'Tis the the season to be....busy! With all the hustle and bustle of the Advent Season, it is important for us, as Orthodox Christians, to pause and reflect upon what is truly important. Here are 10 suggestions to help prepare us for the Incarnation of our King, the Lord Jesus, this season!  

10 Suggestions to Help Us Prepare for the Feast of the Nativity  

1. Think of Others  This sounds redundant, but the Lord was thinking of us when He came down to earth. This is the season to remember others - especially those less fortunate than us - and to give in ways that alleviate their suffering through almsgiving and generosity. Be prepared to give, even to the sweet man in the Santa suit with the Salvation Army bell!
2. Attend Church on Time  In our busy world, it is easy to become slack in timeliness to places where it doesn’t “count.” Yet it does count! Few Orthodox Christians attend services beyond Sunday morning - it’s a shame to arrive late!! Make every effort to ‘seek first the Kingdom of God’ by being timely to church.
3. Attend Extra Church Services. You’re kidding, right? Wrong! There are beautiful mini-feasts along the way to Christmas that will help center us on the one thing needful. The Feast of St. Spyridon is a great example. Be a Eucharistically-Centered Christian!
4. Fast as Your Able. Fasting is important, but the purpose of fasting is more important! We are trying to ‘clip the strings for our propensity to sin’ (the passions) by fasting. Better to not judge than to fast from cheese!
5. Give up the Critical Spirit. It is very easy to fault find, but difficult to find the good in all situations. “Whatever is pure, let your mind dwell on these things…” (Phil. 4)
6. Live Within Our Means. In all things, we are called to be good stewards. Don’t overspend, and remember it is the thought that counts, not the price tag!
7. Listen to and Sing Christ-Centered Christmas Carols and Chants. There are many free sources of Christ-Centered music today. Allow the music to keep your heart focused on Christ and His Great Gift to us!
8. Charity Begins at Home. Remember your closest neighbors are your family members. Treat them with love and respect, and don’t allow Satan to interfere with the love that should flow in those relationships.
9. Decorate Our Homes with Christ in Mind. Your neighbors and friends are watching. Tastefully decorate your home in a way that witnesses to the Truth you hold in your Heart.
10. Hold Our Tongues. A sharp word can destroy. “The tongue is a small part of the body…consider what a great forest is set on fire by a small spark…can both fresh water and salt water come from the same spring?” (James 3)

Let us all thank our Holy Lord Jesus…who took on flesh for our sake and gives us eternal life…by becoming like Him in all we think, do and say this Advent Season!
​
 With Love & Warm Wishes,
The Eikona Sisters

Beloved Brothers and Sisters in the Lord,
On this great Feast of the Dormition of the Mother of God, our minds first turn to the mystery of her bodily translation to heaven. The story of her Dormition ends in an empty tomb, with her reception into the arms of her Son. As the Kontakion of the Feast relates, “Neither the tomb, nor death could hold the Theotokos . . . for being the Mother of Life, she was translated to life by the One who dwelt in her virginal womb.”
This Feast obliges us to reflect on the entirety of her life as we would at the end of the life of any loved one. In a homily for the Dormition, Saint Andrew of Crete enumerates her entire life, reminding us of Mary's central role in our salvation. At the end of his review of her life he states, “It was a life without spot or stain, utterly filled with every pure and holy quality, a life such as the world cannot grasp, since it cannot interpret it with words or bring it to the light – a life that the world had to respect, until the end.”
In our reflections on the life of the Theotokos, we must begin with her parents, Joachim and Anna. The Fathers of the Church describe Joachim as righteous, distinguished, single-minded, and in every way pleasing to God. They say Anna lived faithfully before God, regularly attended the temple of God, and observed fully her Jewish faith with her husband. We can see how these qualities combined to create a home and family that nurtured Mary. Because of these qualities at home, Mary was secure in her identity and was willing to accept the role she would play in the life of God’s people. At Mary’s dedication in the Temple at three years old, the high priest blessed her saying, “The Lord has magnified your name in all generations. In you, on the last of the days, the Lord will manifest His redemption to the sons of Israel.”
Mary’s life was no stranger to heavenly ways, as Saint Germanos of Constantinople says. We must assume that those heavenly ways filled the home she created for her son Jesus. Although the New
Testament is silent about the early years of Christ’s life, we must remember that Mary nurtured Him, saw to His physical needs, and guided His upbringing, as does any mother. And, although He was fully God, His mother taught Him the ways of His people and into maturity. In short, as the Gospel of Luke states, she saw her son increase “in wisdom and in stature, and in favor with God and man.” (Luke 2:52)
When Jesus began His ministry to the people of Israel, Mary was present from the wedding at Cana, all the way to the foot of the Cross at Golgotha. After the resurrection of Christ, Mary shared her stories, all those things that she had “kept in her heart” (Luke 2:51), with the Apostles and the first Christians.
When it was time for her to depart her earthly life, she prepared herself with prayer, faith, and resolve. She comforted those around her, but urged them not to be sad or weep. The Apostles gathered around her and at the moment of her death, Jesus Himself appeared. After embracing Mary, took her soul, wrapped it and handed it to the Archangel Michael, who carried it to heaven.
Beloved, the Theotokos, the Mother of God, is our example, We can learn so much from her when we open our hearts and minds to her life on this Feast of her Dormition, but in all the Feasts that commemorate her role in our salvation. In this brief recollection, we see Mary the child of devout and loving parents, with a secure and strong personal identity. We see the adult Mary, the faithful and nurturing Mother of God, and we see Mary, resolute and strong, facing the end of her earthly life. In so doing, there are examples for each of us to imitate in each stage of our lives, in our families, and in our communities.
Wishing to all who celebrate their Name Day on this Feast, the blessings of our Lord through the intercessions of His Mother the Theotokos, I remain,
With Love in Christ,
GERASIMOS Metropolitan of San Francisco


