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 - Preparation - Sunday before the Nativity - Sunday of the Genealogy of Holy God the Son within the Holy Trinity / Our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ

On this Sunday, the Church remembers and celebrates the ancestors of Our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ as listed by St. Matthew in the first chapter of his Gospel. This long list of men and women down through the ages from Abraham the Patriarch to Joseph the husband of The Theotokos solidly locates Our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ as one of us--the only creatures made in the image and likeness of Holy God Himself and as member of Holy God's Chosen People. This Holy God who becomes human is not some outsider; He is related to actual people with whom God has had a close relationship for many, many years. He is truly one of us.
Because this cast of characters includes both good people and bad people, like the whole human family, it also emphasizes that Our Lord, God, and Savior Jesus Christ came to save all human persons, saints and sinners.

Kontakion, Troparion, Exapostilarion, and Vespers Sticheron or Doxastikon

26 Nov. - 24 Dec., at every Sunday and feast-day liturgy.

Kontakion of the Preparation (Tone 3)
Today the Virgin is on her way to the cave where she will give birth to the Eternal Word of God in an ineffable manner. Rejoice, therefore, O universe, when you hear this news, and glorify with the angels and the shepherds Him who shall appear as a newborn Babe, being God from all eternity.

Sunday before the Nativity - Sunday of the Genealogy

KONTAKION (TONE 1)
Rejoice, O Bethlehem, and be ready, O Ephrata! Behold, the Virgin is on her way, to give birth to the Great Shepherd she carries in her womb. The God-bearing Forefathers will rejoice at his sight, and together with the shep-herds, they will glorify the Virgin nursing Him.

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!

Preparation
Day	Commemorate	Date	Day of Prepar- ation	Apostolos	Gospel
Feast St. Philip Apostle	St. Philip Apostle	14 Nov.		Acts 8:26-39	Jn. 1:43-51
Pre-Nativity Fast Ancient Begins	Philip Fast	Begins 15 Nov.	1	1 Tim. 4:4-8, 16	Lk. 16:15-18 17:1-4
Conception Anne	Maternity Anne	9 Dec.	25	Gal. 4:22-27	Lk.8:16-21
Pre-Nativity Fast Modern Begins	Philip Fast	Begins 10 Dec.	26 or 1	Heb. 9:8-23	Mk. 8:22-26
Sunday before Nativity	Sunday Genealogy	Between 18 and 24		Heb. 11:9-10 32-40	Mt. 1:1-25
Preparation Nativity	Holy Hieromartyr Ignatios, God-Bearer	20	36 or 11	James 2:1-13	Mk. 10:23b-32a
Second Day Preparation	Holy Martyr Juliana Nicomedia	21	37 or 12	Gal. 3:8-11	Lk. 13:19-29
Third Day Preparation	Holy Great Martyr Anastasia	22	38 or 13	Gal. 3:8-11	Lk. 13:19-29
Fourth Day Preparation	Ten Holy Great Martyrs Crete	23	39 or 14	James 2:14-26	Mk. 10:46-52
Paramony Royal Hours		24	40 or 15	Many	Many
Paramony Nativity	Holy Woman Martyr Eugenia	24	40 or 15	Heb. 1:1-12	Lk. 2:1-20
Pre-Nativity Fast Ends	Philip Fast	Ends just before Vespers on 24 December evening	40 or 15

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.

Melkite Greek Catholic Church Information Center
Martha Liles
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E-mail: mliles@mliles.com or mliles@mliles.com

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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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