ΠΑΤΡΙΑΡΧΙΚΗ ΕΓΚΥΚΛΙΟΣ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΥΓΕΝΝΩΝ 2008 Αριθμ. Πρωτ. 573Θ Ε Ο Δ Ω Ρ Ο Σ Β’ ΕΛΕΩι ΘΕΟΥ ΠΑΠΑΣ ΚΑΙ ΠΑΤΡΙΑΡΧΗΣ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΕΙΑΣ ΚΑΙ ΠΑΣΗΣ ΑΦΡΙΚΗΣ ΠΑΝΤΙ ΤΩι ΠΛΗΡΩΜΑΤΙ ΤΟΥ ΑΠΟΣΤΟΛΙΚΟΥ ΚΑΙ ΠΑΤΡΙΑΡΧΙΚΟΥ ΘΡΟΝΟΥ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΕΙΑΣΧΑΡΙΣ ΚΑΙ ΕΛΕΟΣ ΚΑΙ ΕΙΡΗΝΗ ΠΑΡΑ ΤΟΥ ΕΝ ΒΗΘΛΕΕΜ ΓΕΝΝΗΘΕΝΤΟΣ ΚΑΙ ΤΗΝ ΘΕΙΑΝ ΟΙΚΟΝΟΜΙΑΝ ΠΛΗΡΩΣΑΝΤΟΣ ΚΥΡΙΟΥ ΚΑΙ ΘΕΟΥ ΚΑΙ ΣΩΤΗΡΟΣ ΙΗΣΟΥ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΥ "Χριστός γεννάται δοξάσατε. Χριστός εξ ουρανών απαντήσατε" Αδελφοί και τέκνα εν Κυρίω αγαπητά και ευλογημένα, Με τα ωραία αυτά λόγια ο υμνογράφος μας παρουσιάζει το μέγα μυστήριο της γέννησης του Κυρίου. Ο Θεός Λόγος θέλησε και σαρκώθηκε, χωρίς να μειωθεί η θεότητά Του. Ο "αενάως γενόμενος" από τον Πατέρα Υιός προ πάντων των αιώνων λαμβάνει ανθρώπινη μορφή γίνεται Θεός και Ανθρωπος για να πλησιάσει τον άνθρωπο και να τον οδηγήσει στη λύτρωση. Γι’ αυτό ο Θεός ο μέγας, ο αόρατος Θεός, γίνεται ορατός άνθρωπος. Παράδοξο το μυστήριο αυτό γιατί οι δύο του Χριστού φύσεις ενώθηκαν ασυγχύτως, χωρίς να μεταβληθούν η μία από την άλλη. Αυτόν τον Θεό της αγάπης και της ταπείνωσης μας καλεί ο υμνογράφος να δοξάσουμε. Αυτόν τον Θεό, που έρχεται εξ ουρανού μας καλεί να συναντήσουμε. Οι ποιμένες και οι μάγοι τον συνάντησαν στη φάτνη της Βηθλεέμ και τον προσκύνησαν. Εμείς σήμερα δεν έχουμε τη δυνατότητα να τον συναντήσουμε στη φάτνη, τον αισθανόμαστε όμως με τις αισθήσεις μας και με την ψυχή μας, που μάς έδωσε Εκείνος και εκεί σήμερα υπάρχει. Στη ψυχή και στη καρδιά μας αλλά και σε ολόκληρη την ύπαρξή μας, αν είναι αγνές, όπως Εκείνος τις έπλασε, τότε οπωσδήποτε Τον έχουμε συναντήσει, όπως λέγει ο υμνογράφος. Στις καρδιές, που είναι γεμάτες πίστη, συμπόνια, αγάπη, κατανόηση, αυταπάρνηση, καταλλαγή και πραότητα, αλτρουισμό, αγαθότητα, ταπεινότητα εκεί ευρίσκεται ο τεχθείς Κύριος. Με αυτά τα χαρακτηριστικά συνυπάρχει, γιατί "ο Θεός αγάπη εστι". Η αγνότητα όμως της ψυχής μας, όπως όλα τα χαρακτηριστικά του ανθρώπου, έχει ανάγκη καλλιέργειας και ανάπτυξης. Για τούτο και ο Κύριος μάς παρέδωσε την Εκκλησία Του, την Μία, Αγία, Καθολική και Αποστολική. Μέσα σε αυτήν πλάθουμε την ψυχή μας, αναπτύσσουμε την αγνότητά της, την ενώνουμε με τον Θεό και τον συνάνθρωπο, της δίνουμε την θεϊκή τροφή, που χρειάζεται. Μέσα στους κόλπους της Εκκλησίας αισθανόμαστε ότι είμαστε τέκνα του ίδιου Πατέρα, του Θεού. Η ζώσα Εκκλησία του Κυρίου μας καθιστά κοινωνούς με τον Θεό και μόνο δι’ αυτής συναντάμε τον Κύριο. Τέκνα του Κυρίου ευλογημένα και αγαπητά, Αυτές τις άγιες ημέρες οι Ιεροί Ναοί μας, οι περικαλλείς και οι πλινθόκτιστοι, θα δεχθούν χιλιάδες πιστούς. Ας φθάσει η σκέψη μας στους πονεμένους αδελφούς μας της Αφρικής, στις ιεραποστολές, που νυχθημερόν αδελφοί μας προσφέρουν συνεχώς τον εαυτό τους για να σώσουν ζωές από την εξαθλίωση. Ας φθάσει η σκέψη μας στις χιλιάδες αφρικανικές φάτνες του σήμερα, όπου ο Κύριος γεννιέται κάθε ημέρα στις καρδιές νέων ανθρώπων, που δέχονται το Ευαγγέλιό Του και ας τους δώσουμε την αγάπη μας, με όποιο τρόπο είναι δυνατόν. Εκεί θα απαντήσουμε τον Χριστό εξ ουρανών. Μέσα από την καρδιά μου σας εύχομαι ο νεογέννητος Σωτήρ να σας προστατεύει και να σας χαρίζει πλούσιο το έλεός Του ? Θ Ε Ο Δ Ω Ρ Ο Σ Β΄Πάπας καί Πατριάρχης Αλεξανδρείας και πάσης Αφρικής Εν τη ΜT H E O D O R O S II By the Grace of God, Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa,
to the plenitude of the Apostolic and Patriarchal Throne of Alexandria,
Grace and Mercy and Peace from our Lord and God and Saviour Jesus Christ,
born in Bethlehem and who fulfilled the Divine Economy.
