There is no mystery greater than that of the Incarnation of God. In the quiet majesty of an archangel’s salutation, months before in Nazareth, a wonder beyond description was begun; and here, on this night, that wonder will be fully manifest. The great mystery which the holy Virgin, now holy Mother, had for long days stored up and treasured in her heart, the reality hidden but to a select few, is now to shine forth in all the radiance of a heavenly star.
While many of us are packing away ornaments and throwing out holiday leftovers, another Christmas and another new year are about to descend. On Thursday and Friday, Orthodox Christians who follow the Julian calendar will celebrate Christmas. A week later, they will mark the new year.
Although their sound used to be heard throughout the Russian countryside, church bells fell silent during the Soviet era. Now the classic ringing is being brought back to life.
On a leafy lane near Chiswick, in south-west London, the blue dome of a Russian Orthodox church rises surreally above the chestnut trees. Visible to drivers along the M4 on their way to and from Heathrow Airport, the Cathedral of the Dormition of the Mother of God and the Holy Royal Martyrs is, as the unwieldy name suggests, a symbolic statement of traditional faith in a city that growing numbers of Russians are adopting as a home from home.
Whether these charges are just, the Greek court will decide; we cannot interfere. However, it is quite obvious that detention under remand of Archimandrite Ephrem, who does not pose any danger, without considering the case on its merits and before a court ruling, is an extraordinary action that surprises us deeply.
