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The Canon to St Basil the Great![]()
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The Canon to St Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappodocia Ode I, Irmos: Come, ye people, let us chant a hymn to Christ God, Who divided the sea and guided the people whom He had led forth from the bondage of Egypt, for He hath been glorified. Hierarch of Christ, Basil, pray to God for us. It hath been fitting that thy voice come unto those desiring to sing thy praises, O father Basil....![]()
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The Canon to St Basil the Great - Parish of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God
russianorthodoxchurchcardiff.com
The Canon to St Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappodocia Ode I, Irmos: Come, ye people, let us chant a hymn to Christ God, Who divided the sea and guided the people whom He had led forth ...
Troparion, Tone I: O Jesus, Who in the highest dost sit with Thine unoriginate Father and the divine Spirit upon a fiery throne, thou wast well-pleased to be born on earth of Thy Mother, a Maiden who knew not man; wherefore, thou wast circumcised as a babe eight days of age. Glory to Thine all-good counsel! Glory to Thy dispensation! Glory to Thy condescension, O Thou Who alone lovest mankind!...
On the Feast of the Circumcision of Christ - Parish of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God
russianorthodoxchurchcardiff.com
Troparion, Tone I: O Jesus, Who in the highest dost sit with Thine unoriginate Father and the divine Spirit upon a fiery throne, thou wast well-pleased to be born on earth of Thy Mother, a Maiden who ...
Holy Innocents, pray to God for us!
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Parish News – Sunday 11 January![]()
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Dear brothers and sisters, Christ is Born! Glorify Him! Given the building works that will commence in St Philip’s, tomorrow, and the removal of most of our worship things from, our Liturgy was rather minimal, but this will only be for two or three weeks. As we celebrate the memory of St Joseph the Betrothed and his oldest son, St James the brother of the Lord, we remember their rôle in protecting the infant Saviour and the Mother of God in their escape to Egypt....![]()
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Parish News - Sunday 11 January - Parish of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God
russianorthodoxchurchcardiff.com
Dear brothers and sisters, Christ is Born! Glorify Him! Given the building works that will commence in St Philip’s, tomorrow, and the removal of most of our worship things from, our Liturgy was rath...
Dear brothers and sisters, as we celebrate the memory of St Joseph the Betrothed and his oldest son, St James the brother of the Lord, we remember their rôle in protecting the infant Saviour and the Mother of God in their escape to Egypt. ![]()
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This great and ancient land was, even then, blessed by countless miracles through the presence of the Saviour and All-Holy Theotokos. ![]()
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Before the rise of Islam, Egypt shone as a radiant beacon of Christian faith and holiness, and the mother of saints.![]()
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Let us pray for the Christians of Egypt, now a persecuted minority, but examples of faith, courage and hope in the Lord, like St Joseph, who - despite challenges and uncertainty - submitted to God’s will, trusting Him and placing himself in His hands.
The Light of Bethlehem. Irina Dmitrieva
orthochristian.com
According to tradition, this is the only early church in Palestine that was not destroyed during the Persian invasion because of an image of the Magi on the wall of the basilica.
We offer this, O our Lord and God, for the glory and honour of Thy Saint, the holy apostle, protomartyr and archdeacon Stephen, and for the sake of his intercession, accept, O All-Merciful, this offering unto Thy Supercelestial Altar
It was a great joy to celebrate the feast of St Stephen and the Terzić family slava this evening. Thanks to Branka, Tara and Stefan for their traditional Serbian hospitality. Срећна слава!
Krsna Slava—the Cornerstone of the Serbian People. Mila Cerovic
orthochristian.com
Krsna Slava is an ancient Serbian custom, thanks to which for many centuries the spiritual memory of the Serbian people has been preserved and their national self-consciousness strengthened.
On this feast of St Stephen, we congratulate Branka, Tara and Stefan, on their slava. May God bless and protect them and their loved ones in the year ahead, grant blessed repose to their departed kin, and grant them many, blessed years! ![]()
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May the holy apostle, protomartyr and archdeacon Stephen pray to God for them. Срећна слава!
spzh.eu/en/istorija-i-kulytrua/90125-revolt-in-the-caves-how-kyivs-saints-defeated-princes-withou...
Revolt in the caves: How Kyiv’s saints defeated princes without weapons
spzh.eu
A prince threatened to bury them alive for tonsuring his boyars. A chronicle of the Lavra’s first conflict with the state – and why the monks were not afraid of exile.
SVIATKI - Remember that we are now in a fast free period until the eve of Theophany: Sunday 18 January. That day is a fast despite being a Sunday. Until then, fasting is not required on Wednesdays and Fridays.
«С нами Бог...», знаменный распев, глас 8
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«С нами Бог, разумейте языцы и покаряйтеся, яко с нами Бог» — данное песнопение исполняется на Великой Павече...
Акафист Рождеству Христову![]()
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azbyka.ru/molitvoslov/akafist-rozhdestvu-hristovu.html
AKATHIST HYMN TO THE NATIVITY OF CHRIST![]()
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Kontakion I: O Christ our God, Who didst choose the most pure Virgin from among all generations and wast born of her in the flesh, we Thy servants offer hymns of thanksgiving unto Thee. As Thou art possessed of ineffable lovingkindness, O Master, from all manner of misfortunes free us who cry: O Jesus, Son of God, Who becamest incarnate for our sake, glory be to Thee!...![]()
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AKATHIST HYMN TO THE NATIVITY OF CHRIST - Parish of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God
russianorthodoxchurchcardiff.com
Kontakion I: O Christ our God, Who didst choose the most pure Virgin from among all generations and wast born of her in the flesh, we Thy servants offer hymns of thanksgiving unto Thee. As Thou art po...
THE SYNAXIS OF THE MOTHER OF GOD - “Behold, the Virgin hath conceived in her womb, as was foretold of old, and hath given birth to God made man, yet remaineth virgin. O sinners who for her sake have been reconciled with God, let us as faithful hymn her as the true Theotokos.”![]()
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(Canon of the Synaxis, Ode V)![]()
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Dear brothers and sisters, Christ is Born! ![]()
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Greetings as we celebrate the Synaxis (Sobor) of the Mother of God on this second day of the feast. С праздником!![]()
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We honour not only the Mother of God, but also St Joseph the Betrothed, King David the Prophet and King (ancestor of the Lord), and also St James, the brother of the Lord (the son from Saint Joseph’s first marriage), who would accompany St Joseph, the Mother of God and the Infant Saviour during the flight into Egypt, to escape the murderous wrath of Herod.![]()
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Having yesterday fixed our gaze upon the new-born Lord in the manger, today we hearken to the call of the Church and look towards the Mother of our reconciliation -![]()
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“Come, let us hymn the Mother of the Saviour, who even after giving birth wast still shown to be a Virgin… We chant with Gabriel and offer up glory with the magi, saying: O Theotokos, entreat Him Who became incarnate of thee, that we be saved!” ![]()
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(From the Praises of matins)![]()
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We turn our eyes to the Lord’s ever-virgin Mother and marvel at the wonder of her seedless birth-giving.![]()
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Though we know the escape of the Holy Family was not immediate, we also commemorate the Flight into Egypt, which witnessed great miracles and wonders, receiving the blessing of the Lord and His all-pure Mother.
Dear brothers and sisters: Christ is Born! As we celebrate the feast of the Lord’s Nativity, we contemplate the Lord’s birth in the darkness of the night, and like the shepherds and magi, as they draw near to the new-born Saviour, we are surrounded by great darkness, though it is a spiritual and moral blackness that envelops us in our lives. ![]()
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As I reflected in my homily, the icon of the Nativity shows the Infant Lord and His manger before a gaping black hole, a cosmic spiritual void and mouth of hell… the entrance to the depths of spiritual darkness, devoid of God and hope.![]()
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Darkness surrounds the Nativity, and in the icon, we see both shepherds and wise men journeying through the night: the former arriving from the near locality and the latter ending a longer and more perilous journey. ![]()
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For us it is not the darkness of the night sky, in which the magi watched the stars, or the physical darkness of the Judaean night in which the shepherds watched for wild animals or thieves, guarding their flock by the comforting defence of their nighttime fire, but spiritual-darkness, uncertainty and fear that surrounds us. ![]()
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Not wolves and lions, but a myriad of spiritual dangers and forces wait to attack us on every side, and we face so many pressures, worries and anxieties in everyday life. But, though we may not be able to change the exterior spiritual darkness of our confused world, it is for each us to decide whether to be watchful and vigilant, to seek the Light of the World, new-born and laid in the manger, or to abandon ourselves to the danger-filled blackness of the spiritual night. ![]()
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Through this darkness, the Lord calls out to us, “Fear not!” and it is the Incarnate Saviour, Himself, who has become the messenger/angelos that brings the tidings of joy and true peace, possible in the hearts of the faithful, even in the most terrifying, violent and threatening of times. ![]()
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It is the Saviour Himself who has become the day-star from on high, guiding us through perils and dangers, and dispelling the fearful shadows for those who seek Him and rejoice in His birth. ![]()
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Knowing that He remains Emmanuel – God-with-us – we are called to rise up and hasten to Him, to bow down and worship Him, and like the shepherds and magi, to put aside everything that previously seemed important and pressing. ![]()
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The magi left behind all that was familiar, secure and comfortable, in order to seek Truth, willing to face risks and dangers to arrive at the place where they would find that Truth and offer Him their gifts as they bowed down and worshipped Him. ![]()
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The shepherds willingly left the light and security of the fireside and the protection of the sheep-fold to stumble through the darkness to search for the Light of the World. ![]()
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Like them both, we must struggle through the night to bring not only the gifts we have, however great and noble, or more likely poor and humble, as well as our anxieties, problems and fears, and to forget the darkness and danger that surrounds us as we behold the Saviour and long-awaited Messiah, and contemplate the wonderful fulfilment of the words of the prophet Isaiah, “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.” Let us then heed the words of the Apostle Paul to the Ephesians and, despite the darkness of the world, “live as children of light”!
Restoring Adam’s Robe of Glory![]()
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From St Jacob of Sarug’s poetic contemplation of the Nativity: The Archangel Gabriel speaks to the Mother of God of the restoration of Adam’s glory, as Christ comes to redeem and perfect the robe of humanity. “I am not stripping you of your glory, as happened in the garden; I have brought a cloak so that you can cover your forefathers who was stripped bare....![]()
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Restoring Adam’s Robe of Glory - Parish of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God
russianorthodoxchurchcardiff.com
From St Jacob of Sarug’s poetic contemplation of the Nativity: The Archangel Gabriel speaks to the Mother of God of the restoration of Adam’s glory, as Christ comes to redeem and perfect the robe ...
On this eve of the Nativity, please pray urgently for Metropolitan Arseny, whom Ukrainian authorities are trying to force to have heart surgery in an unsuitable hospital (the one that previously threw him out and refused to treat him) and will not agree to a transfer to proper and suitable facilities in Kiev. Furthermore, in their demonic hate, they plan this for tomorrow: Nativity. It is unclear whether they will try to force surgery in an ill-equipped hospital against the Metropolitan’s will, perhaps hoping for an “unfortunate” outcome and one less problem for state prosecutors. Lord, have mercy! ![]()
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Владыке Арсению навязывают срочную операцию на сердце в местной больнице
spzh.eu
Защита не исключает попытку насильственного медицинского вмешательства или принудительного обмена наместн...
