopher, when he had not yet attended philosophy lessons. However, the young sage was not deceived by his successes, but desired to achieve greater perfection. With this purpose he went first to Constantinople, and then to Athens, where famous rhetoricians and philosophers lived at that time. Here he found his second self, the most sincere, faithful, unchanging and worthy friend in the person of Saint Gregory, later Archbishop of Constantinople and Ecumenical Theologian. Basil and Gregory were a model of true sacred friendship. Equally gifted by God with spiritual talents, they both equally strove to perfect themselves in virtue, strengthening and encouraging each other in this holy striving. Throughout their lives they preserved the most ardent love and the deepest respect for each other. Living in Athens, a city still half inhabited by pagans, Basil and Gregory kept themselves pure from pagan superstitions and vices, avoided the vain pleasures and noisy amusements to which their fellow students indulged. The holy friends knew only two roads in Athens: one to the church, the other to the teachers. Their success in the sciences was amazing. After a few years, Saint Basil had to leave Athens and with deep sorrow part with his friend Gregory, whom the Athenians begged to remain in their city to teach the rules of eloquence.

December: Day 31: Teaching 4: On the Eve of the Feast of the Circumcision of the Lord

 

December: Day 31: Teaching 4:
On the Eve of the Feast of the Circumcision of the Lord
 
(The Old Testament Circumcision Was Replaced in the New Testament by the Mystery of Baptism)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Circumcision was the most important mystery of the Old Testament Church. It was established from above, before all the mysteries. The circumcised entered into a covenant with God, became members of the Church and had the right to receive earthly and heavenly blessings. On the contrary, the uncircumcised were threatened with disaster and destruction. "The soul of the uncircumcised," said God, "shall be cut off from his people, for he has broken My covenant" (Gen. 17:14).

In establishing this great mystery, God confirmed that Abraham's children should be circumcised forever, as long as it pleased God. "And my covenant," said God, "shall be in your flesh for an everlasting covenant" (Gen. 7:13).

December: Day 31: Teaching 2: On the Eve of the New Year

 

December: Day 31: Teaching 2:
On the Eve of the New Year
 
(For the All-Night Vigil: 

On the Prayer and Feelings of a Christian at the Arrival of the New Year)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Today we solemnly welcome the New Year, and we welcome it as we should, in a Christian way – with prayer in the temple of God.

II. a) Yes, there is something to pray about now to the Almighty Creator and our God, with special zeal.

First, we must thank Him through the lips of the Church for all the blessings we have received from Him in the past year.

Secondly, we must give Him praise for the fact that He, “not desiring the death of the wicked, but that he should turn and live” (Ezek. 33:11), did not destroy us for our iniquities, “the evil we have done in the past year,” but still gives us time to correct our sinful life.

And finally, to pray to Him earnestly with tears that He would extend His mercies to us in this coming year, strengthening us in the Orthodox faith, giving us peace and quiet, firm, sincere love and virtuous living.

December: Day 31: Teaching 1: Venerable Melania the Roman

 

December: Day 31: Teaching 1:
Venerable Melania the Roman
 
(Lessons From Her Life:
a. Abstinence,
b. Philanthropy, and
c. Zeal for the Salvation of Others)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Venerable Melania, who today is being glorified, was the granddaughter of Melania the Elder (commemorated on June 8), famous for her piety, under whose influence she herself was confirmed in piety. From childhood she loved God with all her soul, felt no attachment to the world and not only did not exalt herself, but did not even value the advantages of her position as the heiress of the richest and one of the most renowned families of the Roman Empire. Marriage also did not attract her and only for the sake of obedience to the will of her parents she married, when she was 14 years old, the son of the prefect of Italy and Africa, Valerius Pinianus, who was equal to her in origin and wealth.

2002 Pastoral Encyclical for Christmas (Metr. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

Pastoral Encyclical

Sacred Metropolis of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

Christmas 2002

My beloved brethren,

This year we again celebrate the great event of the incarnation of the Son and Word of God for the salvation of man and the renewal of all creation. Man had lost the relationship and communion with God and this had consequences for all creation. Therefore, the restoration of man in Christ Jesus had to take place so that creation could also be renewed. Precisely for this reason, the feast of the Nativity of Christ has great theological significance and importance.

The apolytikion of the feast, which is well known and beloved by all of us since our childhood, does not simply describe the event of the Birth of Christ, but expresses a great theological meaning. We chant devoutly and at the same time triumphantly during the nightly Christmas Divine Liturgy: “Your birth, Christ our God, has dawned upon the world the Light of knowledge, for by it those who worship the stars, were taught by a star, to worship You, the Sun of righteousness, and to know You the Dawn from on high, Lord, glory to You.”

2000 Pastoral Encyclical for Christmas (Metr. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

Pastoral Encyclical

Sacred Metropolis of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

Christmas 2000

My beloved brethren,

The star that guided the Magi to find Christ in Bethlehem is a central point in the Evangelists’ accounts of the events of the incarnation of the Son and Word of God. It is an event about which much is said and many scientists and astronomers have been concerned in order to study what exactly this phenomenon was.