"Christ is born, glorify Him!Christ descends from heaven, encounter Him!" My beloved and blessed brethren and children in the Lord, With these beautiful words, the hymnographer presents us with the great mystery of our Lord’s Birth. God the Word willed to be incarnated, without diminishing His divinity. The Son who is begotten of the Father before all ages receives human form. He becomes God and Man so as to approach man and lead him to redemption. This is why the Great God, the Invisible God, becomes a visible man. This great mystery holds a paradox- Christ’s two natures were united without confusion, without the one altering the other. It is this God of love and humility that the hymnographer calls us to glorify. It is this God, that comes from the heavens, that he calls us to encounter. The shepherds and the magi encountered Him at the manger of Bethlehem and they worshiped Him. Today, we may not have the possibility of encountering Him at that same manger, but we can perceive Him with our senses and with the soul He gave us and in which He dwells. It is in our hearts, in our whole existence, if this is pure as He created it, that we have, as the hymnographer says, definitely encountered Him. It is in our hearts, if they are full of the faith, compassion, love, understanding, self-denial, reconciliation, meekness, altruism, humility, that the newborn Lord dwells. It is with these virtues that He co-habits, because "God is love". Like other human characteristics, purity of the soul needs cultivation and development. This is why our Lord has given us His Church- the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. It is in Her that we fashion our soul, develop its purity, unite it with God and fellowman and give it the nourishment that it needs. It is in the embrace of the Church that we feel that we are children of the same Father, of God. The Living Church of the Lord makes us communicants of God and it is through Her that we encounter the Lord. Beloved and blessed children of God, During these Holy Days our Holy Churches, beautiful and solidly built, will receive thousands of faithful. Let us spare a thought for our brethren that are in need, for our missions in which our brethren offer of themselves day and night so as to save others from misery. Let us spare a thought for the thousands of African mangers in which the Lord is born today- for the hearts of young people that receive His Gospel. Let us offer them our love in which ever way possible. It is there that we will encounter Christ coming down from heaven. My heartfelt prayer is that the Newborn Saviour protects you all and gives you all His rich mercy. ? T H E O D O R O S II Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and all Africa In the Great City of Alexandria,Nativity of the Lord, 2008.εγάλη Πόλει της ΑλεξανδρείαςΧριστούγεννα 2008
to the plenitude of the Apostolic and Patriarchal Throne of Alexandria,
Grace and Mercy and Peace from our Lord and God and Saviour Jesus Christ,
born in Bethlehem and who fulfilled the Divine Economy.
"Christ is born, glorify Him!Christ descends from heaven, encounter Him!" My beloved and blessed brethren and children in the Lord, With these beautiful words, the hymnographer presents us with the great mystery of our Lord’s Birth. God the Word willed to be incarnated, without diminishing His divinity. The Son who is begotten of the Father before all ages receives human form. He becomes God and Man so as to approach man and lead him to redemption. This is why the Great God, the Invisible God, becomes a visible man. This great mystery holds a paradox- Christ’s two natures were united without confusion, without the one altering the other. It is this God of love and humility that the hymnographer calls us to glorify. It is this God, that comes from the heavens, that he calls us to encounter. The shepherds and the magi encountered Him at the manger of Bethlehem and they worshiped Him. Today, we may not have the possibility of encountering Him at that same manger, but we can perceive Him with our senses and with the soul He gave us and in which He dwells. It is in our hearts, in our whole existence, if this is pure as He created it, that we have, as the hymnographer says, definitely encountered Him. It is in our hearts, if they are full of the faith, compassion, love, understanding, self-denial, reconciliation, meekness, altruism, humility, that the newborn Lord dwells. It is with these virtues that He co-habits, because "God is love". Like other human characteristics, purity of the soul needs cultivation and development. This is why our Lord has given us His Church- the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. It is in Her that we fashion our soul, develop its purity, unite it with God and fellowman and give it the nourishment that it needs. It is in the embrace of the Church that we feel that we are children of the same Father, of God. The Living Church of the Lord makes us communicants of God and it is through Her that we encounter the Lord. Beloved and blessed children of God, During these Holy Days our Holy Churches, beautiful and solidly built, will receive thousands of faithful. Let us spare a thought for our brethren that are in need, for our missions in which our brethren offer of themselves day and night so as to save others from misery. Let us spare a thought for the thousands of African mangers in which the Lord is born today- for the hearts of young people that receive His Gospel. Let us offer them our love in which ever way possible. It is there that we will encounter Christ coming down from heaven. My heartfelt prayer is that the Newborn Saviour protects you all and gives you all His rich mercy. ? T H E O D O R O S II Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and all Africa In the Great City of Alexandria,Nativity of the Lord, 2008.εγάλη Πόλει της ΑλεξανδρείαςΧριστούγεννα 2008