MESSAGE OF HIS BEATITUDE THE PATRIARCH OF JERUSALEM THEOPHILOS III ON THE OCCASION OF CHRISTMAS 2018

Jerusalem Patriarchate 

ΜΗΝΥΜΑ ΤΗΣ ΑΥΤΟΥ ΘΕΙΟΤΑΤΗΣ ΜΑΚΑΡΙΟΤΗΤΟΣ ΤΟΥ ΠΑΤΡΙΑΡΧΟΥ ΙΕΡΟΣΟΛΥΜΩΝ κ. κ. ΘΕΟΦΙΛΟΥ Γ΄ ΕΠΙ ΤΟΙΣ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΥΓΕΝΝΟΙΣ 2018

Βηθλεέμ ἑτοιμάζου, εὐτρεπιζέσθω ἡ φάτνη,

τό Σπήλαιον δεχέσθω, ἡ ἀλήθεια ἦλθε, ἡ σκιά παρέδραμε

καί Θεός ἀνθρώποις ἐκ Παρθένου πεφανέρωται

μορφωθείς τό καθ΄ἡμᾶς καί θεώσας τό πρόσλημμα.

( Ἰδιόμελον ἀκολουθίας Μεγάλων Ὡρῶν Χριστουγέννων,

Ποίημα  ἁγίου Σωφρονίου Πατριάρχου Ἱεροσολύμων).

Κατά τάς χαρμοσύνους ἡμέρας τοῦ Δωδεκαημέρου, ἐξαιρέτως δέ κατά τήν ἡμέραν τῶν Γενεθλίων τοῦ Χριστοῦ, πρωτίστως δοξολογικῶς καί εὐχαριστιακῶς ἡ Ἐκκλησία, κοινωνικῶς δέ καί ἡ ἀνθρωπότης ὅλη, ἑορτάζουν γεγονός ὑπερφυές καί ἐξαίσιον, μυστήριον ξένον καί παράδοξον, ὑπερβαῖνον πᾶσαν ἀνθρωπίνην ἔννοιαν.

Τό ἑόρτιον γεγονός τοῦτο εἶναι ἡ σάρκωσις, ἡ ἐνανθρώπησις τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγου. «Ὁ Λόγος σάρξ ἐγένετο καί ἐσκήνωσε ἐν ἡμῖν» (Ἰω. 1, 14) κατά  τόν Εὐαγγελιστήν τῆς ἀγάπης. Ἐν τῇ ὑπερβολῇ τῆς ἀγάπης Αὐτοῦ πρός τόν ἄνθρωπον ὁ Θεός Πατήρ ἡμῶν ηὐδόκησε καί ὁ Υἱός Αὐτοῦ, Υἱός ἀνθρώπου γέγονε, σαρκωθείς καί τεχθείς κατά σάρκα ἐκ τῆς ἁγίας καί ἀμώμου Παρθένου. «Ὁ Θεός ὤφθη σαρκοφόρος ἐπί τῆς γῆς καί τοῖς ἀνθρώποις συνανεστράφη» κατά τόν ὑμνῳδόν τῆς Ἐκκλησίας. «Ὁ Υἱός τοῦ Θεοῦ», κατά τόν θεοφόρον πατέρα  ἅγιον Ἰωάννην Δαμασκηνόν,  «μεταλαμβάνει τοῦ χείρονος, ἤτοι τῆς ἡμετέρας ἀνθρωπίνης φύσεως, ἵνα δι’ Ἑαυτοῦ ἐν Ἑαυτῷ ἀνακαινίσῃ τό κατ’ εἰκόνα καί καθ’ ὁμοίωσιν καί τῇ τῆς ζωῆς κοινωνίᾳ ἐλευθερώσῃ ἡμᾶς τῆς φθορᾶς, ἀπαρχή γενόμενος τῆς ἡμῶν ἀναστάσεως καί τό ἀχρειωθέν καί συντριβέν σκεῦος ἀνακαινίσῃ» (Ἔκδ. Ὀρθοδ. Πίστεως, οζ΄). Τήν φιλάνθρωπον ἐνέργειαν ταύτην τοῦ Θεοῦ Γρηγόριος ὁ θεολόγος ὀνομάζει «ἐπιδημίαν τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰς τήν γῆν, ἵνα ἡμεῖς οἱ ἄνθρωποι εἰς οὐρανόν ἐνδημήσωμεν» (PG 36, 316A).