Saint John Chrysostom, referring to the star of the Magi, says that it was a rational power and not a simple star. Commenting on the relevant passages of the Evangelists, he says that this star does not resemble other stars. This is evident, first, from the course it followed, namely from north to south, while all the stars move from east to west. Second, from the time they saw it, since they saw it not only at night, but also during the day, which is impossible with the other stars. Third, from the fact that sometimes it was hidden and sometimes it appeared, and moreover it had no permanent course, but moved when it should have moved, and stopped when it should have stopped. That is, it resembled the pillar of cloud which stopped at the camp of the Jews or even was lifted up from the camp so that the Jews could be attacked, when necessary. Fourth, the way in which it guided the Magi was strange, since it descended low and even stood above the place where Christ was, and thus indicated to them that specific point.

Homily on the Sunday After the Nativity of Christ (Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov)

Homily on the Sunday After the Nativity of Christ
(when it lands on the day after Christmas)

By Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov

(Delivered in 1961)

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!

Dear brothers and sisters, today is the second day of the Great Feast of the Nativity of Christ. This day is called the day of the Synaxis of the Mother of God, because in ancient times the first Christians gathered in the temple on the second day of the feast of the Nativity of Christ to glorify the One who gave the earth the Savior of the world. She was the cause of our salvation, for by her humility, obedience to the will of the Lord, purity, and supreme chastity, she was honored to become the Mother of Christ, the Son of God.

Today the Church glorifies the Righteous Joseph the Betrothed, the Holy Prophet and King David and the Brother of the Lord in the flesh – the Holy Apostle James, the first Bishop of the Church of Jerusalem.

December: Day 30: Teaching 1: Holy Martyr Anysia

December: Day 30: Teaching 1:
Holy Martyr Anysia
 
(On the Means to Develop and Strengthen Spiritual Joy in Your Soul)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Saint, who is now being glorified, the Martyr Anysia, was from the city of Thessaloniki, in Greece. She was gifted with all earthly blessings. Her parents were kind, pious and very rich, they raised her with all possible diligence, and from her very childhood she loved God more than anything in the world - with joy she studied His law and zealously tried to fulfill His will. Her mind and beauty were extraordinary: she quickly succeeded in all sciences and her parents could not rejoice enough at their daughter.

But even in her early youth, Anysia experienced a deep grief: she lost her kind parents. After their death, she remained the sole heiress of a huge estate. She received an incalculable amount of all kinds of wealth: villages, money, gold and silver utensils, valuable clothes decorated with gold and pearls. But this wealth did not so much please Anysia as it frightened her. She knew that there are many temptations in wealth, that it often arouses pride and vanity in a person, which easily leads away from God. Fearing all these temptations, Anysia constantly prayed to the Lord for help, asked Him to guide her so that she would use the gifted wealth for the benefit and not for the destruction of her soul, and finally decided to give everything to the poor. When she sold her property, she did not set a price for everything herself, but said to the merchant: “Remember that the property of the poor and needy is being sold, and therefore give the price that is due for it, for the Lord loves justice and rewards according to justice.”

Homily Two on the Sunday After the Nativity of Christ (St. John of Kronstadt)

 

Homily Two on the Sunday After the Nativity of Christ
(when it falls on December 29th)

By St. John of Kronstadt

"A voice was heard in Ramah, 

lamentation, weeping, and great mourning, 

Rachel weeping for her children, 

refusing to be comforted, 

because they are no more" 

(Matt. 2:18; Jer. 31:15).

The Holy Church now honors the memory of fourteen thousand infants slaughtered by King Herod in Bethlehem and its environs. This bloody event was predicted 500 years ago by the Prophet of God Jeremiah in these words: "A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted, because they are no more." By Ramah or Arimathea is meant the whole area stained with the blood of infant martyrs, and by Rachel, who was the wife of the Patriarch Jacob, the grandson of Abraham, are meant all the mothers from whom infants were torn away by Herod's executioners and slaughtered. A terrible, inhuman spectacle! This is what man is brought to by his unbridled passions, his self-love, pride, ambition, lust for power, malice, envy!

Homily One on the Sunday After the Nativity of Christ (St. John of Kronstadt)

Homily One on the Sunday After the Nativity of Christ

By St. John of Kronstadt

Today we have two feasts: the feast of the Nativity of Christ is joined with the feast of the Resurrection of Christ; one is an annual feast, the other a weekly feast. In both feasts, beloved brethren, is hidden our own Christian triumph. Jesus Christ was born and resurrected for us: He was born in order to die for us and to rise again. Such is the love of God the Savior for us: He gave Himself entirely to us, if only to make us eternally blessed, if only to lead us into the abodes of the heavenly Father. The life of our Lord Jesus Christ – from His birth to His suffering, death, resurrection and ascension into heaven, is, so to speak, a mirror in which is reflected all that happens and will happen to His followers, or, in other words, His entire earthly life is a model of our life, as it should be. Therefore, His birth is, as it were, our birth – and it is, precisely, only for us – His resurrection is our resurrection.

Sins That Cry Out To Heaven (Archpriest Rodion Putyatin)

Homily 24

By Archpriest Rodion Putyatin

"A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted, because they are no more" (Matt. 2:18).

You have certainly heard, listeners, that there are sins that cry out to Heaven. But do you know what kind of sins these are and who is guilty of them?

