This Christmas, let us celebrate these gifts, together with all of the other spiritual gifts that we receive from our Heavenly Father. He sent His Only-Begotten Son to be with us – beginning in the Cave in Bethlehem, but continuing in the cave of every human heart. And all we need to do is to humbly receive this gift, and then to practice sharing it and giving it away to others freely.
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Rev. Dr. Eugen J. Pentiuc Nearly every year during the Nativity season printed journals and articles posted online flood us with the same resounding question “What Was the Star of Bethlehem?” Among the four canonical gospels, Matthew is the only one that mentions the “star of Bethlehem.”
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Christ wasn’t born into a perfect family but, rather, a fallen one—as we all are. His entry into the world was neither cute nor pretty—he was born in a cave filled with smelly animals and, shortly after, his family fled the country because of a jealous, murderous king. So the Christmas story indicates all sorts of imperfection and turmoil. Ultimately, it says that in the midst of our own brands of chaos, we should really be focused on the One born in a manger for our salvation.
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Fellow pilgrim of life, do not lose heart if you are missing and longing for family to celebrate life with. Just follow His Star, and you will find a Holy Family. Do not give up if you get sidetracked and become isolated, for deep within you something is telling your soul that there is a Light and a love waiting to be embraced and nurtured.
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We are an indulgent society. If we want something, we get it. So, how do we teach our children to give generously and receive humbly in an age of materialism? How do we let them experience the grace that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ described when he said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive” (Acts 20:35)?
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Almsgiving plays an indispensable role in the spiritual growth of the individual Christian and the local and diocesan Church.
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The presents have been opened, the food has been eaten, and the Christmas tree is really starting to shed—yes, your house is showing the effects of Christmas Day. But while the “holiday season” may be winding down—for Christians the Christmas season is just getting started. You’ve heard of the 12 days of Christmas, right? This is when they begin!
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In the joy of the Nativity, I greet you with the song of the angels, 'Glory to God in the Highest, and on Earth, peace and good will among people.' When the Son of God entered into creation as one of us, the healing of the whole universe was begun. It was the good pleasure of the Father to bring all things together in Heaven and on Earth into unity in Christ.
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His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of America offers reflections on the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
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It must have been unimaginable for Mary and Joseph, preparing to give birth to the Son of God. There were no baby showers, decorating nurseries or registering for gifts, just a long donkey ride to Bethlehem to register for King Herod’s census. They were alone in that cave in Bethlehem, except for a few simple animals and the far away star to tell of His birth. Sometimes God’s greatest gifts come initially with relative silence and little fanfare.
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In the Mexican culture there is a Christmas-time tradition called Las Posadas. In this tradition, a couple dressed up as Mary and Joseph go from home to home, asking if there is any room at "the inn." Each home takes on the role of an inn in Bethlehem. They are rebuffed each time until they reach the home that has been designated as "the inn;' at which point they are allowed in and a celebration ensues.
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As we run around purchasing, wrapping, and delivering gifts for other people this Christmas, we must ask ourselves seriously and soberly, "What gift am I offering to Him this Christmas?" As we are now in the home stretch heading towards the Feast of the Nativity as we count down now the hours until we are at the manger, we have to consider what gift we will bring to Christ at the Nativity.
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What is the good news? In the Nativity story, the Angels gave the message, "For to you is born this day in the city of David, a Savior who is Christ the Lord (Luke 2: 11 )." What does that mean to us?
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Learn the history and hymns of the feast of our Lord's nativity and how a family can prepare to celebrate the feast.
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With the selection of Dec 25 to commemorate the Nativity of Christ, there was a 12-day period from the one major celebration to the next major observance. Thus, we have the '12 days of Christmas' that bridge the birth with the baptism and it became a festal period of time of great joy and celebration.
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His Eminence Archbishop Demetrios of the Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America offers reflections on the Feast of the Nativity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
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We welcome the “all-perfect God,” who “brought love into the world,” who becomes “closer to us than we to ourselves.” Through kenosis, the divine Word condescends to the created beings in “a condescension inexplicable and incomprehensible.” He “whom nothing can contain” is contained in the womb of the Virgin; the greatest exists in the least. This great chapter of our faith, of how the transcendent God “became human for humankind,” while remaining an “inexpressible” mystery. “The great mystery of divine Incarnation ever remains a mystery.”
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A Byzantine Christmas Concert Honoring Archbishop Demetrios, Geron of America, Celebrating his 50 Years as a Bishop at Merkin Concert Hall, NYC on December 2, 2017. Performers included the Archdiocesan Women's Byzantine Choir of St. Kassiani, the Archdiocesan Youth Choir, and the Archdiocesan Byzantine Choir.
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Unlike our American culture, which celebrates from now until Christmas, with celebrations ending promptly on December 26, the Orthodox Church celebrates the Nativity throughout the year. Our joyful part of the celebration in this season is supposed to be from December 25 through January 7. November 15 through December 24 is a period of fasting and reflective preparation. The focus is neither shopping nor decorating, but meditating on the awesome miracle of the Son of God taking on flesh and becoming one of us.
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In this video, we explore the significance of Christ’s birth, as God becomes flesh. We also explore the various traditions through which the Orthodox Church continues to celebrate the great event.
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