Jesus Christ: The Reclining Lion of Judah
“Judah is a lion’s whelp: from the prey, my son, thou art gone up: he stooped down, he couched as a lion, and as an old lion; who shall rouse him up?” – Genesis 49:9 “And in that day there shall be a root of Jesse, which shall stand for an ensign of the people; […]
The Patristic Understanding of the Virgin Birth of Christ
Where God Wills The Order Of Nature Is Overruled “And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered” (Lk. 2:6). Concerning the birth of Christ, the Prophet Isaiah spoke thus: “Behold she that travailed brought forth, before the travail-pain came on, she escaped it and brought forth […]
Sonepur fair: Poor Indian boys ‘fish’ for coins to help family
Every day since 28 November, 10-year-old Rohit Kumar has sat from dawn to dusk on the banks of the Gandak river in the eastern Indian state of Bihar with a magnetic fishing line trying to fish out coins from the water. He is among the hundreds of boys who collect coins thrown into the river […]
Curators discover first recordings of Christmas Day
Curators at the National Museum of London have discovered what they believe to be the first ever recordings of a family Christmas. They were made 110 years ago by the Wall family who lived in New Southgate in North London. There are 24 clear recordings on wax cylinders which were made using a phonograph machine […]
Mayan prophecies: Life after the (non) end of the world
Despite all the predictions of Mayan apocalypse, the world will probably not end by Saturday morning. How will the believers cope when life carries on? The clock strikes midnight, the hallowed date arrives and, once again, the apocalypse fails to turn up on schedule. For such a cataclysmic event, the projected end of the world […]
Why Orthodox Christians Prefer the Septuagint: The Case of the Missing Prophecy
In the Gospel of St. Matthew, we read the following prophetic passage: “And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route. When they had gone, an angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream. Get up, he said, and take the […]
The Venerable Martyr Eugenia and others with her
Eugenia was the daughter of Philip the Eparch of all Egypt and was born in Rome. At that time the Christians had been driven out of Alexandria and lived outside the city. The virgin Eugenia visited the Christians and accepted their Faith with her whole heart. Fleeing from her parents with two of her faithful […]
Why is Saint Anastasia Known as the “Deliverer from Potions” (Pharmakolytria)?
The Great Martyr Anastasia of Sirmium was martyred sometime between 290 and 304, but after her relics were transferred to Constantinople in the fifth century, during the reign of Emperor Leo I, and to Rome in the sixth century, her popularity quickly rose throughout the Christian world. In Constantinople, they were installed in the fourth […]
The Day after Christmas: The Synaxis of the Most Holy Theotokos
The Synaxis of the Most Holy Theotokos: On the second day of the feast, the Synaxis of the Most Holy Theotokos is celebrated. Combining the hymns of the Nativity with those celebrating the Mother of God, the Church points to Mary as the one through whom the Incarnation was made possible. His humanity – concretely […]
Ecumenical Patriarch expressed a paternal message of condolence and compassion for the victims of the tragedy in Newton,Connecticut
PERSONAL MESSAGE OF COMPASSION On the Tragic Events at Sandy Hook Elementary School Newtown, Connecticut From His All-Holiness Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew (Sunday, December 16, 2012) Today, during the Divine Liturgy our heart and attention were directed in thought and prayer for those who lost their lives at Sandy Hook Elementary School, in Connecticut, USA, especially […]