Dear brothers and sisters: s prazdnikom!
Greetings on this glorious feast of the Conception of the Mother of God. Our joyful Liturgy was not only a thanksgiving to the Lord, but a worthy offering to the Mother of God as we celebrated the very beginning of her life, through God’s gift of a long-awaited child to her parents, Joachim and Anna.
We must always remember that in her conception, the Mother of God was no different to us, so that the fulness of humanity could be redeemed through her Child. She was the mediatrix of the Incarnation as one who was no different to each of us in our humanity, even though different to us in the fact that she did not sin.
The glory of the Mother of God lies not in the belief that she was somehow miraculously protected from sin, and the ability to do so, but rather in her wonderful and victorious conscious rejection of sin, and her battle against temptation, in a life in which her will was aligned with that of God; a life in which she had free will and choice: choosing to fight temptation and reject sin; choosing to struggle and labour for holiness and righteousness; choosing selfless dedication to God; choosing to cultivate sacrificial love for Him – serving Him, by choice in becoming the Handmaiden of the Lord, and the Gate of our Salvation.
Her obedience was not imposed upon her as an involuntary pre-programmed inevitability, but a voluntary human choice; her holiness was the fruit of that choice; her place in our salvation was through a sacrificial and selfless choice: a choice that was free, willing and conscious.
As the Hodegitria, “She who shows us the way”, let us choose to not only turn to her intercession and merciful care, but follow her example – in thought, in word, and in deed.
This will lead us forward on our spiritual journey, not only through the remaining days of Advent to the feast of the Nativity, but also to the eternal glory of the Heavenly Jerusalem: the Kingdom of God.
Many thanks to those who contributed to such a glorious Liturgy, particularly to our musical visitors from Bristol’s Ukrainian Orthodox parish. May the blessings and graces of the Mother of God reward your labours.
We must extend our congratulations to Maxim on making his first communion. Many, blessed years!
Having shared the feast of St Nicholas with Father Luke, in Llanelli on Thursday, it was a blessing to honour him with the akathist gathered around his icon in Nazareth House in the evening, and then to venerate his icon that had been placed in his original tomb in Myra, in modern-day Turkey, at today’s Liturgy.
Today’s celebration followed a visit to Cheltenham, yesterday, where we pleased to follow Liturgy with a litia to St Nicholas, where the children showed their knowledge of the Wonderworker.
Hierarch of Christ, Nicholas, pray to God for us!
As you are aware, with holiday timetables limiting public transport, there will be no weekday services in the Oratory this week, though I will be there at 15:00, on Saturday to chant vespers.
I am happy to hear confessions beforehand, as well as after the service. Given Father Mark’s absence next weekend, there will only be very limited time for confessions. Those who confessed in preparation for this week’s Liturgy are blessed to commune next weekend, unless a specific need for confession arises.
Please pray for Father Mark, matushka Alla and Yuriy as they travel to Minsk, and for Vlad and Daniel, as he travels to Romania, and for Joseph on his trip to Arizona. May guardian angels of peace protect them and speed them on their way!
We look forward to our Nativity services in the Oratory Church, and will have a bring-and-share lunch after Liturgy on Tuesday 7 January, and an extended festive trapeza in St John’s after Liturgy on Sunday 12 January, presuming I can get confirmation of the booking from a silent booking-secretary.
Monday 6 January: Christmas Eve (Rozhdestvenskyi Sochelnik) Vigil at 18:30.
Tuesday 7 January: Nativity Liturgy at 10:30. Great Vespers (for the Synaxis) at 15:00
Wednesday 8 January: Synaxis of the Mother of God, Liturgy at 10:30. Great Vespers (for St Stephen) at 15:00.
Thursday 9 January: St Stephen: Liturgy at 10:30. Vespers at 15:00.
(Additional services may be celebrated if support is forthcoming)
The Liturgy for the feast of the Holy Innocents, will be celebrated in Warminster on Saturday 11 January.
Next Sunday will be the celebration of the Holy Forefathers of Christ, and the Liturgy variables may be found at: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1aoaY0o_W5Yz99it3y9RTKFIvDM__-siw/view
Wishing you a good struggle as the Nativity Fast continues.
Asking your forgiveness, for Christ’s sake.
In Christ – Hieromonk Mark