Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center Great Feast of the Nativity According to the Flesh of Holy God the Son within the Holy Trinity / Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ - Celebration

Celebration
Day	Commemorate	Date	Day of Cele- bration	Apostolos	Gospel
Sunday after Nativity	Holy and Just Man Joseph, spouse Theotokos; James, brother Lord; David, King and Prophet	Between 26 and 31		Gal. 1:11-19	Mt. 2:13-23

Christ is born! Glorify Him!

Al Massih walid! Famajjiduhu!

Christos gennitai! Doxasate!

Trisagion: All of you who have been baptised into Christ have put on Christ. Alleluia!

Kontakion, Troparion, Exapostilarion, and Vespers Sticheron or Doxastikon

TROPARION OF JOSEPH (TONE 2)
O Joseph, proclaim to David, the ancestor of Christ our God, the great miracles you have witnessed: you have seen the Virgin with child, given praise with the shepherds, adored with the wise men, and an angel of the Lord has appeared to you. Intercede with Christ God that He may save our souls.

TROPARION (TONE 2)
Faith can accomplish great things. Through it, the Three Holy Children rejoice in the flames as if they had been in refreshing water, and Daniel in the midst of lions is like a shepherd among his sheep. Through their intercession, O Christ God, save our souls!

KONTANON (TONE 3)
Today David the Holy One is filled with joy, Joseph and James offer their hymns of praise, for the crown of glory of their relationship with Christ tills them with joy. They offer their hymns of praise to the One bom on earth in a manner beyond description, and they cry out, "0 Merciful One, save those who honor you!"

Feast

This is a time of feasting and celebration. For the Forty Days from the Great Feast of the Nativity According to the Flesh of Holy God the Son within the Holy Trinity / Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christto Great Feast of Holy Hypapanty of Holy God the Son within the Holy Trinity / Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ and the Great Feast of the Purification of The Theotokos, we celebrate. We feast for Forty Days! We do not fast, not even on Fridays. Fasting is forbidden. Feasting ends with the celebration of Holy Hypapanty on February 2. The exception is the The Great Feast of Holy Theophany of Holy God the Son within the Holy Trinity / Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ. The Paramony of Holy Theophany is a day of strict fasting.

Celebration
Day	Commemorate	Date	Day of Cele- bration	Apostolos	Gospel
Nativity 24 Evening	Jesus Christ's birth in human form.	24 pm	1	Gal. 4:4-7	Mt. 2:1-12
Nativity 25 Morning	Jesus Christ's birth in human form.	25 am	1	Gal. 4:4-7	Mt. 2:1-12
Second Day Celebration	Synaxis of The Theotokos Holy Hieromartyr Euthymius, Archbishop Sardica	26	2	Heb. 2:11-18	Mt. 2:13-23
Saturday after Nativity		Between 26 and 31		1 Tim. 6:11b-16	Mt. 12:15a-21
Sunday after Nativity	Holy and Just Man Joseph, spouse Theotokos; James, brother Lord; David, King and Prophet	Between 26 and 31		Gal. 1:11-19	Mt. 2:13-23
Third Day Celebration	Protomartyer and Archdeacon Stephen; Holy Father Theodore Confessor	27	3	Acts 6:8-7:5a, 47-50	Mt. 21:33-42
Fourth Day Celebration	Holy Martyrs Nicomedia	28	4	James 3:1-10	Mk. 11:11-23
Fifth Day Celebration	Holy Innocents; our Holy Father Marcellus, Abbot Monastery Acemetes	29	5	1 Tim. 6:11b-16	Mt. 12:15a-21
Sixth Day Celebration	Holy Martyr Anysia; Holy Zoticus, Feeder Orphans	30	6	Heb. 2:2-10	Jn. 5:17-24
Leave taking	Venerable Melany/Melania Roman	31	7	Acts. 19:1-18	Jn. 5:24-30
Circumcision	Jesus Christ's Circum- cision.	1 Jan.	8	Col. 2:8-12	Lk. 2:20-21 40-52
Paramony Theophany	Holy Martyrs Theopemptus and theonas; our Venerable Mother Syncletica	5 Jan.	12	1 Tim. 3:13-4:5 1 Cor. 9:16-27	Mt. 3:1-6 Lk:3:1-18
Holy Theophany	Jesus Christ's baptism	6 Jan.	13	Gal. 4:4-7 Titus 2:11-14 3:4-7	Mt. 2:1-12 Mt. 3:13-17
Second Day Celebration	Synaxis of Prophet and Glorious Forerunner John the Baptist	7 Jan.	14	Acts 19:1-8	Jn. 1:29-34
Preparation Holy Hypapanty	Holy Martyr Tryphon	1 Feb.	39	Rom. 8:23-39	Lk. 10:19-21
Holy Hypapanty 40th Day Celebration Nativity	Jesus Christ's presen- tation at Temple.	2 Feb.	40	Heb. 7:7-17	Lk. 2:22-40

Fasting and Feasting Period
Action	Name	Time
Fast	Pre-Nativity Fast Great Feast of the Nativity According to the Flesh of Our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ	40-days Traditional Begins at the beginning of the Vespers of 15 November on 14 November evening Ends just before Vespers on 24 December evening Shorter number of days Modern Begins at the beginning of the Vespers of 10 December on 9 December evening Ends just before Vespers on 24 December evening
Feast	Great Feast of the Nativity According to the Flesh of Our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ	40-days Begins at the beginning of Vespers of Great Feast of the Nativity According to the Flesh of Our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ on 24 December evening Ends just before Vespers on the Great Feast of Holy Hypapanty of Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ and the Great Feast of the Purification of The Theotokos, 2 February evening 1-day of fasting in this period The Paramony of The Great Feast of Holy Theophany of Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Ikon of the Nativity of Our Lord, Jesus Christ

Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center
Martha Liles
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Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center is dedicated to my cousins: Bucky (Richard C. Liles), Shirley (Shirley Jean Liles Buck), and Donna (Donna Bertha Liles Campbell). Bucky fell asleep in the Lord on Dec. 12, 2000, Shirley fell asleep in the Lord on Nov. 8, 2001, and Donna fell asleep in the Lord on March 9, 2020.
O God of all spirits and of all flesh, who have destroyed death, overcome the devil, and given life to the world: grant, O Lord, to the souls of your servants Bucky and Shirley, who has departed from this life, that it may rest in a place of light, in a place of happiness, in a place of peace, where there is no pain, no grief, no sighing. And since You are a gracious God and the Lover of Mankind, forgive him/her every sin he/she has committed by thought, or word, or deed, for there is not a man who lives and does not sin : You alone are without sin, your righteousness is everlasting, and your word is true. You are the Resurrection and the Life, and the repose of your departed servants Bucky and Shirley. O Christ our God, and we send up glory to You, together with your eternal Father and your all-holy, good and life-giving Spirit, now and always and for ages upon ages. Amen.

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