The Most Holy Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ - The only Saviour of men.

It is getting closer to Christmas!

The fast prior to the feast of our Lord Jesus Christ’s Nativity in the ancient Church was six weeks in the East and six weeks in St. Ambrose’s liturgical tradition in the West as well. The importance of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ cannot be overstated. As is apparent below absolutely linked to that is the Church’s confession of literal creation. God literally did just what He said and in that is alone the true revelation of God and His Christ and the only salvation which is in the true Christ Jesus and not some evolutionary cosmic Gnostic pseudo-Christ which is actually the Antichrist and damnation.



And from the traditional liturgy going back centuries in the West, on the feast of the Nativity.

"In the 5,199th year of the creation of the world, from the time when God in the beginning made out of nothing the heavens and the earth; the 2,957th year after the flood; the 2,015th year from the birth of Abraham; the 1,510th year from Moses and the going-out of the people of Israel from Egypt; the 1,032nd year from the anointing of David king; in the 65th week according to the prophecy of Daniel; in the 194th olympiad; the 752nd year from the foundation of the city of Rome; the 42nd year of the rule of Octavian Augustus, all the earth being at peace, in the sixth age of the world: Jesus Christ, the eternal God and Son of the eternal Father, willing to consecrate the world by His most merciful coming, being conceived by the Holy Spirit and nine months having passed since His conception, was born in Bethlehem of Juda of the Virgin Mary, being made man.


Mt:2:
1 ¶ When Jesus therefore was born in Bethlehem of Juda, in the days of king Herod, behold, there came wise men from the East to Jerusalem,
2 Saying: Where is he that is born king of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and are come to adore him.
3 And king Herod hearing this, was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.
4 And assembling together all the chief priests and the scribes of the people, he inquired of them where Christ should be born.
5 But they said to him: In Bethlehem of Juda. For so it is written by the prophet:
6 And thou Bethlehem the land of Juda art not the least among the princes of Juda: for out of thee shall come forth the captain that shall rule my people Israel.
7 Then Herod, privately calling the wise men learned diligently of them the time of the star which appeared to them;
8 And sending them into Bethlehem, said: Go and diligently inquire after the child, and when you have found him, bring me word again, that I also may come and adore him.
9 ¶ Who having heard the king, went their way; and behold the star which they had seen in the East, went before them, until it came and stood over where the child was.
10 And seeing the star they rejoiced with exceeding great joy.
11 And entering into the house, they found the child with Mary his mother, andfalling down they adored him: and opening their treasures, they offered him gifts; gold, frankincense, and myrrh.
12 And having received an answer in sleep that they should not return to Herod, they went back another way into their country.
13 ¶ And after they were departed, behold an angel of the Lord appeared in sleep to Joseph, saying: Arise, and take the child and his mother, and fly into Egypt: and be there until I shall tell thee. For it will come to pass that Herod will seek the child to destroy him.
14 Who arose, and took the child and his mother by night, and retired into Egypt: and he was there until the death of Herod:
15 That it might be fulfilled which the Lord spoke by the prophet, saying: Out of Egypt have I called my son.
16 ¶ Then Herod perceiving that he was deluded by the wise men, was exceeding angry: and sending killed all the menchildren that were in Bethlehem, and in all the borders thereof, from two years old and under, according to the time which he had diligently inquired of the wise men.
17 Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremias the prophet, saying:
18 A voice in Rama was heard, lamentation and great mourning; Rachel bewailing her children, and would not be comforted, because they are not.
19 ¶ But when Herod was dead, behold an angel of the Lord appeared in sleep to Joseph in Egypt,
20 Saying: Arise, and take the child and his mother, and go into the land of Israel. For they are dead that sought the life of the child.
21 Who arose, and took the child and his mother, and came into the land of Israel.
22 But hearing that Archelaus reigned in Judea in the room of Herod his father, he was afraid to go thither: and being warned in sleep retired into the quarters of Galilee.
23 And coming he dwelt in a city called Nazareth: that it might be fulfilled which was said by the prophets: That he shall be called a Nazarene.


St. Ignatius (Apostolic Father) to the Ephesians

Now the virginity of Mary was hidden from the prince of this world, as was also her offspring, and the death of the Lord; three mysteries of renown,(5) which were wrought in silence by(6) God. How, then, was He manifested to the world?(7) A star shone forth in heaven above all the other stars, the light of Which was inexpressible, while its novelty struck men with astonishment. And all the rest of the stars, with the sun and moon, formed a chorus to this star, and its light was exceedingly great above them all. And there was agitation felt as to whence this new spectacle came, so unlike to everything else [in the heavens]. Hence every kind of magic was destroyed, and every bond of wickedness disappeared; ignorance was removed, and the old kingdom abolished, God Himself being manifested in human form for the renewal of eternal life. And now that took a beginning which had been prepared by God. Henceforth all things were in a state of tumult, because He mediated the abolition of death.
– From CCEL