The chief sin that cries out to Heaven is unlawful murder: human blood cries out to Heaven louder than all, like the voice of the blood of Abel, killed by Cain. But this sin, too, cries out to Heaven: when someone wrongs a widow, oppresses the poor, and oppresses orphans. This is also a sin: when someone does not give or does not give back to his slaves and workers, his subordinates and subjects, what is due to them, and thereby forces them to suffer and be in misery. This is also a sin, too, which cries out to Heaven: when someone in extremity, in trouble or under judgment brings people to such an extent that they, the poor, with all their righteousness and innocence, are forced to give to him what they have gained through labor and sorrow, in order for himself to get out of the extreme, to get rid of misfortune or to be freed from judgment.

December: Day 29: Teaching 2: Venerable Markellos of Akoimeton Monastery

December: Day 29: Teaching 2:
Venerable Markellos of Akoimeton Monastery
 
(Tips On How To Give Alms)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Venerable Markellos, whose memory is now celebrated, began to labor in a monastery near the city of Ephesus from his youth. He lived by the labor of his hands, spent his days copying books, his nights in prayer; he used only a small part of the money he earned by his labor for himself, and gave the rest to the poor. Living near Ephesus, he once heard that in Constantinople there was a “Monastery of the Unsleeping Ones” (or Akoimeton), founded by the ascetic Alexander; this monastery received such a name because divine services were performed in it continuously, day and night. Markellos went to Constantinople and joined the ranks of its monks. After the death of Alexander, the brethren chose Markellos as abbot of the monastery, and he moved the monastery to Bithynia (in Asia Minor). The internal order in the monastery, the precise fulfillment of the monastic rule, the impeccable behavior of the brethren - all this placed the Monastery of the Unsleeping Ones very highly in the opinion of the surrounding residents. If the abbot of any monastery in that country died, a monk from the monastery of Saint Markellos was usually chosen in his place. Many pagans were converted to Christianity by Markellos.

December: Day 29: Teaching 1: Massacre of the 14,000 Holy Infants Slain for the Sake of Christ

December: Day 29: Teaching 1:
Massacre of the 14,000 Holy Infants Slain for the Sake of Christ
 
(Lessons From This Event:
a. One Must Avoid Being Blinded By Passions, Which Lead To Terrible Crimes;
b. Children Must Value the Tears of Their Parents and Honor Them)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Today is the commemoration of the Holy 14,000 Infants slain for Christ's sake. When Herod, the King of Judea, became very angry with the Magi who had come to worship the Divine Child, as indicated by His star which had led them from the east, and who had not returned to Herod with the news of the Child, but had "departed to their own country by another way" according to a revelation they had received in a dream, then he sent to kill all the infants in Bethlehem and in all its borders, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had learned from the Magi, and wishing thus to destroy among others the newborn King of the Jews announced to him by the Magi.

And then came true what was spoken through the Prophet Jeremiah, who says: “A voice is heard in Ramah, weeping and wailing and great lamentation; Rachel weeps for her children and does not want to be comforted, because they are no more” (Jer. 31:15).

These infants, killed for Christ’s sake, who were the “first fruits of Christian martyrs,” have been glorified by the Holy Church since ancient times.

The Most Likely Date of the Birth of Jesus Christ Was Indeed December 25

By Christos Klitsinaris

Every year at this time, the internet is filled with publications questioning the date of the Nativity of Christ.

They are the well known yet unknown doubters of Christianity.

Their most well-known excuse is that it replaced the already existing feast of the Sun, which pagans celebrated on this day.

Rather, the opposite happened as we will see.

It is true that in the early years of Christianity, the Nativity of Christ was celebrated together with the Epiphany on January 6th, but they knew that December 25th was the actual Day.

2010 Pastoral Encyclical for Christmas (Metr. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

Pastoral Encyclical

The Sun of Righteousness

Sacred Metropolis of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

Christmas 2010

The feast of the Nativity of Christ is celebrated every year not only to remember it and to glorify God for His infinite condescension, but also so that we can, during the short period of our lives, spiritually experience this great event, that Christ assumed human nature, became man in order to deify man. It is difficult, even impossible, to understand logically the events of the divine incarnation, which is why it is necessary to experience them in our inner space, in our hearts.

In the Gospels, the troparia of the Church, and in the homilies of the Holy Fathers, various aspects of this great mystery are presented, and then man is called to confirm it within the limits of his personal life, through repentance, prayer, Divine Communion, and generally through his living relationship with Christ in the Holy Spirit. In the troparia that we sing in the Church, Christ is praised as the “sun of righteousness.” In the apolytikion of the feast, we sing: “to worship you the sun of righteousness.” And in another troparion composed by Saint John of Damascus and proclaiming the goodness of Christ towards the human race, among other things it is written: “The sun of righteousness has set among us... for those who sit in darkness.” Christ is the uncreated sun that shines and radiates in the world, but He is also perfect righteousness.

2008 Pastoral Encyclical for Christmas (Metr. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

Pastoral Encyclical

Sacred Metropolis of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

Christmas 2008

Beloved brethren,

God has made us worthy this year to celebrate the Holy Twelve Days, which include three Great Feasts of the Lord - the Nativity of Christ, the Circumcision and His Baptism. As time passes, we are filled with sadness, because the years of our lives pass, but it also fills us with great joy, since we can once again celebrate the events of the Theophany, to praise the Nativity of Christ and to glorify God for His divine condescension.

Saint Gregory the Theologian, in a homily on the feast of the Nativity of Christ, writes: “And He who enriches becomes poor; He impoverishes Himself with my flesh, that I may be enriched by His divinity.” That is, God, who gives His wealth to all, becomes poor, taking my own flesh, so that I may become rich with His divinity.

