Orthodox Christianity::Patriarchate of Antioch - Sites Updates

Daily Scripture Reading

stgeorgeoftroy.com — Mon, 25 Aug 2008 08:09:16 +0400

The Bible

By Father Thomas Hopko
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The Bible is the book of sacred writings of God's People of the Old and New Testaments.

The People of God of the Old Testament were the Jews, the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, whose name was changed by God to Israel (Gen 32:28). These people are also called the Hebrews. They remain forever as God's chosen people for from them "according to the flesh" Christ, the Son of God, was born (Rom 9:5). This Son of God is Jesus of Nazareth, the Messiah-King of Israel and the Savior of the world (See Mt 1-2, Lk 1-2, Rom 8:3, Gal 4:4, Heb 1-5). The Old Testamental writings of the People of Israel remain forever as the Word of God for all who believe in God and wish to know His divine Truth and to do His divine Will.

The People of God of the New Testament are the Christians -- those who believe in Jesus as "the Christ, the Son of the Living God" and who belong to the Church which He has founded upon faith in Himself (See Mt 16:13-20). The People of God of the New Testament also have their holy writings which bear witness to Christ and which are affirmed to be the Word of God.

Thus, the Bible as a book, or a collection of many books, has two main parts. It has the Old Testament writings which prepare the world for the coming of Christ, and, it has the New Testament writings which testify to the fact that Christ has come and has saved the world.
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Click here for the Daily Scriptures

St. George Church, Troy, MI

The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God

stgeorgeoftroy.com — Sat, 16 Aug 2008 10:09:05 +0400

The Dormition of our Most Holy Lady the Mother of God and Ever-Virgin Mary
Commemorated on August 15

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Concerning the Dormition of the Theotokos, this is what the Church has received from ancient times from the tradition of the Fathers. When the time drew nigh that our Savior was well-pleased to take His Mother to Himself, He declared unto her through an Angel that three days hence, He would translate her from this temporal life to eternity and bliss. On hearing this, she went up with haste to the Mount of Olives, where she prayed continuously. Giving thanks to God, she returned to her house and prepared whatever was necessary for her burial. While these things were taking place, clouds caught up the Apostles from the ends of the earth, where each one happened to be preaching, and brought them at once to the house of the Mother of God, who informed them of the cause of their sudden gathering. As a mother, she consoled them in their affliction as was meet, and then raised her hands to Heaven and prayed for the peace of the world. She blessed the Apostles, and, reclining upon her bed with seemliness, gave up her all-holy spirit into the hands of her Son and God.

With reverence and many lights, and chanting burial hymns, the Apostles took up that God-receiving body and brought it to the sepulchre, while the Angels from Heaven chanted with them, and sent forth her who is higher than the Cherubim. But one Jew, moved by malice, audaciously stretched forth his hand upon the bed and immediately received from divine judgment the wages of his audacity. Those daring hands were severed by an invisible blow. But when he repented and asked forgiveness, his hands were restored. When they had reached the place called Gethsemane, they buried there with honor the all-immaculate body of the Theotokos, which was the source of Life. But on the third day after the burial, when they were eating together, and raised up the artos (bread) in Jesus' Name, as was their custom, the Theotokos appeared in the air, saying "Rejoice" to them. From this they learned concerning the bodily translation of the Theotokos into the Heavens.

These things has the Church received from the traditions of the Fathers, who have composed many hymns out of reverence, to the glory of the Mother of our God.

To read more on this click here.

St. George Church, Troy, MI

Sunday School Registration

stgeorgeoftroy.com — Mon, 11 Aug 2008 12:12:34 +0400

Sunday school starts September 7, 2008.
Click here to register!

St. George Church, Troy, MI

Transfiguration of our Lord

stgeorgeoftroy.com — Fri, 08 Aug 2008 12:09:38 +0400

Description of Transfiguration of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

Our Lord had spoken to His disciples many times not only concerning His Passion, Cross, and Death, but also concerning the coming persecutions and afflictions that they themselves would endure. Since all these evils were near at hand, but the enjoyment of good things which they hoped to receive in their stead was yet to come, our Savior desired to give them full assurance, evidently and openly, concerning that glory which is prepared for those who endure to the end. Therefore, fulfilling that which He had promised shortly before, that "there be some standing here which shall not taste of death, till they see the Son of man coming in His Kingdom" (Matt. 16:28), He took His three foremost disciples and ascended Mount Tabor, where He was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became white as the light. Suddenly, together with this dread and marvelous effulgence of light, there appeared those pinnacles of the Prophets, Moses and Elias, who spoke with the Lord Jesus concerning His saving Passion which was about to take place. Standing before Him as reverent servants, they showed that He is the Lord of both the living and the dead, for Moses came forth from Hades, having died many centuries before, and Elias, as it were from heaven, whither he had been taken up while yet alive. After a little while a radiant cloud overshadowed them and out of the cloud they heard that same voice which had been heard at the Jordan at the Baptism of Christ, testifying to the Divinity of Jesus and saying: "This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well-pleased; hear ye Him" (Matt. 17: 5).

