Nativity Encyclical 2013 (Greek)

Details: By Holy Synod of Greece; Created on Tuesday, 31 December 2013 21:06

ΕΛΛΗΝΙΚΗ ΔΗΜΟΚΡΑΤΙΑ
ΕΚΚΛΗΣΙΑ Γ.Ο.Χ. ΕΛΛΑΔΟΣ
ΙΕΡΑ ΣΥΝΟΔΟΣ
ΚΑΝΙΝΓΓΟΣ 32 (3ον ὄροφος)
106 82 ΑΘΗΝΑΙ
TEL. 21038 28 280 - FAX 21038 47 365
ΕΛΛΑΣ

Ἀριθμός Πρωτ. γ – 1845

ΜΗΝΥΜΑ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΥΓΕΝΝΩΝ ΣΩΤΗΡΙΟΥ ΕΤΟΥΣ 2013

Παντὶ τῷ πληρώματι τῆς Ἐκκλησίας

«Τοῦ Κυρίου Ἰησοῦ γεννηθέντος ἐκ τῆς ἁγίας Παρθένου, πεφώτισται τὰ σύμπαντα· Ποιμένων γὰρ ἀγραυλούντων, καὶ Μάγων προσκυνούντων, Ἀγγέλων ἀνυμνούντων, Ἡρῴδης ἐταράττετο, ὅτι Θεὸς ἐν σαρκὶ ἐφάνη, Σωτὴρ τῶν ψυχῶν ἡμῶν..»

Τέκνα ἐν Κυρίῳ ἀγαπητά καὶ περιπόθητα,

Ἀληθῶς ἐφωτίσθησαν τὰ σύμπαντα διὰ τῆς ἐνανθρωπήσεως τοῦ Υἱοῦ καὶ Λόγου τοῦ Θεοῦ. Καὶ ἔγινεν τὸ ταπεινόν σπήλαιον τῆς Βηθλεέμ ὁ χῶροs ἀπ’ ὅπου ἀνέτειλεν ὁ Ἥλιος τῆς Δικαιοσύνης, ὁ Σωτὴρ ἡμῶν, διαλύων τὰ ζοφώθη σκότη τῆς εἰδωλολατρείας καὶ τῆς κυριαρχίας τῶν παθῶν. Ἔδωσε δὲ εἰς τοὺς ἀνθρώπους, αὐτοὺς οἱ ὁποῖοι ἐκουσίως πιστεύουν εἰς Αὐτόν, τὴν γνῶσιν τῆς ἀληθοῦς Θεογνωσίας καὶ τῆς ἐν Χριστῷ ἐλευθερίας ἀπὸ τὰ πάθη.

Τὰ πάθη παρομοιάζονται πρὸς τὰ ἄγρια θηρία τοῦ δρυμοῦ, τὰ ὁποῖα κυκλοφοροῦν ὑπὸ τὴν κάλυψιν τοῦ σκότους διὰ νὰ ἁρπάσουν τὴν λείαν των. Ὅταν ἀνατέλει ὁ ἥλιος, τότε τά θηρία κρύπτονται εἰς τὰς φωλεάς των: «ἔθου σκότος, καὶ ἐγένετο νύξ· ἐν αὐτῇ διελεύσονται πάντα τὰ θηρία τοῦ δρυμοῦ (...) ἀνέτειλεν ὁ ἥλιος, καὶ συνήχθησαν καὶ εἰς τὰς μάνδρας αὐτῶν κοιτασθήσονται.» (Ψαλμ. ΡΓ’ 20, 22). Διὰ τοῦτο καὶ εἰς τὰς ψυχάς τῶν δικαίων, ὅπου κυριαρχεῖ τὸ φῶς τῆς Χάριτος τοῦ Χριστοῦ, ἔχουν φυγαδευθεῖ τὰ πάθη.

Ἀγαπητά τέκνα ἐν Κυρίῳ,

Ἂς εὐτρεπίσωμεν καὶ ἡμεῖς τὰς ψυχάς ἡμῶν διὰ τῆς ταπεινώσεως ὥστε νὰ ὁμοιάσουν πρὸς τὸ ταπεινόν σπήλαιον τῆς Βηθλεέμ. Ἂς καλέσωμεν διὰ τῆς προσευχῆς τὸν Θεὸν καὶ Σωτήρα μας νὰ κατοικήσῃ ἐντός ἡμῶν καὶ ἂς ἀγωνισθῶμεν ὅσον δυνάμεθα διὰ νὰ ἐφελκύσωμεν τὴν Χάριν Του. Διότι ἀφορμὴν ζητεῖ ὁ Θεός ἡμῶν διὰ νὰ μᾶς σώσῃ καὶ ἐπιθυμεῖ νὰ ἴδη τὴν ἀγαθήν ἡμῶν προαίρεσιν. Τότε θὰ ἀξιωθῶμεν νὰ ὑποδεχθῶμεν καὶ ἡμεῖς τὸν Κύριον ἐντός ἡμῶν καὶ νὰ τὸν προσκυνήσωμεν νοερῶς ὡς Ποιμένες. Τότε ἂς Τὸν Δοξολογήσωμεν καὶ ἂς ψάλλωμεν μετ’ εὐφροσύνης μεγαλύνοντες τὸν Κύριον:

