St. Luke Byzantine Catholic Church

Ruthenian Eparchy of Parma

Circumcison of our lord & ST. Basil

The Circumcision of Our Lord and the Feast of Saint Basil are celebrated on January 1.

Liturgy:

Friday, December 31 - Great Vespers - 7:00 pm
Saturday, January 01 - Divine Liturgy - 9:00 am

The Circumcision of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ

On the eighth day following His birth, the Divine Child was presented in the Temple and circumcised according to the Law existing in Israel since the time of Abraham. On this occasion He was given the name Jesus, which the Archangel Gabriel had announced to the Most-holy Virgin Mary. The Old Testament circumcision was the prefiguring of the New Testament baptism. The circumcision of our Lord shows He truly received upon Himself the body of man and not just seemingly, as was later taught of Him by heretics. Our Lord was also circumcised because he wanted to fulfill the entire Law, which He Himself gave through the prophets and forefathers. In fulfilling the written Law, He replaced it with Baptism in His Holy Church, as was proclaimed by the Apostle Paul: For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision counts for anything, nor uncircumcision, but a new creation (Galatians 6:15).

Troparion for the Circumcision of Our Lord (Tone 1

O Jesus, although You are seated on a fiery throne with the eternal Father and Your divine Spirit, You were pleased to be born of a virgin maiden, your Mother who has never known man. Therefore, as man You were also circumcised when You were eight days old. Glory to Your most noble decision! Glory to Your salvation! Glory to Your humility! You alone love mankind.

Kontakion for the Circumcision of Our Lord (Tone 3):

The Lord of all endures circumcision and being good, He cuts away the sins of mortals. Today He grants salvation to the world, and the bishop Basil, the Creator's morning star, rejoices; he has been initiated into the mysteries of Christ.

Saint Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea

Basil was born during the reign of Emperor Constantine. While still unbaptized, he spent fifteen years in Athens, where he studied philosophy, rhetoric, and astronomy and all the other secular sciences of the time. His colleagues there were Gregory the Theologian and Julian, later the apostate emperor. In his mature years he was baptized in the Jordan River along with Ebulios, his former teacher. He was Bishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia for almost ten years and completed this earthly life fifty years after his birth. He was a great defender of the Faith, a great light of moral purity, a religious zealot, a great theological mind, and a great builder and pillar of the Church of God.

Basil fully deserved the title "Great." In liturgical services he is referred to as the "bee of the Church of Christ, which brings honey to the faithful and with its stinger pricks the heretics." Numerous works of this Father of the Church are preserved; they include theological, apologetical, ascetical and canonical writings, as well as the Holy and Divine Liturgy named after him. This Divine Liturgy is celebrated ten times during the year: on the first of January, his feast day; on the eve of the Nativity of our Lord; on the eve of the Theophany of our Lord; on all Sundays of Great Lent except Palm Sunday; on Great and Holy Thursday; and on Great and Holy Saturday. Saint Basil reposed peacefully on January 1, 379, and entered into the Kingdom of Christ.

Troparion for the Feast of Saint Basil (Tone 1)

Your voice resounds to the whole world which has received your word of instruction in divine dogmas. You explained the nature of creation and gave rules to order human conduct. O royal priest, O venerable father Basil, beg Christ our God to grant us His great mercy.

Kontakion for the Feast of Saint Basil (Tone 4)

You have appeared as the unshakeable foundation of the Church, leading all mortals to safe pasture in the Lord, and confirming them by your teachings, O venerable Basil, revealer of heavenly mysteries.

Theophany of our lord

The Feast of the Theophany of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is celebrated on January 6th.

Liturgy:

Wednesday, January 5 - Royal Hours at 9:00 am

Wednesday, January 5 - Vigil Divine Liturgy with the Blessing of

Water at 7:00 pm

Thursday, January 6 - Divine Liturgy at 7:00 pm

When our Lord reached thirty years from His physical birth, He began His teaching and salvific work. He Himself signified this "beginning of the beginning" by His Baptism in the Jordan River. Saint Cyril of Jerusalem says; "The beginning of the world is water; the beginning of the Gospel is the Jordan." At the time of the Baptism of the Lord in water, the mystery was declared to the world- the mystery that was prophesied in the Old Testament: the mystery that was known only in fables of the Divine Holy Trinity. The Father was revealed to the sense of hearing, the Son was revealed to the sense of touch. The Father uttered his witness about the Son, the Son was baptized in the water, and the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove hovered above the water. When John the Baptist bore witness to Christ, saying, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world (John 1:29), and when John immersed and baptized the Lord in the Jordan, the mission of Christ in the world and the path of our salvation were shown. that is to say, the Lord took upon Himself the sins of mankind and died under them (immersion) and rose again (the coming out of the water); and we must die to the old sinful man and arise again as cleansed, renewed and regenerated. This is the savior of the world and this is the path of salvation. The Feast of the Theophany is also called the Feast of Illumination. The event in the Jordan River illuminates us by manifesting God to us as Trinity, consubstantial and undivided. That is one way we are illuminated. The second way is that every one of us through baptism in water is illumined, in that we become adopted by the Father of Lights through the merits of the Son and the power of the Holy Spirit.

Troparion (Tone 1):

At your baptism in the Jordan, O Lord, worship of the Trinity was revealed; for the Father's voice bore witness to You, calling You His beloved Son, and the Spirit in the form of a dove confirmed the truth of these words. O Christ God, You appeared and enlightened the world. Glory to You!

Kontakion (Tone 4):

You have revealed yourself to the world today; and Your light, O Lord, has set its seal on us. We recognize You and exclaim to You: You have come and revealed Yourself. O Unapproachable Light.