April 2, 2016 · 1:13 pm

St Cyril of Jerusalem

∼ Words from the Church Fathers ∼

“Let us not then be ashamed to confess the Crucified. Be the Cross our seal made with boldness by our fingers on our brow, and on everything; over the bread we eat, and the cups we drink; in our comings in, and goings out; before our sleep, when we lie down and when we rise up; when we are in the way, and when we are still. Great is that preservative; it is without price, for the sake of the poor; without toil, for the sick; since also its grace is from God. It is the Sign of the faithful, and the dread of devils: for He ‘triumphed over them in it, having made a show of them openly’ (Colossians 2:15); for when they see the Cross they are reminded of the Crucified; they are afraid of Him, who bruised the heads of the dragon. Despise not the Seal, because of the freeness of the gift; but for this the rather honour your Benefactor.”

St. Cyril of Jerusalem  Catechetical Lecture 13.36

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April 2, 2016 · 12:37 pm

Homily on Holy Cross Sunday

HOLY CROSS SUNDAY – 3 APRIL

On the Third Sunday of Great and Holy Lent, the Orthodox Church commemorates the Precious and Life-Giving Cross of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Services include a special veneration of the Cross, which prepares the faithful for the commemoration of the Crucifixion during Holy Week.

In today’s Gospel the Lord says to us that if we want to be followers of His, disciples, we must take up our crosses and follow Him. And when we think of the Cross of the Lord, we think of His gradual, painful ascent to His Crucifixion, we think of the way of the Cross, of His death. And indeed, the Lord calls us, if we want to be faithful to Him, if we want to be His disciples, to be prepared to walk all the way with Him – all the way.

But on the other hand, we must remember that He does not call us to follow a road which He has not trod Himself. He is a Good Shepherd that walks ahead of His sheep, making sure that all is clear, that dangers have been removed, that they can walk safely in His footstep. His call to take up our cross and to follow Him is a call, at the same time, to accept to be true disciples of Him, and also to do it in the certainty that He will never ask from us what He has not done or endured Himself. We can follow Him safely; we can follow Him with assurance, but also with a sense of peace in our heart and our mind. Continue reading →

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April 1, 2016 · 10:12 am

Behold, The Bridegroom Comes concerts

2 concerts only!

A selection of Holy Week hymns performed by the Byzantine Choirs St Romanos The Melodist and David The Psalmist. Free entry and everyone is invited.

• 6:00pm – 7:00pm, Saturday 2nd April 2016
Antiochian Orthodox Church of St Mary, 291 Somerville Rd, Kingsville

• 6:00pm – 7:00pm, Saturday 9th April 2016
The Presentation Of Our Lady To The Temple Church, 3-7 Macedon Ave, North Balwyn

Please click here to download the flyer.

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April 1, 2016 · 9:57 am

Saint Mary of Egypt – April 1

When Mary was only twelve years old, she left her parents and departed to Alexandria, where she lived a depraved life for seventeen years. Then, moved by curiosity, she went with many pilgrims to Jerusalem, that she might see the Exaltation of the venerable Cross. Continue reading →

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March 26, 2016 · 5:02 pm

St Gregory Palamas and the Healing of our Paralysis – Sun 27 Mar

Homily for the Second Sunday of Great Lent in the Orthodox Church
Hebrews 1:10-2:3 | Mark 2:1-12

Think for a moment how you would feel if you went to the doctor with a serious health problem and were simply told medical facts about your condition and that you were an interesting case. You would probably not be happy at all because you go to a physician to be healed, not simply to learn truths that in and of themselves do not restore you to health.

On this second Sunday of Great Lent, we remember a great saint who knew that our salvation is not in mere ideas about God, but in true participation in His life by grace. St. Gregory Palamas lived in the 14th century in the Byzantine Empire. A monastic, a bishop, and a scholar, he defended the experience of hesychast monks who in the stillness of deep prayer beheld the divine light of the uncreated energies of God. In ways that go beyond rational understanding, they saw the divine glory as they participated in the life of God by grace. Continue reading →

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March 22, 2016 · 9:54 am

Consecration Ceremony 2006

The Consecration (‘Εγκαινια’) of St Vasilios Church took place on Sunday 27 August 2006, presided by His Eminence Archbishop Stylianos. (Click on images to enlarge).

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March 19, 2016 · 5:17 pm

St Philaret of Moscow

∼ Words from the Church Fathers ∼

“A fish that is alive swims against the flow of water. One that is dead floats down with the water. A true Christian goes against the current of sinful age. A false one is swept away by its swiftness.”

+ St. Philaret of Moscow, Orthodox Life Vol. 63 No. 3

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March 19, 2016 · 5:16 pm

St John of Kronstadt

∼ Words from the Church Fathers ∼

The candles lit before icons of saints reflect their ardent love for God for Whose sake they gave up everything that man prizes in life, including their very lives, as did the holy apostles, martyrs and others. These candles also mean that these saints are lamps burning for us and providing light for us by their own saintly living, their virtues and their ardent intercession for us before God through their constant prayers by day and night. The burning candles also stand for our ardent zeal and the sincere sacrifice we make out of reverence and gratitude to them for their solicitude on our behalf before God.

+ St. John of Kronstadt

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March 19, 2016 · 5:11 pm

Become a Living Icon | Homily for the Sunday of Orthodoxy

Hebrews 11:24-26, 32-40 | St. John 1: 44-52

At the end of Liturgy today, we will parade around the church carrying our icons in celebration of the Sunday of Orthodoxy, which commemorates the restoration of icons to the church after the period of iconoclasm many centuries ago. We do so because Icons are not mere works of decorative art to us; they are windows to heaven which remind us that the Son of God really has become one of us, with a visible human body, and that we are called to become like the saints whose images are portrayed in them. For we are all icons of God, created in His image and likeness. Jesus Christ is the new Adam Who has restored and healed every dimension of our fallen humanity, and brought us into the very life of the Holy Trinity. It may help us to think of Lent as a time to make ourselves better icons of the Lord. Continue reading →

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March 13, 2016 · 5:53 pm

Forgiveness Sunday – Sun 13 Mar

Forgiveness – The Hardest Love of All by Fr. Stephen Freeman

I cannot think that any of my readers is a stranger to forgiveness, either the need to be forgiven or the need to forgive. The need to forgive, according to the commandment of Christ, extends well beyond those who ask for our forgiveness: we are commanded to forgive our enemies – whom I presume would rarely want to ask for our forgiveness. Continue reading →

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