December: Day 28: Holy 20,000 Martyrs Burned in Nicomedia

December: Day 28:
Holy 20,000 Martyrs Burned in Nicomedia
 
(On the Means Against the Horrors of Death)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. When the Emperor Maximian, who wanted to eradicate the Christian faith, learned that many Christians had gathered in the large Nicomedia temple on the eve of the feast of the Nativity, he ordered the temple to be surrounded. The Christians were offered either to die or to sacrifice to idols, but they answered that they "did not fear death." Then he ordered the temple to be set on fire, and all the Christians in the temple, 20,000 in number, died as martyrs in the fire. This was in 302 A.D.

II. This is how the ancient Christians did not fear death! This is how all of them, 20,000 in number, joyfully accepted a fiery death, so as not to be separated from Christ and not to be deprived of eternal life.

Christian brethren! Let us consider how, by what means, we can achieve such a blessed state of the ancient Christians not to fear death.

2007 Pastoral Encyclical for Christmas (Metr. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

Pastoral Encyclical

Sacred Metropolis of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

Christmas 2007

Beloved brethren,

During the Divine Liturgy of the feast of Christmas, and indeed at the Entrance, that is, in the troparion that is chanted during the Small Entrance of the Priest with the Gospel, a scriptural verse is included that refers to Christ: “You are a priest forever according to the order of Melchizedek.”

Melchizedek, who was the King of Salem, was a priest who suddenly appears out of nowhere, and when he met Abraham “he brought out bread and wine; and he was the priest of the most high God.” Then, he blessed Abraham (Gen. 14:18-20).

This is a mysterious person, who is not mentioned anywhere else in Holy Scripture, appears suddenly and abruptly disappears, neither his parents, nor his birth, nor his death are mentioned, he appears without having a predecessor and successor, and he is a king and priest who was appointed by God and remains throughout the ages, since his priesthood did not come from Aaron. At the same time, Melchizedek offers bread and wine and not other sacrificial gifts, as was provided for in the Old Testament, and moreover, he blessed Abraham, as sent by God. The existence of Melchizedek is also mentioned by David in his Psalms (Ps. 6:4).

2003 Pastoral Encyclical for Christmas (Metr. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

Pastoral Encyclical

Sacred Metropolis of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

Christmas 2003

My beloved brethren,

And again, in the winter atmosphere of these days, we celebrate the love and mercy of God who became man, so that we might become sons by the grace of God. All the hymns of the Church, with which the feast of the Nativity of Christ is celebrated and which were written by holy men, who experienced in their personal lives the incarnation of the Son and Word of God, exude this fragrance of God's love, mercy and philanthropy.

In this climate of God’s love and mercy, the words of the Apostle Paul are also heard: “And without controversy great is the mystery of piety: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in glory” (1 Tim. 3:16).

The Apostle Paul mentions these words in a unity about what the life of the Bishop and more generally of the Clergy should be, what his work is, what his preaching should be and what the Church is. Ultimately, the work of the Clergyman is to continually preach the great mystery of salvation, which is that God was revealed in human flesh, justified by the Holy Spirit, appeared to angels, preached to the nations, believed in by the world, and ascended into glory. And this preaching was the central core of the teaching of the Holy Apostles and of the Church in general.

Homily on the Holy Apostle, Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen (Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov)

Homily on the Holy Apostle, Protomartyr and Archdeacon Stephen

By Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!

Today, dear brothers and sisters, on December 27, the Holy Church celebrates the bright memory of the first martyr for Christ – the Holy Apostle and Archdeacon Stephen, mercilessly stoned for his daring preaching to the Jews.

With what laudatory hymns shall we crown Saint Stephen, what wreath of praise shall we weave for him, corresponding to his feat? Human lips are powerless to explain all the valor and glory of the conqueror.

Despite the fact that each of us knows the Divine teaching: "Do not fear those who kill the body but are not able to kill the soul" (Matt. 10:28), attachment to one’s body, fear and trembling before death have led and continue to lead many souls – even the righteous – to contrition and a fall. But the holy youth Stephen, who fell in love with Christ, despised death: he completely rejected timidity and fear, faith and hope in the Lord gave him the strength to struggle gloriously in the feat of martyrdom and defeat the tyrant-devil. The courageous ascetic of Christ, with his victory over the chief of evil, was the first to open the doors of martyrdom and gave joy to people and weeping to demons. His example captivates all ages: both elders and youths, both men and women, and children – to follow the path of suffering and not to fear death for Christ, but to hasten to the feat in order to more easily and conveniently pass from earth to Heaven. Therefore, Saint Stephen can rightfully be called the leader of those struggling for Christ, the foundation of those dying for Him, the leader and teacher of the army of martyrs, the host of passion-bearers.

