Hellenic Net

ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ The Holy Saturday before Ascension Sunday has the following meaning: The next day is dedicated to the Second Coming of the Lord. That terrible day when we will all stand before the throne of the great Judge. For this reason, with the commemoration of the fallen, we ask the Lord to have mercy and show his sympathy and long-suffering, not only to us, but also to our departed brothers, and to place us all together in His Heavenly Kingdom. The Saturday before Palm Sunday is called - "Saturday of Souls" or Psycho Saturday. It is the first of the two Holy Saturdays of the year (the second takes place on the Saturday before Pentecost Sunday). The reason our Church instituted it, despite the fact that every Saturday is dedicated to those who have fallen asleep, is the following: Because many at times died young or in the wilderness or at sea or on the mountains and slopes or even some, due to poverty, were not claimed of the ordered commemorations, "the divine Fathers, ...

Άγιος Ιωάννης o Πρόδρομος. Εορτασμός 7 Ιανουαρίου Ἐμὴ σε γλῶσσα Κήρυξ πῶς ἂν αἰνέσῃ, Ὃν γλῶσσα Χριστοῦ γηγενῶν μείζω λέγει; Μνήμη ἐβδομάτη Προδρόμου λάχεν αἰδοίοιο. On January 7, the Greek Orthodox church celebrates the Feast Day of the Synaxis of Agios Ioannis the Baptist and Holy Forerunner of Christ, who is also the Protector Saint of God Parents, as he baptised Jesus Christ. January 7, Synaxis of Agios Ioannis the Baptist and Forerunner of Christ Τάφος του Αγίου Ιωάννη του Βαπτιστή σε ένα κοπτικό μοναστήρι στην Κάτω Αίγυπτο. Εδώ λέγεται ότι βρέθηκαν τα οστά του Αγίου Ιωάννη του Προδρόμου. In the Orthodox Church, it is customary, on the day following the Great Feasts of the Lord and the Mother of God, to remember those saints who participated directly in the sacred event. So, on the day following the Theophany of the Lord, the Church honours the one who participated directly in the Baptism of Christ, placing his own hand upon the head of the Savior. Saint John, the holy Forerunner a...

Αγία Θεοφάνεια. Εορτασμός 6 Ιανουαρίου On the sixth of January, the Christmas holidays in Greece officially come to an end with the ‘festival of light’ (‘ton foton’ in Greek), also known as Epiphany. This feast day in the Greek Orthodox Church is known as ‘Theophania’ which means ‘a vision of God’ or ‘Christ shining through’. It is considered a very important day for The Greek Orthodox Church. January 6th is also known as ‘Three Kings Day’ in the Western Church, a celebration of  the three magi visiting the Christ child. Epiphany (/əˈpɪfəni/ ə-PIF-ə-nee), also known as "Theophany" in Eastern Christian tradition, is a Christian feast day commemorating the visit of the Magi, the baptism of Jesus, and the wedding at Cana.[2] In Western Christianity, the feast commemorates principally (but not solely) the visit of the Magi to the Christ Child, and thus Jesus Christ's physical manifestation to the Gentiles. It is sometimes called Three Kings' Day, and in some traditions ce...

Οσία Μελάνη η Ρωμαία, 31 Δεκεμβρίου Saint Melania was born in Rome into a devout Christian family. Her parents, people of property and wealth, hoped that their daughter would marry and have children who would inherit their wealth. At fourteen years of age Melania was married to the illustrious youth Apinianus. From the very beginning of their married life, Saint Melania asked her husband to live with her in chastity or else release her from the marriage. Apinianus answered, “I cannot agree to this right now. When we have two children to inherit the property, then we shall both renounce the world.” Soon Melania gave birth to a daughter, whom the young parents dedicated to God. Continuing to live together in marriage, Melania secretly wore a hair shirt and spent her nights in prayer. The second child, a boy, was premature and had severe complications. They baptized him, and he departed to the Lord. Seeing the suffering of his wife, Apinianus asked the Lord to preserve Saint Melania’s lif...

ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ Τὰς ἐκ σιδηρῶν ὀξέων ἥλων ξέσεις, Ὥς τις σιδηροῦς καρτερεῖς Θεμιστόκλεις. Saint Themistocles is one of the lesser known saints of the Orthodox Church. He lived during the 3rd century AD. in the region of Myra in Lycia, in Asia Minor, which today is called Kale and is located on the southern coast of Turkey. At that time, Lycia was part of the Roman Empire. Themistocles lived at the time when Diocletian was on the imperial throne. He was in charge of the eastern part of the empire while Maximian was in charge of the western part. Diocletian during the period 284-303 AD. and after establishing the so-called Tetrarchy, he started a persecution against the Christians. Saint Themistocles was one of the many martyrs of this period. During the persecution, Saint Dioskouros was pursued by Asclepius, ruler of Lycia. But he found refuge in Saint Themistocles, a local shepherd, who hid and protected him. When the soldiers found Saint Themistocles they asked him if he knew anything about ...

ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ Χάρις λέουσιν Ἰγνάτιε παμβόροις, Σοῦ σώματος λιποῦσι καὶ πιστοῖς μέρος. Τῇ ἐνάτῃ ἐπάνοδος Ἰγνατίῳ εἰκάδι τύχθη. Λέουσιν, Ἰγνάτιε, δεῖπνον προὐτέθης, Κοινωνὲ δείπνου μυστικοῦ, θάρσους λέον. Εἰκάδι Ἰγνάτιος θάνε γαμφηλῇσι λεόντων. Ignatius of Antioch (/ɪɡˈneɪʃəs/; Greek: Ἰγνάτιος Ἀντιοχείας, Ignátios Antiokheías; died c. 108/140 AD), also known as Ignatius Theophorus (Ἰγνάτιος ὁ Θεοφόρος, Ignátios ho Theophóros, lit. "the God-bearing"), was an early Christian writer and Patriarch of Antioch. While en route to Rome, where he met his martyrdom, Ignatius wrote a series of letters. This correspondence forms a central part of a later collection of works by the Apostolic Fathers. He is considered one of the three most important of these, together with Clement of Rome and Polycarp. His letters also serve as an example of early Christian theology, and address important topics including ecclesiology, the sacraments, and the role of bishops. Nothing is known of Ignatius' lif...