Greek-English
Ὁ οὐρανός καί ἡ γῆ σήμερον ἡνώθησαν,
τεχθέντος τοῦ Χριστοῦ.
Σήμερον Θεός ἐπί γῆς παραγέγονε
καί ἄνθρωπος εἰς οὐρανούς ἀναβέβηκεν.
Σήμερον ὁρᾶται σαρκί
ὁ φύσει ἀόρατος διά τόν ἄνθρωπον.
(Β΄ Στιχηρόν Ἰδιόμελον Λιτῆς Χριστουγέννων).
Ἐν χαρᾷ πεπληρωμένῃ, ἐν ἀγαλλιάσει, εὐχαριστίᾳ καί δοξολογίᾳ, ἡ Ἐκκλησία ἀνά τόν κόσμον ἑορτάζει σήμερον τήν Μητρόπολιν τῶν ἑορτῶν, τήν ἑορτήν τῆς ἐκ Παρθένου κατά σάρκα Γεννήσεως τοῦ Κυρίου καί Θεοῦ καί Σωτῆρος ἡμῶν Ἰησοῦ Χριστοῦ.
Κατά τήν ἑορτήν ταύτην ἡ Ἐκκλησία εὐχαριστεῖ τόν Θεόν, διότι πιστός ὤν ἐξεπλήρωσε τάς διά τῶν προφητῶν ἐπαγγελίας Αὐτοῦ πρός τόν ἄνθρωπον. «Λύτρωσιν ἀπέστειλε τῷ λαῷ Αὐτοῦ (Ψαλμ. 110, 9). Ἐλεήμων καί φιλάνθρωπος ὤν ὁ Θεός, «ὑπερεῖδε τούς χρόνους τῆς ἀγνοίας» (Πράξ. 17, 30) καί τῆς ἀποστασίας τοῦ ἀνθρώπου καί «ἐπεδήμησε πρός τούς ἀποδήμους τῆς αὐτοῦ χάριτος». Τόν ἄνθρωπον δραπέτην ὄντα ὡς ἀποδράσαντα τῆς πρός Αὐτόν κοινωνίας κατά τόν ἅγιον Κύριλλον Ἀλεξανδρείας (P.G. 75 908C), ὁ Θεός ἀνεζήτησε, εὗρε ὡς τό πλανηθέν πρόβατον, ἀνεκαίνισεν, ἀνεγέννησεν, ἐζωοποίησε, «μετεστοιχείωσε» καί ἐπανήνωσεν εἰς τήν κοινωνίαν, τήν ὁποίαν εἶχε μετ’ Αὐτοῦ ἅμα τῇ δημιουργίᾳ ἐν τῷ Παραδείσῳ.
Τοῦτο ἐποίησεν ὁ Θεός Πατήρ ἐν τῷ Υἱῷ Αὐτοῦ τῷ Μονογενεῖ. «Ὅτε ἦλθε τό πλήρωμα τοῦ χρόνου, ἐξαπέστειλε τόν Υἱόν Αὐτοῦ εἰς τόν κόσμον, γενόμενον ἐκ γυναικός, γενόμενον ὑπό νόμον, ἵνα τούς ὑπό νόμον ἐξαγοράσῃ, ἵνα τήν υἱοθεσίαν ἀπολάβωμεν», (Γαλ. 4, 4-5). Ὁ Πατήρ ηὐδόκησε καί «ὁ Λόγος σάρξ ἐγένετο» (Ἰω. 1, 14). Κατά Κύριλλον Ἀλεξανδρείας «Ὁ ἐν ἀρχῇ Θεός Λόγος, ἐν κόλποις ὤν τοῦ Πατρός, ὑπέμεινε τήν δι’ ἡμᾶς κένωσιν ἑκών καί γέγονε σάρξ, τουτέστιν ἄνθρωπος, ἐταπείνωσεν ἑαυτόν δι’ ἡμᾶς καί ἐχρημάτισεν υἱός ἀνθρώπου, ἵνα δι΄ Αὐτοῦ ἡμεῖς πλουτήσωμεν Πατέρα τόν Θεόν, ἐκ Πνεύματος Ἁγίου καί Μαρίας τῆς Παρθένου, προσέλαβε σῶμα οὐκ ἄψυχον οὐδέ ἄνουν ἀλλά ἐψυχωμένον ψυχῇ λογικῇ, (Περί Ἐνανθρωπήσεως, PG 77, 989D & 1092C), ἵνα καταστήσῃ τόν ἄνθρωπον «κοινωνόν θείας φύσεως». (Β΄ Πέτρ. 1, 4). Τό ἐν τῇ Ἐνανθρωπήσει πρόσλημμα, ἤτοι τήν ἀνθρωπότητα ὅλην, ἡγίασε διά τῆς ζωῆς Αὐτοῦ ὁ Κύριος καί διά τοῦ Σταυροῦ, τῆς Ἀναστάσεως καί Ἀναλήψεως Αὐτοῦ ἀνεβίβασεν εἰς τόν οὐρανόν καί ἐκάθισεν ἐκ δεξιῶν τοῦ Θεοῦ. Ὤ τῆς φιλανθρωπίας! Ὤ τῆς εὐνοίας! Ὤ τῆ δωρεᾶς! Ὁ Θεός ἐν τῷ Χριστῷ κατῆλθεν εἰς τήν γῆν καί ἀνεβίβασε τόν ἄνθρωπον εἰς τόν οὐρανόν.
Τό ὑπέρ φύσιν καί λόγον οὐράνιον μυστήριον τοῦτο ἔλαβε χώραν ἐν χρόνῳ καί τόπῳ, ἐπί Καίσαρος Ὀκταβιανοῦ Αὐγούστου και εἰς Βηθλεέμ τῆς Ἰουδαίας καί μάλιστα ἐν τῷ ἀπερίττῳ σπηλαίῳ τούτῳ, συνεργούντων καί μαρτυρούντων τῶν στοιχείων τῆς φύσεως καί Δυνάμεων Ἀσωμάτων. Ταῦτα κατά τόν θεολόγον τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ τῷ Θεῷ ἡμῶν μιᾶς ὑποστάσεως καί δύο φύσεων, θελήσεων καί ἐνεργειῶν ἅγιον Σωφρόνιον Πατριάρχην Ἱεροσολύμων ἦσαν «ἡ ἀστροκίνητος ἕλκυσις τῶν μάγων, ἡ τῶν ποιμένων οὐράνιος μύησις, ἡ δωροφορία καί ἡ προσκύνησις», (Συνοδική Ἐπιστολή (PG 87, 3176D). Μάγοι Περσῶν βασιλεῖς ὑπό ἀστέρος ὁδηγούμενοι καί ποιμένες ἀγραυλοῦντες ὑπό ἀγγέλων διά τοῦ «Δόξα ἐν ὑψίστοις Θεῷ καί ἐπί γῆς εἰρήνη ἐν ἀνθρώποις εὐδοκία» (Λουκ. 2, 14), προσκαλούμενοι, ἐπί τό αὐτό συνήντησαν καί ἔκθαμβοι πεσόντες προσεκύνησαν, «εἶδον γάρ ἐν τῷ σπηλαίῳ βρέφος κείμενον τόν ἄναρχον».
Τήν ἀπαρχήν ταύτην τῶν μυστηρίων τοῦ Χριστοῦ παρέλαβε ἀπό τούς αὐτόπτας καί αὐτηκόους μάρτυρας αὐτοῦ καί διατηρεῖ ἀνά τούς αἰῶνας ἡ Ἐκκλησία. Διά τοῦ μυστηρίου τούτου διαπαιδαγωγεῖ, διαπλάσσει, εἰρηνοποεῖ, ζωοποιεῖ καί ἁγιάζει τά μέλη της. Τοῦτο διακηρύσσει τοῖς ἐγγύς καί τοῖς μακράν ἕως τῶν περάτων τῆς οἰκουμένης. Διά τούτου ἐξασκεῖ τήν εἰρηνευτικήν αὐτῆς ἀποστολήν εἰς τόν κόσμον ὅλον, «τήν διακονίαν τῆς καταλλαγῆς, τήν ὁποίαν ἔδωσεν εἰς αὐτήν ὁ Θεός» (Β΄ Κορ. 5, 18), «ὁ καταλλάσσων τούς ἀνθρώπους ἑαυτῷ», (Β΄ Κορ. 5, 19) ἐν τῇ Ἐνανθρωπήσει τοῦ Υἱοῦ Αὐτοῦ.
Τό ὑπερφυές καί σωτήριον μυστήριον τοῦτο κηρύσσει καί ἡ τῶν Ἱεροσολύμων πρώτη Ἐκκλησία τῆς Χριστιανοσύνης, ἀπό τοῦ τόπου, ἐν ᾧ τοῦτο ἐπεφάνη, ἀπό τοῦ θεοδέγμονος σπηλαίου καί ἀπό τῆς ἐπ’ αὐτοῦ Κωνσταντινείου καί Ἰουστινιανείου Βασιλικῆς, εὐλογοῦσα τό ποίμνιον αὐτῆς ἐν τῇ Ἁγίᾳ Γῇ καί ὁπουδήποτε ἀνά τόν κόσμον, ὑποδεχομένη ἐν χαρᾷ ὡς ποίμνιον αὐτῆς τούς τιμῶντας Βηθλεέμ τήν ἁγίαν καί τούς προσκυνοῦντας τήν φάτνην, «ἐν ᾗ ἀνεκλίθη ὁ Ἀχώρητος», εὐσεβεῖς προσκυνητάς καί προσευχομένη ὑπέρ εὐημερίας, εἰρήνης καί ἀγαθῆς καταστάσεως τοῦ σύμπαντος κόσμου.