December: Day 27: Saint Stephen the Protomartyr

December: Day 27:
Saint Stephen the Protomartyr
 
(Lessons From His Life:
a. Patience in Suffering, and
b. Love for Enemies)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Holy Archdeacon Stephen, whose memory is celebrated today, was the first of the seven deacons (for which reason he is called "Archdeacon"), appointed by the Apostles to care for the poor. He was full of grace and spiritual power, and worked great miracles and signs among the people, converting them to faith in Jesus Christ. Some of the Jews were indignant at Stephen for this, and entered into dispute with him, but they could not resist the wisdom and Spirit with which he spoke. Then they stirred up the people, seized Stephen, brought him to the tribunal, and produced false witnesses, who said that Stephen uttered blasphemous words against the Holy Temple and the Law. All who sat in the tribunal, looking at Stephen, saw his face as the face of an angel. Stephen defended himself in an animated speech and boldly reproached the Jews for their unbelief and sins. When the Jews heard this speech, they were indignant and gnashed their teeth. But Stephen, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God, and said, "Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." These words so enraged the Jews that they cried out in a loud voice, stopped their ears, and with one accord rushed at Stephen. Then they led him out of the city and began to throw stones at him. Meanwhile, he prayed for his enemies, and his last words were, "Lord, do not charge them with this sin!" He was the first Christian to suffer for his faith, and therefore received the title of the Protomartyr.

December: Day 26: Teaching 3: Synaxis of the Most Holy Theotokos

December: Day 26: Teaching 3:
Synaxis of the Most Holy Theotokos
 
(The Virtues and Perfections of the Mother of God)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Yesterday, the Church glorified in songs the One born in a cave and a manger, and today the Cause of our joy, the Most Holy Theotokos.

This feast is called “synaxis” because ancient Christians had a custom of gathering in holy churches on this day to glorify the Mother of God.

II. On the day of the synaxis of the faithful for the glorification of the Most Holy Virgin Mary, let us point out the most important virtues and perfections with which the Most Holy Virgin was adorned on earth, without daring to enter into the very depths of the grace that rested upon Her.

December: Day 26: Teaching 1: The Second Day of the Feast of the Nativity of Christ

December: Day 26: Teaching 1:
The Second Day of the Feast of the Nativity of Christ
 
(The Story of Jesus Christ's Flight Into Egypt and the Moral Lessons It Instills)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. In the Gospel reading for today, the Holy Church, continuing the story of the first days of our Savior's life, offers us, brethren, among other things, the narrative of His flight into Egypt with His righteous parents. When the Magi or Eastern wise men, having come to Jerusalem, asked where the King of the Jews who had been born was, for they had seen His star in the East, the then King of the Jews - Herod - was extremely troubled by such news, obviously fearing for his royal power and, having called the Magi, ordered them to go to Bethlehem, since according to the prophecies the Messiah was to be born there, to collect accurate information about this newborn King and then report to him, having the evil intent to kill Him in order to protect his royal throne. The Magi actually found the newborn baby Jesus in Bethlehem with Joseph and His Mother Mary and brought Him worthy worship and rich gifts, but, by a special revelation from above, they did not return to Herod, but went back to their own country by another route. Then Herod, in a mad rage and anger, had the terrible intention of destroying all the Bethlehem babies, assuming that he would certainly destroy the newborn King as well. That's when an angel appeared to Joseph in a dream and commanded him to take the Baby and the Mother of God and flee with them to Egypt. Joseph did so. Then followed the actual fulfillment of Herod's evil intention - the slaughter of 14,000 Bethlehem babies, then the death of Herod himself, and then, again by the command of the angel, the return of the holy family to the land of Israel and their settlement in Nazareth.

2024 Pastoral Encyclical for Christmas (Metr. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

Pastoral Encyclical

Sacred Metropolis of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

Christmas 2024

Christ is Born,

With this greeting we announce the Birth in the flesh of our Lord Jesus Christ and we rejoice in this event. With the Birth in the flesh of the Son and Word of God, all the conditions of wounded humanity changed, and from this “Christ is Born” there will follow “Christ is Risen” and “Christ is Ascended”, so that the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost will establish the Church as His Body.

These days, the Christmas tree is decorated in homes and squares, and most often at its base is the Cave of Bethlehem, with the manger in which the newborn Christ is swaddled and next to Him are the two animals, the ox and the donkey. How many times have we not seen this image of the manger, which is tragic for the wickedness of people, but also tender for the hospitality of our Lord Jesus Christ, but also His humiliation?

Homily Two on the Nativity of Christ (St. John of Kronstadt)

Homily Two on the Nativity of Christ

By St. John of Kronstadt

"Behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy 

which will be to all people. For there is born to you 

this day in the city of David a Savior, 

who is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:10–11).

I greet you, beloved brethren, with the ineffable gift of love and mercy of God to us sinners - with the appearance of the Son of God on earth, who came down from heaven by the all-good will of God our Father for the sake of salvation, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became man. Christ was born - glorify Him; Christ came from heaven - greet Him; Christ is on earth - ascend. Thus, Christ is on earth, and you from the earth ascend in your thoughts and hearts to heaven; for Christ came for us, to raise us from earth to heaven, to the eternal abodes of paradise. For this reason the God on high descended to earth, that He might raise us to heaven, our Holy Mother the Church tells us. Sing with joy, people, the Nativity of Christ the Savior. But that our joy may be more sublime, clearer and stronger, let us reflect, brethren, on the greatness of Him who was born of the Virgin; and to this we will add how we can worthily meet Him.