IMPORTANT NATIVITY TRAPEZA REQUEST: Dear brothers and sisters, as is clear from Branka’s message to the sisterhood group, hardly anyone has responded to the request for food offerings for our Christmas trapeza. ![]()
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Can we please ensure that responsibility isn’t falling on only a small number of sisters, and that it’s not just a few ladies of the parish bearing responsibility (and expectation) to feed everyone? This is neither practical, reasonable or possible. ![]()
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Can both sisters and brothers communicate with Branka to ensure that there is food to share after Christmas Liturgy?![]()
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In Christ - Hieromonk Mark
Parish News – 6 January 2026![]()
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Dear brothers and sisters, Here we are, on the very brink of celebrating the Lord’s Nativity, having heard the genealogy of the Lord herald the feast, with the generations of righteous forebears from whom the Lord received His humanity, when God was scandalously clothed in human flesh, born in a cave and laid in a manger. The scandal of the Incarnation exalts Christianity as a Faith based upon perfect, limitless, divine love, through which God would do the unspeakable and the seemingly impossible in becoming Man to save mankind....![]()
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Parish News - 5 January 2026 - Parish of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God
russianorthodoxchurchcardiff.com
Dear brothers and sisters, Here we are, on the very brink of celebrating the Lord’s Nativity, having heard the genealogy of the Lord herald the feast, with the generations of righteous forebears fro...
HOMILY - From Ur to Bethlehem: Humanity’s Salvific Journey of Faith![]()
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In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.![]()
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Dear brothers and sisters, on this forefeast of Christmas, as the white vestments of the clergy proclaim the nearness of the Lord’s Nativity, the ancient pre-festal hymns of the Church urge us to make ready and hasten to the city of David, and for Bethlehem itself and the land of Judah to be ready for the coming of the promised Saviour,![]()
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“Make ready, O Bethlehem, Eden hath been opened unto all. Prepare, O Ephratha, for the Tree of life hath blossomed in the cave from the Virgin…” ![]()
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In the aposticha of vespers we hear,![]()
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“Behold, the hour of our salvation draweth nigh! Make ready, O cave, for the Virgin approacheth to give birth!![]()
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… and tomorrow’s pre-festal matins canon urges the created world and its people to celebrate because the Saviour is nearly here, even calling past generations to rejoice.![]()
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“Ye mountains and hills, fields and vales, people and generations, nations and every creature: exult, filled with divine gladness, for the deliverance of all, the Word of God, the Timeless One, Who in His loving-kindness hath come under time, doth come with haste.”![]()
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In today’s Gospel of Christ’s forebears, called to “exult, filled with divine gladness…”, we have heard great names from among these generations, from Abraham, called to be the the Father of the Promise, through the centuries Christ’s ancestors who were God’s human-preparation for the moment in which Godhood – divinity – would be joined with humanity, and born as a little Child, both divine and human and laid in a manger.![]()
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Once again, we have heard the familiar poetry of the genealogy of the generations of the ancestors of Christ: how “Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren…”, and in the succeeding generations, we have heard familiar names – Jesse, David, Solomon – as well as unfamiliar names, encountering the Old Testament and the Old Covenant established through Abraham, as the unfolding history of our salvation, as humanity drew closer and closer to the birth of the Saviour.![]()
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The oikos of tomorrow’s canon, addressing the Mother of God goes even further than this, saying that “the God-loving Abraham, the ever-memorable Isaac, Jacob and all the divinely assembled choir of saints rejoice, and, with joyous utterances, they lead creation forth to meet thee.” ![]()
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…a powerful image, teaching us that in God’s plan of salvation, not only humanity, but the whole of creation is led forward, towards the Mother of God and to Christ her newborn Son by the very generations of holy fathers that we commemorate in these Sundays before the Nativity.![]()
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These generations of the Messiah’s ancestors are God’s saving plan in action, and a reminder that though humanity was banished from paradise, that same humanity was NOT banished from taking a central place and an essential part in His plan of salvation.![]()
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Even though the fiery angel stood at the gates of Eden to stop exiled mankind returning to the Tree of Life, and even though humanity was banished from Paradise, at the same time, human nature was being used by God to bring His plan of salvation to fruition and realisation.![]()
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The All-Loving God, would not save humanity from the outside, through an external act of salvation. No! He would save humanity and the world from from the inside, having chosen that Abraham and his descendants would not only be included in His plan of salvation, but that they would be vital and absolutely necessary for this to be accomplished.![]()
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In an act of sacrificial-love, God Himself would not simply come and dwell within the human world, as a divine visitor, but would go so far as to to clothe Himself in humanity; the Creator putting on creation… and the Creator-Messiah-Saviour, would lift up His creation with Himself on the Cross; would restore that creation through His life-giving death; would raise that creation with Himself in His third-day Resurrection; and would translate that creation, in His humanity to the heights of heaven.![]()
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Abraham led his family and tribe from Ur, in Chaldea, to new life in Israel; Moses led the children of Israel from captivity to the freedom of new life in the Promised Land; but Christ, the God-Man, born in the cave and laid in the manger, came to ultimately lead His people not to an earthly promised land, but to everlasting glory and eternal life of the Kingdom of Heaven.![]()
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In history, time and space, the Creator-Saviour a set this heavenward journey of humanity into motion in the calling of Abraham to leave his homeland, to journey to a new land, with the divine promise, that in him, all the people of the world would be blessed.![]()
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Thus, we could say that the human-journey to Bethlehem began when Abraham was obedient to God.![]()
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The humanity that the Pre-Eternal Son put on in the womb of the Mother of God, through her obedience to God’s calling, is the fruit of Abraham’s obedience and faith, and the obedience and faith of all of those generations that link Abraham to Christ.![]()
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Starting with Abraham, today’s reading from St Paul’s Epistle to the Hebrews says that,![]()
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By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country…![]()
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By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac…![]()
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By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come. ![]()
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By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph…![]()
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By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel…![]()
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By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents![]()
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And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthah; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions. Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.”![]()
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Faith is the constant thread that runs through these successive generations, and the relationship of the righteous ancestors of Christ with God was built on the rock of this faith, but despite this, we hear, “And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise…”![]()
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Although they were essential to the promise, and though it came through them, they could not see that promise in their earthly lives, as Christ deigned that He would come after them in their flesh, but we rejoice that the day of their rejoicing did come when the Lord’s Body was placed not in the manger, but in the Life-Giving Tomb, in soul He descended into the depths of Hades, and stripped it bare of all of His righteous ancestors, who had played their part in the Divine plan to redeem mankind, and though they await the resurrection of the body, they dwell in heaven with Him Who their Lord and God, and yet also their own child, their own flesh and kin through the wonder of the Incarnation and the Nativity![]()
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When the Word became flesh in the wonder of the Incarnation, He was flesh of their flesh and bone of their bone, put on, in humility for their sake, and for their salvation.![]()
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When the Saviour spoke the saving words of the Gospel, it was with the tongue and lips that He – in divine humility – received from His forefathers.![]()
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When the Saviour walked through the towns and villages of Palestine, and even when He walked upon the waves of the see, it was on the feet that He – in divine humility – had received from His forefathers.![]()
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When the Saviour, touched the sick and healed them, when He took morsels of food and fed thousands, when He broke the bread and blessed the wine of the Last Supper, it was with the hands that He – in divine humility – received from His forefathers.![]()
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When the crown of thorns was thrust down upon His head, it was the head that He – in divine humility – received from His forefathers.![]()
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When He opened His arms wide on the Cross for the sake of the whole word, they were arms that He – in divine humility – received from His forefathers.![]()
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When saving and life-giving blood and water flowed from His pierced side, it was blood and water, which – in divine humility – He received from His forefathers.![]()
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When the Lord rose from the dead, and Thomas felt the wounds in His limbs, and placed his hand on the wound in the Saviour’s side, it was the risen, triumphant and risen body, that the Giver of Life – in divine humility – had received from His forefathers.![]()
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And when the Lord ascends in glory, surrounded by the holy angels, and takes human nature into heaven, to be glorified by all of the angelic ranks, it is the humanity that He, not only in divine-humility, but also in His sacrificial love received from His forefathers.![]()
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This is His sign of the final fulfilment of His promise to Abraham, which is ultimately not earthbound, terrestrial and material, but heavenly and spiritual.![]()
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In embracing humanity, and making that humanity part of His divine plan and economy of salvation, God calls the forefathers, the righteous of both the Old Covenant and circumcision, and the New Covenant through Holy Baptism, to be with Him in the everlasting glory of the age to come.![]()
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It is through the faith, obedience, and sacrifices of the forefathers, that we now approach the Nativity to worship and adore the new born Saviour together with the shepherds and the magi, celebrating all who were not simply human details in God’s divine plan, but the very rungs on which God came down from earth to heaven, to be Emmanuel: God With Us.![]()
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And it is through the willing and devoted part of the holy fathers in the divine plan, that we are called with them, not to an earthly paradise, but to the eternal glory of heaven to be with God, Who calls us to be children and heirs of the promise.![]()
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Amen!
4 JANUARY (NEW STYLE) SUNDAY OF THE FATHERS, FOREFEAST OF NATIVITY: Hours & Divine Liturgy @ 09:00 in St Philip’s Church, Tremorfa.![]()
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SERVICE VARIABLES: drive.google.com/file/d/1YN2XofWNdvzl9iotazfkUOsu3lDbRHRv/view
The Merciful Patriarch. From the life of Serbian Patriarch Pavle
orthochristian.com
Mercy does not mean indulging vice; Christian strictness and discernment are essential.
Root of Jesse Icon | Christ’s Family Tree
iconreader.wordpress.com
Approaching the celebration of Jesus Christ’s birth, Christian’s remember those who preceded Him in the flesh. The holy forefathers of Christ, and all those who in other ways prepared f...
By Their Fruits You Will Know Them
uoj.news
In Ukraine’s deepening Orthodox schism, Christ’s timeless warning—”By their fruits you will know them”—reveals profound contrasts: the canonical UOC’s leaders, forged in decades of ascet...
Hymn of Praise to Saint Ignatius “Theophorus” the God-Bearer by St. Nikolai Velimirović![]()
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The bitter death of Christ dulled the stinger of death![]()
And drove away for ever the irrational fear of death.![]()
A flock of martyrs swarmed after Christ![]()
In death–but, without fear, without complaints and without shrieks;![]()
And many with rejoicing hurried to death![]()
Because, before their deaths, they saw angels and heaven.![]()
Saint Ignatius traveled to Rome;![]()
Along the way, to the Living God, he prayed![]()
As a son would pray to his parents,![]()
That the teeth of the beasts grind him, grind him!![]()
That for which he prayed to God, God granted him,![]()
Behold, but the saint, having been ground, remained alive!![]()
Alive and whole; until now, before the Table of Heaven![]()
Bread made tender by torture for Christ–![]()
Saint Ignatius, the courageous Theophorus,![]()
Throughout the ages, he imparts courage to those being tortured.![]()
There are two sufferings; there can only be two sufferings:![]()
For justice or for sins, this cannot be hidden.![]()
Pain for one’s sins is pain without hope,![]()
But pain for justice is joy without sorrow.![]()
As a light through rain that decorates the rainbow![]()
Thus, the joy, through tears and through gentle sorrow,![]()
On the spiritual heaven, Paradise and God is pictured–![]()
That strengthens the souls of the holy martyrs.
Tradition says that on his way to execution, St Ignatius unceasingly repeated the name of Jesus Christ. When they asked him why he was doing this, St Ignatius answered that this Name was written in his heart, and that he confessed with his lips Him Whom he always carried within. When the saint was devoured by the lions, his heart was not touched. When they cut open the heart, the pagans saw an inscription in gold letters: “Jesus Christ.” ![]()
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russianorthodoxchurchcardiff.com
20 December 20 / 2 January The Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer, was a disciple of the holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, as was also St Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna (February 23). St I...
HOLY COMMUNION & THE FAST: At Liturgy this coming weekend, though parishioners have celebrated and greeted the New Year, those receiving Holy Communion should HAVE MAINTAINED the Nativity Fast. The collision of calendars makes things complicated, but the Fast does not magically disappear for us to greet the civil New Year. The Nativity Fast is ordained by God, the civil New Year is made by man! It is however a time for prayer, reflection and thanksgiving, which we Orthodox Christians mark with gratitude, seeking God’s blessings and mercy.
