[ditty_news_ticker id="27897"] Christmas - Orthodox Christian Laity - Page 2
Facebook
Twitter
YouTube

Browsing: Christmas

Source: The Wall Street Journal Covid restrictions are mild compared with what many of the faithful endure. By Timothy Dolan  and Toufic Baaklini For the first time in their lives, millions of Americans have been ordered by their government not to attend church. For millions of persecuted Christians across the globe, this is the only reality they know. The theme of persecution lies at the heart of the Christmas story. The Holy Family were forced to flee their native land due to state-sponsored oppression. As citizens of a global superpower whose lawmakers are responsive to their citizens, we are called to stand in…

Source: Middle East Eye Christmas for much of the Middle East’s Christian population falls on the 7th January, but it’s not just the date that’s different By Nadda Osman For many Coptic Christians in the Middle East, Christmas falls at around the same time as decorations in the West are being packed away. On 7 January, many Orthodox Copts and other Orthodox Christians (including those in Russia and Ethiopia) celebrate their Christmas Day. The difference in date lies simply in the calendar being used. Many Orthodox Christians follow the Julian calendar, which predates the Gregorian one introduced by Pope Gregory in 1582. The calendars are 13 days apart, pushing celebrations for…

Source: Oinos Educational Consulting by Frank Marangos, D.Min., Ed.D., FCEP Click the photo above to View an uplifting video. Music provided by Amy Grant. “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” Matthew 8:20 Christmas is a time of festive excitement and anticipation. For the nation’s homeless families and individuals, however, it is a particularly emotional and painful season of the year. While many of us are spending time with loved ones, the poor, hungry, and homeless are struggling with the devastating effects of loneliness, isolation and sleep…

via VIDEO | Syrian Christian town where Jesus’ language remains in use celebrates Christmas One of the places where Christmas was celebrated on Tuesday is Maaloula, a small town near Damascus, where residents still speak Aramaic, the language used by Jesus Christ. Maaloula is located in a mountainous area near the Syrian capital, where two ancient Christian monasteries also stand.  Some of the damage can still be seen at Christian sites, like defaced crosses and icons or damaged frescos, informs Russia Today. But with peace returning to the cradle of Christianity in Syria, people there gathered together with their…

The Board of Orthodox Christian Laity wishes you and your loved ones a blessed Christmas and New Year! Christ is born! Glorify Him! Read the Nativity Pastoral Letter of His Eminence, Archbishop Nathaniel HERE or below: The Birth of Our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ “And I will make my home among them and live with them; I will be their God, and they shall be my people.” 2 Cor. 6:16 (Lev. 26:11-19) May God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ send you grace and peace, and from us, hierarchal blessings! Christ is born! Let us glorify Him!…

Source: The Washington Post By E.J. Dionne Jr. Christmas remains wondrous, but it arrives at a difficult moment for Christianity in the United States. We still see Christmas trees strapped to the tops of cars, neighbors lighting up their homes, and children getting as excited as ever. And the churches will be unusually full. This last point is revealing: A relative decline of religious observance has brought forth the “Chreasters,” Christians who attend services only on Christmas and Easter. Regular worshipers can be disdainful of the Chreasters. They make it hard for the loyalists to find seats in the pews and…

Source: The New York Times A Gospel reading for the scandal in the church. By Ross Douthat At Mass this Christmas Eve, many Catholics who have spent a year reading headlines about abusive priests, indifferent bishops, predatory cardinals and Vatican corruption will sit and hear the long roll of Jesus’s ancestors with which the Gospel of Matthew begins. “Unless you like stats / just skip the begats,” wrote Jeanne and William Steig in their “Old Testament Made Easy.” But before he gets to the angels and the wise men Matthew gives us 39 of them, from the famous names (“Abraham begat…

Source: Oinos Educational Consulting by Frank Marangos, D.Min., Ed.D., FCEP Merry Christmas Click Bells to View Video Bells are used to tell time, sound an alarm, call to worship, toll the passing of loved ones, commemorate historical events, and express joy. By recalling God’s Gift of the Incarnation of His Son, Christmas bells also encourage philanthropic generosity. Bells are only mentioned once in Holy Scripture. Attached to Aaron’s vestments and “heard when he went into the Holy Place before the Lord” (Exodus 28:33-35), the sound of the High Priest’s bells indicated the condition of Israel’s relationship with God. While the sound…

Source: Romanian Orthodox Episcopate of America PASTORAL LETTER 2016 The Birth of Our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ  “And I will make my home among them; and live with them; ‘I will be their God and they shall be my people’.” (2 Cor. 6:16; Lev. 26:11-19) Beloved Spiritual Children in Christ: Reverend Clergy, Venerable Monastics and Devout Faithful of our God-protected Episcopate: Dearly Beloved, Once again, after a long year, we are today celebrat­ing the birth of the Sun of Righteousness, Jesus Christ, the Light of the world! The burden of the weeks and months, the cares and…

Source: Frankly Speaking – Oinos Educational Consulting By Frank Marangos, D.Min., Ed.D. “I believe with all my heart that those who will direct Japan – and all other Nations – in the decades to come must not ignore the message of Jesus Christ. He is the only hope for this troubled world.” – Captain Mitsuo Fuchida Christmas was once America’s preeminent national holiday. First celebrated in the year 98, it was forty years later before the early Church officially adopted Christmas as an annual Christian festival. It was not until the fifth century that the day of its celebration became permanently…

Source: Pravmir.com ARCHPRIEST PANAYIOTIS PAPAGEORGIOU, PH.D. The issue of the time of the birth of Christ has been addressed by many people in the past, both scholars and theologians, so what I intend to do here is present an overview trying to bring some clarity to the topic for those who are really concerned that the 25th of December may not be the correct time to celebrate Christmas. Let me start by saying that there are two pieces of evidence, which people present in support of the position that Christ was not born in December: The first one is the…