Epiphany means ‘revealing’. In the Christian tradition, Epiphany refers to a realization that Christ is the Son of God. Western churches generally celebrate the Visit of the Magi as the revelation of the Incarnation of the infant Christ, and commemorate the Feast of the Epiphany on January 6.
God of Light, Star of Love, we fix the eyes of our hearts on you. Lead us; guide us to where shall see Christ, and kneel.
The theme of the Epiphany season is that Jesus is the light of the world. The season begins with the light of a star and ends on transfiguration Sunday with Jesus shining with divine light on a mountain top.
The light of Christ’s love illumines our path and guides our way. We look at life in the light of God’s love, and that changes how we see the world. And the light of that love shines in us, so that our own lives become lights for others: streetlamps that offer guidance and safety, lighthouses that warn of danger, a new dawn that signals hope and beauty. Even when the scriptures aren’t literally talking about light, they describe how God’s love changes the world like light changes the darkness.
We also hear a lot this year about justice. God calls us to live in harmony with God’s spirit of compassion, which brings justice in the world like light in the darkness. Today’s world of political turmoil can feel pretty dark: things are worrisome, uncertain, unseen, and hard to discern. The world is full of shadowy figures who with selfish motives seem to avoid the light of truth, but haunt the poorly lit places. God’s mercy and justice shine light into such a world.
Several years ago, the Church of England decided that the three Wise Men might not have been men at all and there might not have been three of them. It is commonly assumed that there were three ‘givers’ for the three gifts for Jesus (gold, frankincense and myrrh) but original scripture did not say whether there were three visitors, or more, or less. (The gifts are an allusion to Isaiah 60.6: “They shall bring gold and frankincense, and shall proclaim the praise of God.” Matthew, foreshadowing the cross, adds myrrh.).
The idea that the visitors were kings didn’t appear until the fifth century. The word the writer of Matthew’s gospel uses suggests the visitors were foreigners, people outside the Jewish faith – probably Zoroastrian priests, or astrologers, or magicians, or ancient shamans from the courts of ancient Persia. They were sorcerers, high-ranking officials, but not kings.
Scripture is also silent on whether they were men or women. Christine Schenk has written a wonderful article, An Epiphany with Wise Women? She quotes a renowned authority on the Gospel of Matthew, Dominican Fr. Benedict Thomas Viviano, who believes it entirely possible that women could have been among the Magi portrayed in the Matthean birth narrative. Viviano is professor emeritus at the University of Fribourg, Switzerland. He also wrote the commentary on Matthew in The New Jerome Biblical Commentary.Well worth a read.
You may have read the humorous take on the Wise Men asks, What would have happened if it had been three Wise Women?
The visitors in the Gospel account should be referred to as ‘magi’ because the Bible is “silent” on identifying them by gender or status or profession
A prayer for Epiphany We trust in God, Creator of all that is, whose light guides us and whose grace extends to all people of the world. We follow Jesus, the Christ of God, Light of the world, who is the ruler of our hearts, before whom we bow in adoration and reverence, to whom we offer the gifts of our hands and hearts. Jesus loved people and healed them, and taught the way of true wisdom. Though many would make him king, he was not a ruler of a nation but the Prince of Peace. Earthly kings were threatened by him, and crucified him, but he was raised from the dead, sovereign even over life itself. We live by the Holy Spirit, whose light is a star that guides us, whose grace gives us gifts to offer the world, whose companionship makes us one with peoples of all nations, tribes and traditions. In the power of that Spirit we devote ourselves to love and justice, for the sake of Christ, the sovereign of our hearts. (Source: Steve Garnaas-Holmes)
The Armenian Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas on 6th January. As the world’s oldest Christian nation, the spirit of Christmas runs deep in Armenian culture.
But holiday festivities in the Artsakh region will be curtailed this year due to the blockade of the Lachin Corridor, the only road connecting the Artsakh region to the world. Over 120,000 Armenians (including 30,000 children) depend on daily imports of 400 tons of food and medicine. Local officials are warning of a humanitarian disaster as they implement price controls and ration remaining goods.
Christmas is a time for sharing. The blockade in Artsakh means the act of sharing is understood in the most literal sense, given the shortage of food, medicine, fuel and other vital goods.
Pope Francis’ has called on all parties involved in the conflict to find “peaceful solutions to the dispute “for the good of the people.” He expressed concern about the situation in the region and in particular “about the precarious humanitarian conditions of the people, which are in further danger of deteriorating during the winter season”.
A significant number of people from this region have made their home in Australia, and will feel distress and anguish about this situation. Let us join in prayer for peace and the end of the blockade.
