Orthodox Calendar, December 20

Forefeast of the Nativity of the Lord

The Forefeast of the Nativity of the Lord begins on December 20. From now on, most of the liturgical hymns will be concerned with the birth of the Savior. Many of the Church’s hymns of this period are slightly modified versions of the hymns of Holy Week.

From the 20th to the 23rd we sing the Troparion (Tone 4) “Prepare, O Bethlehem, for Eden has been opened to all. Adorn yourself, O Ephratha, for the Tree of Life blossoms forth from the Virgin in the cave. Her womb is a spiritual paradise planted with the fruit divine; if we eat of it we shall live forever and not die like Adam. Christ is coming to restore the image which He made in the beginning.”

We also sing the Kontaion (Tone 3) “Today the Virgin comes to the cave where she will give birth past understanding to the Word from all eternity. Rejoice, O universe, when the tidings are proclaimed. Glorify, with the angels and shepherds, the one Who chose to be manifest as a newborn Child, while remaining the eternal God.”

At Vespers on this first day of the prefeast we sing, “Let us celebrate, O people, the prefeast of Christ’s Nativity; let us raise our minds on high, in spirit going up to Bethlehem….”

(Sticheron on “Lord, I Call.”)

Saint Seraphim the Enduring of Sâmbăta de Sus

The Venerable Seraphim was born on October 27, 1912, in the village of Totoi, in Alba County, receiving the name of Saint Demetrius at baptism. His parents, Nechifor and Catalina, were simple and hardworking people who were his first teachers in what is pleasing to God. His mother’s image remained imprinted as “the flower of kindness” and an icon of forgiving love.

Even from childhood, filled with love for Christ, he sought divine things, warming his heart with holy prayer and nourishing his mind with knowledge.

God’s providence guided his steps to St Andrew Saguna’s Theological Academy in Sibiu, where he was noted as “one of the most distinguished students (…), in good conduct as well as in studies”, “a very good and very poor student“. Upon completing his theological studies and seeing the good work of his student, Saint Dumitru Stăniloae, rector of the Academy at that time, recommended him for the secretary position.

Thus, he came to the attention of Metropolitan Nicolae Bălan, to whom he confessed his desire to seek Christ with even greater love through the angelic monastic schema. He said, “I have long been concerned with the issue of monasticism, and I have strived to prepare myself for this great calling, even while being a student at the Academy.”

“In these last two years, I have often asked myself if I can be whole, with body and soul, for this sacrifice. I have wrestled with this question alone, without allowing people to interfere in the intimate concerns of my soul. I let them believe what they would.”

In November 1938, his hierarch gave him the grace of ordination to the diaconate, and shortly after, he was sent to Holy Mount Athos. Accompanied by the Venerable Father Arsenius Boca, he settled at the Cell of Saint Hypatius. He and his companions laboured there for six months under the obedience of Hieroschemamonk Theodosius Domnariu, the Elder of the Cell, taking spiritual counsel from the great Romanian hesychast ascetic Venerable Antipa Dinescu.

He gained much spiritual benefit from this stay in Athos, seeing the Athonite way of life, the discipline of the monks, their zeal, and sacrifice for the knowledge and living of the true faith.

With his Metropolitan’s blessing, he went to Athens for a year to learn Greek and attend courses at the Faculty of Theology. The fruit of this obedience was the translation of pages from the writings of Saints John Chrysostom and Basil the Great, as well as from the Philokalic Fathers.

Returning to his homeland, he settled at Sâmbăta de Sus Monastery, the foundation of Saint Constantine Brâncoveanu, working on its reconstruction together with Saint Arsenius Boca, during the troubled times of World War II. On January 15, 1941, he received ordination to the priesthood, and shortly thereafter, on the feast of the Life-Giving Spring, he was tonsured a monk.

Out of obedience to his hierarch, he spent a year in Germany and Austria, where he learned German.

In 1944, he was appointed abbot of the Brâncoveanu Monastery at Sâmbăta de Sus, serving in this obedience for 10 years during the early times of the communist regime, which was hostile to the Church. Besides managing the external affairs of the monastery well, Venerable Seraphim also properly ordered the internal life of the monks and his spiritual children.

As a gentle guide, he comforted souls with the sweetness of his words and quenched the heat of troubles with the living water of his prayers. He encouraged everyone, by word and deed, that “from all our actions, it should be shown that Christ is among us and within us.”

Thus, many believers sought him out for confession, prayer, guidance, and blessing. He became an icon of humility and love for Christ, an image of gentleness, a lover of his neighbour, and a warm counsellor, gifts flowing from the mysterious work of prayer in his heart. With steadfastness, he sacrificed himself for half a century at Sâmbăta de Sus Monastery until his passing to the Lord on December 20, 1990.

Through his holy intercessions, O Christ our God, have mercy on us. Amen.

