Greek-Engish
Archdiocese of Thyateira & Great Britain
Christmas Encyclical Letter
“Save the world, O Saviour. For this you have come. Set your whole universe aright”.
With the above words, Saint Romanos the Melodist introduces the last
stanza of the famous Christmas kontakion. The lines are a supplication
and an acknowledgement that the Lord will redeem humanity and save all
creation. He Who was before all time heard the cries of humanity and
came to save the world. It is this act of divine love that we remember
and celebrate each year at Christmas.
The birth of Jesus the Christ was a moment in time when the course of
our world was forever changed. Darkness was dispelled as the Sun of
Righteousness shone, bringing hope to fallen humanity. Another
hymnographer of our Church extolls us with certainty, “Christ is born,
rejoice! And, we rejoice knowing that salvation has come to the world.”
This year, the joy of Christmas will be a different experience for
many people, as the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 virus have
changed our usual patterns of life. The preparations and festivities
that normally capture our attention this time of year will be dampened
by worries and concerns for ourselves and our families, for the
vulnerable members of our communities, for our health care workers and
our civil leaders. The essence, however, and the meaning of this holy
feast remain untouched and true for us in every way. Every year, it is
our hope that the bright lights and beautiful trimmings will serve to
inspire an understanding and recognition that we are entering into a
time of grace and light, as we prepare to receive the light of Truth.
But, this year especially when we perceive the darkness around us to
have grown, we feel within our hearts an even stronger desire for the
light that shows us the way to the Kingdom on high. As Isaiah
prophesied, “For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given.” We know
that child to be the light of the world, our Wonderful Counsellor, our
Prince of Peace: Christ the Lord Himself.
Although this year we may have fewer people at our table when we sit
down to celebrate the birth of our Lord, we are assured that wherever
two or three are gathered in His name, Christ is there present, as is
the fullness of our hope in Him. Christ is our ballast amidst the storms
of this life and the message of salvation is not only a remembrance of
an event some two thousand years ago, but a constant offering and
outpouring of love, an invitation for Him to be born continuously in the
hearts of people—as the Holy Fathers of the Church themselves
experienced and passed down to us. Even if our experience of Christmas
this year will undoubtedly be accompanied by a prayer that next year’s
feast will be restored to its full joy, we know that the love of the
eternal, the living Word of God is unchanging. So, on Christmas day, and
on every day, let us bow our heads in gratitude to God for the many
blessings He has given us, with the conviction that we have received
what was promised and more, “since God had foreseen something better for
us (Heb. 11:40)”.
Together, this Christmas let us pray for Christ to come and be born
in our hearts, so that His grace, peace and love may abide in us, as we
abide in Him. Not only this, but let us offer, together, a doxology to
Him, for He Who is gentle and lowly in heart “will bring forth justice
to the nations. He will not cry or lift up His voice, or make it heard
in the street” (Isaiah 42:1-2). Indeed, He comes as an innocent child to
bring a new and different understanding of life to the world. He comes
to bring justice, harmony, love and peace to the hearts of all, to each
and every person. And, through His presence and witness, “the earth
shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord forever as the waters cover
the sea. (Isaiah 11:9).
May all the joy, peace, and happiness of the Nativity be with you and
all the world, and may God lead us to the New Year 2021, filling it
with every good and perfect gift which comes from the Father of Lights.
With paternal love and blessings,
+ Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira and Great Britain
Christmas Encyclical Letter
“Save the world, O Saviour. For this you have come. Set your whole universe aright”.
With the above words, Saint Romanos the Melodist introduces the last stanza of the famous Christmas kontakion. The lines are a supplication and an acknowledgement that the Lord will redeem humanity and save all creation. He Who was before all time heard the cries of humanity and came to save the world. It is this act of divine love that we remember and celebrate each year at Christmas.
The birth of Jesus the Christ was a moment in time when the course of our world was forever changed. Darkness was dispelled as the Sun of Righteousness shone, bringing hope to fallen humanity. Another hymnographer of our Church extolls us with certainty, “Christ is born, rejoice! And, we rejoice knowing that salvation has come to the world.”
This year, the joy of Christmas will be a different experience for many people, as the challenges brought about by the COVID-19 virus have changed our usual patterns of life. The preparations and festivities that normally capture our attention this time of year will be dampened by worries and concerns for ourselves and our families, for the vulnerable members of our communities, for our health care workers and our civil leaders. The essence, however, and the meaning of this holy feast remain untouched and true for us in every way. Every year, it is our hope that the bright lights and beautiful trimmings will serve to inspire an understanding and recognition that we are entering into a time of grace and light, as we prepare to receive the light of Truth. But, this year especially when we perceive the darkness around us to have grown, we feel within our hearts an even stronger desire for the light that shows us the way to the Kingdom on high. As Isaiah prophesied, “For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given.” We know that child to be the light of the world, our Wonderful Counsellor, our Prince of Peace: Christ the Lord Himself.