Lk:2:
1 ¶ And it came to pass that in those days there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that the whole world should be enrolled.
2 This enrolling was first made by Cyrinus, the governor of Syria.
3 And all went to be enrolled, every one into his own city.
4 And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem: because he was of the house and family of David.
5 To be enrolled with Mary his espoused wife, who was with child.
6 And it came to pass that when they were there, her days were accomplished that she should be delivered.
7 And she brought forth her first born son and wrapped him up in swaddling clothes and laid him in a manger: because there was no room for them in the inn.
8 ¶ And there were in the same country shepherds watching and keeping the night watches over their flock.
9 And behold an angel of the Lord stood by them and the brightness of God shone round about them: and they feared with a great fear.
10 And the angel said to them: Fear not; for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy that shall be to all the people:
11 For, this day is born to you a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord, in the city of David.
12 And this shall be a sign unto you. You shall find the infant wrapped in swaddling clothes and laid in a manger.
13 And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly army, praising God and saying:
14 Glory to God in the highest: and on earth peace to men of good will.
15 And it came to pass, after the angels departed from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another: Let us go over to Bethlehem and let us see this word that is come to pass, which the Lord hath shewed to us.
16 And they came with haste: and they found Mary and Joseph, and the infant lying in the manger.
17 And seeing, they understood of the word that had been spoken to them concerning this child.
18 And all that heard wondered: and at those things that were told them by the shepherds.
19 But Mary kept all these words, pondering them in her heart.
20 And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.
21 ¶ And after eight days were accomplished, that the child should be circumcised, his name was called JESUS, which was called by the angel before he was conceived in the womb.
22 And after the days of her purification, according to the law of Moses, were accomplished, they carried him to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord:
23 As it is written in the law of the Lord: Every male opening the womb shall be called holy to the Lord:
24 And to offer a sacrifice, according as it is written in the lawof the Lord, a pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons:
25 ¶ And behold there was a man in Jerusalem named Simeon: and this man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel.And the Holy Ghost was in him.
26 And he had received an answer from the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death before he had seen the Christ of the Lord.
27 And he came by the Spirit into the temple. And when his parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the law,
28 He also took him into his arms and blessed God and said
29 Now thou dost dismiss thy servant, O Lord, according to thy word in peace:
30 Because my eyes have seen thy salvation,
31 Which thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples:
32 A light to the revelation of the Gentiles and the glory of thy people Israel.
33 And his father and mother were wondering at those things which were spoken concerning him.
34 And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother: Behold this child is set for the fall and for the resurrection of many in Israel and for a sign which shall be contradicted.
35 And thy own soul a sword shall pierce, that, out of many hearts thoughts may be revealed.
36 And there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Aser. She was far advanced in years and had lived with her husband seven years from her virginity.
37 And she was a widow until fourscore and four years: who departed not from the temple, by fastings and prayers serving night and day.
38 Now she, at the same hour, coming in, confessed to the Lord: and spoke of him to all that looked for the redemption of Israel.
39 And after they had performed all things according to the law of the Lord, they returned into Galilee, to their city Nazareth.
40 And the child grew and waxed strong, full of wisdom: and the grace of God was in him.
41 ¶ And his parents went every year to Jerusalem, at the solemn day of the pasch.
42 And when he was twelve years old, they going up into Jerusalem, according to the custom of the feast,
43 And having fulfilled the days, when they returned, the child Jesus remained in Jerusalem. And his parents knew it not.
44 And thinking that he was in the company, they came a day's journey and sought him among their kinsfolks and acquaintance.
45 And not finding him,they returned into Jerusalem, seeking him.
46 And it came to pass, that, after three days, they found him in the temple, sitting in the midst of the doctors, hearing them and askingthem questions.
47 And all that heard him were astonished at his wisdom and his answers.
48 And seeing him, they wondered. And his mother said to him: Son, why hast thou done so to us? Behold thy father and I have sought thee sorrowing.
49 And he said to them: How is it that you sought me? Did you not know that I must be about my father's business?
50 And they understood not the word that he spoke unto them.
51 And he went down with them and came to Nazareth and was subject to them. And his mother kept all these words in her heart.
52 And Jesus advanced in wisdom and age and grace with God and men.


Sermon On the Nativity

by St. Augustine


(1) Hear, O sons of light, who have been received by adoption into the kingdom of God; hear, my very dear brethren; hear and be glad in the Lord, ye just ones, so that praise may become the upright.[1] Hear what you already know; reflect upon what you have heard; love what you believe; proclaim what you love. Since we are celebrating a great anniversary on this day, you may expect a sermon in keeping with the feast. Christ as God was born of His Father, as Man of His Mother; of the immortality of His Father, of the virginity of His Mother; of His Father without a mother, of His Mother without a father; of His Father without limits of time, of His Mother without seed; of His Father as the source of life, of His Mother as the end of death; of His Father ordering all days, of His Mother consecrating this particular day.[2]


(2) God sent John to earth as His human Precursor so that he was born when the days were becoming shorter while the Lord Himself was born when the days were growing longer, that in this minute detail the subsequent words of this same John might be prefigured: 'He must increase, but I must decrease.'[3] For human life ought to grow weaker in itself and stronger in Christ, that 'they who are alive may live no longer for themselves, but for him who died for all and rose again,' and that each one of us may say in the words of the Apostle: 'It is now no longer I that live, but Christ lives in me.'[4] For 'he must increase, but I must decrease.'


All His angels worthily praise Him, for He is their everlasting food, nourishing them with an incorruptible feast. He is the Word of God, by whose life they live, by whose eternity they live forever, by whose goodness they live happily forever. They praise Him worthily, as God with God, and they render glory to God on high. May we, 'his people and the sheep of his hand,'[5] reconciled to Him by our good will, merit peace in consideration of the limited measure of our weakness. For these words to which the angels themselves gave utterance in jubilation at the birth of our Saviour are their daily tribute: 'Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace among men of good will.'[6] Therefore, they praise Him duly: let us praise Him in obedience. They are His messengers; we, His sheep. He filled their table in heaven; He filled our manger on earth. He is the fullness of their table because 'in the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God; and the Word was God.' He is the fullness of our manger because 'the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us.'[7] so that man might eat the Bread of angels the Creator of the angels became man. The angels praise Him by living; we, by believing; they by enjoying, we by seeking; they by obtaining, we by striving to obtain; they by entering, we by knocking.


(3) What human being could know all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge hidden in Christ and concealed under the poverty of His humanity? For, 'being rich, he became poor for our sake that by his poverty we might become rich.'[8] When He assumed our mortality and overcame death, He manifested Himself in poverty, but He promised riches though they might be deferred; He did not lose them as if they were taken from Him. How great is the multitude of His sweetness which He hides from those who fear Him but which He reveals to those that hope in Him![9] For we understand only in part until that which is perfect comes to us. To make us worthy of this perfect gift, He, equal to the Father in the form of God, became like to us in the form of a servant, and refashions us into the likeness of God. The only Son of God, having become the Son of Man, makes many sons of men the sons of God; and on these men, reared as servants, with the visible form of servants, He bestows the freedom of beholding the form of God. For 'we are the children of God, and it has not yet appeared what we shall be. We know that, when he appears, we shall be like to him, for we shall see him just as he is.'[l0] What, then, are those treasures of wisdom and knowledge? What are those divine riches unless they be that which satisfies our longing? And what is that multitude of sweetness unless it be what fills us? 'Show us the Father and it is enough for us.'[11] Furthermore, in one of the psalms, one of our race, either in our name or for our sake, said to Him: 'I shall be satisfied when thy glory shall appear.'[l2] But He and the Father are one, and the person who sees Him sees the Father also;[l3] therefore, 'the Lord of hosts, he is the King of Glory.'[l4] Turning to us, He will show us His face and 'we shall be saved';[15] we shall be satisfied, and He will be sufficient for us.


