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A Journey Through Advent
Remember to keep "Christ" in Christmas! |
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Contents Thoughts on Christmas (His Grace Bishop Christoforos of Andida) "Τα Άχυρα" (Πανοσιολ. Αρχιμ. Κ. Σιαράπη, Ιεροκήρυκος του Οικουμενικού Θρόνου) "Straw" (By the Very Rev. Fr. C. Siarapis, Preacher of the Ecumenical Throne)
“Today Christ is born in Bethlehem of a Virgin, today the One Who Is without beginning takes on beginning and the Word takes on flesh.” (From the hymns of the Orthodox Church)
We are once again celebrating the Mystery of the Birth of Christ, the most profound event in the history of mankind – an event that changes history forever into the “before Christ” and “after Christ” periods. And because the year 2008 is commonly accepted world wide as a common measure of time, all the inhabitants of the earth, whether they realize it or not, regardless of race, colour, religion and creed, will be celebrating 2008 years that have passed since the Lord’s Incarnation. The Birth of Christ is first a historical event because our Lord was born in Bethlehem during the reign of the Roman Emperor Augustus Caesar and King Herod of Judea. However, it is also a mystery because, “…the One Who is without beginning takes on beginning and the Word takes on flesh,” (as in the hymn above) meaning that He Who has no beginning now begins living “an earthly life,” and the Word of God takes on human flesh. The Son of God came forth from the Father before all ages without a mother, and now is being born of the Virgin without a father. Behold the God-Man, “The only new thing under the sun” as Saint John of Damascus says. In other words, the only new thing on this earth is the “God-Man.” But for what purpose? Why the Divine Incarnation? Saint Athanasios the Great explains, “God became man so we can become like God,” and Saint John Chrysostom adds, “Being God He became man to make man god.” Therefore, since the Divine nature of Christ is joined with the Human nature of Christ, man then has the ability to become “by grace” like God, to reach His likening. This precisely constitutes the purpose of every man’s life. We live on earth in order to be “divinized” by Grace and to live with God in Heaven forever. This process of divinization is called “Theosis.” This is the purpose of life. Theosis is achieved little by little, through a step by step spiritualization of our human nature. The critical question is: Do we understand what Christ’s Incarnation means for each and every one of us personally? And above all, is our life oriented in that direction of the Grace of Theosis? It is time to think seriously about the meaning of the Incarnation of Christ, and to make a commitment this Christmas to focus our attention and our struggle towards this goal, towards divinization or Theosis. But is this possible? And yet, this is the purpose of our existence. That is how we need to think and live, to be united with Christ. Union with Christ means imitating Christ, even in the most minute details. Our goal is to have the mind of Christ – to think and act as He would. How would Christ have thought in this situation? That is how I will think as well. How would Christ have acted on this matter? This is how I should act also. Is my heart freed from all the passions so it can be pure like Christ’s? Am I deeply humble like Christ, Who so humbled Himself as to become human for our salvation? How will I be able to accomplish all this? We should not get discouraged, but let each and every one of us re-examine a few things from our personal lives. Christ’s Life-giving Commandments constitute real life examples. It is He Who gave us these Commandments along with the means of repentance, which grants us forgiveness of sins and changes our way of thinking. It is He Who offers us His most Holy and Precious Body and His most Precious and Life-giving and Divine Blood, Gifts of God, holy provisions on our spiritual journey, along with the other Holy Sacraments of our Church, medicines of immortality and of our salvation. This Christmas, let us also journey towards Bethlehem and let us offer Him our heart as our most precious gift so that He may sanctify it. Then we will feel His Presence, His Blessing, and His Grace. The more we approach the Lord, the more we will liken ourselves to God. I wish, from the depths of my heart, that this Christmas will be joyous and blessed, and may it mark the beginning of a new life for each and every one of us.
