On this day, the Sunday before the Nativity of Christ, we have been enjoined by our holy and God-bearing Fathers to commemorate all those who from the beginning of time were well-pleasing to
God, according to the genealogy, as the Evangelist Luke enumerated in historical order; and also the Prophets and Prophetesses.

We commemorate Adam and Eve, the first fashioned. We commemorate the righteous Abel, the son of Adam. We commemorate the righteous Seth, the son of Adam. We commemorate the righteous Enosh, the son of Seth. We commemorate the righteous Cainan, the son of Enosh. We commemorate the righteous Mahalalel, the son of Cainan. We commemorate the righteous Jared, the son of Mahalalel. We commemorate the righteous Enoch, the son of Jared. We commemorate the righteous Methuselah, the son of Enoch. We commemorate the righteous Lamech, the son of Methuselah. We commemorate the righteous Noah, the son of Lamech. We commemorate the righteous Shem, the son of Noah.  We commemorate the righteous Japheth, the son of Noah. We commemorate the righteous Arphaxad, the son of Shem. We commemorate the righteous Cainan, the son of Arphaxad. We commemorate the righteous Shelah, the son of Cainan. We commemorate the righteous Eber, from whom the Jews were called Hebrews. We commemorate the righteous Peleg, the son of Eber. We commemorate Reu, the son of Peleg. We commemorate the righteous Serug, the son of Reu. We commemorate the righteous Nahor, the son of Serug. We commemorate the righteous Terah, the son of Nahor.

We commemorate the righteous Patriarch Abraham, the son of Terah. We commemorate the Patriarch Isaac, the son of Abraham. We commemorate the Patriarch Jacob, the son of Isaac. We commemorate the Patriarch Reuben, the son of Jacob. We commemorate the Patriarch Simeon, the son of Jacob. We commemorate the Patriarch Levi, the son of Jacob. We commemorate the Patriarch Judah, the son of Jacob, from whose tribe Christ was born. We commemorate the Patriarch Zebulun, the son of Jacob, whose tribe was by the sea. We commemorate the Patriarch Issachar, the son of Jacob, whose tribe cultivated the earth. We commemorate the Patriarch Dan, the son of Jacob, whose tribe was the tribe of Judges. We commemorate the Patriarch Gad, the son of Jacob, whose tribe is plundered and plundering. We commemorate the Patriarch Asher, the son of Jacob, whose tribe was wealthy in wheatlands. We commemorate the Patriarch Naphtali, the son of Jacob, whose tribe became a great multitude. We commemorate the Patriarch Joseph, the son of Jacob, whose tribe was right glorious and illustrious. We commemorate the Patriarch Benjamin, the son of Jacob, whose tribe, though once fierce, became gentle. We commemorate Perez and Zerah, the twins, the sons of Judah the Patriarch.

We commemorate Hezron, the son of Perez. We commemorate Ram, the son of Hezron. We commemorate Amminadab, the son of Ram. We commemorate Nahshon, the son of Amminadab. We commemorate Salmon, the son of Nahshon. We commemorate Boaz, the son of Salmon. We commemorate Obed, the son of Boaz by Ruth. We commemorate Jesse, the son of Obed. We commemorate David the King, the son of Jesse. We commemorate Solomon the King, the son of David. We commemorate Rehoboam the King, the son of Solomon. We commemorate Abijah the King, the son of Rehoboam. We commemorate Asa the King, the son of Abijah. We commemorate Jehoshaphat the King, the son of Asa. We commemorate Joram the King, the son of Jehoshaphat.
We commemorate Uzziah the King, the son of Joram. We commemorate Jotham the King, the son of Uzziah. We commemorate Ahaz the King, the son of Jotham. We commemorate Hezekiah the King, the son of Ahaz. We commemorate Manasseh the King, the son of Hezekiah. We commemorate Amon the King, the son of Manasseh. We commemorate Josiah the King son of Amon. We commemorate Jeconiah the King, the son of Josiah. We commemorate Shealtiel, the son of Jeconiah. We commemorate Zerubbabel, who again raised up the Temple in Jerusalem when it had been burned. We commemorate Abiud, the son of Zerubbabel. We commemorate Eliakim, the son of Abiud. We commemorate Azor, the son of Eliakim. We commemorate Zadok, the son of Azor.
We commemorate Achim, the son of Zadok. We commemorate Eliud, the son of Achim. We commemorate Eleazar, the son of Eliud. We commemorate Matthan, the son of Eleazar. We commemorate Jacob, the son of Matthan. We commemorate Joseph the Betrothed, the son of Jacob.

We commemorate the righteous Melchizedek. We commemorate the righteous Job. We commemorate the Prophet Moses, and Hur and Aaron the Priests. We commemorate Joshua the son of Nun. We commemorate the holy Prophet Samuel. We commemorate the Prophet Nathan.  We commemorate the holy Prophet Daniel. We commemorate the holy Three Servants.

