ARCHIEPISCOPAL ENCYCLICAL FOR THE FEAST OF THE THREE HIERARCHS (2020)

 Greek Orthodox Archdiocese of America

Greek-English

 ARCHIEPISCOPAL ENCYCLICAL FOR THE FEAST OF THE THREE HIERARCHS (2020)

Protocol No. 10/2020                                                           January 30, 2020

Feast of the Three Holy Hierarchs and Ecumenical Teachers

and the Day of Greek Letters

Do nothing from rivalry or conceit,

but in humility count others

more significant than yourselves.

(Philippians 2:3)

To the Most Reverend Hierarchs, the reverend priests and deacons, the monks and nuns, the Presidents and Members of the Parish Councils of the Greek Orthodox Communities, the distinguished Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Day, Afternoon, and Church Schools, the Philoptochos Sisterhoods, the Youth, the Hellenic Organizations, and the entire Greek Orthodox family in America

Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ,

On this day we celebrate the Feast of the Three Holy Hierarchs and Ecumenical Teachers: St. Basil the Great, St. Gregory the Theologian and St. John Chrysostom. We name this also as “the Day of Greek Letters.” For in this Feast, we honor both the virtues of their hierarchical deaconate, as well as the excellence of their writings. In prayers and liturgies, in homilies and commentaries, in prose and poetry, they employed the panoply of rhetorical arts in the service of Christ and the Church.

But there is a moral lesson in the Feast as well. In the eleventh century, a dispute arose among scholars in Constantinople: Which of these three Fathers was the greatest? Some touted St. John for his Golden Mouth; others favored St. Basil for his sterling character; others promoted St. Gregory for his unparalleled intellect and skillful speech. The disagreement became contentious and counterproductive to the interests of true religion and against the word of God.

The matter was resolved by St. John Mauropous, Metropolitan of Euchaita. In a dream the three Holy Hierarchs appeared to him and spoke as if with a single voice. They declared that among themselves in the Kingdom of God, there is no division and no rivalry—no first or second or third. As shepherds of the Church of Christ, they were and remain equals. They were hierarchs without a hierarchy, each one having served Christ in his own way and to the best of his ability. The Saints instructed that a day of common commemoration should be established, in which the Three Hierarchs would be celebrated jointly and equally, as in fitting for the Church of Christ. Thus, do we celebrate their great Feast on the Thirtieth of January.

As we observe the Day of the Three Holy Hierarchs, we honor them best by imitating their virtues: ways of scholarly excellence, rhetorical power, and purity of thought and word. But we honor them also by following their example of humility and their spirit of Christian equality. With fervor we chant the troparion of the 9^th Ode of their Feast’s Canon:

There is no second best in these sacred three. Each is thought to be foremost in

precedence and to prevail over his co-rivals of equal rank. But rather each with joy has made the success of the other two to be his own as well. There is no room among them to envy one another and thus destroy their unanimity.

This spirit of equality is the way of Christ. It is the life of the Holy Trinity. It is the everlasting glory of the Three Holy Hierarchs and Ecumenical Teachers. Through their intercessions, may Christ our God bless us with the same spirit of humble brotherhood that inspired their holy festival.

With paternal love in Christ,

 

† ELPIDOPHOROS
Archbishop of America

 Αρχιεπισκοπική Εγκύκλιος της εορτής των Τριών Ιεραρχών

Ἀριθ. Πρωτ.: 10/2020
 

30 Ἰανουαρίου 2020
Ἑορτὴ τῶν Τριῶν Ἱεραρχῶν καὶ Οἰκουμενικῶν Διδασκάλων
καὶ Ἡμέρα τῶν Ἑλληνικῶν Γραμμάτων

Μηδὲν κατ’ ἐριθείαν μηδὲ κατὰ κενοδοξίαν,
ἀλλὰ τῇ ταπεινοφροσύνῃ ἀλλήλους ἡγούμενοι
ὑπερέχοντας ἑαυτῶν. (πρός Φιλιππησίους 2:3)

