The feast of the Holy Forefathers at the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem

This news is shared from the website of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem.

On Sunday, 16th/29th December 2024, the Feast of the Forefathers was celebrated by the Patriarchate, that is, the forefathers of Christ according to the flesh, both before and under the Law, who were pleasing to God. This feast commemorates the line of patriarchs beginning with Abraham, the one blessed by God, and from whose seed the Most Holy Theotokos was born, through whom, by the Holy Spirit, our Lord Jesus Christ was conceived and born.

This feast was celebrated in the beautiful and grand church of the village of the Shepherds / Beit Saḥur, with its iconostasis carved into the rock, through the Divine Liturgy, presided over by His Beatitude Patriarch Kyrios Kyrios Theophilos III, Greek Orthodox Patriarch of the Holy City of Jerusalem and all Palestine and Jordan. Concelebrating with Him were their Eminences the Archbishops, Aristarchos of Constantina, Methodios of Tabor, and Aristovoulos of Madaba, along with the Hieromonks of the Holy Sepulchre, led by Elder Kamarasis Archimandrite Nektarios, the Hegumen of the Shepherds, Archimandrite Ignatios, and the Priests of the Church, Hanna Rasmawi, Fr Issa Mousleh, and Fr Savvas Kher, as well as the Hierodeacons Simeon and Eulogios. The choir of the parish chanted, and the ceremony was graced by the presence of the Honorable Consul General of Greece in Jerusalem, Mr Dimitrios Angelosopoulos, the Mayor of the City, Mr Said Khoury, and the former Mayor and current Minister of Tourism, Mr Haiek, with the active participation of the members of the Community.

Before the Holy Communion, His Beatitude delivered the following sermon:

“Scripture foretold that ‘God would justify the nations by faith, and He preached beforehand to Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.’

Dear brothers and sisters in Christ,

Pious Christians,

The grace of the Holy Spirit has gathered us all in this sacred place, the historical land of the “shepherds who kept watch in the fields” (cf. Luke 2:8), that we may festively perform the memorial services for the Holy Forefathers: Adam, Enoch, Noah, Melchizedek, Abraham, and Jacob; with the Lawgiver Moses and Aaron, Jesus, Samuel, and David; with Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel, along with the twelve, Elijah, Elisha, and all the prophets; Zacharias and John the Baptist, and all those who proclaimed Christ, the Life and Resurrection of our people.”

The God who established all things from nothing was about to become incarnate, through the Holy Spirit, and come forth from the pure blood of the Virgin Mary, who had been predestined and chosen before the ages and from all generations. Concerning her, the most eloquent Isaiah prophesied: “Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and shall call His name Emmanuel” (Isaiah 7:14).

This Son of the Virgin Mary, namely Emmanuel, whom Moses and the Prophets had foretold and whom the disciples and Apostles recognized as our Lord Jesus Christ, according to the true testimony of the holy Evangelist John, who said: “Philip findeth Nathanael, and saith unto him, We have found Him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph” (John 1:46)…

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This news was originally published on the website of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Jerusalem. Please click here to read the full text.