NATIVITY SERVICES: Just to remind everyone that the Nativity Vigil will be celebrated in ST PHILIP’S on Tuesday 6th January, at 19:00. Confessions will be heard from 18:00.![]()
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On Wednesday 7th January, the Nativity Liturgy will be celebrated at 11:00, in ST ALBAN’S CHURCH (CARDIFF ORATORY) in Swinton Street. The service will be followed by our Christmas meal in the church hall.![]()
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Help setting up and putting away is crucial, so please assist as much as possible.
russianorthodoxchurchcardiff.com
19 December 19 / 1 January The Holy Martyr Boniface was the slave of a rich young Roman woman named Aglaida and he dwelt with her in an iniquitous cohabitation. But they both felt the sting of conscie...
Dear Fathers, brothers and sisters, may God bless you and your families in the year ahead! Happy New Year! С новым годом!
russianorthodoxchurchcardiff.com/day-34-advent-with-the-saints-the-holy-martyr-sebastian-and-his-...
russianorthodoxchurchcardiff.com
18/31 December The Holy Martyr Sebastian was born in the city of Narbonum in Gaul (modern France), and he received his education at Mediolanum (now Milan). Under the co-reigning emperors Diocletian an...
Forgot to repost this earlier.![]()
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russianorthodoxchurchcardiff.com
Canon of the prophet, the acrostic whereof is: “With hymns I will crown the wise Daniel”, the composition of Theophanes, in Tone VIII. Ode I, Irmos: Let us, O ye people, send up a hymn * unto our ...
My relief-cover, celebrating Liturgy in Bournville saw the celebration of Materice, with the oldest mother of the parish held captive (ironically by Belarusian and Russian oltarniky) until she had presented gift bags to all of the children. Next week’s celebration of Oci, will see Bishop Nektarije held to ransom for pre-Nativity gifts.
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Lighten our darkness, we beseech Thee, O Lord; and by thy great mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this night; for the love of thy only Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ.![]()
Amen.![]()
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(The final night prayer from the old English Sarum order of compline)
Seventh anointing, after veneration of the Chilandarska-Trojeručica icon of the Mother of God and the relics of the saints - including St Panteleimon and St Gabriel of Samtavro.
I feel very blessed to have been able to serve pre-Nativity soborovanie with Fatherr Nenad in Lazarica, and to be anointed for the healing of soul and body after the cardiac “goings on” of the last few months, as well as being able to anoint the Cheltenham faithful who could not be part of our Holy Week service of the oil. Although the Lazarica tradition, with celebrations before several of the year’s great feasts is different from ours, it was a joy to share the celebration and administration of the Holy Mystery. I hope that we make a parish visit soon and venerate the relics of St Spyridon - offering a moleben to him.
orthodox-europe.org
New Vicar Bishops have been elected for the Western American, Eastern American, and Canadian Dioceses. | Для Западно-Американской, Восточно-Американской и К...
azbyka.ru/days/svv-evstratij-sevastijskij-avksentij-sevastijskij-evgenij-sevastijskij-mardarij-se...
Мученики Евстратий, Авксентий, Евгений, Мардарий и Орест Севастийские: житие, иконы, день памяти
azbyka.ru
Мученики Евстратий, Авксентий, Евгений, Мардарий и Орест Севастийские: житие, иконы, день памяти
russianorthodoxchurchcardiff.com
13/26 December The Holy Martyrs Eustratius, Auxentius, Eugene, Mardarius, and Orestes (the Five Companions) suffered for Christ under the emperor Diocletian (284-305) at Sebaste, in Armenia. Among the...
AND IS IT TRUE? THE MAKER OF THE STARS AND SEA BECOMES A CHILD ON EARTH MORE ME? ![]()
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As a youth I loved – and continue to love – the homely poems of Sir John Betjeman, particularly appreciating his poem ‘Christmas’, now rather old-fashioned, but with eternal questions that must still challenge us to today…![]()
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“And is it true? And is it true,![]()
This most tremendous tale of all,![]()
Seen in a stained-glass window’s hue,![]()
A Baby in an ox’s stall?![]()
The Maker of the stars and sea![]()
Become a Child on earth for me?![]()
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And is it true? For if it is,![]()
No loving fingers tying strings![]()
Around those tissued fripperies,![]()
The sweet and silly Christmas things,![]()
Bath salts and inexpensive scent![]()
And hideous tie so kindly meant,![]()
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No love that in a family dwells,![]()
No carolling in frosty air,![]()
Nor all the steeple-shaking bells![]()
Can with this single Truth compare –![]()
That God was man in Palestine![]()
And lives today in Bread and Wine.”![]()
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As we continue our Advent journey, when the baubles and tinsel of western Christmas are put away, we will hopefully have a little space and time to reflect upon the wonder beneath the questions that Betjeman asked – “And is it true… that the Creator of heaven and earth and all that is was born and laid in the manger, and that each time we celebrate the Divine Liturgy, the God-Man, our Saviour Jesus Christ continues to be Emmanuel – “God With Us” – in His self-sacrifice and self-giving of the Holy Mystery of His Body and Blood?![]()
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In our Orthodox liturgical culture, we are reminded of this by the melismos icon in which it is the Christ-Child Who is worshipped on the diskos of the eucharist, with either angels or St John Chrysostom and St Basil the Great in supplication on each side – for it is the very Christ-Child laid in the manger in the Cave of Bethlehem, and who received the gifts of the magi Who gives Himself as His Gift to us.![]()
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We are reminded of this at the covering of the Holy Gifts at the end of the proskomedia, as the priest takes the metal star-cover, and placing it over the Lamb (and the commemorative particles) says the words,![]()
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“And the star came and stood over the place where the Young Child was.”![]()
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At the melismos of the Liturgy – the fracturing and dividing of the Lamb before communion – it is the One Who was the Young Child Who is divided for the Communion of His children with His Most Pure Body and Most Precious Blood:![]()
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“Broken and distributed is the Lamb of God: broken, yet not divided; ever eaten, though never consumed, but sanctifying them that partake thereof.”![]()
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With this in mind, as we enter the last fortnight of the Nativity Fast, culminating in the Nativity Liturgy on Sunday 7th January – according to the Civil Calendar – we should seek to partake of that great wonder – that He Who is equally the Child of Bethlehem and the Risen Saviour and Victorious Conqueror of death and hell calls us and invites us to His supper:![]()
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“Take, eat, this is My Body which is broken for you for the remission of sins… Drink of it, all of you; this is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for you and for many, for the remission of sins.”![]()
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In Sundays’s Gospel, we will hear of those who were too busy to come to the supper that a certain rich man arranged, and to which they were invited…![]()
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“The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.”![]()
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Though our prime understanding of this is the refusal of the Old Israel to respond to God’s persistent and determined call for their return to Him, through His servants, the Holy Forefathers and Prophets, we should not be complacent as the New Israel and children of the Resurrection, but also see it as a cautionary warning to us.![]()
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Christ has given us the feasts of the Church and the perpetual feast of His Mystical Supper as a foretaste of the Kingdom, as a token of His love, and as the Banquet of His Church, to which all are called, regardless of age, social status, learning or knowledge, as the very ones who were called from the highways and hedges by the servants seeking new guests to bring to their master’s supper.![]()
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Like the Passover Lamb of the Exodus, we cannot partake of Christ the New Passover UNLESS we eucharistically partake of the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world: the Lamb of God worshipped by the shepherds in the cave, Who is the Word Who became flesh and dwelt among us on that first Christmas night.![]()
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In these last days of the Fast, we prepare to meet the New Born Saviour as that very Lamb of God, Who was born and laid in the manger, to take away the sins of the world; clothed in Adam’s flesh to carry the Cross and to defeat the power of death and hell through the very flesh which He had put on; and in the coming feast of the Nativity He calls us to Himself, to each of us to worship and adore, but also to be joined to Him and have Him abiding in us through the Holy Mysteries.![]()
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As we approach the coming feast, we do not travel as magi, with costly gifts, but in our journeys of Faith many of us have travelled a very long way; far from the people we once were; far from the ideas we once held or the lives we once led; far from the things that we once thought to be the priorities of life, signs of success, well-being or achievement; far from the attachments and earthly things that once held us; and during that journey we have encountered much, perhaps changed much, and hopefully learned much – but not in terms of intellectualism and worldly knowledge, but in the simple and true wisdom that Christ has revealed and gives us, for we know that “God is the Lord, and has revealed Himself to us”![]()
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This revelation is the great gift of Christmas – God’s salvific gift of Himself to us and for us – and for those of us who preserve and live the Orthodox, Catholic and Apostolic Faith, this gift is one which is never exhausted as the Holy Mysteries of the Church are continually given to us, for our renewal and transformation, with the Eucharist as the greatest sign of Christ’s Gift to each of us, as precious individuals Whom He loves and cherishes.![]()
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Let us approach the coming feast with awe, faith and love, desiring the Saviour to change us, banishing darkness, confusion and fear, and bringing us light and life.![]()
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In seeking Him as Light and Life, let us fast and pray, beseeching the Lord ![]()
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”…as Thou didst consent to lie in a cave and in a manger of dumb beasts, so consent also to lie in the manger of mine irrational soul and to enter into my defiled body.”![]()
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– daring to approach when we see the Deacon present the Holy Gifts at our Nativity Liturgy, hearing those familiar but ever awesome words,![]()
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“With the fear of God and faith, draw near – Со стра́хом Бо́жиим и ве́рою приступи́те.”![]()
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And, we know that our drawing near is only possible because the Love of God and God of Love did not simply draw near to us, but came searching for us when we were lost, reconciling us with Him, making peace between earth and heaven by becoming like unto us in the scandal of the Incarnation, in the seeming impossibility of the birth of the God-Man in the Cave of Bethlehem, in the shocking dereliction and suffering of the Cross, and in the glory and victory of the Life-Giving Resurrection.![]()
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This is the promise of the coming feast, hiding within the New-Born Child, the whole economy of salvation.![]()
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Troparion of the forefeast, Tone 4: Make ready, O Bethlehem! Be thou opened unto all, O Eden! Adorn thyself, O Ephratha! For in the cave the Tree of Life hath sprung forth from the Virgin. Her womb is shown to be a noetic paradise, in the midst of which is the divine Tree, whereof eating, we shall live, and not die as did Adam. Christ is born, that He might restore His image which fell of old!
We congratulate Father Spyridon on his nameday, praying that God grant him, many blessed years! Happy feast, Father!
Reflections on St Spyridon as a gift from God and sign of His love for us.
С праздником! It was a joy to celebrate my first Liturgy in several months with Fr Nenad today, and to preach in Bournville, catching up with brothers and sisters, and venerating St Spyridon’s relics enshrined in Lazarica, including a slipper from his relics in Corfu. Hierarch of Christ, Spyridon, pray to God for us!
Greetings to our brothers and sisters who are celebrating the Lord’s Nativity today, as well as those who are celebrating the feast of St Spyridon the Wonderworker of Tremythus. Happy Feast. Have a blessed and grace-filled day! С праздником!
HOMILIES ON THE NATIVITY OF CHRIST: BY THE FATHERS OF THE CHURCH![]()
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Although we have a couple of week’s before Nativity celebrations, I’ve been making the time to read from a collection of Nativity Homilies of the Holy Fathers, purchased on Amazon. Whilst some take a bit of effort in getting through the the rather Byzantine rhetorical language of their introductions, there is much joy and celebration in these pages, with the Church Fathers exploring the Nativity from many angles and approaches… some of which wouldn’t even occur to us today. Greatly recommend!![]()
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Homilies on the Nativity of Christ: by the fathers of the Church
www.amazon.co.uk
A collection of twenty-eight homilies delivered by the fathers of the Church on the occasion of the Nativity of our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ. This patristic collection spans the 3rd to the 1...