The World Council of Churches (WCC) and the Conference of European Churches (CEC), have urged the European Union to pursue all possible diplomatic initiatives to ensure that Azerbaijan re-opens the Lachin Corridor and provides appropriate guarantees that it will remain open. The corridor – the only road connecting Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh to Armenia – has reportedly been blocked by Azeri forces since 12 December, completely isolating around 120,000 ethnic Armenians living in the enclave, and depriving them of food, medicines and other basic necessities, as well as gas supplies.
In a joint letter in December to the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy (European Union), they wrote:
The World Council of Churches and the Conference of European Churches denounces the blockade by Azerbaijan of Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh, as a violation of the tripartite agreement that ended the six-week war of 2020, of international humanitarian and human rights law, and of the most fundamental moral principles. By its actions in obstructing the humanitarian Lachin corridor, and by temporarily cutting gas supplies to the region just at the onset of winter, Azerbaijan is deliberately creating a humanitarian emergency for the 120,000 ethnic Armenian residents of Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh, seeking to force Armenia into accepting a settlement on Azerbaijan’s terms, and trying to terrorize ethnic Armenians into abandoning their ancient homeland.
This follows a clear pattern of behaviour by Azerbaijan that contradicts any claims of goodwill and humanitarian responsibility on its part. Increasing Azerbaijani attacks on sovereign Armenian territory prompted the UN Security Council to call an emergency meeting on 15 September 2022. Growing evidence of gross violations of human rights against Armenians by Azerbaijan’s military and security forces compelled Human Rights Watch to accuse Baku of war crimes. Accountability for such crimes and violations has not been pursued. Moreover, Armenian religious and cultural heritage in the region remain largely unmonitored, unprotected and at risk.
In these circumstances, Armenian fears of renewed genocide against them cannot be discounted, and the blockade of Artsakh/Nagorno-Karabakh is a context in which those fears are greatly and understandably exacerbated.
We therefore write to urge you to pursue all possible diplomatic initiatives to ensure that Azerbaijan re-opens the Lachin corridor and provides appropriate guarantees that it will remain open. Further, we appeal to you to do all in your power to secure extension of the mandate of the existing EU monitoring mission at the Armenia-Azerbaijan border to include the Lachin corridor, in order to provide independent civilian monitoring of the situation along the corridor.
We look forward to your response, and to your swift action to address these urgent humanitarian and human rights concerns.
Yours sincerely,
Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca Acting General Secretary World Council of Churches
Dr Jørgen Skov Sørensen General Secretary Conference of European Churches
The UN Security Council has urged an end to the blockade of the Lachin Corridor. Russia, a permanent member of the Council, said that it anticipates the opening of the Corridor in the near future. Its peacekeeping forces reportedly have been engaged in negotiations with the Azerbaijani side.
During a 44-day war with 6,500 casualties in 2020, Azerbaijan recaptured three-quarters of its internationally recognized sovereign territory, before Russia engineered a ceasefire. The indigenous Armenian inhabitants controlled the enclave for the previous 30 years, claiming the right of self-determination in an unrecognized 1991 independence referendum.
January 5th is the 12th day of Christmas – and is also Epiphany Eve.
It may be surprising to some that Christmas in the Western Church* is not the month leading up to Christmas, but the twelve days from December 25th to January 5th (also known as Christmastide).
The twelve days of Christmas.
(And it’s got nothing to do with the gifts in the ‘Twelve Days of Christmas’ as a catechism song – see Snopes article that debunks this social media claim)
In Christian theology, the 12 days of Christmas is the period that marks the span between the birth of Christ and the coming of the Magi (usually known as the ‘three wise men’), and is often celebrated with a focus on various saints.
It’s traditional to add the figures of the Wise Men/Three Kings into the Nativity Scene on Epiphany Eve ready to celebrate Epiphany on the 6th January. (Is the nativity set might still set up?). It’s also traditional to take Christmas decorations down following the twelve days of Christmas. And the twelfth night is also associated with the custom of ‘wassailing’. Wondering how carol singing might be received by the neighbours today?
So, the Christmas season is less about the the commercialised lead up to Christmas, or ‘switching off’ in holiday mode after Christmas festivities – and more about the liturgical rhythm to celebrate the nativity of Christ long after the stores have finished playing Christmas carols.
In Tudor England, there was a tradition on “twelfth night” when the king and his upper-echelon would become the peasants, and vise versa. The elite would become servants for the peasants. At the beginning of the ‘twelfth night’ festival, a cake containing a bean was eaten. The person who found the bean became king and would run the feast. Midnight brought an end to his rule and the world would return to normal. Interesting tradition in the light of Mary’s Magnificat where the ‘social order’ is upended.
