What do they reject?
Elder Efraim Vatopaidinos Monastics leave the world because they reject its unwholesome spirit. But in leaving the world, they don’t abandon the human person. Proof of this is that people come and find them, they come and attach themselves to them, they come and want some sort of communication,...
‘Our Thirst and Christ’s Baptism’
Protopresbyter Haralambos Papadopoulos What does the service of the Blessing of the Waters on the day of the feast of the Theophany really have to say to us people today? What does this ancient Christian feast mean for us? Does it answer any deeper existential question we may have?...
Synaxis of the Honourable Forerunner
Archimandrite Ananias Koustenis On 7 January, the Church celebrates the Synaxis of the Honourable Forerunner and Baptist, John. It is the oldest feast of our Church for John the Baptist and it came from God. God enlightened the Fathers of the Church and they appointed the day after Epiphany...
![Meditation on the Epiphany [2]](https://myocn.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/theophany2-OCN-1.jpg)
Meditation on the Epiphany [2]
Fr. Lev Gillet The day after Christmas is consecrated to the ‘synaxis of the Blessed Virgin Mary: all believers are invited to assemble in honour of her who made the Incarnation humanly possible. In the same way, the day after Epiphany (January 7) is consecrated to the ‘synaxis’ of...
![Meditation on the Epiphany [1]](https://myocn.net/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/theofany-OCN-1.jpg)
Meditation on the Epiphany [1]
Fr. Lev Gillet* Epiphany was the first public manifestation of Christ. At the time of His birth, our Lord was revealed to a few privileged people. Today, all those who surround John, that is to say his own disciples and the crowd that has come to the banks of the...
Live streaming of the Christmas Vigil from Mount Athos
Pemptousia will commence live broadcasts from the Catholicos (main cathedral) of the Holy and Great Monastery of Vatopedi of the Holy All-night Vigil on the eve of the Christmas Feast (based on the Julian calendar). The broadcast will begin on Wednesday, Jan. 6 and continue into Thursday, Jan. 7, 2021, commencing at...
The Service of the Great Hours on the Eve of Theophany
Georgios Zaravelas In completing the Twelve Days of Christmas, that is the festal cycle of the Epiphany of the Incarnate Son and Word of God, Jesus Christ, we come to the feast of Theophany, at which we recall the Baptism of Christ, at the age of thirty, by Saint...
The Incarnation in the Trenches
Petros Panayiotopoulos, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Theology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki Christmas 1914. The trenches. A different kind of cease-fire Today we call it the First World War. Then they called it the Great War. Many European countries were involved in it, in a horrendous conflict without any clear...
The Mystery of Time (Mark 1, 1-8)
Archimandrite Nikanor Karayannis ‘The beginning of the Gospel of Christ’… The word ‘beginning’ in today’s Gospel reading is enough in itself to evoke the start of the new year, the threshold of which we reached a few daysago with the feast of Christmas. The Christian notion of time In...
Your Highness, we’ve been defeated: Basil the Great
Stylianos G. Papadopoulos Until then, Orthodoxy in Cappadocia seemed very much like an islet in the East. Valens let loose the evils of heresy everywhere. The combination of his brutality and cunning brought shocking results. He swept through Orthodoxy and then dug his claws into Caesarea. It’s true to...
The man who ended a cruel custom
The festal nature of this time of year makes it difficult for us to recollect an impressive act which is an integral part of the history of the Church. This act was one that brought to an end a cruel custom, which, in the Roman world, had for centuries been...
Vasilopita (Saint Basil Pie)
The Vasilopita (VasilOpita) is the main custom in Greece for New year. It’s one which we encounter throughout Greece, though naturally with local variations. These are mostly to do with the ingredients of the cake. In some places it’s a cake, though there are also parts where it’s a savory...