Ἐν τῇ Ἁγίᾳ Πόλει Βηθλεέμ, ΧΡΙΣΤΟΥΓΕΝΝΑ 2019
Διάπυρος πρός Κύριον εὐχέτης,
ΘΕΟΦΙΛΟΣ Γ΄
Πατριάρχης Ἱεροσολύμων
CHRISTMAS 2019 MESSAGE OF HIS
HOLY BEATITUDE THE PATRIARCH
OF JERUSALEM THEOPHILOS III
“Heaven and earth are made one today,
for Christ is born.
Today God is come upon the earth,
and man is gone up into the Heavens.
Today He Who by nature is invisible,
for man’s sake is seen in the flesh.”
(Sticheron Idiomelo 2 – Christmas Entreaty)
Today the Church all over the world celebrates the Metropolis
of the Feasts, the feast of the Nativity in the flesh of our
Lord and God and Saviour Jesus Christ from the Virgin, in
fullness of joy, gleefulness, thanksgiving and doxology.
On this feast the Church gives thanks to God, because being
faithful, He fulfilled the promises He made to man through the
Prophets. “He sent redemption unto his people” (Psalm 111:9).
Being merciful and a philanthropist, “the times of ignorance
God winked at” (Acts 17:30) and the times of man’s apostasy,
and “became an emigrant to the land of those who had emigrated
from His grace”. God sought the runaway man, the man who had
runaway from His communion according to St. Cyril of
Alexandria (P.G. 75 908 C), found him as a lost sheep, which
He reformed, regenerated, vivified, “transformed its elements”
and rehabilitated in its former communion with Him in Paradise
at the time of creation.
God the Father made this manifest through His Only Begotten
Son. “But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent
forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem
them that were under the law, that we might receive the
adoption of sons” (Gal. 4:4-5). The Father found it pleasing
that “the Word was made flesh” (John 1:14). According to Saint
Cyril of Alexandria; “God the Word Who was from the beginning
in the bosom of the Father, suffered willingly kenosis for us
and was made flesh, namely a man, humbled Himself for our
sakes and became son of man, so that we might be rich in God
the Father through Him, He received a body from the Holy
Spirit and the Virgin Mary, not a soulless body, but a body
with a logical soul (On incarnation, PG 77, 989D & 1092C), in
order to make man “a communicant of the Divine Nature” (2
Peter 1:4). What He received by His Incarnation, namely the
whole of humanity, the Lord sanctified with His life, and
through the Cross, the Resurrection and His Ascension He
raised it to heaven and put it on the right side of God. What
a philanthropy! What a favour! What a gift! God came down to
earth through Christ and raised man to heaven.
This mystery beyond nature and word took place in a specific
time and place, during the reign of Caesar Octavius Augustus
in Bethlehem of Judea, in the humble cave therein, with the
cooperation and witness of the elements of nature and the
Bodiless Hosts. These, according to the, Patriarch of
Jerusalem Saint Sophronios, the theologian of the one
hypostasis of Christ our God in two natures, wills and
actions, were; “the motivated by the stars coming of the Wise
Men, the heavenly initiation of the shepherds, the bringing of
gifts and the worship” (Synodical Letter PG87, 3176D). Wise
Men Kings of Persia guided by a star and shepherds keeping the
night watch, invited by Angels with the “Glory to God in the
Highest and to earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:14),
met and fell down in astonishment and worshiped, “for they saw
The One without Beginning lying down as a babe in the cave”.
This very beginning of Christ’s mysteries has been received
from the eye and ear witnesses and kept intact throughout the
centuries by the Church. Through this mystery, the Church
educates, shapes, grants peace, vivifies and sanctifies its
members. This is proclaimed to those near and afar, to the
ends of the universe. For this reason, the Church exercises
its peace-making mission all over the world, “the ministry of
reconciliation” which was given to us by God (2 Cor. 5:18),
“reconciling the world unto himself” (2 Cor. 5:19) through the
Incarnation of His Son.
This transcendental and salvific mystery is being preached by
the Church of Jerusalem, the First Church of Christianity, at
the place where it happened, the God-receiving Cave and the
Basilica above it, which was constructed by the Byzantine
Emperors Constantine and Justine, blessing its flock in the
Holy Land and at all places around the world, merrily
receiving all the pious pilgrims who honour Holy Bethlehem and
worship the manger, “where the Uncontainable One hath
reclined”, and prays for the prosperity, peace and the good
state of the whole world.
In the Holy City of Bethlehem, CHRISTMAS 2019
Fervent Supplicant for all before God,
THEOPHILOS III
Patriarch of Jerusalem
