The first important event in the life of Jesus following his birth is his circumcision and naming. In Luke’s Gospel we read: When the eighth day arrived for his circumcision, the name Jesus was given the child, the name the angel had given him before he was conceived. It is celebrated on the first day of the New Year. Once the date for Christmas was established, the Church automatically established the date for this feast. Of course as we have seen, Christmas was not established as a feast until the fourth century.

It should be noted that prior to the Church being the state religion, there were pagan practices that were enacted on New Year’s Day that the Church considered to be truly loathsome. This feast nicely counteracted those practices.

In the East, the feast of the Circumcision seems to have become universal during the eighth and ninth centuries. Although it is considered an important feast, it is not one of the twelve principal feasts. It does not have either a pre– or post-feast. Strictly speaking, it brings to a close the post-feast of Christmas.

St. Sophia’s Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church in Kiev, Ukraine

Why do we celebrate it? The feast, I believe, speaks to us of sacrifice and self-denial. There is no genuine service of God without the observance of God’s commandments and the fulfillment of Christian duties. Every Christian must practice a spiritual circumcision, that is, he must conquer his senses, his evil inclinations and his passions.

The naming of Jesus reminds us of the holiness and power of that name and its great significance for every Christian. To speak the name of Jesus in prayer is one of our ancient and venerable traditions. The Jesus Prayer truly is one of the important prayers of the Eastern Church. This feast also highlights the giving of the name Jesus.

Just as the circumcision ritual was the initiation ritual for men into Judaism, wherein a name was given to the child, so too is our initiation ritual. We speak the name of the child as we baptize, chrismate and give the Holy Eucharist to the person being initiated into the People of God, the Church.

You are exhorted to make the first day of the new year a day wherein you remember your own       initiation into the Church of Christ. The only real resolution that should be made on the first day of the year is a resolution to try and live the Jesus Way to the best of your ability. To make that a goal for 2015 would truly mean that you are serious about your spiritual growth and union with God.