The icon of Panayia Panachrantou in Cyprus
With the blessings of the Bishop of Tamasos and Pera Oreinis Isaias, for the first time the wondrous icon of Panagia Panachrantou (The Immaculate One) which was painted by the Evangelist Luke and is kept at the Holy Monastery of Panagia Panachrantou in Andros and is coming to Cyprus as well as a portion of the Holy Skull of St. Panteleimon the Great Martyr and Unmercenary which is also treasured and kept at the same Holy Monastery. This will be for the period 27 January until 8 February 2016.
This is a great honour for Cyprus, as for the first time the sacred icon is leaving the Monastery after 1055 years of being safely kept there.
The formal ceremony to receive these sacred treasures will take place outside the Municipality’s building on 27 January, 2016 at 4.30 p.m. by the Municipal Committee of Deftera, the Bishop of Tamasos and Pera Oreinis as well as the general public and, thereafter, will be taken by procession to the Holy Church of Saint George, Pano Deftera where they will remain for veneration by the faithful until Monday, 8 February.
During this period, the Church will remain open every day from 6.30 a.m. until 10 p.m.
What is being spiritual?
What does it mean to be spiritual? The world knows and promotes all kinds of “spiritualities” related to music, art, nature, leisure, sports, and many other kinds of human activities, including religious and quasi-religious practices. Many such activities are fairly harmless and promote a sense of physical and emotional well-being. Others however may involve obsessive preoccupations with popular music, sports or other forms of entertainment, and may actually be quite harmful, such as in the case of experimentation with drugs.
For Orthodox Christians, being spiritual has to do with ordinary Christian living based on faith in God as we know Him in the person of Christ and by the power of the Holy Spirit. For an Orthodox Christian, the first thing about being spiritual is not to dare think that you are spiritual but only humbly to seek to live by your faith in Christ and His teachings. Faithfulness, humility, discernment, peacefulness, love, truthfulness, compassion, and inner joy are the primary attributes of Orthodox spirituality.
Theophany or Epiphany?
1. Theophany or Epiphany and Christmas. Theophany is one of the great Feasts of the Lord of the ecclesiastical year. It is also called Epiphany and the Day of Lights and is celebrated on the 6th of January. The names of this Feast indicate the understanding of the ancient Church concerning this Feast. This understanding is connected with the revelation of God, that is, the manifestation of the One God in Trinity through the Incarnation of the Son of God, our Lord Jesus Christ. Consequently, Theophany comprises the birth of Christ and the related events (e.g. the visitation of the Magi) and also the beginning of the public manifestation of the inca
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"Go ye therefore, and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit"