The Nativity of Christ: Homily 1: On the Divine Services on the Eve of the Feast of the Nativity of Christ (Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko)

1. The Feasts of the Lord

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko 

I. The Nativity of Christ

Homily No. 1. On the Divine Services on the Eve of the Feast of the Nativity of Christ

I. As the feast of the Nativity of Christ draws nearer, the beloved names of the Virgin Mary and Joseph are heard ever more frequently in the Church’s hymns; ever more often the Church transports our remembrance to the sacred cave of Bethlehem, points us to the star of the Magi, and calls us to worship the God-Child, wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger.

II. a) Five days before the feast its forefeast begins. The services from the Octoechos are set aside, and in their place stichera and canons of the forefeast are sung. “The Sun that never sets is coming to shine forth from the virginal cloud and to illumine the whole world,” sings the Church. “Let us hasten to meet Him with pure eyes and pure deeds… God the Word, borne on the cherubic shoulders, having clothed Himself in flesh, comes to be born of the tribe of Judah. Prepare youself, O Bethlehem! Open, O gates of Eden! Adorn yourself, O house of David—Ephratha! Behold, the Tree of Life has blossomed in the cave from the Virgin; her womb has appeared to us as a noetic paradise. By partaking of its fruit we shall not die as did Adam, but shall live: Christ is born to restore the fallen image!… Rejoice, prophets; exult, patriarchs; Christ is born, the King of heaven comes to the earth.”

Holy Venerable Martyr Eugenia in the Hymnography of the Orthodox Church

 By Fr. George Dorbarakis

Saint Eugenia was noble not only by birth, but noble in character as well. This innate nobility of hers is emphasized first of all, among other things, by her Hymnographer, Saint Theophanes, who, however, connects it with her longing and love for Christ, so that her nobility might remain firm and whole. “Having fled the transient glory of the world, you longed for Christ, preserving the nobility of your soul unblemished, O divinely-minded martyr, all-praised Eugenia.” And again: not only did this nobility remain firm, but it advanced to its exalted state: “Having heard the divine hymnody, O Bride of Christ, you were given wings toward lofty nobility.”

With simple and clear words, the Hymnographer expresses in these troparia one of the greatest truths: faith in and love for Christ, turning toward Him, leads a person to true nobility — that is, to live with spiritual health. Conversely, when a person turns passionately toward the world, seeking worldly glory, the soul is wounded, its beauty is lost, and the person becomes distorted. The reason for this, of course, is that relationship with God — the true God in Christ — constitutes the proper, natural state of the human being. Man was created by God to live with God and to be directed toward Him. “For from him and through him and for him are all things,” as the Apostle Paul also notes. Thus the noble Saint Eugenia is presented first of all as a type of the true and natural human person.

Holy Hieromartyr Sergius Mechev (+ 1942)

St. Sergius Mechev (Feast Day - December 24)

He was born in Moscow on September 17, 1892, into the family of the Righteous Alexei Mechev, rector of the Church of Saint Nicholas in Kleniki on Maroseyka Street. Father Alexei dearly loved his son Sergius and wished to have him as his successor, but he did not want to pressure him and therefore allowed his son to receive a secular education. In 1910 Sergius graduated from the gymnasium with a silver medal and entered the medical faculty of Moscow University. Soon he transferred to the Department of Philology of the Faculty of History and Philology, which he completed in 1917.

During the war in 1914, Sergius Alexeyevich worked on the Western Front as a medical orderly on one of the hospital trains. There he also met his future wife, who likewise served as a nurse of mercy.

At the same time as his university studies, Sergius Alexeyevich took part in the work of the student theological circle named after Saint John Chrysostom, organized by the abbot of the Chudov Monastery, Bishop Arsenius (Zhadanovsky). At the meetings of the circle, reports on various theological topics were read and discussed.

How To Properly Spend Christmas Eve

By Archpriest Dionisy Svechnikov

Christmas Eve, or Nativity Eve – is the final and special day of the Nativity Fast. The uniqueness of Christmas Eve is evident in both the Lenten tradition and the liturgical tradition.

What service is held on Christmas Eve?

Liturgical features of Christmas Eve, unless it falls on a Saturday or Sunday, include the reading of the Royal Hours, the eight paremias at Vespers, and the combination of Vespers and the Liturgy. The Royal Hours are celebrated three times a year: on the eve of the Nativity of Christ and the Theophany or Day of Lights, and on Great Friday. They are called "Royal" because in ancient Byzantium they were usually celebrated in the presence of the Emperor and concluded with the proclamation of many years for the Emperor (and the Patriarch). The Royal Hours, while maintaining the structure of the usual reading of the Hours, have a unique feature: they are supplemented by stichera, paremias, prokeimenons, and the reading of the Apostolic Epistles and the Gospel. Following the reading of the Hours and the Odes, Vespers begins. In modern practice, Vespers is celebrated not in the evening or in the afternoon, but in the morning, combining with the Liturgy [called a Vesperal Liturgy]. At Vespers, eight prophecies (instead of the usual three) are read, revealing the essence of the feast of the Nativity. There is also the Liturgy of Saint Basil the Great. After the Liturgy, a glorification is performed in the center of the church, before the icon of the Nativity of Christ — the troparion and kontakion, special solemn hymns dedicated to the feast, are sung.

December: Day 24: Teaching 3: On the Eve of the Nativity of Christ

December: Day 24: Teaching 3:
On the Eve of the Nativity of Christ
 
(The Heavenly Shepherd's Love for Humanity)

By Archpriest Grigory Dyachenko

I. On the eve of the feast in honor of the birth of our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ, let us, brethren, transport ourselves in our thoughts to Bethlehem. Imagine yourself standing in the manger above the manger where the Infant Lord Jesus lay swaddled. What feelings would fill your soul then? We will share with you a beautiful conversation that Blessed Jerome had in his soul with the Infant Jesus when he lived in Bethlehem and stood at the Lord's manger.

"Whenever I look," said Jerome, "at the place where my Savior was born, I always have a sweet conversation with Him in my soul. 'Lord Jesus!' I say, 'how hard it was for You to lie there in Your manger for my salvation! What must I repay You for this?' 

And it seemed to me as if the Child were answering me: 'I desire nothing, only sing: "Glory to God in the highest"... It will be even worse for me in the Garden of Gethsemane and on the Cross.' 

And I said: 'Ah, beloved Child! What shall I give You? I would give You all that I have...'

Prologue in Sermons: December 24

 

For What Purpose Did the Holy Church Establish the Observance of the Saints' Feast Days

December 24
 
(Instruction for the Eve of the Nativity of Christ.)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

The Holy Orthodox Church daily honors the saints who have pleased God since time immemorial, sometimes holding special services in their honor, and generally constantly reminding us of them. Why is this so?

First, so that, in remembering the saints, we learn to imitate their virtues and keep our soul and body pure and blameless. The instruction on the Eve of the Nativity of Christ asks, "Why do we commemorate the Holy Forefathers?" and answers, "Let us, brethren, emulate their good deeds and strive to do the same; that we may be friends of God and sons of His kingdom. Such were the forefathers. They were men like us, but they hated carnal indulgences, subdued the flesh to the spirit, and bridled it. They loved vigilance, fasting, and unceasing prayer. And it behooves all to be zealous for these things, and not thieves, drunkards, or evildoers, for torment with the devil is reserved for them."

The Kathisma of the Theotokos: The Resting Place of the Theotokos on Her Journey to Bethlehem

Theodosius the Pilgrim was a 6th-century German archdeacon who wrote De situ terrae sanctae (On the Topography of the Holy Land), an influential guide for pilgrims to Jerusalem and beyond, describing routes, holy sites like Bethany Beyond the Jordan and the Mount of Olives, and constructions by Emperor Anastasius. His detailed work, written around 518-530 AD, blends an itinerarium (travel guide) with religious commentary, helping pilgrims navigate and identify sacred spots, and even mentions monasteries and miracles, providing valuable archaeological clues for sites. There he wrote the following:

"Three miles from the city of Jerusalem is the place where our Lady Mary, the Mother of the Lord, during her journey to Bethlehem, dismounted from the donkey, sat on the stone of a rock and blessed it."