(4) Therefore, let our heart speak thus to Him; 'I have sought thy countenance; thy face, O Lord, will I still seek. Turn not away thy face from me.'[l6] And let Him reply to the plea of our hearts: 'He who loves me keeps my commandments; and he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him and manifest myself to him.'[17] Indeed, those to whom He addressed these words did see Him with their eyes; they heard the sound of His voice with their ears; they regarded Him as a man in their human heart. But, what eye has not seen, what ear has not heard, and what has not entered into the heart of man He promised to show to those who love Him.[l8] Until this favor is granted to us, until He shows us what will completely satisfy us, until we drink to satiety of that fountain of life, while we wander about, apart from Him but strong in faith, while we hunger and thirst for justice, longing with an unspeakable desire for the beautiful vision of God, let us celebrate with fervent devotion His birthday in the form of a servant. Since we cannot, as yet, understand that He was begotten (monogenes – engendered) by the Father before the day- star, let us celebrate His birth of the Virgin in the nocturnal hours. Since we do not comprehend how His name existed before the light of the sun, let us recognize His tabernacle placed in the sun. Since we do not, as yet, gaze upon the Son inseparably united with His Father, let us remember Him as the 'bridegroom coming out of his bride-chamber.' Since we are not yet ready for the banquet of our Father, let us grow familiar with the manger of our Lord Jesus Christ.


Jn:1:
1 ¶ In the beginning was the Word: and the Word was with God: and the Word was God.
2 The same was in the beginning with God.
3 All things were made by him: and without him was made nothing that was made.
4 In him was life: and the life was the light of men.
5 ¶ And the light shineth in darkness: and the darkness did not comprehend it.
6 There was a man sent from God, whose name was John.
7 This man came for a witness, to give testimony of the light, that all men might believe through him.
8 He was not the light, but was to give testimony of the light.
9 That was the true light, which enlighteneth every man that cometh into this world.
10 He was in the world: and the world was made by him: and the world knew him not.
11 He came unto his own: and his own received him not.
12 But as many as received him, he gave them power to be made the sons of God, to them that believe in his name.
13 Who are born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God.
14 And the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us (and we saw his glory, the glory as it were of the only begotten ofthe Father), full of grace and truth.
15 ¶ John beareth witness of him and crieth out, saying: This was he of whom I spoke: He that shall come after me is preferred before me: because he was before me.
16 And of his fulness we all have received: and grace for grace.
17 For the law was given by Moses: grace and truth came by Jesus Christ.
18 No man hath seen God at any time: the only begotten Son who is in the Bosomof the Father, he hath declared him.
19 ¶ And this is the testimony of John, when the Jews sent from Jerusalem priests and Levites to him, to ask him: Who art thou?
20 And he confessed and did not deny: and he confessed: I am not the Christ.
21 And they asked him: What then? Art thou Elias? And he said: I am not. Art thou the prophet? And he answered: No.
22 They said therefore unto him: Who art thou, that we may give an answer to them that sent us? What sayest thou of thyself?
23 He said: I am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, make straight the way of the Lord, as said the prophet Isaias.
24 And they that were sent were of the Pharisees.
25 And they asked him and said to him: Why then dost thou baptize, if thou be not Christ, nor Elias, nor the prophet?
26 John answered them, saying: I baptize with water: but there hath stood one in the midst of you, whom you know not.
27 The same is he that shall come after me, who is preferred before me: the latchet of whose shoe I am not worthy to loose.
28 These things were done in Bethania, beyond the Jordan, where John was baptizing.
29 ¶ The next day, John saw Jesus coming to him; and he saith: Behold the Lamb of God. Behold him who taketh away the sin of the world.
30 This is he of whom I said: After me there cometh a man, who is preferred before me: because he was before me.
31 And I knew him not: but that he may be made manifest in Israel, therefore am I come baptizing with water.
32 And John gave testimony, saying: I saw the Spirit coming down, as a dove from heaven; and he remained upon him.
33 And I knew him not: but he who sent me to baptize with water said to me: He upon whom thou shalt see the Spirit descending and remaining upon him, he it is that baptizeth with the Holy Ghost.
34 And I saw: and I gave testimony that this is the Son of God.
35 The next day again John stood and two of his disciples.
36 And beholding Jesus walking, he saith: Behold the Lamb of God.
37 ¶ And the two disciples heard him speak: and they followed Jesus.
38 And Jesus turning and seeing them following him, saith to them: What seek you? Who said to him: Rabbi (which is to say, being interpreted, Master), where dwellest thou?
39 He saith to them:Come and see. They came and saw where he abode: and they stayed with him that day. Now itwas about the tenth hour.
40 And Andrew, the brother of Simon Peter, was one of the two who had heard of John and followed him.
41 He findeth first his brother Simon and saith to him: We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.
42 And he brought him to Jesus. And Jesus looking upon him, said: Thou art Simon the son of Jona. Thou shalt be called Cephas, which is interpreted Peter.
43 ¶ On the following day, he would go forth into Galilee: and he findeth Philip, And Jesus saith to him: follow me.
44 Now Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
45 Philip findeth Nathanael and saith to him: We have found him of whom Moses, in the law and the prophets did write, Jesus the son of Joseph of Nazareth.
46 And Nathanael said to him: Can any thing of good come from Nazareth? Philip saith to him: Come and see.
47 Jesus saw Nathanael coming to him and he saith of him: Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile.
48 Nathanael saith to him: Whence knowest thou me? Jesus answered and said to him: Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig tree, I saw thee.
49 Nathanael answered him and said: Rabbi: Thou art the Son of God. Thou art the King of Israel.
50 Jesus answered and said to him: Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig tree, thou believest: greater things than these shalt thou see.
51 And he saith to him: Amen, amen, I say to you, you shall see the heaven opened and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of man.