God has brought down the powerful from their thrones, and lifted up the lowly; God has filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich away empty.
(verses from Luke 1:46-55)
“The Magnificat is a revolutionary song of salvation whose political, economic, and social dimensions cannot be blunted. People in need in every society hear a blessing in this canticle. The battered woman, the single parent without resources, those without food on the table or without even a table, the homeless family, the young abandoned to their own devices, the old who are discarded: all are encompassed in the hope Mary proclaims.”
Sr Elizabeth Johnson, 2012
*Many Orthodox Christians celebrate Christmas Day on or near January 7 to remember Jesus Christ’s birth, described in the Christian Bible. This date works to the Julian calendar that pre-dates the Gregorian calendar, which is commonly observed.
Pope Benedict’s death has come at the turning of the year – December 31st. Death – and the year’s turn [crisis] – are times for reconsidering the present and for discerning the future.
Pope Francis remembered “dear Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI” as a noble and kind man of faith, and expressed his gratitude to God for his gift to the Church:
“We are moved as we recall him as such a noble person, so kind. And we feel such gratitude in our hearts: gratitude to God for having given him to the Church and to the world; gratitude to him for all the good he accomplished, and above all, for his witness of faith and prayer, especially in these last years of his recollected life. Only God knows the value and the power of his intercession, of the sacrifices he offered for the good of the Church.”
A powerful excerpt from Pope Benedict XVI’s first homily as Pope after Pope John Paul II’s passing:
“How alone we all felt after the passing of John Paul II – the Pope who for over twenty-six years had been our shepherd and guide on our journey through life. He crossed the threshold of the next life, entering into the mystery of God. But he did not take this step alone. Those who believe are never alone – neither in life nor in death. At that moment, we could call upon the Saints from every age – his friends, his brothers, and sisters in the faith – knowing that they would form a living procession to accompany him into the next world, into the glory of God… I too can say with renewed conviction: I am not alone. All the Saints of God are there to protect me, to sustain me, and to carry me. And your prayers, my dear friends, your indulgence, your love, your faith, and your hope accompany me.” (Pope Benedict XVI)
Catholicos-Patriarch Mar Awa III Royel (Assyrian Church) who visited Australia in 2022 offered his deep condolences to Pope Francis and the clergy and believers of the Roman Catholic Church on the passing of Pope Benedict XVI.
The world will always remember Pope Benedict, his majestic personality as a great theologian, and as an exemplary Christian who put the Church above himself. He will always be remembered as an exemplary and faithful shepherd.
Catholicos-Patriarch Mar Away III Royal
A prayer for the soul of Pope Emeritus Benedict XVI:
Father, eternal shepherd, hear the prayers of your people for your servant Benedict, who governed your Church with love.
In your mercy, bring him with the flock once entrusted to his care to the reward you have promised your faithful servants.
May he who faithfully administered the mysteries of your forgiveness and love on earth, rejoice with you for ever in heaven
In your wise and loving care, you made your servant teacher of all your Church. He did the work of Christ on earth.
May your Son welcome him into eternal glory.
May your servant whom you appointed high priest of your flock be counted now among the priests in the life of your kingdom.
Give your servant the reward of eternal happiness and let your mercy win for us the gift of your life and love.
We entrust your servant to your mercy with faith and confidence. In the human family he was an instrument of your peace and love.
We entrust your servant to your mercy with faith and confidence. In the human family he was an instrument of your peace and love.
May he rejoice in those gifts for ever with your saints.
Friends, I recently heard an Advent prayer that has a striking line in it, describing Jesus’ birth. It said:
[Jesus], when the soles of your feet touch the ground, … you become one of us, to be at one with us.
The image of God’s bare feet touching the earth is such an evocative one.
Especially at this time of year, we know only too well what it feels like to do the ‘great Aussie dance’ across a hot beach or prickly lawn!
But of course, this image is far more than a physical reminder.
For Christmas is the divinity of God born into our humanity.
Through the Incarnation, God comes to us, withholding nothing of himself from us.
Barefooted—taking on our flesh, our human condition—in order to touch, and to be touched, in the particularities of our lives: this is Emmanuel—God with us.
Christmas is God placing an exclamation mark on his words, ‘I am with you!’
Our God, whose name is Jesus, has walked with us through the tough years of the pandemic and is touching the ground now where healing and renewal is needed.
The Son of God is walking through the streets of Ukraine and Myanmar, Ethiopia and Lebanon, with feet bloodied from war, conflict and repression, yet still taking the steps needed towards peace and liberation.