December: Day 25: Teaching 2: The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the Solemn Commemoration of the Deliverance of the Church and the Russian State From the Invasion of the Gauls and With Them Twenty Nations

December: Day 25: Teaching 2:
The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ and the
Solemn Commemoration of the Deliverance of the Church and the Russian State
From the Invasion of the Gauls and With Them Twenty Nations
 
(About What Feelings These Events Should Arouse In Us and What They Should Dispose Us To)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. On this day, brethren, we remember two great events: one universal - the birth in the flesh of the eternal Son of God for the salvation of the human race; and the other our own - the deliverance of the Church and the Russian state from the invasion of the Gauls and with them twenty nations.

The events we recall today should arouse in us living joy and the most sincere gratitude to God for the great blessings that He was pleased to bestow upon us in them.

II. a) The Son of God, out of love for the human race and boundless goodness to us sinners, came down from heaven to earth and became incarnate for the sake of our salvation, in order to teach us truth and virtue, to deliver us from sins and hellish torments for them, to free us from the power of the devil and spiritual death, to reconcile us with the angry God and to open for us the entrance to the kingdom of heaven for eternal blessedness in it.

December: Day 25: Teaching 1: The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ

 

December: Day 25: Teaching 1:
The Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ
 
(What Do the Circumstances of Christ's Birth Teach Us?)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Holy Gospel narrates the Nativity of Christ thus: "A decree went out from Caesar Augustus that a census should be taken of all the world." Everyone had to be registered in their own city: wherefore Joseph and the Most Holy Virgin Mary, being of the house and lineage of David, went from Galilee, from the city of Nazareth, to Judea, to the city of David, Bethlehem. In this small town, at this time, there was a great concourse of people. The time came for the Most Holy Virgin Mary to give birth, and there was no convenient place in the house. She withdrew to a cave, into which, usually, domestic animals were driven: and there she gave birth to a Son, the God-child Jesus; she herself swaddled Him, and laid Him in a manger.

Eve of the Nativity of Christ: Epistle and Gospel Reading

Eve of the Nativity of Christ

December 24

 Epistle Reading

Prokeimenon. Grave Mode.
Psalm 63:11,1
The righteous shall rejoice in the Lord.
Verse: Oh God, hear my cry.

The reading is from Hebrew 1:1-12

English

IN MANY AND VARIOUS WAYS God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets; but in these last days he has spoken to us by a Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He reflects the glory of God and bears the very stamp of his nature, upholding the universe by his word of power. When he had made purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, having become as much superior to angels as the name he has obtained is more excellent than theirs. For to what angel did God ever say, "Thou art my Son, today I have begotten thee"? Or again, "I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son"? And again, when he brings the first-born into the world, he says, "Let all God's angels worship him." Of the angels he says, "Who makes his angels winds, and his servants flames of fire." But of the Son he says, "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever, the righteous scepter is the scepter of thy kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; therefore God, thy God, has anointed thee with the oil of gladness beyond thy comrades." And, "Thou, Lord, didst found the earth in the beginning, and the heavens are the work of thy hands; they will perish, but thou remainest; they will all grow old like a garment, like a mantle thou wilt roll them up, and they will be changed. But thou art the same, and thy years will never end."

Christmas Eve Resource Page

Dec. 24 - The Eve of the Nativity of the Lord

 

Eve of the Nativity of Christ: Epistle and Gospel Reading

 

Saints and Feasts of December 24 

 

Homily for the Eve of the Nativity of Christ (Archpriest Rodion Putyatin)

 

December: Day 24: Teaching 2: On the Eve of the Nativity of Christ

 

December: Day 24: Teaching 4: The All-Night Vigil Before the Feast of the Nativity of Christ

 

"To Enter Where I Was Born, You Must Humble Yourself" 

 

The Reliability of Divine Promises: Commentary on the First Prophetic Reading of the Royal Hours of Christmas (Micah 5:2-4)
 

The Christmas Eve Miracle of Elder Eumenios Lampakis

 

A Christmas Eve Miracle in Loutraki! (video + photos) 

  

Forefeast of the Nativity of the Lord Resource Page (December 20 - 24)

 

Orthodox Christmas Resource Page

 

"To Enter Where I Was Born, You Must Humble Yourself"

 

"And all the kings of the earth shall worship him, 

all the nations shall serve him." (Psalm 72:11) 

 

By Demetrios Panagopoulos, Preacher

You don't need intelligence in Christian matters. You need simplicity and humility...

In Bethlehem there is a door, one meter high. You have to stoop down to enter.

It's as if Christ is telling you:

"To enter here, in the place where I was born, so that I can be born in you, you must humble yourself. If you don't humble yourself and instead consider yourself to be someone, you won't fit in here. You will be humbled."

 

December: Day 24: Teaching 4: The All-Night Vigil Before the Feast of the Nativity of Christ

 

December: Day 24: Teaching 4:
The All-Night Vigil Before the Feast of the Nativity of Christ
 
(On the Preparation of Christians for the Worthy Celebration of the Feast of Christ)

"Christ From Heaven, Come and Meet Him!"