Mk:1:
1 ¶ The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
2 As it is written in Isaias the prophet: Behold I send my angel before thy face, who shall prepare the way before thee.
3 A voice of one crying in the desert: Prepare ye the way of the Lord; make straight his paths.
4 John was in the desert, baptizing and preaching the baptism of penance, unto remission of sins.
5 And there went out to him all the country of Judea and all they of Jerusalem and were baptized by him in the river of Jordan, confessing their sins.
6 And John was clothed camel's hair, and a leathern girdle about his loins: and he ate locusts and wild honey.
7 And he preached, saying: There cometh after me one mightier than I, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and loose.
8 I have baptized you with water: but he shall baptize you with the Holy Ghost.
9 ¶ And it came to pass, in those days, Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee and was baptized by John in Jordan.
10 And forthwith coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens open and the Spirit as a dove descending and remaining on him.
11 And there came a voice from heaven: Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.
12 And immediately the Spirit drove him out into the desert.
13 And he was in the desert forty days and forty nights, and was tempted by Satan. And he was with beasts: and the angels ministered to him.
14 ¶ And after that John was delivered up, Jesus came in Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,
15 And saying: The time is accomplished and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent and believe the gospel:
16 And passing by the sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and Andrew his brother, casting nets into the sea for they were fishermen.
17 And Jesus said to them: Come after me; and I will make you to become fishers of men.
18 And immediately leaving their nets, they followed him.
19 And going on from thence a little farther, he saw James the son of Zebedee and John his brother, who also were mending their nets in the ship:
20 And forthwith he called them. And leaving their father Zebedee in the ship with his hired men, they followed him.
21 And they entered into Capharnaum: and forthwith upon the sabbath days going into the synagogue, he taught them.
22 And they were astonished at his doctrine. For he was teaching them as one having power, and not as the scribes.
23 ¶ And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out,
24 Saying: What have we to do with thee, Jesus of Nazareth? Art thou come to destroy us? I know who thou art, the Holy One of God.
25 And Jesus threatened him, saying: Speak no more, and go out of the man.
26 And the unclean spirit, tearing him and crying out with a loud voice, went out of him.
27 And they were all amazed insomuch that they questioned among themselves, saying: What thing is this? What is this new doctrine? For with power he commandeth even the unclean spirits: and they obey him.
28 And the fame of him was spread forthwith into all the country of Galilee.
29 ¶ And immediately going out of the synagogue they came into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John.
30 And Simon's wife's mother lay in a fit of a fever: and forthwith they tell him of her.
31 And coming to her, he lifted her up, taking her by the hand; and immediately the fever left her, and she ministered unto them.
32 And when it was evening, after sunset, they brought to him all that were ill and that were possessed with devils.
33 And all the city was gathered together at the door.
34 And he healed many that were troubled with divers diseases. And he cast out many devils: and he suffered them not to speak, because they knew him.
35 And rising very early, going out, he went into a desert place: and there he prayed.
36 And Simon and they that were with him followed after him.
37 And when they had found him, they said to him: All seek for thee.
38 And he saith to them: Let us go into the neighbouring towns and cities, that I may preach there also; for to this purpose am I come.
39 And he was preaching in their synagogues and in all Galilee and casting out devils.
40 ¶ And there came a leper to him, beseeching him and kneeling down, said to him: If thou wilt thou canst make me clean.
41 And Jesus, having compassion on him, stretched forth his hand and touching him saith to him: I will. Be thou made clean.
42 And when he had spoken, immediately the leprosy departed from him: and he was made clean.
43 And he strictly charged him and forthwith sent him away.
44 And he saith to him: See thou tell no one; but go, shew thyself to the high priest and offer for thy cleansing the things that Moses commanded, for a testimony to them.
45 But he being gone out, began to publish and to blaze abroad the word: so that he could not openly go into the city. but was without in desert places. And they flocked to him from all sides.

ON AWAKENING

Hymn to Christ the light and life

Christ come among men
as source of light,
your holy birth (engendered timelessly immortal in the Father’s bosom)
is before the beginning of all time and creation. You are the radiant light shining with the Father. You irradiate lustreless matter
and illumine the souls of the faithful.

You have created the world
and fixed the orbit of the stars;
you sustain the axis of the earth, you save all mankind.
You guide the sun in its course
to light up all our days
and the crescent moon
which dispels the darkness of night. You make the seed to sprout preparing food for the flocks.
From your inexhaustible fount
you pour out the splendour of life making fruitful the whole world. . .

Synesius of Cyrene


Ode 9, Part 1 The Magnificat Luke 1, 46-55

MY soul doth magnify the Lord:
And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior,
Because he hath regarded the humility of his handmaid: for behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed,
Because he that is mighty hath done great things to me, and holy is his name.
And his mercy is from generation unto generation to those that fear him.
He hath showed might in his arm: he hath scattered the proud in the conceit of their heart.
He hath put down the mighty from their seat, and hath exalted the humble.
He hath filled the hungry with good things, and the rich he hath sent away empty.
He hath received Israel, his servant, being mindful of his mercy,
As he spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed forever.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost. As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Ant. All generations shall call me blessed, for God hath regarded his lowly handmaid.

Ode 9, Part 2 Canticle of Zachary Luke 1 :68-79

BLESSED be the Lord God of Israel, because he hath visited and wrought the redemption of his people: And hath raised up an horn of salvation to us, in the house of David his servant:
As he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets, who have been since the world began.
Salvation from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us:
To perform mercy to our fathers, and to remember his holy testament,
The oath, which he swore to Abraham our father, that he would grant to us,
That being delivered from the hand of our enemies, we may serve him without fear.
In holiness and justice before him, all our days.
And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways:
To give knowledge of salvation to his people, unto the remission of their sins:
Through the bowels of the mercy of our God, in which the Orient from on high hath visited us:
To give light to them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death: to direct our feet into the way of peace.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.

