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The Fifth Day of Christmas: Light Shines in the Darkness (Feast Day of the Holy Innocents)

12/29/2020

Your Nativity, O Christ our God, made the light of knowledge dawn on the world. For through it those who worshipped the stars were taught by a star to worship You, the Sun of righteousness, and to know You, the Dawn from on high. O Lord, glory to You! (Apolytikion of the Nativity) THE SEASON OF CHRISTMAS is a feast of light and joy, since we celebrate the coming of “the true Light which gives

The Fourth Day of Christmas. The Fiery Furnace of Christmas.

12/28/2020

By Father Stephen Freeman, December 24, 2006 The three youths, wise in God, who shone with joy in the furnace, proclaimed the birth of Christ on earth; For just as the Lord sent down a precious dew, He preserved from the flame her who gave birth; He keeps her undefiled and enriches her with divine gifts. Therefore Daniel, pleasing to God, rejoiced and was glad, For having foreseen the stone from the unquarried mountain,

CHRIST IS BORN!

12/25/2020

Celebrating Christ’s Nativity, by Father John Breck As much as any other Christian feast, the significance of Christ’s Nativity comes to expression by means of paradoxical affirmations that speak of the ineffable mystery of the Incarnation by juxtaposing apparent contradictions. The most obvious of these is found in the prologue of St John’s Gospel, which declares that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us…” (John 1:14). As the context makes clear that Word or

Fortieth Day of Christmas Advent. For so has God Loved the World (Part II)

12/24/2020

But the road from Bethlehem to Zion is long, and is leading us through Gethsemane and Golgotha. Already in Bethlehem the newborn Godchild is presented with funeral offerings by the Wise Men from the East. “Today God leads the Wise Men to worship through the star, prefiguring His three-day burial in gold, frankincense, and myrrh.” The very doors of the Bethlehem cavern are nearly stained with the innocent blood of the children who were killed

Thirty-Ninth Day of Christmas Advent. For so has God Loved the World (Part I)

12/23/2020

By Father Georges Florovsky That we begin our reckoning of time with Christ’s birth is a fact which has long been but a mere convention for many. Seldom does one recall and recognize the great event from which we count time. So do we betray our ignorance and insensitivity. In ancient days, time was computed from the Incarnation of God the Word. It signifies that we live in a world which has been renewed and

The Thirty-Eighth Day of Christmas Advent. What Shall We Offer You, O Christ?

12/22/2020

The Church’s liturgy of the winter festal season speaks not only of the hospitality which the Son of God comes to give to His people. It tells also of the hospitality which He hopes to receive from them when He comes. The songs and hymns of the services call the faithful to welcome God’s Son, to accept Him, to greet Him, to go forth to meet Him. The most wise Lord comes to be born,

The Thirty-Seventh Day of Christmas Advent. What to Give to the One Who Made Everything?

12/21/2020

By Fr. John Parker So here is a twist on the usual question: what do you get for that someone who *made* everything? I confess to you, dear reader, that the question comes a bit crassly off my fingertips. But the truth is, here we are, at the inauguration of the Christmas feast—which continues through December 31 in Orthodox Christianity—and while we are hauling bags of wrapping paper and boxes to the curb (not the

Christmas Hope

12/18/2020

SSCORRE! Saint Sophia Cathedral Online Resources for our Religious Edification TOPIC OF THE WEEK – Christmas Hope “Perhaps this year you can relate to “… the experience of another Family who also had been separated from family activities that first Christmas… “ In a grotto under the altar of the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem lies the spot where Tradition says Christ was born, marked by a 14-point silver star. Adults/Family: “…Far from their

Thirty-Fourth Day of Christmas Advent. Jesus was Born that He Might Die.

12/18/2020

By Hierodeacon Herman Majkrzak In many European cultures, and in America too, singing and listening to carols is a well-loved Christmas tradition. And many Orthodox communities in the West have admirably incorporated some of the best of these carols into their Nativity celebrations. Often, though, for Orthodox and non-Orthodox alike, our knowledge of this rich repertoire does not extend much beyond the first couple verses of a dozen or so of the most famous carols.

THE REOPENING OF SAINT SOPHIA CATHEDRAL

12/17/2020

THE OPENING OF SAINT SOPHIA CATHEDRAL — NEW UPDATE — SPECIAL ANNOUNCEMENT As of Friday, March 1, 2022 Saint Sophia Cathedral is 100% open with No restrictions. No sign up, No waiver, specifically, the No mask requirement for those vaccinated. OPENING, CONGREGATION SIZE, POLICIES AND PROCEDURES: As of Saturday, May 1st, (The Great and Holy Saturday), Mayor Bowser revoked the cap of 125 people that she had previously imposed on worship services

Blog

The Fifth Day of Christmas: Light Shines in the Darkness (Feast Day of the Holy Innocents)

The Fourth Day of Christmas. The Fiery Furnace of Christmas.

CHRIST IS BORN!

Fortieth Day of Christmas Advent. For so has God Loved the World (Part II)

Thirty-Ninth Day of Christmas Advent. For so has God Loved the World (Part I)

The Thirty-Eighth Day of Christmas Advent. What Shall We Offer You, O Christ?

The Thirty-Seventh Day of Christmas Advent. What to Give to the One Who Made Everything?

Christmas Hope

Thirty-Fourth Day of Christmas Advent. Jesus was Born that He Might Die.

THE REOPENING OF SAINT SOPHIA CATHEDRAL

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