I. What is needed to meet this highest Visitor of souls? How to prepare your soul to receive this most precious Guest?

II. a) First of all, my brethren, it is necessary to purify your soul by driving out from it all gross and impure thoughts and desires of the heart, by rejecting and trampling upon carnal lusts and passions. For this purpose the Only-begotten Son of God came into the world, to make us children of God, a holy nation, a royal priesthood, people of renewal; how it will be offensive to Him if we now appear before Him in the ancient impurity of sin, children of darkness and not of light? For this purpose He humbled Himself and lay down in a manger, in order to dwell and abide in us, to come to us and sup with us in the inner temple of our soul. How sad it will be for Him if this poor temple is filled with uncleanliness and the stench of sin, if our soul appears at this supper not in wedding attire, but in the unclean rags of passionate desires and worldly pleasures. Let everything evil, unclean, sinful be driven out of our hearts, from our very memory and imagination, by which the love of God is offended, by which the great and worshiped name of Christ is dishonored in us, by which the benevolent gaze of the Heavenly Father is turned away from us. Let us reduce, as far as possible, on these pre-festal days, even the cares of life, superfluous and vain, unnecessary and useless, so as not to distract our minds and hearts from holy thoughts and reverent feelings. It is not the excess of food and drink that will make the feast of Christ joyful and pleasant for us, but the grace of God, which comforts the soul, delights and gladdens the heart. It is not bright clothes that can make us worthy to appear before the face of the Lord without shame, but a pure conscience, an immaculate heart and the bright garment of good deeds. Thus, let us purify our soul, and it will be worthy not only to see the Lord in His humiliation and glory, but also to receive Him within itself.

December: Day 24: Teaching 2: On the Eve of the Nativity of Christ

December: Day 24: Teaching 2:
On the Eve of the Nativity of Christ
 
("Christ From Heaven, Come and Meet Him!")

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The great Divine feast is approaching, brethren, which, as always happens, we await with impatience, and which we wish to meet and spend in joy and gladness. This is the solemn remembrance of the coming from heaven to earth of the Son of God and His manifestation in the flesh. A truly great and Divine feast! The Son of God came to us, was born for us as a man; “not leaving the bosom of the Father,” and without separating from His consubstantial Father, came to earth, “visited our poverty” (Irmos 8th tone), our poor humanity, in order to enrich us with His Divine grace and glory. What an extraordinary visitation! How, brethren, can we meet such an extraordinary Visitor, such a great Benefactor? And yet this must certainly be done. Imagine how we expect, with what cares we prepare to meet and what honor we give to our earthly king, or to the king’s first-born son, the heir to the throne, if they deign to visit us?

December: Day 24: Teaching 1: Venerable Martyr Eugenia

December: Day 24: Teaching 1:
Venerable Martyr Eugenia
 
(Why Does the Word of God Have Little Effect in our Souls?)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Saint Eugenia, whose memory is celebrated today, was the daughter of the Egyptian ruler Philip, who, although a pagan, treated Christians meekly. In his free time, Philip loved to teach his daughter everything he knew, and he knew a lot. Under her father's guidance, Eugenia learned to speak Greek and Latin perfectly - she read a lot, learned a lot. She had excellent abilities, especially a good memory. She only had to read or hear some new truth once and she never forgot it.

One day, Eugenia accidentally found the epistles of the Apostle Paul, read them attentively and decided to convert to the faith of Christ. She happened to be outside the city.

Passing by a monastery, she heard Christians singing: "All the gods of the peoples are demons, but the Lord made the heavens," and immediately remembered what she had read in the Apostle Paul. That same day she was baptized and entered the monastery. After some time, Eugenia converted her parents and brothers to Christ.

The Reliability of Divine Promises: Commentary on the First Prophetic Reading of the Royal Hours of Christmas (Micah 5:2-4)

The Reliability of Divine Promises
Commentary on the First Reading of the First Hour Service: Micah 5:2-4

By Miltiadis Konstantinou,
Emeritus Professor of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki

On the eves of Christmas and Theophany, as well as on Great Friday, the services of the Hours are longer in length than the usual services of the other days of the year, as three biblical readings are added to their ritual, one from the Old Testament and two from the New (Apostle and Gospel). For this reason, these services are called “Great and Royal Hours”. The first reading of the Service of the First Hour of the feast of Christmas comes from the Book of the Prophet Micah and is a prophecy about the place of Christ’s birth (Micah 5:2-4).

The Prophet Micah acted in a particularly turbulent period of Israelite history. During the time of his activity, the political crisis, due to the successive Assyrian raids on the wider region of Canaan, goes hand in hand with the spiritual decline of the Jews, as corruption and hypocrisy become uncontrollable. In the seven chapters of the book, threatening prophecies alternate with prophecies of restoration of the people. The work begins with prophecies against Israel and Judah. The prophet then turns with particular severity against the political and mainly spiritual leaders of the people, the priests and above all the false prophets (1:1-3:12). Idolatry and moral decline will inevitably lead to destruction, from which only a pious remnant will be saved, to be followed by the era of restoration led by the peaceful shepherd Messiah, during which Jerusalem will emerge as a center of world peace and God’s revelation to all the peoples of the earth (4:1-5:14). After the consoling messages, the Prophet returns to his harsh criticism and threatening predictions (6:1-7:7), to close with a new prophecy of restoration (7:8-20).

Homily Three on the Sunday Before the Nativity of Christ (St. John of Kronstadt)

Homily Three on the Sunday Before the Nativity of Christ

By St. John of Kronstadt

"The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, 

the Son of David, the Son of Abraham" (Matt. 1:1).

On this day, the Holy Church celebrates its weekly feast – the Resurrection of Christ – and together with it celebrates the Nativity of Christ; therefore, the Gospel of the Resurrection of Christ is read at the Vigil, and of the ancestors of Jesus Christ according to His humanity during the Liturgy. The Liturgy Gospel begins with the words: "The book of the genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham." Let us dwell on these words and make them the subject of the present discourse.