Canticle of Simeon Luke 2.29-32.34

+ NOW Thou dost dismiss thy servant, O Lord according to thy word in peace:
Because my eyes have seen thy salvation.
Which thou hast prepared before the face of all peoples:
A light to the revelation of the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
Glory be to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Ghost.
As it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen.
Ant. Save us, O Lord, while we are awake, and guard us when we sleep: that we may watch with Christ, and rest in peace.
Ant. And Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary his mother: Behold this child is set for the fall, and for the resurrection of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be spoken against.

Prayer for the Nativity

Jesus Christ, radiant centre of glory,
image of our God, the invisible Father,
revealer of his eternal designs,
prince of peace;
father of the world to come. . .
For our sake he took the likeness of a slave,
becoming flesh in the womb of the Virgin Mary,
without intervention of man;
for our sake, wrapped in swaddling bands
and laid in a manger
adored by the shepherds
and hymned by the angelic powers, who sang:
Glory to God in the heavens
and on earth peace and good to men.
Make us worthy, Lord, to celebrate and to conclude in peace the feast which magnifies the rising of your light,
by avoiding empty words, working with justice, fleeing from the passions and raising up the spirit above earthly goods.
Bless your Church, formed long ago
to be united with yourself through your life giving blood.
Come to the aid of your faithful shepherds,
of the priests and the teachers of your Gospel.
Bless your faithful whose only hope is in your mercy; Christian souls, the sick, those who are tormented in spirit and those who have asked us to pray for them.
Have pity, in your infinite clemency, and preserve us in fitness to receive the future, endless good things.
We celebrate your glorious nativity
with the Father who sent you for our redemption,
with the life-giving Spirit,
now and for ever and through all ages. Amen.

Syriac liturgy

Hymn for the Nativity

Sons of men, do you truly speak of justice? Dwellers on the earth,
do you truly judge with fairness?
We confess with unshakable faith
that God, who was made man
and who was given birth by a Virgin.
Before all time he was begotten.
of an infinite Father;
now we adore him who became incarnate
in a Virgin's womb.
He is the creator of all,
himself remaining invisible and distinct from creation.
So we are able to say:
in you, Lord, is clemency; glory be to you.
O holy God,
you have deigned to be born, a tiny child, from a Virgin.
O God, holy and strong,
you have willed to rest in the arms of Mary.
O God, holy and immortal,
you have come to rescue Adam from hell.
O immaculate Virgin, Mother of God, full of grace,
Emmanuel, whom you have carried,
is the fruit of your womb.
In your maternal bosom you have nourished all men.
You are above all praise and all glory.
Hail, Mother of God, joy of the angels.
The fullness of your grace
goes beyond what the prophets foretold.
The Lord is with you,
you have given birth
to the Saviour of the world.

Fragment from an ancient eucharistic liturgy

The “sons of God” (not Adam) that came into the daughters of Adam and had sexual relations with them are the fallen angels; see below concerning the Devil’s lie about evolving into gods – this is what is referred to. (All the angels are refered to as sons of God since God created all of them. The evil ones chose to do evil and fell.) According to the Church Fathers, especially St. Hippolytus amongst others, the pre-flood “nephilim” (giants) which were the product of those relations were totally demonic. The flood in Noah’s time was to destroy them. Their souls are demons and not human and are the demons that Christ cast out of people.

Gen:6:
4 ¶ Now giants were upon the earth in those days. For after the sons of God went in to the daughters of Adam, and they brought forth children, these are the mighty men of old, men of renown.
5 And God seeing that the wickedness of men was great on the earth, and that all the thought of their heart was bent upon evil at all times,
6 ¶ It repented him that he had made man on the earth. And being touched inwardly with sorrow of heart,
7 He said: I will destroy man, whom I have created, from the face of the earth, from man even to beasts, from the creeping thing even to the fowls of the air, for it repenteth me that I have made them.
8 ¶ But Noe found grace before the Lord.

This directly below refers to the same fallen angels and the very thing they did by going in to the daughters of Adam.

2Pt:2:4:
4 For if God spared not the angels that sinned, but delivered them, drawn down by infernal ropes to the lower hell, unto torments, to be reserved unto judgment:

Warning from the early Church

APOSTATES -- ACCORDING TO St. Irenaeus of Lugdunum, Gaul (Lyons, France) - 180 A.D.

Against Heresies.

Those nations however, who did not of themselves raise up their eyes unto heaven, nor returned thanks to their Maker, nor wished to behold the light of truth, but who were like blind mice concealed in the depths of ignorance, the word justly reckons “as waste water from a sink, and as the turning-weight of a balance—in fact, as nothing;”
That before the Lord’s appearance Satan never dared to blaspheme God, inasmuch as he did not yet know his own sentence, because it was contained in parables and allegories; but that after the Lord’s appearance, when he had clearly ascertained from the words of Christ and His apostles that eternal fire has been prepared for him as he apostatized from God of his own free-will, and likewise for all who unrepentant continue in the apostasy, he now blasphemes, by means of such men, the Lord who brings judgment [upon him] as being already condemned, and imputes the guilt of his apostasy to his Maker, not to his own voluntary disposition. Just as it is with those who break the laws, when punishment overtakes them: they throw the blame upon those who frame the laws, but not upon themselves. In like manner do those men, filled with a satanic spirit, bring innumerable accusations against our Creator, who has both given to us the spirit of life, and established a law adapted for all; and they will not admit that the judgment of God is just. Wherefore also they set about imagining some other Father who neither cares about nor exercises a providence; and there is therefore in this beast (the Antichrist), when he comes, a recapitulation made of all sorts of iniquity and of every deceit, in order that all apostate power, flowing into and being shut up in him, may be sent into the furnace of fire. Fittingly, therefore, shall his name possess the number six hundred and sixty-six, since he sums up in his own person all the commixture of wickedness which took place previous to the deluge, due to the apostasy of the angels. For Noah was six hundred years old when the deluge came upon the earth, sweeping away the rebellious world, for the sake of that most infamous generation which lived in the times of Noah. And [Antichrist] also sums up every error of devised idols since the flood, together with the slaying of the prophets and the cutting off of the just. For that image which was set up by Nebuchadnezzar had indeed a height of sixty cubits, while the breadth was six cubits; on account of which Ananias, Azarias, and Misaël, when they did not worship it, were cast into a furnace of fire, pointing out prophetically, by what happened to them, the wrath against the righteous which shall arise towards the [time of the] end. For that image, taken as a whole, was a prefiguring of this man’s coming, decreeing that he should undoubtedly himself alone be worshipped by all men. Thus, then, the six hundred years of Noah, in whose time the deluge occurred because of the apostasy, and the number of the cubits of the image for which these just men were sent into the fiery furnace, do indicate the number of the name of that man in whom is concentrated the whole apostasy of six thousand years, and unrighteousness, and wickedness, and false prophecy, and deception; for which things’ sake a cataclysm of fire shall also come [upon the earth].