We commemorate the righteous Sarah, the wife of Abraham. We commemorate the righteous Rebecca, the wife of Isaac. We commemorate the righteous Leah, the first wife of Jacob. We commemorate the righteous Rachel, the second wife of Jacob. We commemorate the righteous Asenath, the wife of Joseph the All-comely. We commemorate the righteous Miriam, the sister of Moses. We commemorate the righteous Deborah, who judged Israel. We commemorate the righteous Ruth. We commemorate the righteous Widow of Zarephath, unto whom Elijah was sent. We commemorate the righteous Shunammite Woman, the gave hospitality to Elisha. We commemorate the righteous Judith, who slew Holofernes. We commemorate the righteous Esther, who delivered Israel from death. We commemorate the righteous Hannah, the mother of Samuel the Prophet. We commemorate the righteous Susanna.

By their holy intercessions, O God, have mercy on us and save us! Amen.

 

At the heart of our holy days, or feast days, festivals & banquets -to use a term from today’s Gospel (Luke 14: 16-24)- is joy; joy and gratitude for how God cares for us, and for what he’s revealed and achieved through his faithful holy ones.

These festive events help raise our eyes and minds above the everyday cares that bind us to earth, allowing us instead to enjoy and celebrate heavenly things.

For Orthodox Christians, keeping a feast day, i.e. Christmas, Pascha, etc., means to have a special opportunity to express and share joy. And we know that whenever we can share our joy with each other, rejoicing together as a family and community of faith, then our joy becomes fuller and more complete. It’s by cheerfully, joyfully and deliberately celebrating the good things of God together as his children, that we not only strengthen the spiritual ties that bind us, but unite ourselves with heaven itself, where there’s continual rejoicing and an unending feast.

Now especially is the season of joy. This is the season that we remember how beautiful our Faith is, how humble our faith, and how humble our Lord is who brings heaven down to earth for us. It’s the season we remember how much God loves, and how much he is willing to do in order for this love of his to reach into your heart & fill it with the warmth of his grace. We can respond cheerfully and offer our gratitude joyfully.

May God continue to show his mercy to us as we truly rejoice in the Lord this Christmas season. May we learn to count everything he’s done as a priceless treasure, placing it and keeping it at the center of our life and always appreciating ever more and more, growing in gratitude from week to week and year to year. Yes, may we always appreciate his care for us, his eternal and loving embrace that we experience in his Church.

Worship, prayer, and fellowship is the celebration of the Gospel. Worship is when we enshrine the Gospel in our hearts, minds, homes, and churches. Remember, the Gospel is God’s message of his love for us.

The Gospel teaches many things but at the heart of it is that LIFE isn’t simply biological, it’s not just about bodies being born and maturing into adults., LIFE is biological, yes, but it is spiritual too, and the Gospel teaches that that we don’t find life in possessions or wealth, through hard work and ingenuity, but rather, LIFE is a gift that comes to us only by Divine Grace, by God’s Grace. Life is a gift of God, and it is something we get only from God, it is a product of the Holy Trinity.

We come to Liturgy to appreciate this gift of LIFE and to offer our theia efxaristia, our thanks to God. As humans we are in a unique position to bring goodness and blessing and sanctity into this world because heaven has been put into us! So, we remember God and offer him our gratitude and our rational [reasonable] worship. In other words, we offer the Divine Liturgy.

To celebrate the Divine Liturgy is our first great calling, something we do together. Divine liturgy fulfils us, brings us clarity and healing.

Today we here a story about a rich fool. The man WAS RICH BECAUSE he had many possessions. But he WAS A FOOL BECAUSE he thought his wealth guaranteed his life ‘’for many years to come’’. When his life ended, so did his control of his possessions. Jesus here contrasts the idea of life as true ‘existence’ and the idea of life as ‘possessions’.

The Lord really wants to turn our gaze in a different direction, he wants us to look toward heaven, to our homeland, to God first, to the remembrance of God, and to forget our idols. Our Lord Jesus Christ wants us to find our balance, by offering our thanksgiving to God first, offering our best back to God, offering our very hearts and minds to him. Jesus is calling us to be true worshippers of God, worshiping in Spirit and Truth, as he once said.

The original human vocation is a priestly one, to offer the world back to God with gratitude and thanks. We’re called to be worshippers of the true God, not worshipers of ourselves or others or of things. The Lord, the Gospel, and the Church call us -not to fill our lives with idols- but to be filled instead with faith and light, to be true worshipers and children of God. Jesus came to restore balance, the balance in our own personal lives first, and then through us balance and health to the world.

And so, the Gospel teaches about true WEALTH, true riches, that it is to be rich in faith and to be rich in works. To have a life of close communion with God, a life centered in the worship of God, is to be rich in faith; to use my time and my skills and abilities, to use my possessions & wealth in accordance with faith (this means sharing with others & generosity toward others) is to be rich in works.

