Homily One on the Feast of the Reception of the Lord (St. Luke of Simferopol)

 

By St. Luke, Archbishop of Simferopol and All Crimea

(Delivered on February 2/15, 1952)

"Do not think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets: I did not come to destroy, but to fulfill. For truly, I say to you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one jot or one tittle will pass from the law until everything is fulfilled" (Matthew 5:17-18).

These words of our Lord Jesus Christ are probably perplexing to many of you.

How does the Lord say that not a single iota, not a single tittle will pass away in the law, until everything will be fulfilled?

Isn't much abolished by the Lord Jesus Himself in the Old Testament law given through Moses?

Have the customs, the fulfillment of those precepts of the law, which were effective in ancient times, been preserved even among the Jews?

This great feast of the Reception of the Lord gives me a reason to explain these words of Christ and remove your confusion and bewilderment.

Interpreting Old Testament Passages That Depict God as "Vengeful"

 

 By Archimandrite Iakovos Kanakis,
Chancelor of the Metropolis of Gortyna and Megalopolis

The study of the Old Testament for someone who does not have significant introductory knowledge of the holy books requires discernment. In other words, you can read the Book of Leviticus and be surprised by the expressions you will read. You are likely to misunderstand what you are going to read precisely because you need a substantial immersive, documented and subtle interpretive approach. So why does it use expressions that present a vengeful God? Or why are expressions used to indicate violence?

Righteous Aaron, Brother of Moses the God-Seer

Righteous Aaron (Feast Day - March 12)

The Holy High Priest Aaron was the elder brother of the Holy Prophet Moses. He was appointed by God to serve as the spokesman of Moses before the people of Israel, and also before Pharaoh, in Egypt. Afterwards, in the wilderness, he was called to the ministry of the high priesthood, as narrated in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers in the in the Old Testament. The name Aaron means "enlightened."