St. Irenaeus says concerning the Antichrist: "in whom is concentrated the whole apostasy of six thousand years, and unrighteousness, and wickedness, and false prophecy, and deception". The reference to six thousand years is to the ages from Adam leading up to Christ and the sixth "day" beginning with Christ. By St. Irenaeus' Septuagint Bible, Christ came at about five thousand five hundred years from Adam. St. Irenaeus is telling us that all the evil apostasy of those ages where the devil had free reign to subvert all on the earth that listened to him will be concentrated in the Antichrist (by power of the devil - which God will permit) only when in this sixth day men apostasize from God by rejecting His Christ in a massive apostasy, which will include belief in evolution instead of belief is the true literal creation of God. In an evolutionary universe you could evolve into your own god. That is exactly what the Devil tempted Adam and Eve with (see below from Genesis).

St. Augustine and all the rest of the Church Fathers and the whole early Church believed in the literal creation of God and the literal ages from Adam to Christ equaling about six thousand years (about 5,500). St. Augustine traces them in exact detail in the City of God and in another place in the City of God gives us a direct quote of his (see below) telling us that less than six thousand years passed from creation to the Advent of Christ. If you believe Christ rose from the dead in the flesh (which is true) and will raise us in the flesh (which is true) then believing in literal creation is not hard at all. After all, it is the truth.

Gn:2:
1 ¶ So the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the furniture of them.
2 And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made: and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had done.
3 And he blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made.
4 ¶ These are the generations of the heaven and the earth, when they were created, in the day that the Lord God made the heaven and the earth:
5 And every plant of the field before it sprung up in the earth, and every herb of the ground before it grew: for the Lord God had not rained upon the earth; and there was not a man to till the earth.
6 But a spring rose out of the earth, watering all the surface of the earth.
7 And the Lord God formed man of the slime of the earth: and breathed into his face the breath of life, and man became a living soul.
8 ¶ And the Lord God had planted a paradise of pleasure from the beginning: wherein he placed man whom he had formed.
9 And the Lord God brought forth of the ground all manner of trees, fair to behold, and pleasant to eat of: the tree of life also in the midst of paradise: and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.
10 And a river went out of the place of pleasure to water paradise, which from thence is divided into four heads.
11 The name of the one is Phison: that is it which compasseth all the land of Hevilath, where gold groweth.
12 And the gold of that land is very good: there is found bdellium, and the onyx stone.
13 And the name of the second river is Gehon: the same is it that compasseth all the land of Ethiopia.
14 And the name of the third river is Tigris: the same passeth along by the Assyrians. And the fourth river is Euphrates.
15 And the Lord God took man, and put him into the paradise of pleasure, to dress it, and to keep it.
16 ¶ And he commanded him, saying: Of every tree of paradise thou shalt eat:
17 But of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat. For in what day soever thou shalt eat of it, thou shalt die the death.
18 ¶ And the Lord God said: It is not good for man to be alone: let us make him a help like unto himself.
19 And the Lord God having formed out of the ground all the beasts of the earth, and all the fowls of the air, brought them to Adam to see what he would call them: for whatsoever Adam called any living creature the same is its name.
20 And Adam called all the beasts by their names, and all the fowls of the air, and all the cattle of the field: but for Adam there was not found a helper like himself.
21 ¶ Then the Lord God cast a deep sleep upon Adam: and when he was fast asleep, he took one of his ribs, and filled up flesh for it.
22 And the Lord God built the rib which he took from Adam into a woman: and brought her to Adam.
23 And Adam said: This now is bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called woman, because she was taken out of man.
24 Wherefore a man shall leave father and mother, and shall cleave to his wife: and they shall be two in one flesh.
25 And they were both naked: to wit, Adam and his wife: and were not ashamed.