This is a life of love! Love for God and love for neighbor and remember who your neighbor is: everybody that is not you!

Jesus Christ and His saints have this kind of love; and it made them strong. It gave them the type of strength that defeats death, because nothing can overcome God’s love. And this kind of love respects the ‘other’ as oneself. It is a love that is so close to Christ that each person feels valued. Real wealth and value are found in Christ, not in possessions, wealth, or accomplishments.

We cultivate our spiritual lives by choosing first, to worship together, to pray together and to pray for each other. Second, we can cultivate our spiritual lives by choosing to work together; to struggle together; to laugh, to shed tears, even to suffer with one another as the stewards, friends, and servants of God. Not as self-serving, but as servants of God, building up the body and the parish.

Let us use our time wisely so that WHEN this biological life comes to an end, God doesn’t call us a fool like the man in the gospel but instead says, “Well done good and faithful steward. You have been faithful over a little. I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your Master.”

Accumulate spiritual wealth, be rich in faith and rich in works. Become worshipers of the True God and good stewards of everything you possess!

Today the Church enters a new season. Starting today all Christians are called upon to begin the fast for the Great Feast of our Lord’s Nativity.

Do you remember why this fast was set by the Holy Fathers? In the O.T., Moses fasted for forty days in the desert of Egypt with no food or water in order to receive the Law, the Ten Commandments. We, on the other hand, now fast for forty days, not like Moses who did so without food and drink, we just abstain from certain food on certain days, but we do this not simply to receive the Law like Moses, but to receive the Lawgiver Himself: Christ our Almighty God. Think about that! During this season we combine our fasting with prayer, repentance & confession, receiving the Holy Gifts (communing), with helping people in need, and feeding the poor. With God’s help, we can make a good beginning and see how much these disciplines and the focus they bring can positively affect our lives. Remember we don’t do this in a mechanical way, but believing in what we’re doing, asking God to help, relying on His help and great mercy so that our hearts can become like that cave in which our Lord Jesus Christ was born.

By His Eminence  Metropolitan Panteleimon of Antinoes

Faith in Christ is the power which saves and gives life to man. Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is man’s only certain hope and salvation. No one can overcome death but only the Saviour of the world, Who through His death on the cross overcame the power of death and offered life to all those who will believe in His Name. Jesus Christ, the Son and Word of God, is the Lord of Life and death.

Man’s life many times I described as the sea. The problems of life rise as enormous waves, which struggle to take us down into the ocean’s depths, into despair and hopelessness. The abyss opens its mouth to swallow us. But, when one is armed with the faith in Christ, then in his most difficult moments, man finds the power to face and to confront these difficult moments, which as great waves they break out upon the ship of life in the multiform of tribulations, illnesses, temptations and deaths.

Our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, the Son of God, invited Ja’iros to stand well in his faith in Him. Believe and do not despair. Do not lose your hope. The fruit of faith in Christ is the victory of the faithful against death himself. For this reason the holy Martyrs of our Holy Orthodox Church were able to gain victory over death, because they were steadfast in their faith into Christ.

Man who does not have faith is like a ship without a compass. Faith is the victorious power, which leads man into the virtuous way of life. If one is without faith, he cannot achieve any virtue. If man is without faith, then he cannot only overcome the smallest problems of life, but, neither can he will be able to face the frightful hour of death and everything which follows death!

When the hour of death arrives, no one can help us, neither the best and skilled doctors, nor our friends, nor the powerful and rich, nor our relatives, nor scientists, nor those in authorities, nor those who have money and riches. Only Christ can save and comfort us. And the Lord saves all those who turn to Him, as He saved Ja’iros’s daughter. And this was the result of his solid faith in Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

Our faith must be solid and truthful, we must stand in steadfastness avoiding any form of doubt. We must never bend before the problems of life, no matter how great they might be. The faith in Christ is a strong alliance, which will never disappoint anyone who believes. This is the reason why during the Holy Sacrament of Baptism, the Priest asks the God-parents to confess faith in Christ, by asking them: “Do you join Christ”? And they respond saying: “I do join Him”!

Man’s life intermingles between joy and sadness.  The joyful moments are exchanged with sad moments. For this reason St Paul teaches us saying, that one should be joyful with those who are happy, and sad with those who are misfortune, for our life is like the field of lilies, which today they flourish and tomorrow the wither and die.

Everything around us witnesses the vanity and the mortality of all earthly pleasures. The problems of life will never end. Christ is offering the only solution. Let us strengthen within us our faith in Christ. Only, when we have been armed with the spiritual armor of God, which is offered to us by the Grace of the Holy Spirit, in other words faith, hope and love, and we practice these virtues in our daily life, then we shall be able to overcome all adversity powers and finally death itself.