Ἡ ἐκ τῆς ἀειπαρθένου κατά σάρκα γέννησις τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγου λαμβάνει χώραν εἰς τούς χρόνους ἀπογραφῆς τῆς οἰκουμένης ἐπί Καίσαρος Ὀκταβιανοῦ Αὐγούστου καί ἐπί Ἡρώδου τοῦ βασιλέως εἰς τήν πόλιν Βηθλεέμ τῆς Ἰουδαίας, (Λουκ. 2, 1 & Ματθ. 2, 1). Τότε διά τό μή εἶναι τόπον ἐν τῷ καταλύματι (Λουκ. 2, 7), ὁ Χριστός «λαθών ἐτέχθη ὑπό τό σπήλαιον». Οὐχ ἧττον τό ὑπό τήν γῆν διά τούς ἰσχυρούς τῆς γῆς κεκρυμμένον, ἤτοι ἡ κένωσις τῆς Ἐνανθρωπήσεως καί τῆς κατά σάρκα Γεννήσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ Λόγου καί ἡ πτωχεία τοῦ σπηλαίου καί τῶν σπαργάνων, ἀπ’ οὐρανῶν ὑπό τοῦ Θεοῦ εἰς τούς ἀνθρώπους γνωρίζεται. Ὁ Θεός δι’ ἀστέρος καλεῖ μάγους δωροφοροῦντας ἀπό ἀνατολῶν (Ματθ. 2, 1) καί ποιμένας ἀγραυλοῦντας, δι’ ἀγγέλων, ψαλλόντων «Δόξα ἐν ὑψίστοις Θεῷ καί ἐπί γῆς εἰρήνη ἐν ἀνθρώποις εὐδοκία», (Λουκ. 2, 14).

Τό οὐράνιον καί θεῖον μήνυμα τοῦτο τῆς εἰρήνης τοῦ Ἄρχοντος τῆς εἰρήνης, τοῦ Ἀγγέλου τῆς μεγάλης Βουλῆς, ἤτοι τῆς συνδιαλλαγῆς, τῆς συγκαταβάσεως τοῦ Θεοῦ πρός ἡμᾶς τούς ἀνθρώπους, τῆς συγγνώμης, τῆς ἄκρας ταπεινώσεως, ἡ ὁποία ἔφθασε καί μέχρι τῆς θυσίας τοῦ Σταυροῦ, ἐνστερνίζεται, οἰκειοποιεῖται, ἐπαγγέλλεται, ἐξασκεῖ καί κηρύττει ἡ ὑπό τοῦ Ἐνανθρωπήσαντος Χριστοῦ ἱδρυθεῖσα Ἐκκλησία,  πρός τούς ἐγγύς καί τούς μακράν, πρός τά μέλη αὐτῆς καί τόν κόσμον ὅλον, ἀνεξαρτήτως φυλῆς, θρησκεύματος, ἐθνικότητος, χρώματος καί γλώσσης, καλοῦσα καί λέγουσα ὡς ὁ ἀπόστολος τῶν ἐθνῶν «προσλαμβάνετε ἀλλήλους καθώς καί ὁ Χριστός προσελάβετο ἡμᾶς εἰς δόξαν Θεοῦ», (Ρωμ. 15, 7). Ἰδιαιτέρως ἐκπέμπει τό μήνυμα τοῦτο πρός τούς ἰσχυρούς τῆς γῆς, τούς κατευθύνοντας τάς ζωάς τῶν ἀνθρώπων καί καθορίζοντας τάς ἐξελίξεις εἰς τήν Μέσην Ἀνατολήν καί τήν Ἁγίαν Γῆν, ἵνα μή φυσιῶνται καί ὑπεραίνωνται, ἀλλά ἵνα ὡς ἄρχοντες διακονῶσι ἐν δικαιοσύνῃ καί ἀληθείᾳ τήν εὐημερίαν, τήν ἀξιοπρέπειαν καί τήν ἐλευθερίαν τῶν λαῶν αὐτῶν.

Ἡ Μήτηρ τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν, ἡ ἔχουσα  κατ’ ἐξοχήν ἐξ ὅλων τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν τό προνόμιον τῆς εὐλογίας νά διακονῇ τόν Ἐνανθρωπήσαντα Χριστόν εἰς τό θεοδέγμον Σπήλαιον καί τήν ἄνωθεν τούτου Κωνσταντίνειον καί Ἰουστινιάνειον Βασιλικήν προσεύχεται ὑπέρ εἰρηνεύσεως τῆς Μέσης Ἀνατολῆς, εὐημερίας τῆς πόλεως Βηθλεέμ, ἑνότητος τῶν Ἐκκλησιῶν καί εὔχεται εἰς τό χριστεπώνυμον πλήρωμα αὐτῆς, τό διαβιοῦν εἰς τήν δικαιοδοσίαν αὐτῆς καί ὁπουδήποτε γῆς, ζωήν, ὑγιείαν, εἰρήνην, εὐημερίαν, πρόοδον, προκοπήν καί σωτηρίαν καί εἰς τούς προστρέχοντας ἐκ περάτων τῆς οἰκουμένης εὐσεβεῖς προσκυνητάς, τήν χάριν, τήν δύναμιν, τήν εἰρήνην καί  τήν εὐλογίαν τοῦ δι’ ἡμᾶς σαρκί νηπιάσαντος καί ἐκ τῆς ἀειπαρθένου Μαρίας σαρκί τεχθέντος Θεοῦ καί Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ.