Gn:3:
1 ¶ Now the serpent was more subtle than any of the beasts of the earth which the Lord God had made. And he said to the woman: Why hath God commanded you, that you should not eat of every tree of paradise?
2 And the woman answered him, saying: Of the fruit of the trees that are in paradise we do eat:
3 But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of paradise, God hath commanded us that we should not eat; and that we should not touch it, lest perhaps we die.
4 And the serpent said to the woman: No, you shall not die the death.
5 For God doth know that in what day soever you shall eat thereof, your eyes shall be opened: and you shall be as Gods, knowing good and evil.
6 ¶ And the woman saw that the tree was good to eat, and fair to the eyes, and delightful to behold: and she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave to her husband, who did eat.
7 And the eyes of them both were opened: and when they perceived themselves to be naked, they sewed together fig leaves, and made themselves aprons.
8 And when they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in paradise at the afternoon air, Adam and his wife hid themselves from the face of the Lord God, amidst the trees of paradise.
9 ¶ And the Lord God called Adam, and said to him: Where art thou?
10 And he said: I heard thy voice in paradise; and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself.
11 ¶ And he said to him: And who hath told thee that thou wast naked, but that thou hast eaten of the tree whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldst not eat?
12 And Adam said: The woman, whom thou gavest me to be my companion, gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
13 And the Lord God said to the woman: Why hast thou done this? And she answered: The serpent deceived me, and I did eat.
14 ¶ And the Lord God said to the serpent: Because thou hast done this thing, thou art cursed among all cattle, and beasts of the earth: upon thy breast shalt thou go, and earth shalt thou eat all the days of thy life.
15 I will put enmities between thee and the woman, and thy seed and her seed: she shall crush thy head, and thou shalt lie in wait for her heel.
16 ¶ To the woman also he said: I will multiply thy sorrows, and thy conceptions: in sorrow shalt thou bring forth children, and thou shalt be under thy husband's power, and he shall have dominion over thee.
17 ¶ And to Adam he said: Because thou hast hearkened to the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee, that thou shouldst not eat, cursed is the earth in thy work: with labour and toil shalt thou eat thereof all the days of thy life.
18 Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to thee, and thou shalt eat the herbs of the earth.
19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread till thou return to the earth out of which thou wast taken: for dust thou art, and into dust thou shalt return.
20 ¶ And Adam called the name of his wife Eve: because she was the mother of all the living.
21 ¶ And the Lord God made for Adam and his wife garments of skins, and clothed them.
22 ¶ And he said: Behold Adam is become as one of us, knowing good and evil: now therefore lest perhaps he put forth his hand and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever.
23 And the Lord God sent him out of the paradise of pleasure, to till the earth from which he was taken.
24 And he cast out Adam: and placed before the paradise of pleasure Cherubims, and a flaming sword, turning every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

Notice in the above that the very first promise of our Redeemer, the Lord Jesus Christ is made here. We dare not think that this is a myth. Evolution does in fact teach that it is a myth. In fact it was believing in the evolutionary promise of becoming one’s own God that caused Adam and Eve to die, separated from God, until Christ came and redeemed us.

ALL OF THE CHURCH FATHERS TAUGHT LITERAL CREATION. FROM ONE OF THE MOST WELL KNOWN OF THE CHURCH FATHERS, ST. AUGUSTINE OF HIPPO, IN HIS "THE CITY OF GOD" (written from 412 A.D. to 426A.D.):


BOOK XVIII.

CHAP. 40.—SINCE IT IS ONLY LESS THAN SIX THOUSAND YEARS FROM CREATION BY GOD IT IS ONLY DUE TO THE MOST MENDACIOUS VANITY OF THE EGYPTIANS, THAT THEY ASCRIBE TO THEIR SCIENCE AN ANTIQUITY OF A HUNDRED THOUSAND YEARS.

In vain, then, do some babble with most empty presumption, who say that Egyptian astronomy has a history of more than a hundred thousand years! For in what books have they collected that number who learned letters from Isis their mistress, not much more than two thousand years ago? Varro, who has declared this, is no small authority in history, and it does not disagree with the truth of the divine books. For since six thousand years have not yet elapsed from the days of Adam, the first man, are not those to be ridiculed rather than refuted who try to persuade us of anything regarding a space of time so different from, and contrary to, the ascertained truth?


As for Einstein, who was a Talmudic Jew, he was the worst fake trying to pass as a mathematician there ever was. His theory of relativity is false and has been shown as false, but the politically correct insist on it because they think it lets them live in an evolutionary universe where they can disregard God’s laws on morality with impugnity. Also, the politically correct do in fact like their “St. Einstein” because he gives them an excuse to believe in the “Jewish Holocaust” and ignore the real holocaust that the Jews under Lenin and Stalin and that Hitler – perpetrated against the Christian Slavic peoples in order to murder them BECAUSE they were Christian, into the tens of millions!

The so-called gassing with no bodies because of little backyard crematoria is a total fabrication and out and out lies. Physically, it could not have happened. Also, gassing without seals is a total bad joke. It is impossible. You would kill those administering the gas. The Jews who claimed to have witnessed the gassing and burning in ovens always insisted that there were no seals for the gassing and the guards sat there just feet away with no breathing protection. The Zyklon B was in fact used elsewhere for fumigating insects. Those Jews also insisted that millions of people were incinerated in ovens (which ovens were actually planted there after the war by Stalin and not there during the war). Those ovens could not have handled even a tiny fraction of the people the Jews lie and say were incinerated. The fake incineration is very convenient as it gives them an excuse to ignore all the Jews that Hitler helped get out of Germany and to Palestine during the war. The reason for the fake Jewish Holocaust was part of the Jews plan to invade Palestine and set up the kingdom of their false god, the Antichrist. So far they are successful. The German cover up about statements in Mein Kampf to supposedly prove the holocaust by Germany against the Jews are actually ghost written by a Jesuit to help the Jewish Antichrist movement in order to gain power for the Jesuit interests.

The actual physics that works is Newtonian (actually the product of the Bernoullis, but the English had the political power so Isaac Newton, an early freemason, got the credit).


All the pagan and especially the Talmudic (which is total diabolic blaspheming of God) systems are evolutionary. Those systems We know better than to put any credence in that as it blasphemes God.

Christmas prayer

We praise you, Lord Jesus Christ,
God-Saviour of men,
stupendously powerful with the Father;
we praise you, we invoke you, we pray to you; assist us with your pardon, with clemency give us your grace.

Awaken in our hearts desires deserving of fulfillment; suggest to us words that are worthy to be heard; grant that our actions may be worthy of blessing.

We beg you to renew your birth in human nature, penetrating us with your invisible Godhead
as you did in a unique way in Mary
and do now spiritually in the Church.

May you be conceived by our faith,
that a mind untouched by corruption may bring you forth, that the soul, ever confirmed by the power of the Most High, may offer you a dwelling place.

Be not born in us, but reveal yourself in us. Be truly for us the Emmanuel, God with us.

Deign to remain with us, to fight for us. Only so can we conquer.