Troparion of the Venerable (Tone 1, Dweller of the desert…)

O faithful, let us honour with praises Saint Seraphim, the lamp of virtue, the renowned spiritual guide, the teacher of patience from Sâmbăta de Sus Monastery, reverently crying to him as to a skilled father and intercessor: Glory to Him Whom you served! Glory to Him Who enlightened you! Glory to Him Who adorned you with wonderful gifts!

Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer

The Hieromartyr Ignatius the God-Bearer, was a disciple of the holy Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian, as was also Saint Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna (February 23). Saint Ignatius was the second bishop of Antioch, and successor to Bishop Euodius, Apostle of the Seventy (September 7).

Tradition suggests that when Saint Ignatius was a little boy, the Savior hugged him and said: “Unless you turn and become as little children, you shall not enter into the Kingdom of Heaven” (Mt. 18:3). The saint was called “God-Bearer” (Theophoros), because he bore God in his heart and prayed unceasingly to Him. He also had this name because he was held in the arms of Christ, the incarnate Son of God.

Saint Ignatius was a disciple of the Apostle John the Theologian, together with Saint Polycarp of Smyrna. As Bishop of Antioch, Saint Ignatius was zealous and spared no effort to build up the church of Christ. To him is attributed the practice of antiphonal singing (by two choirs) during church services. He had seen a vision of the angels in heaven alternately singing praises to God, and divided his church choir to follow this example. In the time of persecution he was a source of strength to the souls of his flock, and was eager to suffer for Christ.

In the year 106 the emperor Trajan (98-117), after his victory over the Scythians, ordered everyone to give thanks to the pagan gods, and to put to death any Christians who refused to worship the idols. In the year 107, Trajan happened to pass through Antioch. Here they told him that Bishop Ignatius openly confessed Christ, and taught people to scorn riches, to lead a virtuous life, and preserve their virginity.

Saint Ignatius came voluntarily before the emperor, so as to avert persecution of the Christians in Antioch. Saint Ignatius rejected the persistent requests of the emperor Trajan to sacrifice to the idols. The emperor then decided to send him to Rome to be thrown to the wild beasts. Saint Ignatius joyfully accepted the sentence imposed upon him. His readiness for martyrdom was attested to by eyewitnesses, who accompanied Saint Ignatius from Antioch to Rome.

On the way to Rome, the ship sailed from Seleucia stopped at Smyrna, where Saint Ignatius met with his friend Bishop Polycarp. Clergy and believers from other cities and towns thronged to see Saint Ignatius. He exhorted everyone not to fear death and not to grieve for him.

In his Epistle to the Roman Christians, he asked them to assist him with their prayers, and to pray that God would strengthen him in his impending martyrdom for Christ: “I seek Him Who died for us; I desire Him Who rose for our salvation… In me, desire has been nailed to the cross, and no flame of material longing is left. Only the living water speaks within me, saying, ‘Hasten to the Father.’”

From Smyrna, Saint Ignatius went to Troas. Here he heard the happy news of the end of the persecution against Christians in Antioch. From Troas, Saint Ignatius sailed to Neapolis (in Macedonia) and then to Philippi.

On the way to Rome Saint Ignatius visited several churches, teaching and guiding the Christians there. He also wrote seven epistles: to the churches of Ephesus, Magnesia, Tralles, Rome, Philadelphia, and Smyrna. He also addressed a letter to Saint Polycarp, who mentions a collection of the letters of Saint Ignatius in his letter to the Philippians (Ch. 13). Saint Irenaeus of Lyons quotes from Saint Ignatius’s letter to the Romans (AGAINST HERESIES 5:28:4). All these letters have survived to the present day.

The Roman Christians met Saint Ignatius with great joy and profound sorrow. Some of them hoped to prevent his execution, but Saint Ignatius implored them not to do this. Kneeling down, he prayed together with the believers for the Church, for love between the brethren, and for an end to the persecution against Christians.

On December 20, the day of a pagan festival, they led Saint Ignatius into the arena, and he turned to the people: “Men of Rome, you know that I am sentenced to death, not because of any crime, but because of my love for God, by Whose love I am embraced. I long to be with Him, and offer myself to him as a pure loaf, made of fine wheat ground fine by the teeth of wild beasts.”

After this the lions were released and tore him to pieces, leaving only his heart and a few bones. Tradition says that on his way to execution, Saint Ignatius unceasingly repeated the name of Jesus Christ. When they asked him why he was doing this, Saint Ignatius answered that this Name was written in his heart, and that he confessed with his lips Him Whom he always carried within.

When the saint was devoured by the lions, his heart was not touched. When they cut open the heart, the pagans saw an inscription in gold letters: “Jesus Christ.” After his execution Saint Ignatius appeared to many of the faithful in their sleep to comfort them, and some saw him at prayer for the city of Rome.

Hearing of the saint’s great courage, Trajan thought well of him and stopped the persecution against the Christians. The relics of Saint Ignatius were transferred to Antioch (January 29), and on February 1, 637 were returned to Rome and placed in the church of San Clemente.

Tr by oca.org