Although this year we may have fewer people at our table when we sit down to celebrate the birth of our Lord, we are assured that wherever two or three are gathered in His name, Christ is there present, as is the fullness of our hope in Him. Christ is our ballast amidst the storms of this life and the message of salvation is not only a remembrance of an event some two thousand years ago, but a constant offering and outpouring of love, an invitation for Him to be born continuously in the hearts of people—as the Holy Fathers of the Church themselves experienced and passed down to us. Even if our experience of Christmas this year will undoubtedly be accompanied by a prayer that next year’s feast will be restored to its full joy, we know that the love of the eternal, the living Word of God is unchanging. So, on Christmas day, and on every day, let us bow our heads in gratitude to God for the many blessings He has given us, with the conviction that we have received what was promised and more, “since God had foreseen something better for us (Heb. 11:40)”.
Together, this Christmas let us pray for Christ to come and be born in our hearts, so that His grace, peace and love may abide in us, as we abide in Him. Not only this, but let us offer, together, a doxology to Him, for He Who is gentle and lowly in heart “will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry or lift up His voice, or make it heard in the street” (Isaiah 42:1-2). Indeed, He comes as an innocent child to bring a new and different understanding of life to the world. He comes to bring justice, harmony, love and peace to the hearts of all, to each and every person. And, through His presence and witness, “the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord forever as the waters cover the sea. (Isaiah 11:9).
May all the joy, peace, and happiness of the Nativity be with you and all the world, and may God lead us to the New Year 2021, filling it with every good and perfect gift which comes from the Father of Lights.
With paternal love and blessings,
+ Archbishop Nikitas of Thyateira and Great Britain
Εγκύκλιος Χριστουγέννων
«Σῶσον κόσμον, σωτήρ. Τούτου γὰρ χάριν ἤλυθας. Στῆσον πάντα τὰ σά».
Με αυτές τις λέξεις, ο Άγιος Ρωμανός ο Μελωδός, ξεκινά την τελευταία στάση του περίφημου κοντακίου των Χριστουγέννων. Οι φράσεις αυτές συγκεφαλαιώνουν την παράκληση, αλλά και την αναγνώριση ότι ο Κύριος θα λυτρώσει την ανθρωπότητα και θα σώσει σύμπασα την κτίση. Εκείνος, που υπήρχε προ πάντων των αιώνων, άκουσε την απέλπιδα φωνή της ανθρωπότητας και έσπευσε να σώσει τον κόσμο. Αυτή την κορυφαία πράξη θείας αγάπης θυμόμαστε και εορτάζουμε κάθε χρόνο τα Χριστούγεννα.
Η Γέννηση του Ιησού Χριστού υπήρξε εκείνη η στιγμή που η πορεία του κόσμου μας άλλαξε για πάντα. Το σκότος διαλύθηκε, καθώς ο Ήλιος της Δικαιοσύνης έλαμψε, κομίζοντας την ελπίδα στην πεπτωκυία ανθρωπότητα. Έτερος υμνογράφος της Εκκλησίας μάς διαβεβαιώνει, «Χριστὸς γεννᾶται, δοξάσατε». Και όντως Τον δοξάζουμε, διότι γνωρίζουμε ότι η σωτηρία έρχεται στον κόσμο.
Εφέτος, η χαρά των Χριστουγέννων θα βιωθεί διαφορετικά από πολλούς ανθρώπους, καθώς οι προκλήσεις της πανδημίας του κορωνοιού ανέτρεψαν τα δεδομένα της ζωής μας. Τις προετοιμασίες και τις εκδηλώσεις, που, υπό φυσιολογικές συνθήκες, θα προσείλκυαν την προσοχή μας τις εόρτιες αυτές ημέρες, θαμπώνουν η ανησυχία και η μέριμνα για τον εαυτό μας και τους οικογενείς μας, για τα ευάλωτα μέλη των κοινοτήτων μας, για το υγειονομικό προσωπικό και τις πολιτειακές μας αρχές. Ωστόσο το ουσιώδες μήνυμα της μητρόπολης των εορτών παραμένει καθ’ όλα απαραχάρακτο και γνήσιο για εμάς. Κάθε χρόνο, ελπίζουμε τα λαμπερά φώτα και οι εορταστικές διακοσμήσεις να συμβάλουν στην αναγνώριση και κατανόηση του γεγονότος ότι εισερχόμαστε στον καιρό της χάριτος και του φωτός, καθώς ετοιμαζόμαστε να δεχθούμε το φως της Αληθείας. Ιδίως εφέτος που νιώθουμε τη σκοτεινιά να πυκνώνει γύρω μας, γιγαντώνει μέσα στην καρδιά μας η προσμονή για το φως που θα φωτίσει το δρόμο της Βασιλείας. Όπως προφήτευσε ο Ησαΐας, «παιδίον ἐγενήθη ἡμῖν, υἱὸς καὶ ἐδόθη ἡμῖν» (9:5). Γνωρίζουμε ότι το «παιδίον» αυτό είναι το Φως του κόσμου, ο Θαυμαστός Σύμβουλος, ο Άρχων της Ειρήνης: Χριστός ο Κύριος.