Such are the marvels, truly worthy of God, celebrated in this present feast, which is an image and prefiguring of the future state of the righteous, whose splendor the Lord spoke of, saying: "Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun" (Matt. 13:43). It is because of this that the Kontakion of this Feast is said daily (when there is not a great feast) in the Service of the Typica in perpetual commemoration of the glory that will be the lot of the Saints. According to tradition, the Lord's Transfiguration came to pass forty days before His Crucifixion; this is why the Transfiguration is celebrated forty days before the Exaltation of the Cross.

St. George Church, Troy, MI

What are Icons?

stgeorgeoftroy.com — Sat, 26 Jul 2008 10:09:04 +0400

Worship
The Church Building
Chapter: Icons

By: Father Thomas Hopko

In the Orthodox Church the icons bear witness to the reality of God's presence with us in the mystery of faith. The icons are not just human pictures or visual aids to contemplation and prayer. They are the witnesses of the presence of the Kingdom of God to us, and so of our own presence to the Kingdom of God in the Church. It is the Orthodox faith that icons are not only permissible, but are spiritually necessary because "the Word became flesh and dwelt among us" (Jn 1:14). Christ is truly man and, as man, truly the "icon of the invisible God" (Col 1:15; 1 Cor 11:7; 2 Cor 4:4).

The iconostasis or icon screen in the Orthodox Church exists to show our unity with Christ, his mother and all the angels and saints. It exists to show our unity with God. The altar table, which stands for the Banquet Table of the Kingdom of God, is placed behind the so-called royal gates, between the icons of the Theotokos and Child and the glorified Christ, showing that everything which happens to us in the Church happens in history between those "two comings" of Christ: between his coming as the Saviour born of Mary and. His coming at the end of the age as the King and the Judge.

The icons on the royal gates witness to the presence of Christ's good news, the gospel of salvation. The four evangelists who recorded the gospels appear, and often also an icon of the Annunciation, the first proclamation of the gospel in the world. (In Greek the gospel is the evangelion, the authors of the gospels the evangelistoi, the annunciation the evangelismos).

Over the doors we have the icon of Christ's Mystical Supper with his disciples, the icon of the central mystery of the Christian faith and the unity of the Church in the world. It is the visual witness that we too are partakers in the "marriage supper of the lamb" (Rev 19:9), that we too are blessed by Christ "to eat and drink at my table in my kingdom" (Lk 22:30), blessed to "eat bread in the Kingdom of God" (Lk 14:15).

Over and around the central gates are icons of the saints. The deacon's doors in the first row (for the servants of the altar) usually have icons depicting deacons or angels, God's servants. The first row also has an icon of the person or event in whose honor the given building is dedicated, along with other prominent saints or events. Depending on the size of the iconostasis, there may be rows of icons of the apostles, the major feasts of the Church, the prophets and other holy people blessed by God, all crowned on the top by the cross of Christ.

In recent centuries the iconostasis in most Orthodox churches became very ornate and developed into a virtual wall, dividing the faithful from the holy altar rather than uniting them with it. In recent years this development has happily been altered in many places. The iconostasis in many church buildings now gives first place to the icons themselves and has become once more an icon "stand" or "screen" (stasis) rather than a solid partition.

Besides the iconostasis, Orthodox Church buildings often have icons or frescoes on the walls and ceilings. The "canon" of Church design is to have the icon of Christ the Almighty in the center of the building, and the icon of the Theotokos with Christ appearing within her found over the altar area. This latter icon is called the "image of the Church" since Mary is herself the prototype of the entire assembly of believers in whom Christ must dwell. In the...