The site described is in fact known to be the earliest centre of the veneration of the Virgin Mary in Palestine, known as the Kathisma church, which by the early fifth century had become a focus of Marian piety. The Church of the Kathisma marks the place she felt labor pains before Jesus' birth, as described in ancient texts like the Protoevangelium of James. It is called Kathisma because it contains the "Seat" of the Virgin, where she sat to rest.

The Light of Christmas Within Me

The Light of Christmas Within Me

By Archimandrite Bartholomew
Abbot of the Sacred Monastery of Esphigmenou

Christmas is coming.

I like the lights, the tables filled with food, the smiling people around me, the gifts. 
I like the celebration, the togetherness, the joy, the decorated streets, the brightly lit homes.

Christmas is coming.

And with it comes an invitation.
The Lord Christ is born again for everyone.
Humbly, in a manger. He insists on coming. He invites me.

Christmas is coming.

And yet, every year I think about the moment when the lights go out and the table is cleared; 

something inside me is lost. 
Often I remain in a superficial joy, and when the holidays pass, a quiet sadness finds me. 
Why? What is it that makes me, as if hypnotized, simply follow along?

Christmas is coming.

Why must I rejoice? What is it that draws me into this festive mood? 
Why do I rejoice only during this season and not strive to be joyful all the time? 
These thoughts constantly trouble me.

Christmas is coming.

I want to be joyful. But this is an inner state. It is cultivated only inwardly. 
Joy, peace, the light that every person longs for are not moments; they are a state, a way of life.
And without Christ they cannot endure. That is why He comes and invites me to be reborn with Him. 
To grow stronger inwardly, so that I may be able to take part in the feast together with my people. 
To share, to enjoy the festive table, the gifts, the lights. 

So that the joy will not be lost once the celebration ends.
Joy is the gift prepared for me by the One who invites me to His feast: Christ.

Christmas is coming.

This time I do not want lights to be lit only around me.
I want the light within me to remain lit.

Merry Christmas!

 

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos. 

 

Encomium to the Holy Ten Martyrs of Crete (St. Andrew of Crete)

 

 

Encomium to the Holy Ten Martyrs of Crete

(Commemorated on December 23rd)

By St. Andrew, Archbishop of Crete

To the holy and victorious Ten Martyrs, when, in a time of harsh winter, he returned from a sea voyage and composed this discourse.

1. Did you, perhaps, long for my return, my friends and brethren and children? I sensed that some were praying to see me again on this kathedra and to be with you on this radiant feast day — this day of the Martyrs and of Christ, the great and only and first sovereign of all, who presides over this glorious celebration — and that others were asking and inquiring, saying things like these: "Where is the father? Where is the shepherd? Where is the one who makes our feasts more radiant and who by his presence brightens the commemorations of the Saints, who especially nourishes us with his words by unfolding the Holy Scriptures, and who basically cries out: ‘My children, it is the last hour, and we must draw near to God with understanding, and all the more as we see the Day approaching,’ as the divine trumpet, Paul the God-bearer, proclaims?

Where, then, is the one who explains the divine and sacred writings to us and intensifies the tone of our zeal by his own example? Has he perhaps, having gone far from his homeland, been lost? Or did some longing remind him of his loving care for his flock, and did that longing overcome the hardships of the road and call him back? Or finally, did some divine power bring him back again — indeed, to the Saints, whom he always honors with great care and fervent zeal? And behold, now with greater eagerness than his strength allows, he has taken care and hastened to this spiritual festival. And quite reasonably so, for it happened that he carried with him the sacred reliquary of their venerable relics, which he bears everywhere he goes, since it makes his journeys very easy; having it as a fellow traveler, he proceeds in safety.”

These, I think, were the thoughts of many during my absence, for thus grateful children behave toward a loving father; and this was their longing — to see me with their own eyes bodily present and to hear my voice teaching them. This, then, you now see coming to pass. I myself am among you with the living word, embracing this sacred assembly here, and as a gift from my absence I offer this discourse both to you and to the Martyrs of Christ. Receive it as though it had not come from a distant journey; and whatever offerings the Martyrs would gladly accept from me, receive them with gentleness, so that you may depart joyfully from the feast, adorned with flowers and having gathered from here rich fruits.