Μπορεί λοιπόν αυτόν τον χρόνο να έχουμε λιγότερους ανθρώπους στο τραπέζι που θα στρώσουμε για να εορτάσουμε τη Γέννηση του Κυρίου μας, ωστόσο να είμαστε σίγουροι ότι, όπου δύο ή τρεις άνθρωποι συνάγονται στο όνομά Του, ο Χριστός είναι Παρών, όπως και το πλήρωμα της ελπίδας μας προς Εκείνον. Ο Χριστός είναι η δική μας σανίδα σωτηρίας μέσα στις καταιγίδες της ζωής μας και το σωτηριώδες μήνυμα των Χριστουγέννων δεν είναι απλά ανάμνηση γεγονότος που έλαβε χώρα πριν δύο χιλιετίες, αλλά διαχρονική έκφραση και προσφορά αγάπης, πρόσκληση προς Εκείνον να γεννάται διαρκώς στις καρδιές μας, γέννηση που βίωσαν και μας άφησαν παρακαταθήκη πολύτιμη οι Άγιοι Πατέρες της Εκκλησίας μας. Αν και τον εορτασμό των φετινών Χριστουγέννων θα συνοδεύσει αναμφίβολα η προσευχή ο εορτασμός της επόμενης χρονιάς να φέρει μαζί του πλήρη τη χαρά των Χριστουγέννων, γνωρίζουμε όμως ότι η αγάπη του Αιωνίου και Ζώντος Λόγου του Θεού μένει απαράλλακτη. Ως εκ τούτου, την ημέρα των Χριστουγέννων, αλλά και κάθε ημέρα, ας κλίνουμε με ευγνωμοσύνη την κεφαλή προς τον Θεό για την πληθώρα των ευλογιών που μας έχει προσφέρει, βέβαιοι ότι έχουμε λάβει ό,τι μας υποσχέθηκε και ακόμα παραπάνω, «τοῦ Θεοῦ περὶ ἡμῶν κρεῖττόν τι προβλεψαμένου» (Εβρ. 11:40).
Αυτά τα Χριστούγεννα, ας ενώσουμε τις προσευχές μας ο Χριστός να έλθει και να γεννηθεί στις καρδιές μας, ώστε η χάρις, η ειρήνη και η αγάπη να ενοικήσουν στις καρδιές μας, καθώς θα είμαστε εν Χριστώ. Και όχι μόνο αυτό, αλλά ας ενώσουμε φωνές δοξολογίας προς Εκείνον, ο Οποίος, «πραΰς καὶ ταπεινὸς τῇ καρδίᾳ» (Ματθ. 11:29), «κρίσιν τοῖς ἔθνεσιν ἐξοίσει, οὐ κεκράξεται οὐδὲ ἀνήσει, οὐδὲ ἀκουσθήσεται ἔξω ἡ φωνὴ αὐτοῦ» (Ησαΐας 42:1-2). Όντως, έρχεται ως «παιδίον» αθώο να φέρει στον κόσμο μια νέα και διαφορετική θεώρηση της ζωής. Έρχεται να φέρει ειρήνη, αρμονία, αγάπη και ειρήνη στις καρδιές όλων μας. Και, μέσω της παρουσίας και της ομολογίας Του, «ἐνεπλήσθη ἡ σύμπασα τοῦ γνῶναι τὸν Κύριον ὡς ὕδωρ πολὺ κατακαλύψαι θαλάσσας» (Ησαΐας 11:9).
Είθε η χαρά, η ειρήνη και η ευτυχία της Γέννησης του Κυρίου να γεμίζει εσάς και ολόκληρο τον κόσμο και είθε ο Θεός να μας οδηγήσει σε Νέο Έτος 2021 πλήρες παντός αγαθού και πάσης δωρεάς εκ του Πατρός των Φώτων.
Μετά πατρικής αγάπης και ευλογιών,
Ο Αρχιεπίσκοπος
+Ο Θυατείρων και Μεγάλης Βρεταννίας Ν Ι Κ Η Τ Α Σ
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