Theotokos

The word Theotokos for “Mother of God” expresses the faith of all the Fathers and faithful Christians throughout the ages concerning Christ’s divinity. There is no room for error here. It was none other than the Second Person of the Holy Trinity who was born of the Virgin. Theotokos: Mother of God.
The identity of Christ is still being questioned today. That is why some bristle when they hear the word Theotokos. How can Mary be the Mother of God? They ask. Was the eternal, always existing God born of a human being? Yes, the Church answers. Mary did not give birth to two persons but to one divine Person who received His humanity from Mary. She is indeed not Christotokos, Mother of a human being named Christ, but Theotokos, Mother of God.

Theotokos is a treasured word for Orthodox Christians – a word that perfectly expresses ad safeguards our faith that the true God became true man for our salvation. Theotokos is a title given to Mary not in order to exalt her but in order to protect the identity of her son and to guard and protect the security of our salvation in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Source: Daily Vitamins for Spiritual Growth Volume 1, by Anthony Coniaris

St. Veronica

St. Veronica is remembered on July 12. Veronica is the woman with the issue of blood whom the Lord healed (Matthew 9:20). Out of gratitude to the Lord, her Healer, Veronica ordered a statue of the Lord Jesus be made for her, before which she prayed to God. According to tradition, this statue was preserved until the reign of Emperor the Apostate, who altered the statue so that it became an idol of Zeus. This is one of the rare instances in which holy statues have been used in the Eastern Church. As is known, this later became a common practice of the Western churches. St. Veronica remained devoted to the Faith of Christ until her peaceful repose.

Theophany: What The Church Fathers Say

Theophany is one of the most important and oldest feast days in our Holy Orthodox Church, with its observance being traced back to apostolic times. Historically, it commemorates the baptism of our Lord in the Jordan River by St. John the Baptist. Theologically, its significance is even greater, for on this day, the Holy Trinity was revealed. Through the centuries, many of our Church Fathers commented on this Feast in their writings. St. Proclus of Constantinople, a 5th century disciple of St. John Chrysostom, wrote a powerful sermon about Theophany. Putting words into the mouth of St. John the Baptist, Proclus writes: “How dare I stretch forth my hand and place it on the head of Him Who sustains all things? How dare I baptize the Creator of nature? I can only say: You, O Lord, are the Master and I am the servant. You are the Sun and I am the star. You are the Shepherd and I am the sheep. You are the King and I am the soldier. You are the Light and I am the candlestick.” St. Gregory the Theologian calls Theophany the "feast of lights," while St. John of Damascus points out that “... the Lord was baptized, not because He Himself had need of cleansing, but to bury sin by water; to fulfill the Law, to reveal the mystery of the Holy Trinity, and finally, to sanctify the nature of water and offer us the form and example of Baptism.”

The Orthodox WeekIy Bulletin. . . . . . . . . . Vestal, Cliffwood, New Jersey . . . . . . . . . . Litho in U.S.A.

January 6th, Epiphany, or Theophany is - after Easter and Pentecost - the greatest feast of the Orthodox Church. It is even greater than the feast of the Nativity of Christ. It commemorates the baptism of our Lord by John in the waters of the Jordon and, more generally, the public manifestation of the incarnate Word to the world.

Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven

Dear Son,

We must strive to be known by our Lord Jesus Christ. For in Matthew 7:21-23, He teaches:

“Not everyone who says to Me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ shall enter the kingdom of heaven, but he who does the will of My Father in heaven. Many will say to Me in that day, ‘Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Your name, cast our demons in Your name, and done many wonders in Your name?’ And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from me, you who practice lawlessness!’

Again in Luke 6:46-49, the Lord teaches:

“But why do you call Me ‘Lord, Lord’ and not do the things which I say? Whoever comes to Me, and hears My sayings and does them, I will show you whom he is like: He is like a man building a house, who dug deep and laid the foundation on the rock. And when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently against the house, and could not shake it, for it was founded on the rock. But he who heard and did nothing is like a man who built a house on the earth without a foundation, against which the stream beat vehemently; and immediately it fell. And the ruin of that house was great.”

Hearing the gospel alone is not enough, for salvation is not based on hearing alone, nor on faith alone, but also on doing the things spoken by Christ.

James 2:24 says:

You see then that a man is justified by works, and not by faith only.

Again James 2:26 says:

For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.

This summary of the organic relationship of faith and works shows that only God can save. We are entirely at His mercy. Lord, have mercy on us, sinners.

Love,

Dad

The Transfiguration of Christ - "Eye Witnesses to Greatness"

Holy Transfiguration
Icon: Holy Transfiguration Monastery, Ellwood City, PA

The Transfiguration of our LORD is celebrated (on Friday August 6, this year) as one of the major feasts of  our Holy Orthodox Church. This mysterious event occurred late in our Lord's public ministry. In fact, the noted historian Eusebius, as well as St. John of Damascus were of the opinion that the Transfiguration took place precisely 40 days prior to Christ's death upon the Cross.

While heading for Jerusalem, Jesus took the Apostles Peter, James and John to the top of Mt. Tabor. Suddenly, "... His face shone like the sun and His garments became as white as snow." (Matthew 17:2) Appearing with the Lord at this awesome moment were Moses and Elias, proving that He was, indeed, the fulfillment of all that had been written in the Law and foretold by the Prophets. Any doubts of Christ's Divinity were dispelled by the thunderous voice of God the Father: 'This is My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased." (Mathew 17:5)

The Apostle Peter would later describe his role on Mt. Tabor as being an "eyewitness to greatness." The Evangelist John beautifully captures the feeling of that moment in the first chapter of his Gospel: "And we beheld His glory, the glory as it were of the Only-Begotton of the Father, full of grace and truth." (John 1:14)

The hymns of our Holy Orthodox Church prescribed for the Transfiguration offer further explanation of the significance of this great holy day: "YOU WERE TRANSFIGURED UPON THE MOUNTAIN, O CHRIST OUR GOD, AND YOUR DISCIPLES BEHELD AS MUCH OF YOUR GLORY AS THEY COULD BEAR. SO THAT WHEN THEY WOULD SEE YOU CRUCIFIED, THEY MIGHT KNOW THAT YOUR SUFFERING WAS VOLUNTARY, AND MIGHT PROCLAIM TO THE WORLD THAT YOU ARE TRULY THE BRIGHTNESS OF THE FATHER."

The Orthodox Weekly Bulletin
Vestal, Cliffwood, New Jersey
Litho in U.S.A.