Hellenic Net

ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΑ Ο Nεομάρτυρας Σταμάτιος εκ Σπετσών είναι Άγιος της Ελληνορθόδοξης Εκκλησίας και Πολιούχος των  Stamatios and John were brothers according to the flesh and merchants, and Nicholas was a business associate, all from the island of Spetses. It was a chaotic time because the Greek revolution had been declared in 1821. These three along with a group of another four people traveled the Aegean with their load of olive oil. Because of bad weather their boat was stranded on Asia Minor across from Chios, in the area of Tsesme. They went out where they met a Christian to whom they revealed their situation and they gave him money to buy them food and whatever they needed for the return of their small boat. He, however, as another Judas, betrayed them to the aga of the area, and after a short time the aga's men appeared. They killed two from their group as they tried to flee, another two fell into the sea, and the Stamatios, John and Nicholas were seized and led to the pasha of Chios. H...

Υπαπαντή του Κυρίου, 2 Φεβρουαρίου Κόλπους Πατρὸς τυποῦσι τοῦ σοῦ, Χριστέ μου, Τοῦ Συμεὼν αἱ χεῖρες, αἱ φέρουσί σε. Δέξατο δευτερίῃ Χριστὸν Συμεὼν παρὰ Νηῷ. This feast, celebrated on February 2, is known in the Orthodox Church as The Presentation of Christ in the Temple. Another name for the feast is The Meeting of our Lord. Roman Catholic and Protestant Christians call the feast, The Purification of the Holy Virgin. About 450 AD in Jerusalem, people began the custom of holding lighted candles during the Divine Liturgy of this feast day. Therefore, some churches in the West refer to this holy day as Candlemas. The Feast of the Presentation concludes the observances related to the Nativity of Christ, a period that opened on November 15 with the beginning of the Nativity fast. The story of the Presentation is told in Luke 2:22-29. Mary and Joseph were faithful Jews and observed their religious customs. An important custom was for the couple to take their first-born son to the Temple. The...