Dear brothers and sisters, please ensure that whenever you travel and wherever you go, you ALWAYS take an icon with you, so that when you pray, you do so before the sign of the Incarnation, proclaiming by this small token not only that “God is with us” (С нами бог!), but that “God is the Lord, and has revealed Himself to us!” How? When “the Logos (Word) became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” Let us leave infidels to pray, rocking and bowing down before the bare walls and empty niches that are the sign of the spiritual void that lies before them. Rather, whenever we pray before the Holy Icons, we proclaim the Truth of the Incarnate-God, the Incarnate-Love of the Trinity, laid in a manger, Who died and rose, ascending into heaven in the very flesh we gaze upon in the Holy Icons, which are the embodiment and sign of our Faith. Let us proclaim our Faith by venerating the holy icons (in which true theology and Divine Truth is written and declared), not only in church or at home, but on every journey, wherever life may take us! Wherever we go, the Holy Icons should be our God-given companions.
Спиридон Тримифунтский: житие, иконы, день памяти
azbyka.ru
Святитель Спиридон Тримифунтский родился в конце III века на острове Кипр. О его жизни сведений сохранилось ма...
The Canon and Akathist to St Spyridon The Wonderworker![]()
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The canon to the saint, the composition of Theophanes, in Tone II Ode I, Irmos: In the deep of old the infinite Power overwhelmed Pharaoh’s whole army. * But the Incarnate Word annihilated pernicious sin. * Exceedingly glorious is the Lord, * for gloriously hath He been glorified. Holy Father, Spyridon, pray to God for us. Having attained unto the land of the meek, being thyself meek, merciful and pure, O father, calm thou the present tempest of my heart, that, in divine tranquility, I may hymn thee....
The Canon to St Spyridon The Wonderworker - Parish of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God
russianorthodoxchurchcardiff.com
The canon to the saint, the composition of Theophanes, in Tone II Ode I, Irmos: In the deep of old the infinite Power overwhelmed Pharaoh’s whole army. * But the Incarnate Word annihilated perniciou...
It is always a joy to arrive at the feast of St Spyridon, and to see how God can take the lowly and seemingly ordinary, and make it into something not only glorious, but in the case of our beloved saint and heavenly-intercessor, into a radiant beacon of the Faith celebrated throughout the whole Christian world.When we regard many hierarch-saints of the Church, we are talking of men of learning, trained in universities and the great theological schools; men of letters and spiritual literati who left writings and books of spiritual counsel, scriptural exegesis, or dogmatic theology; bishops, archbishops and patriarchs who counselled emperors, kings and princes…![]()
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Then we encounter our beloved St Spyridon: a simple Cypriot shepherd; a widowed husband and father; a family man with a sense of communitas, who used what God had given him and what he earned from his own labours for the relief of the poor, to feed the hungry, to help his neighbours, to assist the homeless, to reach out to those in need.![]()
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He had not studied in the ancient universities; Plato and Aristotle, Homer and the wealth of classical Greek learning were not the foundation of his “education”; rhetoric, logic and mathematics were far from his formation and world; he had not spent his years learning oratory and philosophy among the bright young minds of the Hellenic world.![]()
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No! As a family man and as a shepherd protecting and caring for his beloved sheep, learning from the Gospel, and taught by the Saviour in the power of the Holy Spirit, the great wonderworker and shepherd of souls was a “home grown” spiritual force and bearer of the Light of Christ.![]()
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In English, we have a proverb that you cannot make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear… but time and again we see that in spiritual terms, this proverb is earthbound, wrong and mistaken, in as much as God constantly affects this transformation.![]()
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Our All-Powerful and All-Merciful God took the dust of the ground, and fashioned man, the very apex of creation, and his created humanity became the chosen robe of the Saviour in which He ascended the Cross, conquered hell and death, rose again and ascended into heaven, where that glorified humanity (once nothing but dust) is worshipped by the angelic hosts.![]()
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Having received the joyful proclamation of the archangel, and having conceived Christ within her womb, the All-Holy Mother of God proclaimed the upside-down-ness of the Gospel, as God exults the humble and meek, as He most certainly did with St Spyridon, whose lack of learning and cultural sophistication was no obstacle to God.![]()
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After the death of his wife, during the reign of the Saint Constantine, the Equal-to the-Apostles (306-337), St Spyridon was elected and consecrated as bishop of Tremithus, where combined his hierarchical duties and pastoral service to the local Church with still going to care for his beloved sheep – wearing his famous plaited- straw shepherd’s hat.![]()
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What valuable spiritual lessons he must have learned from his shepherding labours: the need for nourishment, the vital necessity of assuaging the hunger and thirst of his sheep, the threat of wolves and predators, how to defend and protect his flock – all vital lessons for him as a bishop and shepherd of souls with his human flock.![]()
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His hierarchical service was one of great simplicity, in which God’s power and confirmation of his great holiness was constantly seen, as was evident at the First Ecumenical Council, where St Spyridon confuted the heresy of Arius not with eloquent words, but with a simple miracle. Taking a brick from which water trickled and fire shot out, leaving nothing but the dust in his hand, St Spyridon said simply and boldly, “There was only one brick, but it was composed of three elements. In the Holy Trinity there are three Persons, but only one God.”![]()
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Imploring and receiving God’s help in times of both drought and crop-destroying rains, healing the sick, casting out demons and even raising the dead, St Spyridon lived for his flock, among his flock, and with his flock – not as a great prelate and prince of the Church, but as a humble spiritual-shepherd.![]()
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His earthly falling asleep did not bring his miraculous care to an end, but rather, freed St Spyridon to work greater wonders for those who have and still turn to him in faith and in need, and with his relics having been taken to Corfu (though his right hand in is Rome), he wondrously and lovingly embraced the island and its people, saving them for the Ottomans and caring for them for centuries, as a father caring for his children.![]()
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It is the joy of so many Christians, to be able to make their pilgrimage to Corfu to venerate his darkened but incorrupt relics, knowing that St Spyridon is not only constantly praying for us, but constantly helping us, wherever we are.![]()
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God truly shows the wonder of Faith and the power of Christian holiness in St Spyridon, and he is a reminder that true theology comes from our intimate, loving relationship with the Living-God; not learned from books and lectures; not as the fruit of study; that it does not depend on intelligence or intellectual prowess; that it is not a system of sacred, dogmatic theory – but is rather the realisation of a life dedicated wholly and solely to God, in which the Divine will and human will have been joined in a sacred union, and in which God indwells in His beloved children, revealing profound truth and manifesting His Grace.![]()
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In St Spyridon we see that love, charity, compassion and mercy are not theories, but actions, and that the Sermon on the Mount is not a series of lofty ideals, but a command to go out and do all of the things with the Saviour will bring blessedness.![]()
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Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.![]()
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Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.![]()
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Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.![]()
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Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.![]()
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Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.![]()
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Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.![]()
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Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.![]()
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Like St Nicholas, celebrated less than a week ago, St Spyridon is not only the concrete demonstration of Faith-in-action, but a sign of how ordinary people like us can be raised up to the glory of God, becoming living manifestation of His love, vessels of His Grace and beacons of Truth.![]()
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It was not the simple, unsophisticated “Spyridons” of the ancient world who proposed heretical teachings, and attacked the Church, but the learned intellectuals of the academies, with their knowledge of the classics, their skills in logic, rhetoric, oration, philosophy and academic theology. The arch-schismatics and arch-heresiarchs were men of learning and intellect – as are those attacking the Church in Ukraine, today, and betraying Orthodoxy in the ecumenical melting-pot of compromise.![]()
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Thus, though the Church will always need it’s “Chrysostoms”, “Gregories” and “Basils”, it increasingly needs its “Spyridons”: home-grown people who aspire to serve the Church in holiness, selfless giving, defence of Truth and the fullness of Orthodoxy.![]()
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The Church needs “Spyridons” to say NO to compromise, to renovationism, to betrayal of Orthodoxy in the name of modernism, reform, or false-science.![]()
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Whether our lowly “Spyridons” are lay people or clergy, men, women or children – the Church needs us to selflessly dedicate ourselves to the Lord with fervent Faith, built on the Gospel, on the fulness of Orthodox Tradition, and always in pursuit of love, truth and peace – and always defending our Faith!![]()
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Let us be inspired – to prayer, to selfless love, to charity and works of mercy, to serving the Church and defending it by that wonderful name and glorious example of our Orthodox Christian Faith: ST SPYRIDON!![]()
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CANON: russianorthodoxchurchcardiff.com/tag/canon-to-st-spyridon![]()
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AKATHIST: russianorthodoxchurchcardiff.com/the-akathist-hymn-to-st-spyridon-the-wonderworker
Ukrainian lobbyist in leaked audio: many UOC churches were destroyed by Ukrainian army
orthochristian.com
A Ukrainian lobbyist stated on a recent phone call that Ukraine’s Armed Forces have destroyed numerous Ukrainian Orthodox Church buildings and used them as military staging areas, according to a rec...
Iran: 80th anniversary of Russian cathedral in Tehran
orthochristian.com
The Russian Orthodox community in Tehran marked a significant milestone on December 19, celebrating both its patronal feast of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and the 80th anniversary of their cathedral...
Мученики Мина, Ермоген и Евграф Александрийские:![]()
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Мученики Мина, Ермоген и Евграф Александрийские: житие, иконы, день памяти
azbyka.ru
Мученики Мина, Ермоген и Евграф Александрийские: житие, иконы, день памяти
Day 26 – Advent With the Saints: the Holy Martyrs Menas, Hermogenes and Eugraphus of Alexandria![]()
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russianorthodoxchurchcardiff.com/day-26-advent-with-the-saints-the-holy-martyrs-menas-hermogenes-...
THE ICON OF THE MOTHER OF GOD, NAMED "UNEXPECTED JOY" (NECHAYANNAYA RADOST')![]()
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Commemorated on December 9, May 1![]()
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The Icon of the Mother of God, named "Unexpected Joy" (Nechayannaya Radost'), is written thus: in a room, upwards is an icon of the Mother of God, and beneathe it a youth kneeling at prayer. The tradition about the healing of some youth from a bodily affliction through this holy icon is recorded in the book of Saint Dimitrii of Rostov, "The Fleece of Prayer" ("Runo Oroshennoe") [for the significance of the "Dew‑Moistened Fleece" verse Judges 6: 36-40]. The youth out of habit was praying before the image of the All-Pure Virgin and suddenly he saw, that the image was alive, the wounds of the Lord Jesus exposed and bloody. In horror he exclaimed: "O Lady, who is it that hath done this?" To this the Mother of God replied: "Thou and other sinners by their sins do crucify My Son anew". Then only became apparent before him the abyss of his sinfulness, and for a long time in tears he prayed to the Mother of God and the Saviour for mercy. Finally, the unexpected joy of answer to his prayer and forgiveness of sins was given him.
Glory to God! We are very pleased that our gofundme page has now raised £10,000 and we are extremely grateful not only to the 179 donors, who have generously supported our vision of a dedicated temple for the parish and Orthodox Christian spiritual centre for South Wales, but also to our social media team, who have been promoting and sharing the appeal day by day. Please keep the momentum going by sharing the fundraiser and spreading the word. Diolch yn fawr! May God bless all who have contributed and all who labour for this God-pleasing cause, and may St David and all of the saints of Wales pray for them!![]()
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Donate to Help us buy a Church for our Orthodox Parish in Wales!, organized by Hieromonk Mark
gofund.me
Building Orthodoxy in a Land of Saints. Wales is an ancient ... Hieromonk Mark needs your support for Help us buy a Church for our Orthodox Parish in Wales!
The Canon to St Basil the Great![]()
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The Canon to St Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappodocia Ode I, Irmos: Come, ye people, let us chant a hymn to Christ God, Who divided the sea and guided the people whom He had led forth from the bondage of Egypt, for He hath been glorified. Hierarch of Christ, Basil, pray to God for us. It hath been fitting that thy voice come unto those desiring to sing thy praises, O father Basil....![]()
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The Canon to St Basil the Great - Parish of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God
russianorthodoxchurchcardiff.com
The Canon to St Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappodocia Ode I, Irmos: Come, ye people, let us chant a hymn to Christ God, Who divided the sea and guided the people whom He had led forth ...