The Annunciation

stgeorgeoftroy.com — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:09:10 +0400

The Annunciation of our Most Holy Lady, the Theotokos and Ever-Virgin Mary
Commemorated on March 25

THE ANNUNCIATION OF THE MOST HOLY THEOTOKOS

The Feast of the Annunciation is one of the earliest Christian feasts, and was already being celebrated in the fourth century. There is a painting of the Annunciation in the catacomb of Priscilla in Rome dating from the second century. The Council of Toledo in 656 mentions the Feast, and the Council in Trullo in 692 says that the Annunciation was celebrated during Great Lent.

The Greek and Slavonic names for the Feast may be translated as "good tidings." This, of course, refers to the Incarnation of the Son of God and the salvation He brings. The background of the Annunciation is found in the Gospel of St Luke (1:26-38). The troparion describes this as the "beginning of our salvation, and the revelation of the eternal mystery," for on this day the Son of God became the Son of Man.

There are two main components to the Annunciation: the message itself, and the response of the Virgin. The message fulfills God's promise to send a Redeemer (Genesis 3:15): "I will put enmity between you and the woman, between your seed and her seed; he shall crush your head, and you shall lie in wait for his heel." The Fathers of the Church understand "her seed" to refer to Christ. The prophets hinted at His coming, which they saw dimly, but the Archangel Gabriel now proclaims that the promise is about to be fulfilled.

We see this echoed in the Liturgy of St Basil, as well: "When man disobeyed Thee, the only true God who had created him, and was deceived by the guile of the serpent, becoming subject to death by his own transgressions, Thou, O God, in Thy righteous judgment, didst send him forth from Paradise into this world, returning him to the earth from which he was taken, yet providing for him the salvation of regeneration in Thy Christ Himself."

The Archangel Gabriel was sent by God to Nazareth in Galilee. There he spoke to the undefiled Virgin who was betrothed to St Joseph: "Hail, thou who art highly favoured, the Lord is with thee: blessed art thou among women. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Most High: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end."

In contrast to Eve, who was readily deceived by the serpent, the Virgin did not immediately accept the Angel's message. In her humility, she did not think she was deserving of such words, but was actually troubled by them. The fact that she asked for an explanation reveals her sobriety and prudence. She did not disbelieve the words of the angel, but could not understand how they would be fulfilled, for they spoke of something which was beyond nature.

Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?" (Luke 1:34).

"And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Most High shall overshadow thee: therefore also that which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God. And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren. For with God nothing shall be impossible.' And Mary said, 'Behold the handmaid of the Lord; be it unto me according to thy word.' And the angel departed from her" (Luke 1: 35-38)."

In his Sermon 23 on the day of the Annunciation, St Philaret of Moscow boldly stated that "the word of the creature brought the Creator down into the world." He explains that salvation is not merely...

The Divine Liturgy

stgeorgeoftroy.com — Thu, 19 Jun 2008 00:09:03 +0400

Worship

The Divine Liturgy
By: Father Thomas Hopko
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The word liturgy means common work or common action. The Divine Liturgy is the common work of the Orthodox Church. It is the official action of the Church formally gathered together as the chosen People of God. The word church, as we remember, means a gathering or assembly of people specifically chosen and called apart to perform a particular task.

The Divine Liturgy is the common action of Orthodox Christians officially gathered to constitute the Orthodox Church. It is the action of the Church assembled by God in order to be together in one community to worship, to pray, to sing, to hear God's Word, to be instructed in God's commandments, to offer itself with thanksgiving in Christ to God the Father, and to have the living experience of God's eternal kingdom through communion with the same Christ Who is present in his people by the Holy Spirit.

The Divine Liturgy is always done by Orthodox Christians on the Lord's Day which is Sunday, the "day after Sabbath" which is symbolic of the first day of creation and the last day -- or as it is called in Holy Tradition, the eighth day -- of the Kingdom of God. This is the day of Christ's resurrection from the dead, the day of God's judgment and victory predicted by the prophets, the Day of the Lord which inaugurates the presence and the power of the "kingdom to come" already now within the life of this present world.

The Divine Liturgy is also celebrated by the Church on special feast days. It is usually celebrated daily in monasteries, and in some large cathedrals and parish churches, with the exception of the week days of Great Lent when it is not served because of its paschal character.

As the common action of the People of God, the Divine Liturgy may be celebrated only once on any given day in an Orthodox Christian community. All of the members of the Church must be gathered together with their pastor in one place at one time. This includes even small children and infants who participate fully in the communion of the liturgy from the day of their entrance into the Church through baptism and chrismation. Always everyone, always together. This is the traditional expression of the Orthodox Church about the Divine Liturgy.

