‘...and will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead… ’     ‘...Men of Galilee, why do you stand gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus, who was taken up from you into heaven, will so come in like manner as you saw Him go into heaven’. (Acts 1:11) It is no coincidence that the icon of the Ascension portrays Christ in a manner which suggests He is both ascending and descending, in line with the above words spoken by the Angels to the Disciples at the Ascension. Christ Himself proclaimed that He would ‘come again [...]

  And rose on the third day according to the Scriptures.   “ ‘Why do you mingle the ointments with your tears full of pity, O women disciples?’ Thus the Angel who was shining in the tomb cried to the myrrhbearing women, ‘See for yourselves the empty tomb and understand, that the Saviour has risen from the sepulchre’.” (Resurrectional Evlogetaria, Sunday Matins) Every Sunday morning, the hymnology of our Orthodox Church fills the ears and hearts of her faithful with an abundance of references to the central event of the Orthodox Christian faith; the glorious Resurrection of our Lord Jesus [...]

Our Creed "And was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and suffered, and was buried." Just as the climax of the liturgical calendar for Orthodox Christians each year is Holy Week and Pascha, Article 4 of the Creed brings us to the climatic events of Christ’s saving work for mankind - His death and His resurrection. Christ Himself alluded several times to His upcoming death as we read in the Gospels. This is particularly evident in the Gospel according to Mark, where our Lord’s journey towards His Passion and Crucifixion is characterised by a sense of great determination and haste. [...]

Our Creed   “Who for us and for our salvation, came down from Heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became human” The concluding phrase of the third article of our Creed, “and became human”, contains profound theological depth and far-reaching consequences for our salvation. The attempt to define who Christ is proved to be the greatest point of contention for the Church over many centuries, forming the focal point of many Ecumenical Councils. To this day, the Person of our Lord Jesus Christ ‘provokes’ every person of faith to consider their own human [...]

Who for us and for our salvation…     Who for us and for our salvation, came down from Heaven, and was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became human.   “Beholding Herself in purity, the Holy One courageously said to Gabriel: ‘Your strange voice seems unbelievable to my soul; for how do you speak of birth-giving without seed?’ (1st Stanza, Salutations to the Theotokos).” This expression of great wonder directed by the Virgin Mary towards the Archangel Gabriel upon receiving the “Ευαγγελισμός” (Good news), that she was chosen to conceive within her womb and bring [...]