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The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary (III)

Miraculous was the life of the All-Pure Virgin, and wondrous was Her Repose, as Holy Church sings: “In Thee, O Queen, the God of all hath given thee as thy portion the things that are above nature. Just as in the Birth-Giving He did preserve Thine virginity, so also in the grave He did preserve Thy body from decay” (Canon 1, Ode 6, Troparion 1). Kissing the all-pure body with reverence and in awe, the

THE MYSTERY AND THE GOSPEL OF THE TRANSFIGURATION OF JESUS CHRIST (Part II)

A Sermon by Father Peter A. Chamberas The Transfiguration of Christ then reveals not only the divine nature and glory of Jesus, which is always there in His unified person, – though not always observable by all and at all times; it also reveals the spiritual transfiguration of our own human nature as well. Jesus, shining in pristine beauty and unfading glory, reveals in His human nature the natural, the original condition of the human

Feast of All Saints. The End Goal for Everyone-Numbered Among the Saints

Jesus said: “Everyone who acknowledges Me before men, I also will acknowledge before My Father who is in heaven; but whoever denies Me before men, I also will deny before My Father who is in heaven. Matthew 10:32-33 He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me; and he who does not take his cross

Friday after the Ascension. So, What Now?

And while staying with them He charged them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, which He said, “You heard from me.” Acts 1:4 (From the Epistle Lesson read on the Feast of Ascension) If you divide the history of the world into chapters, the first chapter would be, “The Creation of the world.” The second chapter would be the period where mankind lived in total unity with

Feast of the Ascension of our Lord. He Ascended in Glory

So then the Lord Jesus, after He had spoken to them, was taken up into heaven, and sat down at the right hand of God. Mark 16:19 (From the Third Eothinon Gospel of the Sunday Orthros) “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the earth.” And when He had said this,

Tuesday of the 5th Week of Pascha. The Story of the Nativity in Nine Words

And the word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth. John 1:14 (From the Gospel at the Divine Liturgy on Pascha) Christ is Risen! We’ve all seen displays of the Nativity in our homes and churches during the Christmas season. Christmas plays and pageants highlight the story of the shepherds and angels, told in the Gospel of Luke, and the Magi, as told in the Gospel of Matthew. In some sense,

Great and Holy Friday. Condemned by a tree, Saved by the Tree

When Jesus had received the vinegar, He said, ”It is finished”; and He bowed His head and gave up His spirit. John 19:30 (Gospel of the Ninth Hour on Good Friday Morning) In Genesis, we read that God created the world in “seven days.” We also know that God’s time doesn’t move according to our concept of time. So, the world wasn’t created in seven “literal” days, meaning seven 24-hour periods of time. Specific things

Monday of the Sixth Week of Lent. The Passover in the Old and New Testaments

Since it was the day of Preparation, in order to prevent the bodies from remaining on the cross on the Sabbath (for that Sabbath was a high day), the Jews asked Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. So the soldiers came and broke the legs of the first, and of the other who had been crucified with Him; but when they came to Jesus and saw that

Friday of the Fifth Week of Lent. Salvation is Possible Until the Very Last Moment, But Don’t Wait

One of the criminals who were hanged, railed at Him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” But the other rebuked him, saying, ”Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed justly; for we are receiving the due reward of our deeds; but this Man has done nothing wrong.” And he said, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” And He

Friday of Cheese-fare. Behold, I Am the Handmaiden of the Lord

And Mary said, ”Behold, I am the handmaiden of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” Luke 1:38 (Gospel of the Feast of the Annunciation-March 25) If you were to divide the history of the world into chapters, the first chapter would be about the Creation of the World. In this chapter, the human race lived in complete harmony with its Creator, in an almost “god-like” state. The second chapter would