What do they tell us? That the Son of God, the only-begotten, consubstantial, co-eternal with God the Father, all-good, all-powerful, the hypostatic Wisdom of God, who arranged the world and everything in the world, the Almighty Himself, who contains all visible and invisible creation, having assumed human nature, entered into kinship with men, created by Himself in His own image and likeness, but who sinned through impudent disobedience and became extremely corrupt because of countless crimes; the Son of God became the Son of man, that is, a man, like us in everything except sin, without ceasing to be God without beginning and all-powerful; He who is complete emptied Himself, He who is rich became impoverished, He who is inviolable in essence became touchable to us for the sake of our salvation. What goodness! What mercy! What extreme condescension! What voluntary impoverishment! Having accepted our nature, impoverished by sins, He is born in poverty, from a poor, albeit royal family, of the most pure Virgin in a wretched cave!

Homily on the Sunday Before the Nativity of Christ (Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov)

Homily on the Sunday Before the Nativity of Christ

By Archimandrite Kirill Pavlov

In the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit!

Dear brothers and sisters, today we have entered the holy pre-feast days of the Great Feast of the Nativity of Christ. The Holy Church prepares us in advance for the worthy celebration of this feast, so that we may understand its significance for us, be ready to receive the Divine Infant Christ, Who was born for us on earth, and give Him due honor and glory.

The Holy Church, preparing us for this feast, took care that we cleanse our souls with a six-week fast, and filled our ears with the wondrous hymn "Christ is born." And now, by the grace of God, we have lived to see the threshold of this Great Feast. Only a few days separate us from it, and soon with one mouth and one heart we will glorify the Merciful Christ God, incarnate of the Most Pure Virgin Mary for our salvation.

December: Day 23: Venerable Nephon, Bishop of Constantia

 

December: Day 23:
Venerable Nephon, Bishop of Constantia
 
(Lessons From His Life:
a. The Danger of Bad Company, and
b. The Need to Exhort to Salvation Neighbors Who Are in Danger of Moral Destruction)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. The Venerable Nephon, whose memory is now being celebrated, lived in the fourth century. In his youth he was pious, kind, quiet, meek and loved to go to church. But when he began to reach the age of maturity and lost an experienced mentor, and then became close with bad companions, he began to act according to his own mind and reason, as he pleased, and thus little by little his good character was spoiled. But God showed him His mercy and in an instant awakened in him a feeling of repentance. One day, Nephon's friend, Nikodemos, came to him. Having greeted him, he looked at his friend's face and was greatly horrified. Both friends were silent. "Why do you look at me as if I were a stranger?" Nephon asked. "Believe me, friend," answered Nikodemos, "I have never seen you as you are now; your face is black, terrible and terrifying." Hearing this, Nephon vividly recalled his behavior, covered his face with his hands and began to weep. His repentance was sincere. He began to pray fervently and lead a pious life, crucifying his flesh with passions and lusts with the fear of God's judgment. Finally, for the holiness of his life, he was subsequently, by God's command, chosen as Bishop of the Cypriot church. At the time of his death, his face was illuminated and filled with a special attractiveness and joy.

December: Day 22: Holy Great Martyr Anastasia the Deliverer from Bonds

December: Day 22:
Holy Great Martyr Anastasia the Deliverer from Bonds*
 
(On Compassion for Those Imprisoned in Prison)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. Saint Anastasia "the Deliverer from Bonds," whose memory is celebrated today, is a high example of Christian mercy to those imprisoned. "I was in prison, and you visited Me" - this word deeply penetrated the soul of Saint Anastasia. Cheerful, bright, overjoyed by the joy that she gave to others, she went around the prisons daily and everywhere she was met as an angel of God.

But the grace of this consolation did not last long with her: her husband became indignant with her and, fearing that she would squander all her wealth on prisoners, began to keep her locked up, assigning a guard to her. She reached despair and wrote to her former tutor: "Pray to God for me, for the love of Whom I suffer to the point of exhaustion." The elder answered her: "Do not forget that Christ walking on the waters is able to calm every storm: 'And he arose and rebuked the wind and the raging of the waters, and there was a calm' (Luke 8:24). You now stand as if among the waves of the sea, patiently await Christ - He will come to you ... Light is always preceded by darkness; after death, life is promised; the end awaits earthly sorrow, as well as earthly joy. Blessed by God is he who trusts in Him."

Homily Two on the Sunday Before the Nativity of Christ (St. John of Kronstadt)

Homily Two on the Sunday Before the Nativity of Christ

By St. John of Kronstadt

"He (Jesus Christ) is our peace" (Eph. 2:14).

A great feast for all Christians is approaching – the feast of the Nativity of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ from the most pure, unwed Virgin Mary; the feast of the greatest, wondrous and all-saving event, many times foretold by the prophets, foreshadowed in various images and likenesses for the people of the Old Testament. Soon the Holy Church with the Angels will sing: "Glory to God in the Highest, and on the earth peace among those whom He is pleased" (Luke 2:14). But where, someone will ask, are the blessings of God's peace, the heavenly silence on earth, when wars have never ceased on it from the beginning until now, when the earth has so often been and still is a terrible spectacle of slaughter and bloodshed; when human passions, both in war and in peacetime, continually produce storms and confusion both in the masses and in individual human beings?