Friday Dec. 27, 2025 /Jan. 9 ns 2026 † St. Stephen the Protomartyr and Archdeacon, St. Theodore the Branded ~ No fasting ~ St. Stephen: Acts 6:8-15, 7:1-5, 47-60; St. Matt. 21:33-42

Friday

December 27, 2025

January 9 new style

2026

~ No Fasting ~ 

† St. Stephen the Protomartyr & Archdeacon

St. Theodore the Branded 

STEPHEN WAS A KINSMAN of the Apostle Paul and one of those Jews who lived in the Hellenic provinces. Stephen was the first of the seven deacons whom the holy apostles ordained and appointed to the service of assisting the poor in Jerusalem. For this, he is called the archdeacon.

By the power of his faith, Stephen worked great miracles among the people. The wicked Jews disputed with him, but they were always defeated by his wisdom and the power of the Spirit, Who acted through him. Then the shameful Jews, accustomed to calumnies and slander, incited the people and the elders of the people against the innocent Stephen, slandering him as though he had blasphemed against God and against Moses. False witnesses were quickly found who confirmed this.

Stephen then stood before the people, and all saw his face as it had been the face of an angel (Acts 6:15), that is, his face was illumined with the light of grace as was once the face of Moses when he spoke with God. Stephen opened his mouth and enumerated the many good works and miracles that God had performed in the past for the people of Israel, as well as the many crimes and opposition to God on the part of this people. He especially rebuked them for the killing of Christ the Lord, calling them betrayers and murderers (Acts 7:52). And while they gnashed their teeth, Stephen beheld and saw the heavens open and the glory of God. That which he saw, he declared to the Jews: Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing on the right hand of God! (Acts 7:56). Then the malicious men took him outside the city and stoned him to death. Among his persecutors was his kinsman Saul, later the Apostle Paul.

At that time, the Most-holy Theotokos, standing on a rock at a distance with St. John the Theologian, witnessed the martyrdom of this first martyr for the truth of her Son and God, and she prayed to God for Stephen. This occurred one year after the descent of the Holy Spirit upon the apostles.

Gamaliel, a prince of the Jews and a secret Christian, clandestinely took St. Stephen's body and buried it on his own estate. Thus, this first among the Christian martyrs gloriously reposed and took up his habitation in the Kingdom of Christ God.

Acts 6:8-15, 7:1-5, 47-60 KJV

8 And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and miracles among the people.

9 Then there arose certain of the synagogue, which is called the synagogue of the Libertines, and Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia and of Asia, disputing with Stephen.

10 And they were not able to resist the wisdom and the spirit by which he spake.

11 Then they suborned men, which said, We have heard him speak blasphemous words against Moses, and against God.

12 And they stirred up the people, and the elders, and the scribes, and came upon him, and caught him, and brought him to the council,

13 And set up false witnesses, which said, This man ceaseth not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place, and the law:

14 For we have heard him say, that this Jesus of Nazareth shall destroy this place, and shall change the customs which Moses delivered us.

15 And all that sat in the council, looking stedfastly on him, saw his face as it had been the face of an angel.

 Then said the high priest, Are these things so?

2 And he said, Men, brethren, and fathers, hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran,

3 And said unto him, Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall shew thee.

4 Then came he out of the land of the Chaldaeans, and dwelt in Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this land, wherein ye now dwell.

5 And he gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his foot on: yet he promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child.

47 But Solomon built him an house.

48 Howbeit the most High dwelleth not in temples made with hands; as saith the prophet,

49 Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool: what house will ye build me? saith the Lord: or what is the place of my rest?

50 Hath not my hand made all these things?

51 Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Spirit: as your fathers did, so do ye.

52 Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers:

53 Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it.

54 When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.

55 But he, being full of the Holy Spirit, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God,

56 And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.

57 Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,

58 And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul.

59 And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.

60 And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep.

Saint Matthew 21:33-42 KJV

33 Hear another parable: There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard, and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country:

34 And when the time of the fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might receive the fruits of it.

35 And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat one, and killed another, and stoned another.

36 Again, he sent other servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise.

37 But last of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son.

38 But when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and let us seize on his inheritance.

39 And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and slew him.

40 When the lord therefore of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?

41 They say unto him, He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the fruits in their seasons.

42 Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?

IN NAME ONLY?

St. Philaret of Moscow

Every Christian should find for himself the imperative and incentive to become holy. If you live without struggle and without hope of becoming holy, then you are Christians only in name and not in essence. But without holiness, no one shall see the Lord, that is to say they will not attain eternal blessedness. It is a trustworthy saying that Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners (I St. Tim. 1:15). But we deceive ourselves if we think that we are saved while remaining sinners. Christ saves those sinners by giving them the means to become saints.