He has seen and felt both the joy of our existence and the suffering of those who are lost or vulnerable. He has awakened us to an attentiveness for our global humanity, and a care for our common home.
So I wonder if, this Christmas and for the year ahead, it is time to remove the ‘shoes’ that keep us from standing barefoot with Jesus—to feel the sacred ground of our lives with God?
Might we come before him ‘barefoot’ in our frailties, yet alive in the wonder of our humanity—made in his image—ready and willing to live as the people of God he has created us to be—fraternally, lovingly, caringly; generous, forgiving and hopeful.
May Jesus, the barefooted child of the living God, fill you and your loved ones with abundant joy and peace. Happy Christmas!
Rev. Prof. Dr Ioan Sauca, WCC Acting general secretary,
At the recent WCC Assembly in Karlsruhe, which reflected on the love of Christ that moves the world to reconciliation and unity, the moving and challenging question of a Muslim guest who addressed the delegates remained deep in my heart: “Is the love of Christ for Christians alone or it is also for me?”
The joyful message of the first Christmas states that the love of God in Christ is meant indeed for all people, for the whole of creation. During the night when Jesus was born, an angel appears to shepherds who live in the fields and watch over their flock. The shepherds are frightened. The angel tells them, “do not be afraid!” and adds, “I bring you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born . . . a Saviour.” Then many angels proclaim to the humble shepherds glory to God in the highest and on earth peace and goodwill toward people.
Our time is a time of fear. Some fear for the survival of future generations or the submersion of their home islands because of the climate emergency we are experiencing. Many are afraid today that they will no longer be able to feed their children tomorrow. Others are afraid that military conflicts may cause nuclear disasters. In our age of social networks, fear is leading to increasing hate speech, to a proliferation of conspiracy theories, violations of human rights, and threats to democracy.
The encouraging words of the angel – “do not be afraid!” – reflect the ancient Christian teaching that faith and love drive out fear. The angel of the first Christmas called the shepherds to have faith in the divine promise of peace on earth and God’s goodwill towards humanity.
The words of the angel are addressed to you and to me today: “Do not be afraid!” The promise of the angels is addressed to you and to me today: “Peace on earth and good will toward people!” As we welcome this promise, God’s Spirit makes us people of good will.
Who are people of good will? As Christians we are aware and confess that our very call and vocation as Christ’s disciples is to be people of good will, agents of reconciliation, and peacemakers, living out Christ’s love for the world. People of good will are also people of other faiths or people of no religion who share today in this compassionate love for their neighbours and especially for the most vulnerable, and live out in their daily lives the values of the kingdom. They are those from different ethnic backgrounds and cultures, who seek to live simply for the sake of the preservation and renewal of the whole creation. They are those who affirm today the dignity of every human being and resist the sins of Christian nationalism, racism, and xenophobia. They are our companions on the pilgrimage of justice, reconciliation, and unity.
As we welcome the beautiful message of the first Christmas, God’s Spirit calls us to become agents of reconciliation in the places we live. Ours is a time of growing polarization in family life, local communities, churches, and nations; tensions that produce conflict and trauma.
At the first Christmas, God came to us in Jesus of Nazareth that we may be reconciled with God and become servants of reconciliation. With all good wishes for a blessed Christmas season, we invite you to welcome in faith and love the angels’ promise of peace on earth, and to live as a pilgrim on the path to justice, reconciliation, and unity.
A 2022 Christmas message from Ukrainian Bishop Mykola Bychok
“Don’t cry, Rachel, look, the children are whole,
do not die, but come to life, but come to life”
(Christmas Carol)
Christ is Born! Glorify Him!
Dear Beloved in Christ!
The Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ is one of the greatest feasts of the church’s Liturgical year. In the Incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ, who for our sake became a little child, we see the closeness of the Holy God to sinful man. That is why the Ukrainian people have Christmas traditions that are very deep, powerful, and express this great truth with great vitality. We glorify Christ through participation in the Nativity scene, where we remember the All-Holy Theotokos and Ever Virgin Mary, Saint Joseph the Betrothed, the angels, the shepherds, the three kings, as well as Herod, the soldiers and death. We share the joy of the birth of the Son of God, greeting each other “Christ is born! Glorify Him!”
The joy of Christmas is always intertwined with notes of sadness. The Christmas carol “Don’t cry, Rachel” refers directly to Herod’s murder of the innocent children in Bethlehem. The newborn Jesus continues to manifest himself in the suffering children of war, frozen by hunger and cold, in orphaned and abandoned children, in disabled and wounded children, in street-kids and sick children, in poor and large families fleeing from war. From an early age, children are forced to hide from shelling, receive education in bomb shelters, and freeze in their homes. The newborn Messiah sympathizes with those whose childhoods are scarred by war.