Troparion, Tone I: O Jesus, Who in the highest dost sit with Thine unoriginate Father and the divine Spirit upon a fiery throne, thou wast well-pleased to be born on earth of Thy Mother, a Maiden who knew not man; wherefore, thou wast circumcised as a babe eight days of age. Glory to Thine all-good counsel! Glory to Thy dispensation! Glory to Thy condescension, O Thou Who alone lovest mankind!...
On the Feast of the Circumcision of Christ - Parish of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God
russianorthodoxchurchcardiff.com
Troparion, Tone I: O Jesus, Who in the highest dost sit with Thine unoriginate Father and the divine Spirit upon a fiery throne, thou wast well-pleased to be born on earth of Thy Mother, a Maiden who ...
Holy Innocents, pray to God for us!
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Parish News – Sunday 11 January![]()
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Dear brothers and sisters, Christ is Born! Glorify Him! Given the building works that will commence in St Philip’s, tomorrow, and the removal of most of our worship things from, our Liturgy was rather minimal, but this will only be for two or three weeks. As we celebrate the memory of St Joseph the Betrothed and his oldest son, St James the brother of the Lord, we remember their rôle in protecting the infant Saviour and the Mother of God in their escape to Egypt....![]()
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Parish News - Sunday 11 January - Parish of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God
russianorthodoxchurchcardiff.com
Dear brothers and sisters, Christ is Born! Glorify Him! Given the building works that will commence in St Philip’s, tomorrow, and the removal of most of our worship things from, our Liturgy was rath...
Dear brothers and sisters, as we celebrate the memory of St Joseph the Betrothed and his oldest son, St James the brother of the Lord, we remember their rôle in protecting the infant Saviour and the Mother of God in their escape to Egypt. ![]()
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This great and ancient land was, even then, blessed by countless miracles through the presence of the Saviour and All-Holy Theotokos. ![]()
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Before the rise of Islam, Egypt shone as a radiant beacon of Christian faith and holiness, and the mother of saints.![]()
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Let us pray for the Christians of Egypt, now a persecuted minority, but examples of faith, courage and hope in the Lord, like St Joseph, who - despite challenges and uncertainty - submitted to God’s will, trusting Him and placing himself in His hands.
The Light of Bethlehem. Irina Dmitrieva
orthochristian.com
According to tradition, this is the only early church in Palestine that was not destroyed during the Persian invasion because of an image of the Magi on the wall of the basilica.
We offer this, O our Lord and God, for the glory and honour of Thy Saint, the holy apostle, protomartyr and archdeacon Stephen, and for the sake of his intercession, accept, O All-Merciful, this offering unto Thy Supercelestial Altar
It was a great joy to celebrate the feast of St Stephen and the Terzić family slava this evening. Thanks to Branka, Tara and Stefan for their traditional Serbian hospitality. Срећна слава!
Krsna Slava—the Cornerstone of the Serbian People. Mila Cerovic
orthochristian.com
Krsna Slava is an ancient Serbian custom, thanks to which for many centuries the spiritual memory of the Serbian people has been preserved and their national self-consciousness strengthened.
On this feast of St Stephen, we congratulate Branka, Tara and Stefan, on their slava. May God bless and protect them and their loved ones in the year ahead, grant blessed repose to their departed kin, and grant them many, blessed years! ![]()
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May the holy apostle, protomartyr and archdeacon Stephen pray to God for them. Срећна слава!
spzh.eu/en/istorija-i-kulytrua/90125-revolt-in-the-caves-how-kyivs-saints-defeated-princes-withou...
Revolt in the caves: How Kyiv’s saints defeated princes without weapons
spzh.eu
A prince threatened to bury them alive for tonsuring his boyars. A chronicle of the Lavra’s first conflict with the state – and why the monks were not afraid of exile.
SVIATKI - Remember that we are now in a fast free period until the eve of Theophany: Sunday 18 January. That day is a fast despite being a Sunday. Until then, fasting is not required on Wednesdays and Fridays.
«С нами Бог...», знаменный распев, глас 8
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«С нами Бог, разумейте языцы и покаряйтеся, яко с нами Бог» — данное песнопение исполняется на Великой Павече...
Акафист Рождеству Христову![]()
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AKATHIST HYMN TO THE NATIVITY OF CHRIST![]()
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Kontakion I: O Christ our God, Who didst choose the most pure Virgin from among all generations and wast born of her in the flesh, we Thy servants offer hymns of thanksgiving unto Thee. As Thou art possessed of ineffable lovingkindness, O Master, from all manner of misfortunes free us who cry: O Jesus, Son of God, Who becamest incarnate for our sake, glory be to Thee!...![]()
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AKATHIST HYMN TO THE NATIVITY OF CHRIST - Parish of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God
russianorthodoxchurchcardiff.com
Kontakion I: O Christ our God, Who didst choose the most pure Virgin from among all generations and wast born of her in the flesh, we Thy servants offer hymns of thanksgiving unto Thee. As Thou art po...
THE SYNAXIS OF THE MOTHER OF GOD - “Behold, the Virgin hath conceived in her womb, as was foretold of old, and hath given birth to God made man, yet remaineth virgin. O sinners who for her sake have been reconciled with God, let us as faithful hymn her as the true Theotokos.”![]()
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(Canon of the Synaxis, Ode V)![]()
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Dear brothers and sisters, Christ is Born! ![]()
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Greetings as we celebrate the Synaxis (Sobor) of the Mother of God on this second day of the feast. С праздником!![]()
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We honour not only the Mother of God, but also St Joseph the Betrothed, King David the Prophet and King (ancestor of the Lord), and also St James, the brother of the Lord (the son from Saint Joseph’s first marriage), who would accompany St Joseph, the Mother of God and the Infant Saviour during the flight into Egypt, to escape the murderous wrath of Herod.![]()
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Having yesterday fixed our gaze upon the new-born Lord in the manger, today we hearken to the call of the Church and look towards the Mother of our reconciliation -![]()
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“Come, let us hymn the Mother of the Saviour, who even after giving birth wast still shown to be a Virgin… We chant with Gabriel and offer up glory with the magi, saying: O Theotokos, entreat Him Who became incarnate of thee, that we be saved!” ![]()
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(From the Praises of matins)![]()
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We turn our eyes to the Lord’s ever-virgin Mother and marvel at the wonder of her seedless birth-giving.![]()
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Though we know the escape of the Holy Family was not immediate, we also commemorate the Flight into Egypt, which witnessed great miracles and wonders, receiving the blessing of the Lord and His all-pure Mother.
Dear brothers and sisters: Christ is Born! As we celebrate the feast of the Lord’s Nativity, we contemplate the Lord’s birth in the darkness of the night, and like the shepherds and magi, as they draw near to the new-born Saviour, we are surrounded by great darkness, though it is a spiritual and moral blackness that envelops us in our lives. ![]()
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As I reflected in my homily, the icon of the Nativity shows the Infant Lord and His manger before a gaping black hole, a cosmic spiritual void and mouth of hell… the entrance to the depths of spiritual darkness, devoid of God and hope.![]()
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Darkness surrounds the Nativity, and in the icon, we see both shepherds and wise men journeying through the night: the former arriving from the near locality and the latter ending a longer and more perilous journey. ![]()
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For us it is not the darkness of the night sky, in which the magi watched the stars, or the physical darkness of the Judaean night in which the shepherds watched for wild animals or thieves, guarding their flock by the comforting defence of their nighttime fire, but spiritual-darkness, uncertainty and fear that surrounds us. ![]()
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Not wolves and lions, but a myriad of spiritual dangers and forces wait to attack us on every side, and we face so many pressures, worries and anxieties in everyday life. But, though we may not be able to change the exterior spiritual darkness of our confused world, it is for each us to decide whether to be watchful and vigilant, to seek the Light of the World, new-born and laid in the manger, or to abandon ourselves to the danger-filled blackness of the spiritual night. ![]()
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Through this darkness, the Lord calls out to us, “Fear not!” and it is the Incarnate Saviour, Himself, who has become the messenger/angelos that brings the tidings of joy and true peace, possible in the hearts of the faithful, even in the most terrifying, violent and threatening of times. ![]()
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It is the Saviour Himself who has become the day-star from on high, guiding us through perils and dangers, and dispelling the fearful shadows for those who seek Him and rejoice in His birth. ![]()
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Knowing that He remains Emmanuel – God-with-us – we are called to rise up and hasten to Him, to bow down and worship Him, and like the shepherds and magi, to put aside everything that previously seemed important and pressing. ![]()
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The magi left behind all that was familiar, secure and comfortable, in order to seek Truth, willing to face risks and dangers to arrive at the place where they would find that Truth and offer Him their gifts as they bowed down and worshipped Him. ![]()
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The shepherds willingly left the light and security of the fireside and the protection of the sheep-fold to stumble through the darkness to search for the Light of the World. ![]()
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Like them both, we must struggle through the night to bring not only the gifts we have, however great and noble, or more likely poor and humble, as well as our anxieties, problems and fears, and to forget the darkness and danger that surrounds us as we behold the Saviour and long-awaited Messiah, and contemplate the wonderful fulfilment of the words of the prophet Isaiah, “Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee.” Let us then heed the words of the Apostle Paul to the Ephesians and, despite the darkness of the world, “live as children of light”!
Restoring Adam’s Robe of Glory![]()
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From St Jacob of Sarug’s poetic contemplation of the Nativity: The Archangel Gabriel speaks to the Mother of God of the restoration of Adam’s glory, as Christ comes to redeem and perfect the robe of humanity. “I am not stripping you of your glory, as happened in the garden; I have brought a cloak so that you can cover your forefathers who was stripped bare....![]()
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Restoring Adam’s Robe of Glory - Parish of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God
russianorthodoxchurchcardiff.com
From St Jacob of Sarug’s poetic contemplation of the Nativity: The Archangel Gabriel speaks to the Mother of God of the restoration of Adam’s glory, as Christ comes to redeem and perfect the robe ...
On this eve of the Nativity, please pray urgently for Metropolitan Arseny, whom Ukrainian authorities are trying to force to have heart surgery in an unsuitable hospital (the one that previously threw him out and refused to treat him) and will not agree to a transfer to proper and suitable facilities in Kiev. Furthermore, in their demonic hate, they plan this for tomorrow: Nativity. It is unclear whether they will try to force surgery in an ill-equipped hospital against the Metropolitan’s will, perhaps hoping for an “unfortunate” outcome and one less problem for state prosecutors. Lord, have mercy! ![]()
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Владыке Арсению навязывают срочную операцию на сердце в местной больнице
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Защита не исключает попытку насильственного медицинского вмешательства или принудительного обмена наместн...
IMPORTANT NATIVITY TRAPEZA REQUEST: Dear brothers and sisters, as is clear from Branka’s message to the sisterhood group, hardly anyone has responded to the request for food offerings for our Christmas trapeza. ![]()
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Can we please ensure that responsibility isn’t falling on only a small number of sisters, and that it’s not just a few ladies of the parish bearing responsibility (and expectation) to feed everyone? This is neither practical, reasonable or possible. ![]()
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Can both sisters and brothers communicate with Branka to ensure that there is food to share after Christmas Liturgy?![]()
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In Christ - Hieromonk Mark
Parish News – 6 January 2026![]()
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Dear brothers and sisters, Here we are, on the very brink of celebrating the Lord’s Nativity, having heard the genealogy of the Lord herald the feast, with the generations of righteous forebears from whom the Lord received His humanity, when God was scandalously clothed in human flesh, born in a cave and laid in a manger. The scandal of the Incarnation exalts Christianity as a Faith based upon perfect, limitless, divine love, through which God would do the unspeakable and the seemingly impossible in becoming Man to save mankind....![]()
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Parish News - 5 January 2026 - Parish of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God
russianorthodoxchurchcardiff.com
Dear brothers and sisters, Here we are, on the very brink of celebrating the Lord’s Nativity, having heard the genealogy of the Lord herald the feast, with the generations of righteous forebears fro...
