Nativity Encyclical 2013 (Greek)

Details: By Holy Synod of Greece; Created on Tuesday, 31 December 2013 21:06

ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΔΗΜΟΚΡΑΤΙΑ
ΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΑ Γ.Ο.Χ. ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ
ΙΕΡΑ ΣΥΝΟΔΟΣ
ΚΑΝΙΝΓΓΟΣ 32 (3ον ὄροφος)
106 82 ΑΘΗΝΑΙ
TEL. 21038 28 280 - FAX 21038 47 365
ΕΛΛΑΣ

Ἀριθμός Πρωτ. γ – 1845

ΜΗΝΥΜΑ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΥΓΕΝΝΩΝ ΣΩΤΗΡΙΟΥ ΕΤΟΥΣ 2013

Παντὶ τῷ πληρώματι τῆς Ἐκκλησίας

«Τοῦ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ γεννηθέντος ἐκ τῆς ἁγίας Παρθένου, πεφώτισται τὰ σύμπαντα· Ποιμένων γὰρ ἀγραυλούντων, καὶ Μάγων προσκυνούντων, Ἀγγέλων ἀνυμνούντων, Ἡρῴδης ἐταράττετο, ὅτι Θεὸς ἐν σαρκὶ ἐφάνη, Σωτὴρ τῶν ψυχῶν ἡμῶν..»

Τέκνα ἐν Κυρίῳ ἀγαπητά καὶ περιπόθητα,

Ἀληθῶς ἐφωτίσθησαν τὰ σύμπαντα διὰ τῆς ἐνανθρωπήσεως τοῦ Υἱοῦ καὶ Λόγου τοῦ Θεοῦ. Καὶ ἔγινεν τὸ ταπεινόν σπήλαιον τῆς Βηθλεέμ ὁ χῶροs ἀπ’ ὅπου ἀνέτειλεν ὁ Ἥλιος τῆς Δικαιοσύνης, ὁ Σωτὴρ ἡμῶν, διαλύων τὰ ζοφώθη σκότη τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας καὶ τῆς κυριαρχίας τῶν παθῶν. Ἔδωσε δὲ εἰς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, αὐτοὺς οἱ ὁποῖοι ἐκουσίως πιστεύουν εἰς Αὐτόν, τὴν γνῶσιν τῆς ἀληθοῦς Θεογνωσίας καὶ τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ ἐλευθερίας ἀπὸ τὰ πάθη.

Τὰ πάθη παρομοιάζονται πρὸς τὰ ἄγρια θηρία τοῦ δρυμοῦ, τὰ ὁποῖα κυκλοφοροῦν ὑπὸ τὴν κάλυψιν τοῦ σκότους διὰ νὰ ἁρπάσουν τὴν λείαν των. Ὅταν ἀνατέλει ὁ ἥλιος, τότε τά θηρία κρύπτονται εἰς τὰς φωλεάς των: «ἔθου σκότος, καὶ ἐγένετο νύξ· ἐν αὐτῇ διελεύσονται πάντα τὰ θηρία τοῦ δρυμοῦ (...) ἀνέτειλεν ὁ ἥλιος, καὶ συνήχθησαν καὶ εἰς τὰς μάνδρας αὐτῶν κοιτασθήσονται.» (Ψαλμ. ΡΓ’ 20, 22). Διὰ τοῦτο καὶ εἰς τὰς ψυχάς τῶν δικαίων, ὅπου κυριαρχεῖ τὸ φῶς τῆς Χάριτος τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἔχουν φυγαδευθεῖ τὰ πάθη.

Ἀγαπητά τέκνα ἐν Κυρίῳ,

Ἂς εὐτρεπίσωμεν καὶ ἡμεῖς τὰς ψυχάς ἡμῶν διὰ τῆς ταπεινώσεως ὥστε νὰ ὁμοιάσουν πρὸς τὸ ταπεινόν σπήλαιον τῆς Βηθλεέμ. Ἂς καλέσωμεν διὰ τῆς προσευχῆς τὸν Θεὸν καὶ Σωτήρα μας νὰ κατοικήσῃ ἐντός ἡμῶν καὶ ἂς ἀγωνισθῶμεν ὅσον δυνάμεθα διὰ νὰ ἐφελκύσωμεν τὴν Χάριν Του. Διότι ἀφορμὴν ζητεῖ ὁ Θεός ἡμῶν διὰ νὰ μᾶς σώσῃ καὶ ἐπιθυμεῖ νὰ ἴδη τὴν ἀγαθήν ἡμῶν προαίρεσιν. Τότε θὰ ἀξιωθῶμεν νὰ ὑποδεχθῶμεν καὶ ἡμεῖς τὸν Κύριον ἐντός ἡμῶν καὶ νὰ τὸν προσκυνήσωμεν νοερῶς ὡς Ποιμένες. Τότε ἂς Τὸν Δοξολογήσωμεν καὶ ἂς ψάλλωμεν μετ’ εὐφροσύνης μεγαλύνοντες τὸν Κύριον:

«Ἀνέτειλας Χριστὲ ἐκ Παρθένου, νοητὲ Ἥλιε τῆς Δικαιοσύνης· καὶ Ἀστὴρ σε ὑπέδειξεν, ἐν Σπηλαίῳ χωρούμενον τὸν ἀχώρητον. Μάγους ὁδηγήσας εἰς προσκύνησίν σου· μεθ' ὧν σε μεγαλύνομεν, Ζωοδότα δόξα σοι».

Η ΙΕΡΑ ΣΥΝΟΔΟΣ

Ἐν ἔτει σωτηρίῳ, ΒΙΓ΄τῇ 14ῃ/ 27 ῃ Δεκεμβρίου

Η ΙΕΡΑ ΣΥΝΟΔΟΣ

Ὁ Ἀρχιεπίσκοπος

† Ὁ Ἀθηνῶν ΚΑΛΛΙΝΙΚΟΣ

Τὰ Μέλη

† Ὁ Ἀττικῆς καὶ Διαυλείας ΑΚΑΚΙΟΣ

† Ὁ Θεσσαλονίκης καὶ Δημητριάδος ΜΑΞΙΜΟΣ

† Ὁ Λαρίσης καί Πλαταμῶνος ΑΘΑΝΑΣΙΟΣ

† Ὁ Εὐρίπου καὶ Εὐβοίας ΙΟΥΣΤΙΝΟΣ

† Ὁ Πειραιῶς καὶ Σαλαμῖνος ΓΕΡΟΝΤΙΟΣ

† Ὁ Ἀττικῆς καὶ Βοιωτίας ΧΡΥΣΟΣΤΟΜΟΣ

† Ὁ Τορόντο ΜΩΫΣΗΣ

† Ὁ Χριστιανουπόλεως ΓΡΗΓΟΡΙΟΣ

† Ὁ Μαραθῶνος ΦΩΤΙΟΣ

† Ὁ Βρεσθένης ΘΕΟΔΟΣΙΟΣ

† Ὁ Πόρτλαντ ΣΕΡΓΙΟΣ

† Ὁ Βοστώνης ΔΗΜΗΤΡΙΟΣ

† Ὁ Θεουπόλεως ΧΡΙΣΤΟΔΟΥΛΟΣ

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Refutation of an "Encyclical Sermon"

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by His Grace, Bishop Clement of Gardikion, Secretary of the Holy Synod

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