Today, many of our people have become refugees, following the example of the Holy Family, who also fled to save the life of the Child Jesus. Unfortunately, people closed their houses in Bethlehem in front of the Holy Family. Jesus feels the pain of Ukrainians who are forced to leave their homes to save the lives of their children. The Saviour accompanies the refugees, opening the hearts of Christians from all over the world to the needs of their neighbours.
In this great feast, we see the Holy Family: the Mother of God, who tenderly embraces her Son, Saint Joseph, who cares for the good of the family, and the infant Jesus, who gently sleeps in the arms of His Mother. A family feels something similar when a child is born: love, comfort and a look into the future. For now, however, this Christmas, for many families, will be filled with unspeakable pain, separation from loved ones, and uncertainty about the future. I remember the Ukrainian families in my prayers and call on all the faithful to pray fervently in their families for those families who are victims of this unjust war today.
We as a people are once again experiencing painful pages in our history. Once again, we are fighting for our freedom, defending our God-given rights. Despite all the trials, however, we celebrate the Nativity of Christ, singing the Christmas carol: “The Eternal God is born.” We experience the incredible love of the newborn Baby, which envelops and unites all Ukrainians.
Let the coming of the Baby Jesus warm our hearts with God’s warmth, though many hearts are wounded by hatred, cruelty and the death of the innocent. May God’s presence amongst us give us a spark of joy, in the midst of sadness, and suffering. May He grant us patience to faithfully persevere in the trials we experience. May He fill us with hope for a better future and the victory of good over evil. May He strengthen us in faith and understanding that we may know confidently that we are not alone in these trials – “God is with us”.
Christ is Born! Glorify Him!
The blessing of the Lord be upon you!
+ MYKOLA BYCHOK, CSsR
Eparch of Melbourne
Given in Melbourne,
at our Cathedral of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul,
on the 4th day of December, in the Year of Our Lord 2022,
Volunteering Australia proudly supports International Volunteer Day (IVD)on 5 December 2022, to raise awareness of the important role volunteers play in responding to challenges facing the world.
Of course, it’s most appropriate to celebrate ‘volunteerism’ in congregations, where so much of the living out of our baptism and Christian discipleship is through engaging in any number of volunteer roles. We also know that in churches there can be a shortfall of volunteers in various areas of church ministry and mission. This shortage of leaders can force churches to shut down ministries; to overload those who are currently volunteering; or if budget allows, hire staff to lead things, which simply leads to a bottleneck later down the line. Anthony Hilder reflects on good leadership practices that support church volunteers in both quantity and engagement, and most importantly, give them opportunities to grow.
IVD is a day to celebrate and promote volunteering. There are millions of volunteers in Australia and the contributions that they make to communities around the country are enormous. IVD is an opportunity to acknowledge, thank and shine a light on the important work of volunteers.
Rising inequalities throughout the world implore that we need to work together to find common solutions. Volunteers, drawn together by solidarity, develop solutions to urgent development challenges and for the common good.
Volunteering is where compassion meets solidarity. Both share the same root values – supporting each other from a position of trust, humility, respect and equality.
For the future of our planet, we must act together and we must act now. This is not an era to stand alone but together, as one, in solidarity with each other and for the sake of all people and the planet.
Encouraging, recognising, and promoting volunteerism is an important part of creating a more equal and inclusive future for communities worldwide.
Together, we’re stronger. Together, we create change. Together, for the common good. Together, we make a difference. Together we find solutions
(message from IVD)
Volunteers and volunteering have been impacted greatly by COVID-19 and now is the time to invest and commit to reinvigorating volunteering in Australia.
Volunteering Australia is leading the process for a new National Strategy for Volunteering, designed and owned by the volunteering ecosystem, it will provide a blueprint for a reimagined future for volunteering in Australia.
1.12.2022 A pastoral message (Ukrainian Catholic Church, Melbourne)
«If two of you agree on earth about anything they ask,
it will be done for them by my Father in heaven» (Mt. 18, 19)
Glory be to Jesus Christ,
Dear brothers and sisters,
Prayer should occupy a prominent place in the life of every Christian, in the life of each and every one of us. After all, prayer is a “life-giving breath”. St. John Climacus says that prayer by its very nature is the communication and union of man with God, and by its action it supports the world and unites it with God. “Prayer is our main rule of life. As we pray more often, we progressively bring prayer closer to our daily affairs until prayer becomes one of our main daily activities and all other endeavours are filled with the spirit of prayer” (Catechism UGCC, 700).