HOMILY - From Ur to Bethlehem: Humanity’s Salvific Journey of Faith![]()
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In the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.![]()
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Dear brothers and sisters, on this forefeast of Christmas, as the white vestments of the clergy proclaim the nearness of the Lord’s Nativity, the ancient pre-festal hymns of the Church urge us to make ready and hasten to the city of David, and for Bethlehem itself and the land of Judah to be ready for the coming of the promised Saviour,![]()
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“Make ready, O Bethlehem, Eden hath been opened unto all. Prepare, O Ephratha, for the Tree of life hath blossomed in the cave from the Virgin…” ![]()
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In the aposticha of vespers we hear,![]()
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“Behold, the hour of our salvation draweth nigh! Make ready, O cave, for the Virgin approacheth to give birth!![]()
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… and tomorrow’s pre-festal matins canon urges the created world and its people to celebrate because the Saviour is nearly here, even calling past generations to rejoice.![]()
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“Ye mountains and hills, fields and vales, people and generations, nations and every creature: exult, filled with divine gladness, for the deliverance of all, the Word of God, the Timeless One, Who in His loving-kindness hath come under time, doth come with haste.”![]()
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In today’s Gospel of Christ’s forebears, called to “exult, filled with divine gladness…”, we have heard great names from among these generations, from Abraham, called to be the the Father of the Promise, through the centuries Christ’s ancestors who were God’s human-preparation for the moment in which Godhood – divinity – would be joined with humanity, and born as a little Child, both divine and human and laid in a manger.![]()
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Once again, we have heard the familiar poetry of the genealogy of the generations of the ancestors of Christ: how “Abraham begat Isaac; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat Judas and his brethren…”, and in the succeeding generations, we have heard familiar names – Jesse, David, Solomon – as well as unfamiliar names, encountering the Old Testament and the Old Covenant established through Abraham, as the unfolding history of our salvation, as humanity drew closer and closer to the birth of the Saviour.![]()
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The oikos of tomorrow’s canon, addressing the Mother of God goes even further than this, saying that “the God-loving Abraham, the ever-memorable Isaac, Jacob and all the divinely assembled choir of saints rejoice, and, with joyous utterances, they lead creation forth to meet thee.” ![]()
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…a powerful image, teaching us that in God’s plan of salvation, not only humanity, but the whole of creation is led forward, towards the Mother of God and to Christ her newborn Son by the very generations of holy fathers that we commemorate in these Sundays before the Nativity.![]()
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These generations of the Messiah’s ancestors are God’s saving plan in action, and a reminder that though humanity was banished from paradise, that same humanity was NOT banished from taking a central place and an essential part in His plan of salvation.![]()
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Even though the fiery angel stood at the gates of Eden to stop exiled mankind returning to the Tree of Life, and even though humanity was banished from Paradise, at the same time, human nature was being used by God to bring His plan of salvation to fruition and realisation.![]()
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The All-Loving God, would not save humanity from the outside, through an external act of salvation. No! He would save humanity and the world from from the inside, having chosen that Abraham and his descendants would not only be included in His plan of salvation, but that they would be vital and absolutely necessary for this to be accomplished.![]()
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In an act of sacrificial-love, God Himself would not simply come and dwell within the human world, as a divine visitor, but would go so far as to to clothe Himself in humanity; the Creator putting on creation… and the Creator-Messiah-Saviour, would lift up His creation with Himself on the Cross; would restore that creation through His life-giving death; would raise that creation with Himself in His third-day Resurrection; and would translate that creation, in His humanity to the heights of heaven.![]()
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Abraham led his family and tribe from Ur, in Chaldea, to new life in Israel; Moses led the children of Israel from captivity to the freedom of new life in the Promised Land; but Christ, the God-Man, born in the cave and laid in the manger, came to ultimately lead His people not to an earthly promised land, but to everlasting glory and eternal life of the Kingdom of Heaven.![]()
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In history, time and space, the Creator-Saviour a set this heavenward journey of humanity into motion in the calling of Abraham to leave his homeland, to journey to a new land, with the divine promise, that in him, all the people of the world would be blessed.![]()
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Thus, we could say that the human-journey to Bethlehem began when Abraham was obedient to God.![]()
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The humanity that the Pre-Eternal Son put on in the womb of the Mother of God, through her obedience to God’s calling, is the fruit of Abraham’s obedience and faith, and the obedience and faith of all of those generations that link Abraham to Christ.![]()
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Starting with Abraham, today’s reading from St Paul’s Epistle to the Hebrews says that,![]()
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By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange country…![]()
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By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac…![]()
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By faith Isaac blessed Jacob and Esau concerning things to come. ![]()
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By faith Jacob, when he was a dying, blessed both the sons of Joseph…![]()
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By faith Joseph, when he died, made mention of the departing of the children of Israel…![]()
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By faith Moses, when he was born, was hid three months of his parents![]()
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And what shall I more say? for the time would fail me to tell of Gideon, and of Barak, and of Samson, and of Jephthah; of David also, and Samuel, and of the prophets: Who through faith subdued kingdoms, wrought righteousness, obtained promises, stopped the mouths of lions. Quenched the violence of fire, escaped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens.”![]()
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Faith is the constant thread that runs through these successive generations, and the relationship of the righteous ancestors of Christ with God was built on the rock of this faith, but despite this, we hear, “And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise…”![]()
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Although they were essential to the promise, and though it came through them, they could not see that promise in their earthly lives, as Christ deigned that He would come after them in their flesh, but we rejoice that the day of their rejoicing did come when the Lord’s Body was placed not in the manger, but in the Life-Giving Tomb, in soul He descended into the depths of Hades, and stripped it bare of all of His righteous ancestors, who had played their part in the Divine plan to redeem mankind, and though they await the resurrection of the body, they dwell in heaven with Him Who their Lord and God, and yet also their own child, their own flesh and kin through the wonder of the Incarnation and the Nativity![]()
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When the Word became flesh in the wonder of the Incarnation, He was flesh of their flesh and bone of their bone, put on, in humility for their sake, and for their salvation.![]()
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When the Saviour spoke the saving words of the Gospel, it was with the tongue and lips that He – in divine humility – received from His forefathers.![]()
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When the Saviour walked through the towns and villages of Palestine, and even when He walked upon the waves of the see, it was on the feet that He – in divine humility – had received from His forefathers.![]()
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When the Saviour, touched the sick and healed them, when He took morsels of food and fed thousands, when He broke the bread and blessed the wine of the Last Supper, it was with the hands that He – in divine humility – received from His forefathers.![]()
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When the crown of thorns was thrust down upon His head, it was the head that He – in divine humility – received from His forefathers.![]()
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When He opened His arms wide on the Cross for the sake of the whole word, they were arms that He – in divine humility – received from His forefathers.![]()
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When saving and life-giving blood and water flowed from His pierced side, it was blood and water, which – in divine humility – He received from His forefathers.![]()
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When the Lord rose from the dead, and Thomas felt the wounds in His limbs, and placed his hand on the wound in the Saviour’s side, it was the risen, triumphant and risen body, that the Giver of Life – in divine humility – had received from His forefathers.![]()
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And when the Lord ascends in glory, surrounded by the holy angels, and takes human nature into heaven, to be glorified by all of the angelic ranks, it is the humanity that He, not only in divine-humility, but also in His sacrificial love received from His forefathers.![]()
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This is His sign of the final fulfilment of His promise to Abraham, which is ultimately not earthbound, terrestrial and material, but heavenly and spiritual.![]()
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In embracing humanity, and making that humanity part of His divine plan and economy of salvation, God calls the forefathers, the righteous of both the Old Covenant and circumcision, and the New Covenant through Holy Baptism, to be with Him in the everlasting glory of the age to come.![]()
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It is through the faith, obedience, and sacrifices of the forefathers, that we now approach the Nativity to worship and adore the new born Saviour together with the shepherds and the magi, celebrating all who were not simply human details in God’s divine plan, but the very rungs on which God came down from earth to heaven, to be Emmanuel: God With Us.![]()
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And it is through the willing and devoted part of the holy fathers in the divine plan, that we are called with them, not to an earthly paradise, but to the eternal glory of heaven to be with God, Who calls us to be children and heirs of the promise.![]()
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Amen!
4 JANUARY (NEW STYLE) SUNDAY OF THE FATHERS, FOREFEAST OF NATIVITY: Hours & Divine Liturgy @ 09:00 in St Philip’s Church, Tremorfa.![]()
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SERVICE VARIABLES: drive.google.com/file/d/1YN2XofWNdvzl9iotazfkUOsu3lDbRHRv/view
The Merciful Patriarch. From the life of Serbian Patriarch Pavle
orthochristian.com
Mercy does not mean indulging vice; Christian strictness and discernment are essential.
Root of Jesse Icon | Christ’s Family Tree
iconreader.wordpress.com
Approaching the celebration of Jesus Christ’s birth, Christian’s remember those who preceded Him in the flesh. The holy forefathers of Christ, and all those who in other ways prepared f...
By Their Fruits You Will Know Them
uoj.news
In Ukraine’s deepening Orthodox schism, Christ’s timeless warning—”By their fruits you will know them”—reveals profound contrasts: the canonical UOC’s leaders, forged in decades of ascet...
Hymn of Praise to Saint Ignatius “Theophorus” the God-Bearer by St. Nikolai Velimirović![]()
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The bitter death of Christ dulled the stinger of death![]()
And drove away for ever the irrational fear of death.![]()
A flock of martyrs swarmed after Christ![]()
In death–but, without fear, without complaints and without shrieks;![]()
And many with rejoicing hurried to death![]()
Because, before their deaths, they saw angels and heaven.![]()
Saint Ignatius traveled to Rome;![]()
Along the way, to the Living God, he prayed![]()
As a son would pray to his parents,![]()
That the teeth of the beasts grind him, grind him!![]()
That for which he prayed to God, God granted him,![]()
Behold, but the saint, having been ground, remained alive!![]()
Alive and whole; until now, before the Table of Heaven![]()
Bread made tender by torture for Christ–![]()
Saint Ignatius, the courageous Theophorus,![]()
Throughout the ages, he imparts courage to those being tortured.![]()
There are two sufferings; there can only be two sufferings:![]()
For justice or for sins, this cannot be hidden.![]()
Pain for one’s sins is pain without hope,![]()
But pain for justice is joy without sorrow.![]()
As a light through rain that decorates the rainbow![]()
Thus, the joy, through tears and through gentle sorrow,![]()
On the spiritual heaven, Paradise and God is pictured–![]()
That strengthens the souls of the holy martyrs.
Tradition says that on his way to execution, St Ignatius unceasingly repeated the name of Jesus Christ. When they asked him why he was doing this, St Ignatius answered that this Name was written in his heart, and that he confessed with his lips Him Whom he always carried within. When the saint was devoured by the lions, his heart was not touched. When they cut open the heart, the pagans saw an inscription in gold letters: “Jesus Christ.” ![]()
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russianorthodoxchurchcardiff.com
20 December 20 / 2 January The Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer, was a disciple of the holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, as was also St Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna (February 23). St I...
HOLY COMMUNION & THE FAST: At Liturgy this coming weekend, though parishioners have celebrated and greeted the New Year, those receiving Holy Communion should HAVE MAINTAINED the Nativity Fast. The collision of calendars makes things complicated, but the Fast does not magically disappear for us to greet the civil New Year. The Nativity Fast is ordained by God, the civil New Year is made by man! It is however a time for prayer, reflection and thanksgiving, which we Orthodox Christians mark with gratitude, seeking God’s blessings and mercy.
