Orthodox Calendar, February 3 Holy, Righteous Simeon the God-Receiver Righteous Simeon the God-Receiver was, according to the testimony of the holy Evangelist Luke, a just and devout man waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him (Luke 2:25). God promised him that he would not die until the promised Messiah,…
Orthodox Calendar, February 2 The Meeting of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ in the Temple Today the Church commemorates an important event in the earthly life of our Lord Jesus Christ (Luke 2:22-40). Forty days after His birth the God-Infant was taken to the Jerusalem Temple, the center of the nation’s religious life. According…
Orthodox Calendar, February 1 Forefeast of the Meeting of our Lord in the Temple The Typikon should be consulted if the Forefeast falls on the Sunday of the Pharisee, the Publican, or Meatfare. Because of the Forefeast of the Meeting of the Lord, the service to Saint Tryphon (February 1) may be moved to Compline…
Orthodox Calendar, January 31 Holy Wonderworkers and Unmercenaries Cyrus and John Saint Cyrus was a noted physician in the city of Alexandria, where he had been born and raised. He was a Christian and he treated the sick without charge, not only curing their bodily afflictions, but also healing their spiritual infirmities. He would say,…
Orthodox Calendar, January 30 Synaxis of the Ecumenical Teachers and Hierarchs Synaxis of the Three Hierarchs: Basil the Great, Gregory the Theologian and John Chrysostom: During the eleventh century, disputes raged in Constantinople about which of the three hierarchs was the greatest. Some preferred Saint Basil (January 1), others honored Saint Gregory the Theologian (January…
Orthodox Calendar January 29 The Transfer of the Relics of the Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer The Transfer of the Relics of the Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer: (See December 20). After the holy hieromartyr Ignatius was thrown to the lions in the year 107 on the orders of the emperor Trajan, Christians gathered up his bones…
Orthodox Calendar January 28 Sts. Ephraim the Syrian 1. Saint Ephraim the Syrian, a teacher of repentance, was born at the beginning of the fourth century in the city of Nisibis (Mesopotamia) into the family of impoverished toilers of the soil. His parents raised their son in piety, but from his childhood he was known…
Orthodox Calendar January 27 † Translation of the relics of St John Chrysostom the Archbishop of Constantinople Saint John Chrysostom, this great ecumenical teacher and hierarch, died in the city of Comana in the year 407 on his way to a place of exile. He had been condemned by the intrigues of the empress Eudoxia…
Orthodox Calendar January 25 32nd Sunday after Pentecost (of Zacchaeus) Then Jesus entered and passed through Jericho. Now behold, there was a man named Zacchaeus who was a chief tax collector, and he was rich. And he sought to see who Jesus was, but could not because of the crowd, for he was of short stature. So he…
Orthodox Calendar January 25 Saint Gregory the Theologian, Archbishop of Constantinople He was a great Father and teacher of the Church, was born into a Christian family of eminent lineage in the year 329, at Arianzos (not far from the city of Cappadocian Nazianzos). His father, also named Gregory (January 1), was Bishop of Nazianzus.…
Orthodox Calendar January 24 Saint Xenia of Rome In the world Eusebia, was the only daughter of an eminent Roman senator. From her youth she loved God, and wished to avoid the marriage arranged for her. She secretly left her parental home with two servants devoted to her, and set sail upon a ship. Through…