Πρὸς τοὺς Σεβασμιωτάτους καὶ Θεοφιλεστάτους Ἀρχιερεῖς, τοὺς Εὐλαβεστάτους Ἱερεῖς καὶ Διακόνους, τοὺς Μοναχοὺς καὶ Μοναχές, τοὺς Προέδρους καὶ τὰ Μέλη τῶν Κοινοτικῶν Συμβουλίων, τοὺς Διακεκριμένους Ἄρχοντες τοῦ Οἰκουμενικοῦ Πατριαρχείου, τὰ Ἡμερήσια καὶ Ἀπογευματινὰ Σχολεῖα, τὶς Φιλοπτώχους Ἀδελφότητες, τὴν Νεολαία, τὶς Ἑλληνορθόδοξες Ὀργανώσεις καὶ ὁλόκληρο τὸ Χριστεπώνυμο πλήρωμα τῆς Ἱερᾶς Ἀρχιεπισκοπῆς Ἀμερικῆς.

Προσφιλεῖς ἀδελφοὶ καὶ ἀδελφὲς ἐν Χριστῷ,

Τὴν ἡμέρα αὐτή, τιμοῦμε τὴν Ἑορτὴ τῶν Τριῶν Ἱεραρχῶν καὶ Οἰκουμενικῶν Διδασκάλων: Βασιλείου τοῦ Μεγάλου, Γρηγορίου τοῦ Θεολόγου καὶ Ἰωάννου τοῦ Χρυσοστόμου. Ἡ μεγάλη αὐτὴ ἡμέρα ὀνομάζεται ἐπίσης «Ἡμέρα τῶν Ἑλληνικῶν Γραμμάτων», διότι κατὰ τὴν Ἑορτὴ αὐτή, τιμοῦμε τόσο τὶς ἀρετὲς τῆς Ἀρχιερατικῆς τους διακονίας, ὅσο καὶ τὴν ἀριστεία τοῦ συγγραφικοῦ τους ἔργου. Στὶς προσευχές καί τὶς λειτουργίες, στὶς ὁμιλίες καὶ στοὺς σχολιασμούς, στὸν πεζὸ ἀλλὰ καὶ στὸν ποιητικὸ λόγο, χρησιμοποίησαν τὴν πανοπλία τῆς ρητορικῆς τέχνης στὴν ὑπηρεσία τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ τῆς Ἐκκλησίας.

Ἀλλὰ ἡ Ἑορτὴ αὐτή, ἔχει καὶ ἕνα σπουδαῖο ἠθικὸ δίδαγμα. Τὸν ἑνδέκατο αἰώνα, ξέσπασε διαμάχη στοὺς κύκλους τῶν λογίων τῆς Κωνσταντινουπόλεως, ποιὸς ἐκ τῶν τριῶν αὐτῶν Πατέρων ἦταν ὁ ἀνώτερος; Ὁρισμένοι ἐξεθείαζαν τὸν Ἅγιο Ἰωάννη τὸν Χρυσόστομο γιὰ τὴν ρητορική του τέχνη. Ἄλλοι προτιμοῦσαν τὸν Ἅγιο Βασίλειο τὸν Μέγα γιὰ τὸν ἀδαμάντινο χαρακτήρα του. Ἄλλοι προωθοῦσαν τὸν Ἅγιο Γρηγόριο τὸν Θεολόγο γιὰ τὴν ἀπαράμιλλη  σοφία καὶ τὴ χαρισματικὴ ὁμιλία του. Ἡ διαμάχη, ἐριστικὴ καὶ ἀντίθετη ἀπὸ τὸν Λόγο τοῦ Θεοῦ καὶ τὸ σκοπὸ τῆς ἀληθινῆς θρησκείας κατέληξε σὲ ἀδιέξοδο.

