St. Matthew Orthodox Christian Church
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese
Torrance, CA

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Welcome!

Welcome to St. Matthew Orthodox Christian Church in Torrance, California.

We are an Eastern Orthodox Christian Church of the Greek Orthodox Patriarchate of Antioch and the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America.

We are a warm and diverse community of serious Christians who seek to worship God faithfully and witness the Gospel through love for our neighbor. 

ALL ARE WELCOME!

If you are joining us for the first time we ask of you to:

1) Dress modestly,

2) Come without expectation and allow yourself to just be present in the worship, and

3) If you are able to, join us for a meal after the service (On Sunday mornings and Wednesday evenings).

 

If you are visiting from another Orthodox Church it is helpful to let us know ahead of time, especially to let us know if you plan to approach the Chalice for Holy Communion

 

You can see our schedule of services and activities here: https://saint-matthew.net/schedule

Joining the Orthodox Christian Church

1) The first step in joining the Orthodox Christian Church is to attend services.

Services are offered daily and are open to all. The Holy Eucharist (Holy Communion) is reserved for Orthodox Christians who have prepared themselves to receive Holy Communion.

2) When visiting, be sure to introduce yourself to our Priest, Father John.

When meeting Father John you can arrange with him a time to meet and talk one-on-one to share about your journey and ask any questions you may have about the Church and the process of becoming an Orthodox Christian.

3) Get involved!

You are encouraged to try to attend services as much as you are able to. It was the regular life of the first Christians to gather daily. Along with services, try to make it to the various opportunities to learn about the faith, Wednesday night Family Nights (6:30pm), Friday morning Bible Studies (7am), and Saturday after Catechism Classes (3:30pm).

The Holy Apostle & Evangelist Matthew

St. Matthew was the son of Alpheus. From the Hebrew his name means the Gift of Jehovah. He was also known as Levi the Publican, a tax collector for the government of Rome in the Judean town of Capernaum.

St. Matthew wrote the first book of the New Testament, the Gospel According to Saint Matthew. Here he wrote of the coming of Our Lord, the birth of Jesus Christ, the years of His preaching, the story of the Sermon on the Mount and the Passion and Resurrection. It is known that St. Matthew wrote the Gospel in the last quarter of the first century.

St. Irenaeus and St. Clement of Alexandria tell us that after Our Lords Ascension, St. Matthew preached the Gospel in Judea for fifteen years. Tradition says he also preached in Persia and Ethiopia and stories of his martyrdom exist.

Troparion for St. Matthew
O Holy Apostle and Evangelist Matthew, intercede with our merciful God to grant our soul forgiveness of sins.

You did hear the divine voice and received the light of faith, abandoning the office of publican. You proclaimed the Good News of the ineffable Kenosis of Christ, O Apostle Matthew and now you intercede that they who praise you be granted forgiveness of offenses and great mercy.

Commemorated on November 16

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Today's Commemorations
Obadiah the Prophet, Martyr Barlaam of Caesarea, Martyr Heliodorus, Anthimos, Thallalaeos, Christopher, Euphemia & her children, the Martyrs
Today's Scripture Readings
ST. PAUL'S FIRST LETTER TO THE THESSALONIANS 4:1-12
Brethren, we beseech and exhort you in the Lord Jesus, that as you learned from us how you ought to live and to please God, just as you are doing, you do so more and more. For you know what instructions we gave you through the Lord Jesus. For this is the will of God, your sanctification: that you abstain from unchastity; that each one of you know how to take a wife for himself in holiness and honor, not in the passion of lust like the heathen who do not know God; that no man transgress, and wrong his brother in this matter, because the Lord is an avenger in all these things, as we solemnly forewarned you. For God has not called us for uncleanness, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you. But concerning the love of the brethren you have no need to have any one write to you, for you yourselves have been taught by God to love one another; and indeed you do love all the brethren throughout Macedonia. But we exhort you, brethren, to do so more and more, to aspire to live quietly, to mind your own affairs, and to work with your hands, as we charged you; so that you may command the respect of outsiders, and be dependent on nobody.
LUKE 15:1-10
At that time, the tax collectors and sinners were all drawing near to Jesus to hear him. And the Pharisees and the scribes murmured, saying, "This man receives sinners and eats with them." So he told them this parable: "What man of you, having a hundred sheep, if he has lost one of them, does not leave the ninety-nine in the wilderness, and go after the one which is lost, until he finds it? And when he has found it, he lays it on his shoulders, rejoicing. And when he comes home, he calls together his friends and his neighbors, saying to them, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost.' Just so, I tell you, there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance. "Or what woman, having ten silver coins, if she loses one coin, does not light a lamp and sweep the house and seek diligently until she finds it? And when she has found it, she calls together her friends and neighbors, saying, 'Rejoice with me, for I have found the coin which I had lost.' Just so, I tell you, there is joy before the angels of God over one sinner who repents."
Today's Thought

When asked why the good Lord permits assaults and trials to fall on the true Faith while He permits the pleasure of tranquility to heresies and paganism, St. John Chrysostom replied: “So that you might recognize their weakness (i.e., of heresies and paganism) when you see that they disintegrate on their own without any disturbance – and also be convinced of the power of the Faith that endures misfortunes and even multiplies through its adversities.”