Thursday Dec. 26, 2025 / Jan. 8 ns 2026 † Synaxis of the Theotokos; St. Evthymios the Confessor, Bishop of Sárdis ~ No Fasting ~ Synaxis: Heb. 2:11-18; St. Matt. 2:13-23

Thursday

December 26, 2025

January 8 new style

2026

~ No Fasting ~

ON THE SECOND DAY OF THE NATIVITY, the Christian Church gives glory and thanksgiving to the Most-holy Theotokos, who gave birth to our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ. This feast is called "the Synaxis'' because on this day all of the faithful gather to glorify her, the Most-holy Theotokos, and to solemnly and universally celebrate a feast in her honor. In Ohrid, it has been the tradition from ancient times that, on the eve of the second day of Nativity, Vespers has been celebrated only in the Church of the Most-holy Theotokos called the Chieftain [Èelnica]. All the clergy with the people gather together to glorify the Most-pure Mother of God.


St. Evthýmios the Confessor, Bishop of Sárdis

When you are about to pray to our Lady the Holy Virgin, be firmly assured, before praying, that you will not depart from her without having received mercy. To think thus and to have confidence in her is meet and right. She is, the All-Merciful Mother of the All-Merciful God, the Word, and her mercies, incalculably great and innumerable, have been declared from all ages by all Christian Churches; she is, indeed, an abyss of mercies and bounties, as is said of her... 

+ St. John of Kronstadt

Hebrews 2:11-18 KJV

11 For both he that sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one: for which cause he is not ashamed to call them brethren,

12 Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.

13 And again, I will put my trust in him. And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me.

14 Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil;

15 And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.

16 For verily he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.

17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

18 For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to succour them that are tempted.


Saint Matthew 2:13-23 KJV

13 And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him.

14 When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt:

15 And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.

16 Then Herod, when he saw that he was mocked of the wise men, was exceeding wroth, and sent forth, and slew all the children that were in Bethlehem, and in all the coasts thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men.

17 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying,

18 In Rama was there a voice heard, lamentation, and weeping, and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.

19 But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeareth in a dream to Joseph in Egypt,

20 Saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel: for they are dead which sought the young child's life.

21 And he arose, and took the young child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.

22 But when he heard that Archelaus did reign in Judaea in the room of his father Herod, he was afraid to go thither: notwithstanding, being warned of God in a dream, he turned aside into the parts of Galilee:

23 And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, He shall be called a Nazarene.

Are you Lukewarm or Eager for Christ?

{Ed.}
As the period of increased Prayer and Fasting brought us to the Resurrection, have we resurrected a little so we can gaze upon Christ, or are we back to the "same old, same old" carnal, ultimately empty pursuits?  As it is said:  "One day we will no longer be able to satisfy our desires"


Revelation 3:15-16 King James Version (KJV)

I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth.

Are you are eager to have this or that, to go here and there, veracious for just about anything in Creation and yet minimally attentive (lukewarm) to the Truth that the Creator of all things wants you to enjoy them with restraint but yet, at the same time, forsake this life entirely because He wants ALL OF YOUR YOUR BEING, ALL OF YOUR HEART? You can indeed gain much from this mortal, temporary life but for how long and at what cost? Are you willing to lose Jesus Christ, Who is Himself, Paradise without end?

There WILL be those who will hear from Christ: St. Matthew 7:23 KJV  . . .  I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity.
But in fact, they never knew Him.

If our love for Christ, is confirmed in us by Him, then we need not fear.

Saint Anthony the Great

Ask yourself: Do you believe Him when He says that all of the hairs of your head are numbered? Do you believe He knew every thought you would have before He made you? And, the same for all the people and all of Creation, who are and have gone before and will come after us?

Be honest, can any transient mind, a mind still inclined to hate, war, ambition, even begin to grasp such a God exists?

Furthermore, ask yourself, did He make this life a desert, void of joy etc.? No! Like a mother who pacifies and indulges her child while pushing it to walk on its own, our most merciful and loving God gives us innumerable delights in this brief life but is He not clear about what He expects from us in return?
Well, are you eager for Him? Or are you like those who live in a fantasy, a dream with little to no thought about your judgement date; the time of which you have nothing to say.

Is this life anything more than an ultra real tangible dream, confirmed when we wake from it after death? Yes, but only one thing needful!!

It is an opportunity to PLEASE CHRIST GOD! An opportunity to avoid suffering the consequences from DISPLEASING CHRIST GOD!