NATIVITY SERVICES: Just to remind everyone that the Nativity Vigil will be celebrated in ST PHILIP’S on Tuesday 6th January, at 19:00. Confessions will be heard from 18:00.![]()
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On Wednesday 7th January, the Nativity Liturgy will be celebrated at 11:00, in ST ALBAN’S CHURCH (CARDIFF ORATORY) in Swinton Street. The service will be followed by our Christmas meal in the church hall.![]()
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Help setting up and putting away is crucial, so please assist as much as possible.
russianorthodoxchurchcardiff.com
19 December 19 / 1 January The Holy Martyr Boniface was the slave of a rich young Roman woman named Aglaida and he dwelt with her in an iniquitous cohabitation. But they both felt the sting of conscie...
Dear Fathers, brothers and sisters, may God bless you and your families in the year ahead! Happy New Year! С новым годом!
russianorthodoxchurchcardiff.com/day-34-advent-with-the-saints-the-holy-martyr-sebastian-and-his-...
russianorthodoxchurchcardiff.com
18/31 December The Holy Martyr Sebastian was born in the city of Narbonum in Gaul (modern France), and he received his education at Mediolanum (now Milan). Under the co-reigning emperors Diocletian an...
Forgot to repost this earlier.![]()
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russianorthodoxchurchcardiff.com
Canon of the prophet, the acrostic whereof is: “With hymns I will crown the wise Daniel”, the composition of Theophanes, in Tone VIII. Ode I, Irmos: Let us, O ye people, send up a hymn * unto our ...
My relief-cover, celebrating Liturgy in Bournville saw the celebration of Materice, with the oldest mother of the parish held captive (ironically by Belarusian and Russian oltarniky) until she had presented gift bags to all of the children. Next week’s celebration of Oci, will see Bishop Nektarije held to ransom for pre-Nativity gifts.
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Lighten our darkness, we beseech Thee, O Lord; and by thy great mercy defend us from all perils and dangers of this night; for the love of thy only Son, our Saviour Jesus Christ.![]()
Amen.![]()
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(The final night prayer from the old English Sarum order of compline)
Seventh anointing, after veneration of the Chilandarska-Trojeručica icon of the Mother of God and the relics of the saints - including St Panteleimon and St Gabriel of Samtavro.
I feel very blessed to have been able to serve pre-Nativity soborovanie with Fatherr Nenad in Lazarica, and to be anointed for the healing of soul and body after the cardiac “goings on” of the last few months, as well as being able to anoint the Cheltenham faithful who could not be part of our Holy Week service of the oil. Although the Lazarica tradition, with celebrations before several of the year’s great feasts is different from ours, it was a joy to share the celebration and administration of the Holy Mystery. I hope that we make a parish visit soon and venerate the relics of St Spyridon - offering a moleben to him.
orthodox-europe.org
New Vicar Bishops have been elected for the Western American, Eastern American, and Canadian Dioceses. | Для Западно-Американской, Восточно-Американской и К...
azbyka.ru/days/svv-evstratij-sevastijskij-avksentij-sevastijskij-evgenij-sevastijskij-mardarij-se...
Мученики Евстратий, Авксентий, Евгений, Мардарий и Орест Севастийские: житие, иконы, день памяти
azbyka.ru
Мученики Евстратий, Авксентий, Евгений, Мардарий и Орест Севастийские: житие, иконы, день памяти
russianorthodoxchurchcardiff.com
13/26 December The Holy Martyrs Eustratius, Auxentius, Eugene, Mardarius, and Orestes (the Five Companions) suffered for Christ under the emperor Diocletian (284-305) at Sebaste, in Armenia. Among the...
AND IS IT TRUE? THE MAKER OF THE STARS AND SEA BECOMES A CHILD ON EARTH MORE ME? ![]()
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As a youth I loved – and continue to love – the homely poems of Sir John Betjeman, particularly appreciating his poem ‘Christmas’, now rather old-fashioned, but with eternal questions that must still challenge us to today…![]()
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“And is it true? And is it true,![]()
This most tremendous tale of all,![]()
Seen in a stained-glass window’s hue,![]()
A Baby in an ox’s stall?![]()
The Maker of the stars and sea![]()
Become a Child on earth for me?![]()
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And is it true? For if it is,![]()
No loving fingers tying strings![]()
Around those tissued fripperies,![]()
The sweet and silly Christmas things,![]()
Bath salts and inexpensive scent![]()
And hideous tie so kindly meant,![]()
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No love that in a family dwells,![]()
No carolling in frosty air,![]()
Nor all the steeple-shaking bells![]()
Can with this single Truth compare –![]()
That God was man in Palestine![]()
And lives today in Bread and Wine.”![]()
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As we continue our Advent journey, when the baubles and tinsel of western Christmas are put away, we will hopefully have a little space and time to reflect upon the wonder beneath the questions that Betjeman asked – “And is it true… that the Creator of heaven and earth and all that is was born and laid in the manger, and that each time we celebrate the Divine Liturgy, the God-Man, our Saviour Jesus Christ continues to be Emmanuel – “God With Us” – in His self-sacrifice and self-giving of the Holy Mystery of His Body and Blood?![]()
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In our Orthodox liturgical culture, we are reminded of this by the melismos icon in which it is the Christ-Child Who is worshipped on the diskos of the eucharist, with either angels or St John Chrysostom and St Basil the Great in supplication on each side – for it is the very Christ-Child laid in the manger in the Cave of Bethlehem, and who received the gifts of the magi Who gives Himself as His Gift to us.![]()
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We are reminded of this at the covering of the Holy Gifts at the end of the proskomedia, as the priest takes the metal star-cover, and placing it over the Lamb (and the commemorative particles) says the words,![]()
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“And the star came and stood over the place where the Young Child was.”![]()
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At the melismos of the Liturgy – the fracturing and dividing of the Lamb before communion – it is the One Who was the Young Child Who is divided for the Communion of His children with His Most Pure Body and Most Precious Blood:![]()
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“Broken and distributed is the Lamb of God: broken, yet not divided; ever eaten, though never consumed, but sanctifying them that partake thereof.”![]()
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With this in mind, as we enter the last fortnight of the Nativity Fast, culminating in the Nativity Liturgy on Sunday 7th January – according to the Civil Calendar – we should seek to partake of that great wonder – that He Who is equally the Child of Bethlehem and the Risen Saviour and Victorious Conqueror of death and hell calls us and invites us to His supper:![]()
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“Take, eat, this is My Body which is broken for you for the remission of sins… Drink of it, all of you; this is My Blood of the New Testament, which is shed for you and for many, for the remission of sins.”![]()
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In Sundays’s Gospel, we will hear of those who were too busy to come to the supper that a certain rich man arranged, and to which they were invited…![]()
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“The first said unto him, I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused. And another said, I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come.”![]()
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Though our prime understanding of this is the refusal of the Old Israel to respond to God’s persistent and determined call for their return to Him, through His servants, the Holy Forefathers and Prophets, we should not be complacent as the New Israel and children of the Resurrection, but also see it as a cautionary warning to us.![]()
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Christ has given us the feasts of the Church and the perpetual feast of His Mystical Supper as a foretaste of the Kingdom, as a token of His love, and as the Banquet of His Church, to which all are called, regardless of age, social status, learning or knowledge, as the very ones who were called from the highways and hedges by the servants seeking new guests to bring to their master’s supper.![]()
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Like the Passover Lamb of the Exodus, we cannot partake of Christ the New Passover UNLESS we eucharistically partake of the Lamb of God Who takes away the sins of the world: the Lamb of God worshipped by the shepherds in the cave, Who is the Word Who became flesh and dwelt among us on that first Christmas night.![]()
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In these last days of the Fast, we prepare to meet the New Born Saviour as that very Lamb of God, Who was born and laid in the manger, to take away the sins of the world; clothed in Adam’s flesh to carry the Cross and to defeat the power of death and hell through the very flesh which He had put on; and in the coming feast of the Nativity He calls us to Himself, to each of us to worship and adore, but also to be joined to Him and have Him abiding in us through the Holy Mysteries.![]()
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As we approach the coming feast, we do not travel as magi, with costly gifts, but in our journeys of Faith many of us have travelled a very long way; far from the people we once were; far from the ideas we once held or the lives we once led; far from the things that we once thought to be the priorities of life, signs of success, well-being or achievement; far from the attachments and earthly things that once held us; and during that journey we have encountered much, perhaps changed much, and hopefully learned much – but not in terms of intellectualism and worldly knowledge, but in the simple and true wisdom that Christ has revealed and gives us, for we know that “God is the Lord, and has revealed Himself to us”![]()
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This revelation is the great gift of Christmas – God’s salvific gift of Himself to us and for us – and for those of us who preserve and live the Orthodox, Catholic and Apostolic Faith, this gift is one which is never exhausted as the Holy Mysteries of the Church are continually given to us, for our renewal and transformation, with the Eucharist as the greatest sign of Christ’s Gift to each of us, as precious individuals Whom He loves and cherishes.![]()
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Let us approach the coming feast with awe, faith and love, desiring the Saviour to change us, banishing darkness, confusion and fear, and bringing us light and life.![]()
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In seeking Him as Light and Life, let us fast and pray, beseeching the Lord ![]()
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”…as Thou didst consent to lie in a cave and in a manger of dumb beasts, so consent also to lie in the manger of mine irrational soul and to enter into my defiled body.”![]()
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– daring to approach when we see the Deacon present the Holy Gifts at our Nativity Liturgy, hearing those familiar but ever awesome words,![]()
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“With the fear of God and faith, draw near – Со стра́хом Бо́жиим и ве́рою приступи́те.”![]()
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And, we know that our drawing near is only possible because the Love of God and God of Love did not simply draw near to us, but came searching for us when we were lost, reconciling us with Him, making peace between earth and heaven by becoming like unto us in the scandal of the Incarnation, in the seeming impossibility of the birth of the God-Man in the Cave of Bethlehem, in the shocking dereliction and suffering of the Cross, and in the glory and victory of the Life-Giving Resurrection.![]()
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This is the promise of the coming feast, hiding within the New-Born Child, the whole economy of salvation.![]()
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Troparion of the forefeast, Tone 4: Make ready, O Bethlehem! Be thou opened unto all, O Eden! Adorn thyself, O Ephratha! For in the cave the Tree of Life hath sprung forth from the Virgin. Her womb is shown to be a noetic paradise, in the midst of which is the divine Tree, whereof eating, we shall live, and not die as did Adam. Christ is born, that He might restore His image which fell of old!
We congratulate Father Spyridon on his nameday, praying that God grant him, many blessed years! Happy feast, Father!
Reflections on St Spyridon as a gift from God and sign of His love for us.
С праздником! It was a joy to celebrate my first Liturgy in several months with Fr Nenad today, and to preach in Bournville, catching up with brothers and sisters, and venerating St Spyridon’s relics enshrined in Lazarica, including a slipper from his relics in Corfu. Hierarch of Christ, Spyridon, pray to God for us!
Greetings to our brothers and sisters who are celebrating the Lord’s Nativity today, as well as those who are celebrating the feast of St Spyridon the Wonderworker of Tremythus. Happy Feast. Have a blessed and grace-filled day! С праздником!
HOMILIES ON THE NATIVITY OF CHRIST: BY THE FATHERS OF THE CHURCH![]()
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Although we have a couple of week’s before Nativity celebrations, I’ve been making the time to read from a collection of Nativity Homilies of the Holy Fathers, purchased on Amazon. Whilst some take a bit of effort in getting through the the rather Byzantine rhetorical language of their introductions, there is much joy and celebration in these pages, with the Church Fathers exploring the Nativity from many angles and approaches… some of which wouldn’t even occur to us today. Greatly recommend!![]()
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Homilies on the Nativity of Christ: by the fathers of the Church
www.amazon.co.uk
A collection of twenty-eight homilies delivered by the fathers of the Church on the occasion of the Nativity of our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ. This patristic collection spans the 3rd to the 1...