​

In our Orthodox Tradition, there are four major fast periods throughout the year; the Nativity Fast which begins on November 15, Great Lent which begins on Clean Monday, The Dormition Fast which begins on August 1, and the Apostles Fast which begins on the Monday after the Sunday of All Saints (which this year is on June 12), and ends on June 29, the feast of Saints Peter and Paul. 
Of the fasts mentioned above, the Apostles Fast is unique. Whereas the other fasts are a fixed number of days in length, the Apostles Fast varies in length. In some years it can be as long as five weeks and in other years it may only be one or two days in length, or not occur at all. This is because this fast begins on the Monday after the Sunday of All Saints. The Sunday of All Saints is dependent on Pentecost, which is a movable feast, celebrated on a different Sunday every year. Another characteristic of the Apostles Fast, which distinguishes it from the other three, is that this fast is not as strict. Fish, wine and oil can be consumed throughout the fast, except on Wednesday’s and Friday’s which are strict fast days. 
To understand the purpose of the Apostles Fast we are invited to remember that both Saints Peter and Paul worked diligently to establish our Lord’s Church. The focus of the Book of Acts is on the ministry of these two holy men as they preached our Lord crucified and resurrected. Hence, the Orthodox Church has always acknowledged Saints Peter and Paul as pillars of the Church, and especially Saint Paul, as a stellar example of what it means to be a missionary. 
Hence the Apostles Fast invites us to remember in prayer the missionaries of our Church, those who are serving the Lord, by working diligently to establish Churches in conditions that are, at times, difficult. This period of fasting also reminds us that we too have an obligation to be a missionary for our Lord. Jesus invites us when He says to us “…go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit…” (Matthew 28:19)
While we are all called to be missionaries, we are not all called to be missionaries in foreign lands. How then are we invited to be missionaries? The answer is simple. Perhaps our faith has helped us through a difficult time or perhaps we are simply thankful for all of the blessings we have. Both are powerful witnesses to those who may be searching. As Saint Peter states, “Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have.” (1 Peter 3:15). Hence, we are invited through the Apostles Fast to prayerfully think through our own testimony and to ask our Lord to help us share it whenever He gives us the opportunity. All around us are people who need Christ; our families, our friends, our neighbors, the people we work with. Perhaps our witness will open the door of their hearts to the grace of our Lord. Finally, when we are all united in heaven, we may discover that our witness played a role in their salvation. 
As we walk the journey of the Apostles Fast we are reminded that each of us can make an impact for our Lord through our witness. We not only pray for our missionaries in foreign lands, we pray and ask for strength that we may share the joy of our faith with others. Through our witness our own faith is strengthened. In this way we become Christ’s light in this broken and confused world so that our Father in heaven may be praised by all.
​
~ Rev. Father Dean Kouldukis, Proistamenos
Assumption Greek Orthodox Church - Seattle, WA