Mozarabic liturgy

THE GREAT DOXOLOGY

Glory to Thee Father of Lights Who through Thy Son Christ Jesus by the Holy Spirit, hast shown forth Thy Light.

GLORY to God in the highest, and on earth peace, towards men of good will.
We praise Thee; we bless Thee; we worship Thee; we glorify Thee; we
give thanks to Thee for Thy great glory:
O Lord, Heavenly King, God the Father Almighty, O Lord the Only¬
begotten Son, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit. .
O Lord God, Lamb of God, Son of the Father, that takest away the sin of
the world: have mercy on us, Thou that takest away the sins of the world.
Receive our prayer, Thou that sittest at the right hand of the Father;
and have mercy on us.
For Thou only art holy; Thou only art Lord, Jesus Christ, to the glory
of God the Father. Amen.
Every day will I bless Thee, and I will praise Thy Name for ever, yea,
for ever and ever.
Vouchsafe, O Lord, to keep us this day without sin.
Blessed art Thou, O Lord, the God of our Fathers, and praised and
glorified is Thy Name unto the ages. Amen.
Let Thy mercy, Lord, be upon us, according as we have hoped in
Thee.
Blessed art Thou, O Lord, teach me Thy statutes. (Thrice)
Lord, Thou hast been our refuge from generation to generation. I said:
O Lord, have mercy on me; heal my soul, for I have sinned against Thee.
Lord, unto Thee have I fled for refuge; teach me to do Thy will, for
Thou art my God. .
For in Thee is the fountain of life; in Thy light shall we see light.
O continue Thy mercy unto them that know Thee.
Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us. (Thrice)
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit;
Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.

Then we chant with stronger voice:

Holy God, Holy Mighty, Holy Immortal, have mercy on us.


GOD is with us; know, ye nations, and be vanquished.
For God is with us.
Give ear, even unto the utmost part of the earth.
For God is with us.
Ye that have prevailed, even ye be vanquished.
For God is with us.
For though ye should prevail again, yet again shall ye be vanquished.
For God is with us.
And whatsoever counsel ye shall take, the Lord shall bring it to nought.
For God is with us.
And whatsoever word ye speak., it shall not abide in you.
For God is with us.
And the fear of you we shall not fear, neither shall we be troubled.
For God is with us.
But we will sanctify the Lord our God, and He shall be our fear.
For God is with us.
And I put my trust in Him, He shall be my sanctification.
For God is with us.
Yea, I will put my trust in Him, and I shall be saved through Him.
For God is with us.
Behold, I and the children which God hath given me.
For God is with us.
The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light.
For God is with us.
We that dwell in the land and shadow of death a light shall shine upon us.
For God is with us.
For unto us a Child is born; and unto us a Son is given.
For God is with us.
Whose government is come upon His shoulder.
For God is with us.
And of His peace there is no end.
For God is with us.
And His Name shall be called the Angel of Great Counsel.
For God is with us.
Wonderful Counselor.
For God is with us.
The mighty God, He that hath authority, the Prince of Peace.
For God is with us.
The Father of the age to come.
For God is with us.
Glory to the Father, and to the Son, and to the Holy Spirit.
For God is with us.
Both now and ever, and unto the ages of ages. Amen.
For God is with us.
God is with us; know, ye nations, and be vanquished; for God is with us.

The birth of Jesus Christ from a virgin

On the occasion of the feast of Saint Martin, bishop of Tours (November 23, Tubah 14 according to the Coptic Synaxarion)

SAINT MARTIN BISHOP OF TOURS (FRANCE)

Saint Martin was born in Pannonia (Hungary), around 316 ad. His father was a senior officer in the Roman army, who was later stationed in Italy, where Martin grew up. At the age of ten, he went to the church against the wishes of his parents (who were pagan) and became a catechumen or candidate for baptism. When Martin was fifteen, as the son of a veteran officer, he was required to join the Roman army, and thus, around 334 was stationed in Gaul (France).

While Martin was still a soldier he met a poor man almost naked in the dead of winter, and trembling with cold. Taking up his sword, he divided his cloak into two parts and gave one to the beggar. The following night he saw Jesus Christ in a dream, clothed with this half-cloak and saying to His Angels: “It is Martin, still a catechumen, who covered Me.” Soon afterwards he received Baptism at the age of 18.

He obtained his discharge from the army at the age of twenty. Martin succeeded in converting his mother, then made his way to the city of Tours, where he became a disciple of Saint Hilary of Poitiers, a staunch opponent of Arianism. After having given striking proofs of his attachment to the faith of Nicea, he founded near Poitiers the celebrated monastery of Ligugé, the first in Gaul, which became a centre of evngelization of Western Gaul. The brilliance of his sanctity and his miracles raised him in 372 to the episcopal throne of Tours, despite his resistance. His life thereafter was but a continual succession of miracles and apostolic labours. His flock, though Christian in name, was still pagan at heart. Unarmed and attended only by his monks, Martin destroyed the heathen temples and groves, and completed by his preaching and miracles the conversion of the people. His power over demons was extraordinary. Idolatry never recovered from the blows given it by Saint Martin.

After having visited and renewed his diocese, the servant of God felt pressed to extend his labours beyond its confines. Clothed in a poor tunic and a rude cloak, and seated on an ass, accompanied only by a few religious, he left like a poor missionary to evangelize the countryside. He passed through virtually all the provinces of Gaul, and neither mountains, nor rivers, nor dangers of any description stopped him. Everywhere his undertakings were victorious, and he more than earned his title of the Light and the Apostle of Gaul. He reposed in the Lord in 397 ad.

From the late 4th century to the late Middle Ages, much of Western Europe, including Great Britain, engaged in a period of fasting beginning on the day after St. Martin's Day. This fast period lasted 40 days. At St. Martin's eve and on the feast day, people ate and drank very heartily for a last time before they started to fast. This fasting time was later called "Advent" by the Church.

Condensed from: Sulpitius Severus: On The Life of Saint Martin, Nicene and Post Nicene Fathers, Series II, vol. XI read online :