Dear brothers and sisters, please ensure that whenever you travel and wherever you go, you ALWAYS take an icon with you, so that when you pray, you do so before the sign of the Incarnation, proclaiming by this small token not only that “God is with us” (С нами бог!), but that “God is the Lord, and has revealed Himself to us!” How? When “the Logos (Word) became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth.” Let us leave infidels to pray, rocking and bowing down before the bare walls and empty niches that are the sign of the spiritual void that lies before them. Rather, whenever we pray before the Holy Icons, we proclaim the Truth of the Incarnate-God, the Incarnate-Love of the Trinity, laid in a manger, Who died and rose, ascending into heaven in the very flesh we gaze upon in the Holy Icons, which are the embodiment and sign of our Faith. Let us proclaim our Faith by venerating the holy icons (in which true theology and Divine Truth is written and declared), not only in church or at home, but on every journey, wherever life may take us! Wherever we go, the Holy Icons should be our God-given companions.
Спиридон Тримифунтский: житие, иконы, день памяти
azbyka.ru
Святитель Спиридон Тримифунтский родился в конце III века на острове Кипр. О его жизни сведений сохранилось ма...
The Canon and Akathist to St Spyridon The Wonderworker![]()
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The canon to the saint, the composition of Theophanes, in Tone II Ode I, Irmos: In the deep of old the infinite Power overwhelmed Pharaoh’s whole army. * But the Incarnate Word annihilated pernicious sin. * Exceedingly glorious is the Lord, * for gloriously hath He been glorified. Holy Father, Spyridon, pray to God for us. Having attained unto the land of the meek, being thyself meek, merciful and pure, O father, calm thou the present tempest of my heart, that, in divine tranquility, I may hymn thee....
The Canon to St Spyridon The Wonderworker - Parish of the Kazan Icon of the Mother of God
russianorthodoxchurchcardiff.com
The canon to the saint, the composition of Theophanes, in Tone II Ode I, Irmos: In the deep of old the infinite Power overwhelmed Pharaoh’s whole army. * But the Incarnate Word annihilated perniciou...
It is always a joy to arrive at the feast of St Spyridon, and to see how God can take the lowly and seemingly ordinary, and make it into something not only glorious, but in the case of our beloved saint and heavenly-intercessor, into a radiant beacon of the Faith celebrated throughout the whole Christian world.When we regard many hierarch-saints of the Church, we are talking of men of learning, trained in universities and the great theological schools; men of letters and spiritual literati who left writings and books of spiritual counsel, scriptural exegesis, or dogmatic theology; bishops, archbishops and patriarchs who counselled emperors, kings and princes…![]()
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Then we encounter our beloved St Spyridon: a simple Cypriot shepherd; a widowed husband and father; a family man with a sense of communitas, who used what God had given him and what he earned from his own labours for the relief of the poor, to feed the hungry, to help his neighbours, to assist the homeless, to reach out to those in need.![]()
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He had not studied in the ancient universities; Plato and Aristotle, Homer and the wealth of classical Greek learning were not the foundation of his “education”; rhetoric, logic and mathematics were far from his formation and world; he had not spent his years learning oratory and philosophy among the bright young minds of the Hellenic world.![]()
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No! As a family man and as a shepherd protecting and caring for his beloved sheep, learning from the Gospel, and taught by the Saviour in the power of the Holy Spirit, the great wonderworker and shepherd of souls was a “home grown” spiritual force and bearer of the Light of Christ.![]()
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In English, we have a proverb that you cannot make a silk purse out of a sow’s ear… but time and again we see that in spiritual terms, this proverb is earthbound, wrong and mistaken, in as much as God constantly affects this transformation.![]()
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Our All-Powerful and All-Merciful God took the dust of the ground, and fashioned man, the very apex of creation, and his created humanity became the chosen robe of the Saviour in which He ascended the Cross, conquered hell and death, rose again and ascended into heaven, where that glorified humanity (once nothing but dust) is worshipped by the angelic hosts.![]()
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Having received the joyful proclamation of the archangel, and having conceived Christ within her womb, the All-Holy Mother of God proclaimed the upside-down-ness of the Gospel, as God exults the humble and meek, as He most certainly did with St Spyridon, whose lack of learning and cultural sophistication was no obstacle to God.![]()
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After the death of his wife, during the reign of the Saint Constantine, the Equal-to the-Apostles (306-337), St Spyridon was elected and consecrated as bishop of Tremithus, where combined his hierarchical duties and pastoral service to the local Church with still going to care for his beloved sheep – wearing his famous plaited- straw shepherd’s hat.![]()
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What valuable spiritual lessons he must have learned from his shepherding labours: the need for nourishment, the vital necessity of assuaging the hunger and thirst of his sheep, the threat of wolves and predators, how to defend and protect his flock – all vital lessons for him as a bishop and shepherd of souls with his human flock.![]()
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His hierarchical service was one of great simplicity, in which God’s power and confirmation of his great holiness was constantly seen, as was evident at the First Ecumenical Council, where St Spyridon confuted the heresy of Arius not with eloquent words, but with a simple miracle. Taking a brick from which water trickled and fire shot out, leaving nothing but the dust in his hand, St Spyridon said simply and boldly, “There was only one brick, but it was composed of three elements. In the Holy Trinity there are three Persons, but only one God.”![]()
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Imploring and receiving God’s help in times of both drought and crop-destroying rains, healing the sick, casting out demons and even raising the dead, St Spyridon lived for his flock, among his flock, and with his flock – not as a great prelate and prince of the Church, but as a humble spiritual-shepherd.![]()
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His earthly falling asleep did not bring his miraculous care to an end, but rather, freed St Spyridon to work greater wonders for those who have and still turn to him in faith and in need, and with his relics having been taken to Corfu (though his right hand in is Rome), he wondrously and lovingly embraced the island and its people, saving them for the Ottomans and caring for them for centuries, as a father caring for his children.![]()
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It is the joy of so many Christians, to be able to make their pilgrimage to Corfu to venerate his darkened but incorrupt relics, knowing that St Spyridon is not only constantly praying for us, but constantly helping us, wherever we are.![]()
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God truly shows the wonder of Faith and the power of Christian holiness in St Spyridon, and he is a reminder that true theology comes from our intimate, loving relationship with the Living-God; not learned from books and lectures; not as the fruit of study; that it does not depend on intelligence or intellectual prowess; that it is not a system of sacred, dogmatic theory – but is rather the realisation of a life dedicated wholly and solely to God, in which the Divine will and human will have been joined in a sacred union, and in which God indwells in His beloved children, revealing profound truth and manifesting His Grace.![]()
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In St Spyridon we see that love, charity, compassion and mercy are not theories, but actions, and that the Sermon on the Mount is not a series of lofty ideals, but a command to go out and do all of the things with the Saviour will bring blessedness.![]()
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Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.![]()
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Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.![]()
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Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.![]()
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Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy.![]()
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Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.![]()
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Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.![]()
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Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.![]()
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Like St Nicholas, celebrated less than a week ago, St Spyridon is not only the concrete demonstration of Faith-in-action, but a sign of how ordinary people like us can be raised up to the glory of God, becoming living manifestation of His love, vessels of His Grace and beacons of Truth.![]()
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It was not the simple, unsophisticated “Spyridons” of the ancient world who proposed heretical teachings, and attacked the Church, but the learned intellectuals of the academies, with their knowledge of the classics, their skills in logic, rhetoric, oration, philosophy and academic theology. The arch-schismatics and arch-heresiarchs were men of learning and intellect – as are those attacking the Church in Ukraine, today, and betraying Orthodoxy in the ecumenical melting-pot of compromise.![]()
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Thus, though the Church will always need it’s “Chrysostoms”, “Gregories” and “Basils”, it increasingly needs its “Spyridons”: home-grown people who aspire to serve the Church in holiness, selfless giving, defence of Truth and the fullness of Orthodoxy.![]()
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The Church needs “Spyridons” to say NO to compromise, to renovationism, to betrayal of Orthodoxy in the name of modernism, reform, or false-science.![]()
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Whether our lowly “Spyridons” are lay people or clergy, men, women or children – the Church needs us to selflessly dedicate ourselves to the Lord with fervent Faith, built on the Gospel, on the fulness of Orthodox Tradition, and always in pursuit of love, truth and peace – and always defending our Faith!![]()
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Let us be inspired – to prayer, to selfless love, to charity and works of mercy, to serving the Church and defending it by that wonderful name and glorious example of our Orthodox Christian Faith: ST SPYRIDON!![]()
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CANON: russianorthodoxchurchcardiff.com/tag/canon-to-st-spyridon![]()
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AKATHIST: russianorthodoxchurchcardiff.com/the-akathist-hymn-to-st-spyridon-the-wonderworker
Ukrainian lobbyist in leaked audio: many UOC churches were destroyed by Ukrainian army
orthochristian.com
A Ukrainian lobbyist stated on a recent phone call that Ukraine’s Armed Forces have destroyed numerous Ukrainian Orthodox Church buildings and used them as military staging areas, according to a rec...
Iran: 80th anniversary of Russian cathedral in Tehran
orthochristian.com
The Russian Orthodox community in Tehran marked a significant milestone on December 19, celebrating both its patronal feast of St. Nicholas the Wonderworker and the 80th anniversary of their cathedral...
Мученики Мина, Ермоген и Евграф Александрийские:![]()
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Мученики Мина, Ермоген и Евграф Александрийские: житие, иконы, день памяти
azbyka.ru
Мученики Мина, Ермоген и Евграф Александрийские: житие, иконы, день памяти
Day 26 – Advent With the Saints: the Holy Martyrs Menas, Hermogenes and Eugraphus of Alexandria![]()
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russianorthodoxchurchcardiff.com/day-26-advent-with-the-saints-the-holy-martyrs-menas-hermogenes-...
THE ICON OF THE MOTHER OF GOD, NAMED "UNEXPECTED JOY" (NECHAYANNAYA RADOST')![]()
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Commemorated on December 9, May 1![]()
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The Icon of the Mother of God, named "Unexpected Joy" (Nechayannaya Radost'), is written thus: in a room, upwards is an icon of the Mother of God, and beneathe it a youth kneeling at prayer. The tradition about the healing of some youth from a bodily affliction through this holy icon is recorded in the book of Saint Dimitrii of Rostov, "The Fleece of Prayer" ("Runo Oroshennoe") [for the significance of the "Dew‑Moistened Fleece" verse Judges 6: 36-40]. The youth out of habit was praying before the image of the All-Pure Virgin and suddenly he saw, that the image was alive, the wounds of the Lord Jesus exposed and bloody. In horror he exclaimed: "O Lady, who is it that hath done this?" To this the Mother of God replied: "Thou and other sinners by their sins do crucify My Son anew". Then only became apparent before him the abyss of his sinfulness, and for a long time in tears he prayed to the Mother of God and the Saviour for mercy. Finally, the unexpected joy of answer to his prayer and forgiveness of sins was given him.
Glory to God! We are very pleased that our gofundme page has now raised £10,000 and we are extremely grateful not only to the 179 donors, who have generously supported our vision of a dedicated temple for the parish and Orthodox Christian spiritual centre for South Wales, but also to our social media team, who have been promoting and sharing the appeal day by day. Please keep the momentum going by sharing the fundraiser and spreading the word. Diolch yn fawr! May God bless all who have contributed and all who labour for this God-pleasing cause, and may St David and all of the saints of Wales pray for them!![]()
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Donate to Help us buy a Church for our Orthodox Parish in Wales!, organized by Hieromonk Mark
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Building Orthodoxy in a Land of Saints. Wales is an ancient ... Hieromonk Mark needs your support for Help us buy a Church for our Orthodox Parish in Wales!