The name “Michael’’ in Hebrew means “He who is like God’’. In the Old Testament, Michael is the “great prince who stands over your people.’’ He is described as the heavenly spirit who watches over Israel (Daniel 10: 13, 21). In Jude 9, he is referred to as an archangel. Michael and his angels are described in Revelation as battling the dragon (Satan) and the other angels who lost their place in heaven (see Revelation 12: 7-9; Isaiah 14: 12; Ezekiel 21: 12).

Michael the Archangel is the source of strength and consolation for God’s people in times of difficulties. Because of his vigilance over the People of God, he is invoked as a protector of the Church of Christ against the powers of evil. Churches in his honor date from the fourth century and his cult is widespread. In the East, he is venerated as taking care of the sick.

In 349AD, John was born in Antioch, a center of both culture and heresies. His father, Secundus, was a high-ranking army officer and probably a Roman and a Christian. His mother, Anthusa, was a Greek and praised her son for her piety and virtues. After a classical education, John was baptized during Easter 368AD.

He then aspired to become a monk and practiced severe austerities for the several years, which led to an impairment of his health.

Ordained to the priesthood in 386AD, he began his illustrations career as a preacher. After twelve years, he succeeded Nectarius as the Patriarch of Constantinople. He brought forth many reforms in the ecclesiastical life of the patriarchate, a project which made him unpopular with some of the clergy. His bluntness also created many enemies at court, one of them being the empress, Eudoxia. In 402AD, John was exiled and underwent great sufferings while travelling from one place to another. He died on September 14, 407AD. He is renown as a preacher which gave him the name of ‘’Chrysostom,’’ or ‘’Golden Month.’’ For this reason, he is the patron of preachers.

It was John Chrysostom who took the Antioch liturgy to the imperial court at Byzantine and who wrote the liturgy which bears his name. In addition to being a father and doctor of the universal church, he is the patron of the entire Byzantine church and the patron of preachers.

In the Maronite synaxarion, two saints by the name of Romanos are commemorated. The other Romanos is described as the Father of Monks and is celebrated on February 27. The Romanos commemorated on the 18^th of November is also commemorated on March 1^st.

Romanos was born in Palestine in Caesarea and was ordained a deacon in the one of the villages belonging to this province. When the Roman Emperor, Diocletian, began his persecution of the Christians both in the east and in the west, especially at Antioch, Romanos immediately decided to go to that city when he heard many of the Christians there were abandoning their Christian faith. The emperor threatened to cut out Romanos tongue, but the future martyr continued preaching and urged the people to confess to no other savior but Jesus. Finally, he was arrested, thrown into prison, and beheaded in 303AD.

There are many who assert that Romanos originated in Antioch and not in Palestine. This confusion arose from the fact that the early Christians attributed martyrs to the place where their blood was shed, rather than the place where they were born.

Romanos still lives in the memory and lives of the Maronite faithful (in Lebanon and the United States) who have churches named in his honor.

On the 21^st of November, the Church commemorates the offering of a young girl, Mary, by her parents for the service in the Temple. The feast of the Presentation was celebrated in Jerusalem from the sixth century AD. The churches of the east used to celebrate the feast under the name of “Entrance to the Temple.’’ The feast came to the west in the middle of the fourteenth century AD.

The Mosaic Law required that the first born male be dedicated to God (exodus 13:12). A private pious practice of dedicating a first-born female may also have arisen. There were buildings in the Temple area where girls and women stayed and served the Temple. There is documentation which proves that girls were dedicated to the service of the Temple and also studied Sacred scripture.

The New Testament does not mention the childhood of Mary, but there is an abundance of apocryphal literature on the subject. The proto-Gospel of James narrates how Joachim wanted to offer Mary when she was two years old, but Ann wanted to wait another year. Thus, when Mary was three years old, she was taken to the Temple, where she was kept by the high priest and educated until she was fifteen or sixteen years old. In order to enter the Temple it was necessary to climb a long staircase; it was said that when she entered the Temple, Mary ran up the steps without turning around to see her parents.

The object of the feast is not so much the physical entry of Mary into the Temple, but rather her total consecration to God, her desire to serve God, and her search for virtues that would prepare her to become the Mother of God. In offering herself to the Lord without hesitation or reserve, she thus became the example and the model of all who desire to follow the Lord.

The Feast of the presentation of Mary is dear to all those who prepare themselves for the priesthood or the religious life. ‘’O Lord, my allotted portion and my cup, you it is who hold fast my lot’’ (Psalm 16: 5). They prepare themselves like Mary in order that they might give Christ to the world.