St. Michael the Archangel Orthodox Church

Nativity Fast begins Monday, November 15 to Friday, December 24

Sunday
December 5, 2010
28th Sunday after Pentecost
St. Saba the Sanctified of Jerusalem

• Troparion of the Resurrection, Tone 3
• Troparion of St. Saba, Tone 8
• Troparion of St Michael, Tone 4
• Kontakion Preparatory for the Nativity, Tone 3 (Sung from November 26- December24)
  

Epistle: Gal. 5:22-6:2
Gospel: Luke 13: 10-17

St. Nicholas the Wonder-Worker

St. Nicholas was born in Myra, Asia Minor, now called Turkey and became bishop of Myra. We do not know very much the early day of St. Nicholas. After his parents died, he inherited a lot of money. He thought of other people that were less fortunate then himself, especially the poor. One particular story regarding Nicholas is about a father with three daughters who didn’t have enough food to feed them. St. Nicholas heard about his troubles and wrapped some gold coins and threw them in an open window in the father’s house. The next morning, the family found the gold, but they didn’t know who to thank, so they thanked God for their gift! St. Nicholas never wanted to be thanked for his generosity and charity. When he was discovered giving gifts, he would tell the person “Don’t tell anyone about the gifts, let it be our secret”. He also told them, “Please don’t thank me, thank God”. Unfortunately in today’s modern world we live in, the children in our society, forget or don’t know about the good gestures what St. Nicholas did. Mostly they are fascinated by the famous poem written by Clement Moore in 1823, “The Night before Christmas” and who will receive the best gift for being a good boy or girl. Thus, the meaning of St. Nicholas or Santa Clause dropping gifts at night at children’s homes, not to be thanked, but thank only God, is lost! St. Nicholas continued his life helping the poor, and after he died, the church called him St. Nicholas “The Champion of the People”. He is also referred to as, “St. Nicholas the Wonder Worker” (person who works wonders or performs miracles). Children around the world love him because of his great love he had for children, and his great Christian faith in God. They know of him, how he taught people to love and help each other as Jesus Christ our Lord and Savior did. In Holland, they called him Sinter, meaning Saint and Claes meaning Nicholas, thus his name years later was changed to Santa Clause. We celebrate his feast day December 6th.

Sunday
December 12, 2010
29th Sunday after Pentecost
Sunday of the Forefathers and St. Spyridon

• Troparion of the Resurrection, Tone 4
• Troparion of Forefathers, Tone 2
• Troparion of St. Spyridon, Tone 1
• Troparion of St. Michael, Tone 4
• Kontakion Preparatory for the Nativity, Tone 3 (Sung from November 26-December 24)
  

Epistle: Ephesians 5: 8-19
Gospel: Luke 14: 16-24

The Nativity of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

This Feast Day is an important day in the Christian Church. It is also called the Incarnation of Jesus Christ which means become human like us in Christ’s second nature, “The Word became flesh” (John 1:14).
We should also remember that our Savior Jesus Christ emptied Himself of his divine glory and humiliated Himself to accept the human condition. These conditions knowing that he died for us, then resurrected so that we may have everlasting life in the kingdom of God. The son of God “begotten not made” (Unlike Adam who was created by God the Father). Jesus Christ our Lord who is uncreated, He is one of the Trinity, the Son of the Father and coeternal. Jesus assumes the destiny of the first man and gives us a second chance to have everlasting life. We know the story about the birth of Jesus. We’ve heard about it over and over since we were children. Yet, no matter how many times we hear about the Nativity, keep in mind how much God still loves us. “For God so loved the world He gave his only begotten Son” (John 3:16). He sent His Son to teach us and to become most of all Christians or followers of Christ. So when we light the Christmas tree and exchange gifts, remember the most important gift on Christmas Day that gift of course is the gift of Love God gave to us, Jesus Christ our Lord. And let us not forgot the real reason for the season because “Jesus is the reason for the season.”

Christ is born!
Glorify Him!

Sunday
December 19, 2010
30th Sunday after Pentecost
Sunday before the Nativity
( Sunday of Genealogy)

• Troparion of the Resurrection, Tone 5
• Troparion for the Holy Father, Tone 2
• Troparion of St Michael, Tone 4
• Kontakion Preparatory for the Nativity, Tone 3 (Sung from November 26 – December 24)
  

Epistle: Hebrews 11: 9-10; 17:23, 32-40
Gospel: Matthew 1: 1-25

Sunday
December 26, 2010
31st Sunday after Pentecost
Sunday after the Nativity of Christ
Commemoration of Joseph the Betrothed,
David the Prophet and King,
and James the Brother of the Lord

• Troparion of the Resurrection, Tone 6
• Troparion of the Sunday after Nativity, Tone 4
• Troparion of the Nativity, Tone 4
• Troparion of St Michael, Tone 4
• Kontakion of Nativity, Tone 3

Epistle: Gal. 1:11-19
Gospel: Matthew 2:13-23

FEAST OF THE THEOPHANY

The Feast of the Theophany ("Manifestation of God") takes its name from the event of the Baptism of our Lord Jesus Christ in which the fullness of the Holy Trinity is revealed. At the moment of the baptism the Father's voice is heard, calling Jesus his "Beloved Son" and the Holy Spirit is seen descending on Him in the form of a dove. The doctrine of the Holy Trinity - Three Persons in One God - is thus proclaimed to all! This teaching is fundamental to the Orthodox Christian faith: our faith is based on the truth of who God is - any other concept of God is mistaken as it takes people away from who He really is.
Doctrine in the Orthodox Church is not abstract: it is a lived reality and basic to our spirituality, our way - the true way - of relating to God as a Church and as individuals. Our lives as Christians are an internalization and a manifestation of the Holy Trinity who dwells within us: the Person of the Holy Spirit sanctifies us and brings us into the life of the Person of the Son, Jesus Christ. In turn, Christ brings us into the Person of the Father. That is why we pray in the power of the Holy Spirit in the name of the Son to the heavenly Father. That is why the Holy Mysteries (sacraments) of the Church are nothing less than the life of the Holy Spirit being poured into our lives by the Father in the name of his Beloved Son.
The baptismal rite performed by Saint John the Baptist, in which the Holy Trinity is revealed, prefigures the later Christian mystery of Baptism in which each individual is brought into the life of the Trinity. Just as our Lord began his ministry among men with his baptism, so we begin our lives as Christians with Baptism. The baptism performed by Saint John was a rite of repentance: our Baptism is an act of repentance which turns us away from sin to the life of God's grace and holiness.
May our participation in the Sanctification of the Waters, done during the Liturgy of the Feast of the Theophany, be for all of us a renewal of our life in the Trinity and a commitment on our part to dedicate ourselves to our Lord Jesus Christ, who saves us a draws all men to Himself!

-His Eminence Archbishop Lorenzo