And lets ask ourselves: How hard was it for God to incarnate? How hard to resurrect from the dead? Was it something He "needed" to do? Did He not call all things into being without even breathing or a thought? Did He need help to do so and from where would it come?

As the Great Andrew of Crete calls: Arise my soul! Why are you sleeping? The Holy Trinity has NO needs. Nevertheless, we know with certainty that He came in the flesh in order for us to believe that we, WE, who are temporarily carnal, can live this life, die to this life, resurrect and our immortal souls ascend with Him into PARADISE/LIFE ETERNAL
If we are not eager for Him with all our heart then what value a life of death? Many individuals, even "religions", fast just as strictly and some even more frequently than we but for who? For what? for peace? For health? For a god or gods who are not God? 

Christ is the Son of the Father, the Creator, the Prince of Peace.  Without Him, we can do nothing. He IS Truth, the Life and the Resurrection.

Ask yourself, who does the following describe?

This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me.
St Matthew 15:8

Wednesday Dec 25 2025 / Jan 7 ns 2026 † The Nativity of our Savior ~ No Fasting ~ Gospel at Matins: St. Matt. 1:18-25 Feast: Gal. 4:4-7; St. Matt. 2:1-12

The Glorious Nativity of our

Lord, God and Savior

Jesus Christ

Wednesday Dec 25 2025

Jan 7 new style 2026  

~ No Fasting ~

PHOTOS: THE ORTHODOX CHURCH

OF THE NATIVITY

OF OUR LORD IN BETHLEHEM.

{Julian Calendar}

Nativity Message of

St. John The Wonderworker

(Delivered in Shanghai in 1935)

Christ is born, praise Him! Christ from heaven, respond to Him! Christ on earth, exalt Him!
He who sits on a cherub comes to earth!
Born in a sinful world is the eternally begotten of God the Father!
The King of the Universe is coming from heavenly heights to man who has fallen deep into the pit of sin and unbelief!
Cheer up, all you who live on earth! The Son of God is coming to you and for you!
He comes to us not for punishment and judgment, but for our salvation.
He is already here, in little Bethlehem, in a miserable manger. Why this squalor?
Why did He come to the small earth, to the small city, Whom the heavens cannot contain?
To gain being created "a little lower than the angels", in the image of God's man.
Just as a good shepherd, leaving 99 sheep in the mountains, goes to look for only one lost sheep, so the unceasing praises of countless hosts of angels are not enough for the Lord, and He goes to call those who are "a little lower than the angels", the lost human race.
Just as a woman who has lost a drachma carefully sweeps the floor in order to find it, so the Lord goes around the sinful earth in order to cleanse it.
In the midst of angelic chants, God heard the groan of suffering humanity, and from the fullness of the glory of heaven He sees the blackness of the earth.
And the Lord comes, goes to give heavenly glory to the earth, and angelic blessedness to people.
With what gratitude our hearts should be filled towards Him! With what a loud salutation from the depths of our souls we must greet Christ. Indeed, His love extends to each of us, and He wants to raise each of us to heaven.
With what shall we meet Him? What worthy gifts shall we bring to Him?
“What shall we bring Thee, O Christ, as thou hast appeared on earth, as a man, for our sake?”
The whole creation of God hastens to bow to the newborn King, its Creator. Angels bring Him singing, the sky - a star, the Magi - gifts, the shepherds - reverent amazement, the earth - a cave, the desert - a manger, the human race - the Virgin Mother.
What will each of us bring especially from ourselves?
“With what shall I stand before the Lord, bow down before the God of Heaven? Should I stand before Him with a burnt offering, with one-year-old calves?” (Micah 6:6), the Moabite king Balak once asked.
"Oh man! It has been told you what is good and what the Lord requires of you: only act justly, love the deeds of mercy, and walk humbly before your God” (Micah 6:8). "Offer the sacrifice of God's praise and fulfill your vows to the Most High" (Ps. 49:14).
Therefore, let us continually offer God a sacrifice of praise, that is, the fruit of a mouth that glorifies His name. “But at the same time, let us not forget doing good and sharing, for such sacrifices are pleasing to God” (Heb. 13:15-16).
The Lord opened the heavens for us on earth.
Let us open our souls and our hearts to the Lord. Let our lips proclaim to Him singing and praise, but let our hands do works of mercy.
To the Lord lying in the manger, together with doxology and praise, let us each bring from our hearts some kind of good deed.
May the joy of the whole world fill the heart of everyone, driving away the sorrows of life around us and raising our minds and aspirations to heaven. For from there a joyful angelic gospel is heard:
 
“Today there is born to you a Savior, who is Christ the Lord”
(Saint Luke 2:11).

CHRIST IS BORN!  GLORIFY HIM!