Ἐν τῇ Ἁγίᾳ Πόλει Βηθλεέμ, ΧΡΙΣΤΟΥΓΕΝΝΑ 2018
Διάπυρος πρός Κύριον εὐχέτης,

ΘΕΟΦΙΛΟΣ Γ΄

Πατριάρχης  Ἱεροσολύμων

MESSAGE OF HIS BEATITUDE THE PATRIARCH OF JERUSALEM THEOPHILOS III ON THE OCCASION OF CHRISTMAS 2018

“Make ready, O Bethlehem, let the manger be prepared,

Let the Cave show its welcome.

The truth is come the shadow is passed away;

God hath appeared from a Virgin unto men,

Formed as we are and deifying that which He hath assumed.”

(Plagal of fourth Tone by Sophronius, Patriarch of Jerusalem)

During the joyful Twelve-day festivities of Christmas, and especially on this day of Christ’s Nativity, primarily the Church, celebrates in doxology and thanksgiving but also the whole of humanity, socially participates in the celebration of a supernatural and extraordinary event, a strange and paradox mystery that surpasses any human reasoning.

This festal event is the incarnation of God the Word. “And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us” (John 1,14) according to the Evangelist of love. In the excess of His love towards man, God our Father found it pleasing that His Son would become the Son of man, being incarnate and born in the flesh from the All-holy and pure Virgin. “God was seen in the flesh on earth and consorted with the people”, according to the hymn writer of the Church. “The Son of God”, writes the God-bearing Holy Father John of Damascus, “partakes of the worst, namely, our human nature, so that He may reform man in Himself according to the image and likeness of the Father and grant us the communion in life, and deliver us from corruption, becoming the First among us to lead our resurrection and thus renew our villainous and crushed body”(Ed. Orthodox Faith, Vol. 77). This philanthropic action of God is called by St. Gregory the Theologian “epidemic of God on earth, so that we humans may emigrate in heaven” (PG 36, 316A).

The incarnation of God the Word by the Ever-Virgin takes place at the time of the world census, during the reign of Caesar Octavian Augustus, when Herod was the King in the town of Bethlehem in Judea (Luke 2,1 & Matt. 2,1). Then, as there was no place for them in the inn (Luke 2,7), Christ “in a hidden way, was born in a cave and laid in a manger”. Nevertheless, the kenosis of the Incarnation and the birth in the flesh of God the Word is hidden from the mighty ones of the earth, and it becomes known to people by God in heavens. God summons wise men from the East bearing gifts with a star (Matt. 2,1) and with angels He informs the shepherds who stayed overnight in the fields and sang “ Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2,14).

This heavenly and divine message of peace from the Master of peace, the Angel of the great Will, namely, of the reconciliation, of God’s condescension towards us men, of the pardon, the ultimate humility, which reached the point of the sacrifice on the Cross, is embraced, appropriated , proclaimed, exercised and preached by the Church which has been founded by the Incarnate Christ, towards all those near and afar, to its members as well as the whole world, regardless of race, religion, nationality, colour and language, calling us and saying just as the Apostle of the nations did, “receive ye one another, as Christ also received us to the glory of God” (Romans 15,7). The Church especially projects this message to the powerful ones of the earth, who direct the lives of people and determine the developments in the Middle East and in the Holy Land, so that they may not be puffed up with pride, but being magnates, they may minister in righteousness and truth, for the prosperity the dignity and the freedom of their people.

The Mother of Churches, having par excellence the privilege among all Churches, of the blessing to minister the Incarnate Christ in the God-receiving Cave and at the Basilica built above it by the Emperors Constantine and Justinian, prays for the peace-making in the Middle East, prosperity of the city of Bethlehem, the unity of the Churches, and wishes to its Christian Congregation within its jurisdiction and all over the world, life, health, peace, prosperity, progress, success, diligence, and salvation, and to the pilgrims, the grace, the power, and the peace and the blessing of our Lord and God and Saviour Jesus Christ, who became an infant for our sake and was born in the flesh from the Ever-Virgin Mary.

In the Holy City of Bethlehem, CHRISTMAS 2018

Fervent prayer for all before God,

THEOPHILOS III

Patriarch of Jerusalem