«Ἀνέτειλας Χριστὲ ἐκ Παρθένου, νοητὲ Ἥλιε τῆς Δικαιοσύνης· καὶ Ἀστὴρ σε ὑπέδειξεν, ἐν Σπηλαίῳ χωρούμενον τὸν ἀχώρητον. Μάγους ὁδηγήσας εἰς προσκύνησίν σου· μεθ' ὧν σε μεγαλύνομεν, Ζωοδότα δόξα σοι».

Η ΙΕΡΑ ΣΥΝΟΔΟΣ

Ἐν ἔτει σωτηρίῳ, ΒΙΓ΄τῇ 14ῃ/ 27 ῃ Δεκεμβρίου

Η ΙΕΡΑ ΣΥΝΟΔΟΣ

Ὁ Ἀρχιεπίσκοπος

† Ὁ Ἀθηνῶν ΚΑΛΛΙΝΙΚΟΣ

Τὰ Μέλη

† Ὁ Ἀττικῆς καὶ Διαυλείας ΑΚΑΚΙΟΣ

† Ὁ Θεσσαλονίκης καὶ Δημητριάδος ΜΑΞΙΜΟΣ

† Ὁ Λαρίσης καί Πλαταμῶνος ΑΘΑΝΑΣΙΟΣ

† Ὁ Εὐρίπου καὶ Εὐβοίας ΙΟΥΣΤΙΝΟΣ

† Ὁ Πειραιῶς καὶ Σαλαμῖνος ΓΕΡΟΝΤΙΟΣ

† Ὁ Ἀττικῆς καὶ Βοιωτίας ΧΡΥΣΟΣΤΟΜΟΣ

† Ὁ Τορόντο ΜΩΫΣΗΣ

† Ὁ Χριστιανουπόλεως ΓΡΗΓΟΡΙΟΣ

† Ὁ Μαραθῶνος ΦΩΤΙΟΣ

† Ὁ Βρεσθένης ΘΕΟΔΟΣΙΟΣ

† Ὁ Πόρτλαντ ΣΕΡΓΙΟΣ

† Ὁ Βοστώνης ΔΗΜΗΤΡΙΟΣ

† Ὁ Θεουπόλεως ΧΡΙΣΤΟΔΟΥΛΟΣ

Orthodox Awareness

A Miracle of Saint Spyridon

This miracle of Saint Spyridon took place in Mandra, Greece in 1926.

It was 12/25 December, 1926. The state Church of Greece adopted the Papal calendar and with the help of the Greek government persecuted all those who did not accept the Papal calendar. The faithful Orthodox Christians of Mandra woke up and headed to their Church to celebrate the Feast of Saint Spyridon. When they reached the Church they saw that the door to the Church had been secured with chains and the faithful could not enter. Before leaving the Church to return to their homes they stuck their candles on the door. As soon as the last person placed his candles on the door

the chains broke and fell. The faithful, confirmed in their Faith, entered the Church and celebrated the Feast of Saint Spyridon.

The miracle was reported the next day by the newspaper Skrip.

Missions

Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Mission, Tucson, Arizona

Saints Peter and Paul Orthodox Church is a beautiful mission parish near downtown Tucson, a city in southern Arizona. It was started in 1997 by Father John Bockman, who was a missionary Priest formerly serving missions in Tennessee and Massachusetts since 1990. Father John served the faithful in Tucson and the surrounding area in his home Chapel until his repose in November of 2000. His wife, Presbytera Valerie, continued to make her home Chapel available for the mission, with clergy from Saint Nectarios Orthodox Church in Seattle and His Eminence, Metropolitan Moses of Toronto (then of Portland), visiting to provide the Divine Services.

Youth

2023 Youth Conference

Please join us for the 2023 youth conference in Chicago, IL! To learn more, visit the home page or visit the conference website.

Ask A Priest

Forty Day Memorial Service

Q. Can you please explain the significance of the forty day memorial service? An Evangelical family asked one of our relatives that question. We said that it’s best to ask a clergy member. Thank you in advance for your response. (We will forward it to them as soon as possible).
-P. & M. G. Read more...

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