Our prayer has varying types and dimensions. The catechism of the UGCC “Christ Our Pascha” teaches four types of prayer: Praise, Thanksgiving, Penitential Prayer and Prayer of Supplication (810-821). In this message, I would like to briefly focus your attention on the last type of prayer – the Prayer of Supplication (prayer of request).
In communication with God, the request occupies an important place. “Sometimes people turn to God in prayer demanding unconditional fulfilment of their desires and needs. True supplication, however, is not a demand, but rather a readiness to accept God’s reply, fully trusting in him. This is because we realise that He always grants us what we need” (Catechism UGCC, 820).
From an early age, we learned to pray privately and ask God for all of our necessities and needs. This is indeed very good, because a personal conversation with God (which our private prayer is) supports us, strengthens u, and is the basis of our relationship with our loving Father.
“The mature prayer of the Christian has two dimensions: liturgical and personal”, however (Catechism UGCC, 668). In addition to our personal prayer, there should always be time set aside for common, liturgical prayer. Common prayer is at the same time a symbol of the common faith of the Church. “For the liturgy, through which the work of our redemption is accomplished, most of all in the divine sacrifice of the Eucharist, is the outstanding means whereby the faithful may express in their lives, and manifest to others, the mystery of Christ and the real nature of the true Church” (Constitution on the Sacred Liturgy, 2).
To date, the understanding of the importance of common prayer during the Divine Liturgy and submission of personal requests (intentions) for prayer has been lost in our Eparchy. Although, speaking to our faithful, this good practice existed from the beginning of the Eparchy.
I would like to point out that every day of the week has its own special significance in the liturgical life of the church: Monday is dedicated to angels; Tuesday – to Saint forerunner John the Baptist; Wednesday – to the Cross and the Theotokos; Thursday – to the apostles and Saint Nicholas; Friday – to the Holy Cross; Saturday – for all the saints and for the deceased, and Sunday – for the resurrection of Christ. Therefore, every day and every Sunday we have the opportunity to add our requests and intentions to prayer during the Liturgy.
Every time we are present in the church at the Divine Service, we are together, praying as a community “for everyone and everything.” All the petitions of our services are directed to the Lord, who “is able to provide [us] with every blessing in abundance, so that [we] may always have enough of everything and may provide in abundance for every good work” (2 Cor. 9, 8).
In addition to general requests and intentions, each of us can submit our personal intention. The Church instituted these different consecrations and blessings according to the needs of the people. The Holy Spirit gives life to the faithful and sanctifies them both in the Holy Mysteries and in diverse blessings and consecrations. In these prayers the Church, like a compassionate Mother caring for her children, whether living or deceased, prays for their salvation. Through these prayers of the Church our vocation to sanctify every aspect of our life – that is, to fill it with the memory of God’s presence in all things and in every place – is realized (Catechism UGCC, 500-501).
Each of the faithful can ask a priest for prayer in a specific intention or blessing for a specific thing. In the temple, we can submit our request for prayer in a special intention to the priest, emphasizing an important event in our personal life, or someone else for whom we would like to order this or some other intention. Such a prayer can be a Divine Liturgy for both the living and the dead, or Moleben or Akathist for the living, or Panakhyda or Parastas for the dead. Therefore, the names of the living or the deceased for commemoration at the Liturgy or other divine services are accepted from all those who want the priest to pray for them.
A special service where we can add our private petitions is a Divine Liturgy. This Divine Service is the peak towards which the Church’s action is directed, and at the same time the source from which all Its power flows. The Divine Liturgy consists of the Proskomide, the Liturgy of the Word; and the Liturgy of the Eucharist. In the Divine Liturgy the mystery of salvation is accomplished. This salvation is the bringing together of God and humankind in Christ, the “building up of the body of Christ” (Catechism UGCC, 345). The petition (intention) of each Divine Liturgy is “[that God] unite all of us, who share in this one bread and cup, with one another into the communion of the one Holy Spirit…” and that the communicants would gain “sobriety of the soul, forgiveness of sins, fellowship of the Holy Spirit, fulfilment of the kingdom of heaven…”.
The Catechism of the UGCC teaches that the faithful participate in the Proskomide (the first part of the Liturgy) by presenting requests for prayers for themselves and for others, and by bringing offerings. Therefore, we must remember that these petitions (intentions) should not be limited only to birthday anniversaries, the anniversaries of the departure of our loved ones to eternity, or in times of extreme need.
I would like to emphasize that the parish priests/administrators every Sunday at the Holy Liturgy have the duty to pray the intention for all the faithful of their parish. This means that it is impossible to pray another intention on Sunday, unless there are several priests in the parish.
