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

Orthodox Awareness

A Miracle of Saint Spyridon

This miracle of Saint Spyridon took place in Mandra, Greece in 1926.

It was 12/25 December, 1926. The state Church of Greece adopted the Papal calendar and with the help of the Greek government persecuted all those who did not accept the Papal calendar. The faithful Orthodox Christians of Mandra woke up and headed to their Church to celebrate the Feast of Saint Spyridon. When they reached the Church they saw that the door to the Church had been secured with chains and the faithful could not enter. Before leaving the Church to return to their homes they stuck their candles on the door. As soon as the last person placed his candles on the door

the chains broke and fell. The faithful, confirmed in their Faith, entered the Church and celebrated the Feast of Saint Spyridon.

The miracle was reported the next day by the newspaper Skrip.

Missions

Saint Matthew the Evangelist, Jonesboro, Arkansas

Jonesboro is a town located near the Eastern border of Arkansas, with a population of approximately 60,000. From a human standpoint, it’s not the most likely candidate for a traditional Orthodox mission, but for an Orthodox Christian who orders his priorities around Christ and His Church, it makes perfect sense. Read more...

Youth

2023 Youth Conference

Please join us for the 2023 youth conference in Chicago, IL! To learn more, visit the home page or visit the conference website.

Ask A Priest

Morning and Evening Prayers

Q. Are the prayers in the blue prayer book [A Prayerbook for Orthodox Christians by the Holy Transfiguration Monastery —ed.] compulsory for everyone? I mean their morning prayers and the service of Small Compline. My confessor gave me a special rule but wasn’t clear about whether this replaced the book prayers or was in addition to them. Read more...

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