On this holy day we call into the present those glorious, awesome and life-saving events that surround the miraculous birth of our Lord God and Saviour Jesus Christ. This is the day on which God has fashioned all things anew. This is the day on which the whole universe is filled with light and all creation with joy. “The expectation of the nations has come” (Matins of the Feast). Continue reading
Monthly Archives: December 2016
Homily on the Nativity of Our Lord and Saviour of Christ
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WEEKLY PROGRAM 18 – 23 DECEMBER
SUNDAY 18 DECEMBER
† Sunday Before Christmas | Matthew 1:1-25
• 7.30 – 11.00am Orthros and Divine Liturgy
• 10.30 – 11.00am Sunday School for ages ranging 5 to 17 yrs.
Lessons take place in the building behind the church and begin at the time of Holy Communion until Church dismissal. Lessons are taught in a relaxed, friendly environment. Please bring your children along to learn of their rich Orthodox faith and come close to God and His Love.
MONDAY 19 DECEMBER
• 9.00 – 10.00am Service of Holy Unction
THURSDAY 22 DECEMBER
† St Anastasia the Great Martyr
• 7.00 – 9.30am Orthros and Divine Liturgy
FRIDAY 23 DECEMBER
† St Anastasia the Great Martyr
• 7.00 – 9.30am Orthros, Royal Hours
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WEEKLY PROGRAM | 11 – 17 DECEMBER
(Advent Fast)
SUNDAY 11 DECEMBER
11th Sunday of Luke | Luke 14:16-24
• 7.30 – 11.00am Orthros and Divine Liturgy
• 10.30 – 11.00am Sunday School for ages ranging 5 to 17 yrs.
Lessons take place in the building behind the church and begin at the time of Holy Communion until Church dismissal. Lessons are taught in a relaxed, friendly environment. Please bring your children along to learn of their rich Orthodox faith and come close to God and His Love.
This week’s readings:
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You’re Invited… (Homily on Luke 14: 16-24)
The master of the feast made doubly sure that the guests received the invitations. He issued two invitations to each: the first was to tell each one that he was invited; the second, on the day of the dinner, to announce that all was ready: “Come; for all is now ready.”
“Come!” The Gospel is not so much a command as an offer; not so much a demand as a gift – an invitation to share in the unbelievable joy of the kingdom. Continue reading
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He fights your battles by His divine grace
∼ Words from the Church Fathers ∼
In order that you may move your will more easily to this one desire, in everything—to please God and to work for His glory alone—remind yourself often, that He has granted you many favours in the past and has shown you His love.
He has created you out of nothing in His own likeness and image, and has made all other creatures your servants; He has delivered you from your slavery to the devil, sending down not one of the angels but His Only-begotten Son to redeem you, not at the price of corruptible gold and silver, but by His priceless blood and His most painful and degrading death.
Having done all this He protects you, every hour and every moment, from your enemies; He fights your battles by His divine grace; in His immaculate Mysteries He prepares the Body and Blood of His beloved Son for your food and protection. All this is a sign of God’s great favour and love for you; a favour so great that it is inconceivable how the great Lord of hosts could grant such favours to our nothingness and worthlessness.
+ Unseen Warfare, St. Theophan the Recluse and St. Nicodemus of the Holy Mountain
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WEEKLY PROGRAM | 4 -10 DECEMBER
SUNDAY 5 DECEMBER
† 10th Sunday of Luke | Luke 13: 10-17
† St Barbara, Great-Martyr
• 7.30 – 11.00am Orthros and Divine Liturgy
• 10.30 – 11.00am Sunday School for ages ranging 5 to 17 yrs.
Lessons take place in the building behind the church and begin at the time of Holy Communion until Church dismissal. Lessons are taught in a relaxed, friendly environment. Please bring your children along to learn of their rich Orthodox faith and come close to God and His Love.
• 11.00am – 12.00pm After Church each Sunday, join us in our Coffee Room.
This week’s readings:
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St. Nicholas the Wonderworker: An Extraordinary Model of Ordinary Holiness
It is all too easy to fall into despair over the violence, hatred, and depravity that we see in the world today; if we are not careful, these dark forces can easily inspire a paralysing fear in our own souls. In these weeks of the Nativity Fast that focus on joyful preparation for the coming of Christ, it is a temptation to lose hope that the Prince of Peace is really coming to bless, save, and heal us. Part of our challenge this Advent is to recognize that temptation for what it is: a temptation not to entrust ourselves, our loved ones, and this world to the only One Who can deliver us from the worry, pain, and loss that we know all too well, and that can easily overwhelm us. Continue reading
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In times of affliction
∼ Words from the Church Fathers ∼
In times of affliction, unceasingly call out to the merciful God in prayer. The unceasing invocation of the name of God in prayer is a treatment for the soul which kills not only the passions, but even their very operation.
As a doctor finds the necessary medicine, and it works in such a way that the sick person does not understand, in just the same way the name of God, when you call upon it, kills all the passions, although we don’t know how this happens.
– St. Barsanuphius the Great, Instructions, 421
“The giver of every good and perfect gift has called upon us to mimic His giving, by grace, through faith, and this is not of ourselves.”
― St. Nicholas of Myra
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WEEKLY PROGRAM | 27 NOVEMBER – 3 DECEMBER
SUNDAY 27 NOVEMBER
† 13th Sunday of Luke | Luke 18: 18-27
• 7.30 – 11.00am Orthros and Divine Liturgy
• 10.30 – 11.00am Sunday School for ages ranging 5 to 17 yrs.
Lessons take place in the building behind the church and begin at the time of Holy Communion until Church dismissal. Lessons are taught in a relaxed, friendly environment. Please bring your children along to learn of their rich Orthodox faith and come close to God and His Love.
• 11.00am – 12.00pm After Church each Sunday, join us in our Coffee Room.
This week’s readings:
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St Vasilios Greek Orthodox Church 