In our tradition, every Saturday is dedicated to the memory of all saints and the deceased. Accordingly, on this day, the Liturgy is served with this intention. After the reading of the Holy Gospel, there is a separate litany for the dead, during which a priest prays for our deceased by name. Therefore, we have the opportunity to add the names of the deceased from our families to this prayer. In addition, let’s remember Sorokousty during Great Lent and all other All Souls’ Saturdays, on which we remember in a special way all those who have already passed from this life.
Intention for the living should also have a proper place in our Liturgical prayer. After reading the Holy Gospel at the Liturgy, the priest prays a separate request for the living, mentioning everyone by name. Therefore, we can submit the names of our relatives and friends and the intentions of their needs (for health, for healing, for travel, in a good cause, etc.) every day, since each of us is a unique person whom God calls by name. When we bring and offer to God “all the cares of our life,” we transcend our private lives and enter into a new and ecclesial, comprehensive and universal communion (Catechism UGCC, 353).
Today our monetary donation “for the Liturgy” dates back to ancient times, as the faithful brought bread, wine, oil, incense and various gifts for the Divine Service. These gifts were used for the Liturgy, and other gifts were intended for the needs of the clergy and the relief of the poor. So nowadays, by making our monetary donation, we continue this ancient custom and support our priests in their ministry.
I encourage all our faithful to contact their priests and submit their requests (petitions/intentions) as often as possible. And I kindly ask the priests to remind their faithful about the importance of common prayer in various needs.
The blessing of the Lord be upon you!
+ MYKOLA BYCHOK, CSsR
Eparch of Melbourne
Given in Melbourne, at our Cathedral of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul,
on the 1st day of December, in the Year of Our Lord 2022,
VCC Executive Officer, Rev (Deacon) Sandy Boyce, delivered the Christmas message to the Melbourne Church of South India Christmas Carols service on 26th November 2022.
Firstly let me acknowledge we meet on the sacred lands of the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin nation. It has been their land since time immemorial, land that was taken, not ceded. I wish to acknowledge their right and responsibility to care for the land and the waters. I acknowledge their Elders – past, present and emerging, and invite us all to a commitment to walk with the First Nations People as they seek truth-telling and for their voices to be heard and valued, as they seek justice, and as we all turn our attention to the imperative for reconciliation.
And let me say – welcome! It was such a joy on Wednesday to officially welcome the Melbourne Church of South India as a Member Church of the Victorian Council of Churches. We are glad to have you join this vibrant ecumenical body, and we welcome your contribution.
I have been invited here tonight as the Executive Officer, Victorian Council of Churches. And as a friend to MCSI.
I am a Minister in the Uniting Church in Australia. In fact, in the lead up to union in 1977, a great deal of consideration was given to the Church of South India model (established in 1947). We share a lot in common!
In a previous role I held in the Uniting Church, I coordinated the program for Australian people serving as volunteers with partner churches in Asia, Africa and the Pacific. Over a period of several years many volunteers were placed in India, continuing the rich heritage of those who had served as missionaries, living with and supporting the partner churches in India – Church of South India and Church of North India.
I had the privilege of visiting the volunteers, and key personnel in CSI who had responsibility for their volunteer placements.
I have visited Kerala (including a cricket match in Cochin!), but most of the time I have spent in India was in the Diocese of Madras, at the theological college in Madurai (TTS), as well as in Coimbatore and Andhra Pradesh. I learned to love so much about Indian culture, and also the strength, resilience and faithfulness of the Church of South India.
One year, I was visiting India in the Christmas season, and I visited a quite remote village with a small CSI chapel for Christian worship – memorably called Church of the Nativity. Such beautiful hospitality was extended to me, and those who accompanied me. It might also have had something to do with the fact the Bishop accompanied us!!
When most people think of the message of Christmas, they normally think about angels, wise men, shepherds, joy to the world, peace and goodwill, and “to us a child is given.” Christmas is indeed a time to celebrate God’s blessings and peace to all. For the faithful, Christmas is a celebration that God is for us, God is near us, because God was one of us, embodied in the life of Jesus.
On that visit, the Bishop gave an address to the people where he offered a profound insight. He had learned to read the text through his experience of marginalisation and oppression. He spoke about the first people who received the good news of Jesus’ birth. Those shepherds in the field, workers, farm hands, watching their flocks by night. Social outcasts viewed with suspicion and contempt. And because they working with animals they were viewed as ‘polluted’, and cruelly ostracised.