Because of its common character, the Divine Liturgy may never be celebrated privately by the clergy alone. It may never be served just for some and not for others, but for all. It may never be served merely for some private purposes or some specific or exclusive intentions. Thus there may be, and usually are, special petitions at the Divine Liturgy for the sick or the departed, or for some very particular purposes or projects, but there is never a Divine Liturgy which is done exclusively for private individuals or specific isolated purposes or intentions. The Divine Liturgy is always "on behalf of all and for all."

Because the Divine Liturgy exists for no other reason than to be the official all-inclusive act of prayer, worship, teaching, and communion of the entire Church in heaven and on earth, it may not be considered merely as one devotion among many, not even the highest or the greatest. The Divine Liturgy is not an act of personal piety. It is not a prayer service. It is not merely one of the sacraments. The Divine Liturgy is the one common sacrament of the very being of the Church Itself. It is the one sacramental manifestation of the essence of the Church as the Community of God in h...

Pentecost

stgeorgeoftroy.com — Sun, 08 Jun 2008 12:09:15 +0400

The Church Year
Chapter: Pentecost: The Descent of the Holy Spirit
By: Father Thomas Hopko

In the Old Testament Pentecost was the feast which occurred fifty days after Passover. As the passover feast celebrated the exodus of the Israelites from the slavery of Egypt, so Pentecost celebrated God's gift of the ten commandments to Moses on Mount Sinai.

In the new covenant of the Messiah, the passover event takes on its new meaning as the celebration of Christ's death and resurrection, the "exodus" of men from this sinful world to the Kingdom of God. And in the New Testament as well, the pentecostal feast is fulfilled and made new by the coming of the "new law," the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the disciples of Christ.

When the day of Pentecost had come they were all together in one place. And suddenly a sound came from heaven like the rush of a mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them tongues as of fire, distributed as resting upon each one of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit ... (Acts 2:1-4).

The Holy Spirit that Christ had promised to his disciples came on the day of Pentecost (Jn 14:26, 15:26; Lk 24:49; Acts 1:5). The apostles received "the power from on high," and they began to preach and bear witness to Jesus as the risen Christ, the King and the Lord. This moment has traditionally been called the birthday of the Church.

In the liturgical services of the feast of Pentecost, the coming of the Holy Spirit is celebrated together with the full revelation of the divine Trinity: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. The fulness of the Godhead is manifested with the Spirit's coming to man, and the Church hymns celebrate this manifestation as the final act of God's self-disclosure and self-donation to the world of His creation. For this reason Pentecost Sunday is also called Trinity Day in the Orthodox tradition. Often on this day the icon of the Holy Trinity -- particularly that of the three angelic figures who appeared to Abraham, the forefather of the Christian faith - is placed in the center of the church. This icon is used with the traditional pentecostal icon which shows the tongues of fire hovering over Mary and the Twelve Apostles, the original prototype of the Church, who are themselves sitting in unity surrounding a symbolic image of "cosmos," the world.

On Pentecost we have the final fulfillment of the mission of Jesus Christ and the first beginning of the messianic age of the Kingdom of God mystically present in this world in the Church of the Messiah. For this reason the fiftieth day stands as the beginning of the era which is beyond the limitations of this world, fifty being that number which stands for eternal and heavenly fulfillment in Jewish and Christian mystical piety: seven times seven, plus one.

Thus, Pentecost is called an apocalyptic day, which means the day of final revelation. It is also called an eschatological day, which means the day of the final and perfect end (in Greek eschaton> means the end). For when the Messiah comes and the Lord's Day is at hand, the "last days" are...

Teen SOYO

stgeorgeoftroy.com — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 12:09:21 +0400

St. George Church, Troy, MI

Arabic Bible In Audio

stgeorgeoftroy.com — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 10:09:17 +0400

Listen to the Arabic Bible in Audio.

St. George Church, Troy, MI

Arabic Bible In Audio

stgeorgeoftroy.com — Sat, 26 Apr 2008 10:09:16 +0400

Listen to the Arabic Bible in Audio.

St. George Church, Troy, MI

Grade 6-8

stgeorgeoftroy.com — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 04:09:12 +0400

Information on Grade 6-8 class.