Τὸ θέμα ὅμως, λύθηκε ἀπὸ τὸν Ἅγιο Ἰωάννη Μαυρόπους, Ἐπίσκοπο Εὐχαΐτων. Σὲ ὄνειρο, τοῦ ἐμφανίσθηκαν οἱ τρεῖς Ἅγιοι Ἱεράρχες καὶ τοῦ μίλησαν μὲ μία φωνή. Διεκήρυξαν ὅτι στὴ Βασιλεία τοῦ Θεοῦ, δὲν ὑπάρχει διαχωρισμὸς οὔτε ἀνταγωνισμός, δὲν ὑπάρχει πρῶτος, δεύτερος ἢ τρίτος. Ὡς ποιμένες τῆς Ἐκκλησίας τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἦσαν καὶ παραμένουν ἴσοι μεταξύ τους. Εἶναι ἱεράρχες χωρὶς ἱεραρχία, ἔχοντας ἕκαστος ὑπηρετήσει τὸν Χριστὸ μὲ τὸν δικό του μοναδικὸ τρόπο καί ὅσο καλύτερα μποροῦσε. Οἱ Ἅγιοι ζήτησαν νὰ καθιερωθεῖ μία ἑορταστικὴ ἡμέρα, ὅπου καὶ οἱ Τρεῖς Ἱεράρχες θὰ τιμοῦνταν ἀπὸ κοινοῦ καὶ ἰσότιμα, ὅπως ἁρμόζει στὴν Ἐκκλησία τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Ἔτσι ἑορτάζουμε αὐτὴ τὴ μεγάλη Ἑορτὴ στὶς τριάντα Ἰανουαρίου.

Ἑορτάζοντας τὴν Ἡμέρα τῶν Τριῶν Ἱεραρχῶν, τοὺς τιμοῦμε καλύτερα μιμούμενοι τὶς ἀρετές τους: ἀκαδημαϊκὴ ἀριστεία, ρητορικὴ δεινότητα καί καθαρότητα σκέψεως καὶ λόγου. Ἀλλά μιμούμεθα ἐπίσης τὸ παράδειγμά τους. Παράδειγμα ταπεινότητος, ἐργατικότητος καὶ πνεύματος Χριστιανικῆς ἰσότητος. Μὲ πνευματικὴ ζέση ψάλλουμε τὸ Τροπάριο τῆς ἐννάτης ὡδῆς τοῦ κανόνος τῆς Ἑορτῆς:

«Οὐκ ἔστι δευτερεῖον ἐν τοῖς τρισί· τὰ πρεσβεῖα γὰρ ἕκαστος φέρεται, πρῶτος δοκῶν, καὶ τοὺς ὁμοτίμους ὑπερνικῶν∙ ἐξοικειοῦται μᾶλλον δέ, τὴν ἀλλήλων νίκην περιχαρῶς· οὐ χώρα γὰρ ἐνταῦθα, τῷ φθόνῳ παρρησίας, λυμαινομένῳ τὴν ὁμόνοιαν.»

Τὸ πνεῦμα αὐτὸ τῆς ἰσότητος, εἶναι ὁ τρόπος τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Εἶναι ὁ μυστικὸς τρόπος φανέρωσης τῆς Ἁγίας Τριάδος. Εἶναι ἡ διαχρονικὴ δόξα τῶν Τριῶν Ἱεραρχῶν καὶ Οἰκουμενικῶν Διδασκάλων. Διὰ μέσῳ τῶν πρεσβειῶν των, εἴθε ὁ Χριστὸς καὶ Θεός μας νὰ μᾶς εὐλογεῖ καὶ νὰ μᾶς χαρίζει τὸ ἴδιο πνεῦμα τῆς ἀδελφικῆς ἀγάπης, ἡ ὁποία ἐνέπνευσε τὴν ἑορτή τους.

Μετὰ πατρικῶν εὐχῶν ἐν Χριστῷ,

† ὁ Ἀμερικῆς Ἐλπιδοφόρος