It was those simple shepherds who first received the good news the angel brought – to them was born a saviour, the Lord, who would bring peace on earth. Not through the power and domination, but through the way that Jesus lived, the message he proclaimed and the good news he embodied. Jesus, Prince of Peace.
The Kingdom/Reign of God is the reverse of human societies. In the realm of God, it is the poor and the marginalized – the people without any power or privilege, like the shepherds – who are closest to God. What good news for those longing for signs of hope. No wonder the shepherds RUSHED to greet this child, the long awaited Messiah, God’s own in their midst, sharing the human journey.
It opened my eyes to something that is self-evident – but I had not seen. And once you see it, you can’t unsee it. That the Christmas story is populated by people on the margins. The shepherds. And Mary, a teenage girl from Galilee expecting her first child a long way from home, without the support of close family and friends who could help her through the birth. Tradition has a donkey in the story but none of the gospels mention that form of transport and Mary and Joseph probably walked most of the way. They would have arrived tired from the journey, and then found no welcoming place for them to stay and so they stayed in the warmth of the place where the animals were kept safe in the cold of winter.
It’s interesting to think, what if Jesus had been born in entirely different circumstances? In the comfort of a home, with family and friends providing a warm welcome to the infant. But, instead, he arrived in a place far from home, a makeshift place for his birth, laid in the straw of an animal’s feeding trough. In a sense, not being born into grand circumstances placed him right in the midst of ordinary people living in extraordinarily difficult times – under occupation by a foreign power, and in the midst of a dark, cold, suffering world. It is a familiar story that has repeated throughout human history, and today we remember the people in Ukraine.
The Christmas story reveals that God’s liberating love will always be found and that hope will be born anew – even in the darkest corners of the world.
It would be true to say that Jesus’ birth, and his years in Egypt as a refugee, led him to deeply understand our struggles, as individuals and as a global community – of displacement, loneliness, financial hardship, and marginalisation by a society that too often gives power only to those with status and wealth.
Mary sang a song we call the Magnificat (Luke 1:26-35), of the realm of God breaking into the world, and upending systems, where there would be liberation from despair, fear and condemnation.
“My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name. 50 And his mercy is for those who fear him from generation to generation. 51 He has shown strength with his arm; he has scattered the proud in the thoughts of their hearts; 52 he has brought down the mighty from their thrones and exalted those of humble estate; 53 he has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he has sent away empty.
Mary’s song proclaims that the powerful will be brought down from their thrones, the lowly lifted up, the hungry filled, and the rich sent away empty.
Now, the insights from the Bishop transformed my understanding about the Christmas story. Whereas some would spend time on arguing is the Christmas story true (what really happened?), the fresh insights opened my eyes, and also prompted me to think about power, wealth and status, and where I found my own place in the Christmas story. Because, I realised, it’s hard to see just how incredible the Christmas story is unless I was able to recognise that I was a beneficiary of education, status and power, and that so many people miss out on those privileges that I take for granted. Many are struggling. Many are denied basic human dignity.
To use this lens of displaced and marginalised people in the Christmas story brought it alive in completely fresh ways. God’s preferential option for the poor and marginalised makes these characters central to the story. And Jesus, born amongst ordinary hard working folk, is the one who would share God’s liberating love and grace and mercy, who would share the good news of hope.
If God’s preferential option is for the poor, the marginalized, and people without any power or privilege (like the shepherds), then the way to draw close to God is to be close to people who are like the shepherds in our time and place. The poor. The homeless. The lonely. The misunderstood.
Jesus manifested God’s love, in human flesh. Not through power and privilege, or wealth and status, but as one who came as a servant, offering hope, lifting people up to their full humanity.
The Christmas story marks the beginning of God renewing things on earth as they are in heaven – through the life of Jesus.
Christmas is not meant to be about consumerism and endless buying. Rather, it is the reminder we all need, each year, that we are called to follow the distinctive way of Jesus, and to manifest the love of God so all know they are welcome in God’s reign.
Now it’s our turn to be bearers of God’s love, justice, hope, peace and joy – to embody it as Jesus did. To join in with what God is doing in the world.
Christmas for Christians is intended to be a bold profession to entrust ourselves to God’s ways, and to resist the ways of the world.
The Christmas story is God’s alternative story to all the evil, injustice, brutality, suffering and death that we see around us. It will happen through loving kindness, reconciliation, peacemaking and a commitment to non-violence, and generous hospitality around a shared table where all are welcome, all are fed, all are loved.
May this blessed season of Advent bring peace, joy, love, and justice to each of you. Continue to preach the gospel in words and actions, to make the love of Jesus real to your friends, family and neighbours. Amen.