St. George Church, Troy, MI

Sunday School Corner

stgeorgeoftroy.com — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 04:09:11 +0400

This is our new Site...thanks

St. George Church, Troy, MI

http://stgeorgeoftroy.com/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=23

stgeorgeoftroy.com — Thu, 17 Apr 2008 04:09:10 +0400

Soyo Classes
Grade 1
Grade 2

St. George Church, Troy, MI

Lazarus Saturday

stgeorgeoftroy.com — Wed, 09 Apr 2008 22:12:37 +0400

Join us on Saturday April 19, 2008, 10 am, at St. George church for Lazarus Saturday.
Lazarus Saturday is when our Lord raised Lazarus from the dead.
There will be a Divine Liturgy at 10am, and brunch following.
Come learn how to lace Palms, just in time for Palm Sunday.
Contact the church office at 248-589-0480 for further information.

St. George Church, Troy, MI

St. John Summer Camp

stjohnalaska.org — Fri, 01 Feb 2008 09:00:00 +0300

St. John Summer Camp for 2008 will be held in August at North Star Bible Camp in Willow, Alaska. Click on the link at the left or click here for more information and to download applications for campers and counselors. Stay tuned for more information.

St. John Cathedral, Eagle River, AK

Forthcoming Services and Events

orthodox.clara.net — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 20:21:28 +0300

What's happening soon in the parish?

Orthodox Community of St. Aidan, Clare Road, Levenshulme, Manchester

Parish Reports

orthodox.clara.net — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 20:21:27 +0300

What's happened recently in the parish?

Orthodox Community of St. Aidan, Clare Road, Levenshulme, Manchester

Editorial

orthodox.clara.net — Fri, 28 Dec 2007 20:21:26 +0300

Something to think about this month ...

Orthodox Community of St. Aidan, Clare Road, Levenshulme, Manchester

Orthodox Lecture Series

stnicholascathedral.org — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 22:35:01 +0300

Beginning this November, the Antiochian and Greek Orthodox parishes of Brooklyn will sponsor a monthly lecture series. The lectures will be held on a Thursday night each month at a different parish and by a different presenter. Topics will include a variety of subjects including saints and angels, the Divine Liturgy, the Bible and its interpretation, the sacrament of confession, the Mother of God and others. The next lecture will be at the Three Hierarchs Church on Thursday, January 17 at 7:30pm and Father Thomas will be the speaker on the Divine Liturgy. Click here for the flyer and church addresses.

St. Nicholas Cathedral, Brooklyn, NY

Life of St. Raphael

stnicholascathedral.org — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 22:33:40 +0300

As we celebrate the 113th Anniversary of our Mother Cathedral in 2008, it is important that we know our history and where we came from. With that in mind, in addition to the history section of our webiste, you can download a brief life of St. Raphael of Brooklyn who founded our community in 1895. Please click on the following links below to download the Cathedral booklet about St. Raphael's life:

1. Cover

2. Inside of Booklet

St. Nicholas Cathedral, Brooklyn, NY

Parish Clean-Up Day!!!

saintpeterorthodox.org — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 16:53:22 +0400

Saturday, Oct. 6 is our Parish Clean-Up Day. Please come for breakfast, served at 7:00am, and then we will clean from 8:00 to 10:30 or 11:00. There's a job for everyone, so please come for the fellowship and help with the household chores.

St. Peter Church, Ft. Worth, TX

Tanya Dean Scholarship Golf Tournament

saintpeterorthodox.org — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 16:51:06 +0400

Golfers, please get your teams together for the Tanya Dean Scholarship Golf Tournament on Saturday, Oct. 27. Brochures with the registration for are available in the parish hall. Volunteers are also needed during the tournament. If you are able to help in some way, please contact Tanya Dean or Sarah Weber.

St. Peter Church, Ft. Worth, TX

Girl Scout Troop

saintpeterorthodox.org — Tue, 02 Oct 2007 16:43:13 +0400

If any girls (ages 5-17) in theparish are interested in joining a Girl Scout Troup, please contact Lisa Leuty at 817-244-8528.

St. Peter Church, Ft. Worth, TX

School Supplies for Sam Rosen Elementary

saintpeterorthodox.org — Sat, 18 Aug 2007 21:11:00 +0400

We will be collecting school supplies for Sam Rosen Elementary School throughout the month of August.

Folders with pockets and brads (no black, please)
Spiral notebooks one subject 70 pages wide rule(no black)
Notebook paper, wide rule
Crayons, boxes of 24 or 48
Markers, small boxes (8 or 12)
#2 Pencils
Red pens
1 inch binders
School glue
Construction paper

St. Peter Church, Ft. Worth, TX