+ Bishop Christoforos of Andida
Χαρακτηριστικό της εποχης μας τά «άχυρα». Λέμε ότι προοδεύουμε, καί ουσιαστικά καταντούμε τήν πρόοδο μας καί τόν πολιτισμό μας άχυρα. Φτιάχνουμε προγράμματα καί κάνουμε σχέδια γιά τήν πείνα, γιά τίς αρρώστειες, καί στό τέλος όλες οι προσπάθειες καί τά προγράμματα καταντούν άχυρα, γιατί καί οι πεινασμένοι αυξάνονται καί καινούργιες αρρώστειες εμφανίζονται. Κάνουμε ειδικές υπηρεσίες καί συμβουλευτικά γραφεία γιά τή βοήθεια καί τήν κρίση της οικογένειας, όμως καί αυτά καταντούν άχυρα, γιατί καί τά διαζύγια αυξάνονται καί οι οικογένειες δέν ειναι οικογένειες, αλλά ξενοδοχεία. Συζητάμε γιά τούς νέους καί τό στραβό δρόμο πού πήρανε κ’ προσπαθούμε νά κάνουμε ό,τι μπορουμε γιά νά «σωθεί» η νεολαία αλλά όλα καταντούν άχυρα, διότι οι νέοι ακουνε πολλά, καί βλέπουν λίγα. Μιλαμε γιά τό σχολείο καί τίς αλλαγές που ειναι απαραίτητες νά γίνουν, αλλά τό σχολείο υπόσχεται ένα μέλλον, χωρίς νά γνωρίζει τό παρόν. Δημιουργει μυαλά, χωρίς μυαλό. Διδάσκει αλλά δέν εμπνέει. Συζητάμε καί δεχόμεθα τήν ανάγκη γιά αλήθεια, αλλά τελικά η αληθοφάνεια υπερισχύει της αλήθειας, καί τό εικονικό αντικαθιστά τό πραγματικό. Μιλάμε γιά πνευματικότητα καί ζωντανό Χριστιανισμό, κάνοντας πνευματικές διανοητικές αναβάσεις από τήν άνεση του καναπέ, αλλά τελικά δέν βλέπουμε τή δική μας πνευματική ομιχλότητα. Όλα σχεδόν καταντουν άχυρα, γιατί ο άνθρωπος από μ ό ν ο ς του άχυρα μπορει νά προσφέρει. Αφού καί στό Χριστό πρόσφερε άχυρα μέ τή Γέννηση Του. Μόνο πού εκεινα έγιναν χρυσός μόλις τ’ άγγιξε ο Χριστός. Όλες οι προσπάθειες του ανθρώπου θά γίνουν χρυσός καί θά φέρουν αποτέλεσμα, άν μέσα στήν καρδιά μας γεννηθει ο Χριστός. Άν αυτή η καρδιά μας γίνει φάτνη της δικης Του αγάπης καί ειρήνης. Δέν ειναι, λοιπόν, ανάγκη νά τρέξουμε σέ κάποια μακρυνή Βηθλεέμ νά βρουμε τό Χριστό. Ας τρέξουμε στή δική μας Βηθλεέμ, στή δική μας καρδιά. Ειθε η αγάπη καί η ειρήνη του γεννηθέντος Χριστού νά γεννηθειί μέσα μας, ώστε μέ τή Χάρη καί Ευλογία Του, νά μετατραπούμε από «κοινωνία αγρίων», κοινωνία Αγίων. Ευλογημένα Χριστούγεννα!
Πανοσιολ. Αρχιμ. Κ. Σιαράπης Ιεροκήρυκας του Οικ. Θρόνου
Straws seem to be a characteristic of our times. We say that we are making progress, but, in essence, we reduce our progress and civilization to…straws! We put in place programs, and make plans to reduce or eradicate poverty and diseases. However, all programs and plans are reduced to straws, as the number of the hungry continually increases and new diseases appear! We establish special services and consulting offices to aid the family and ameliorate the crisis that the family undergoes in our days. They also end up as straws, since the number of divorces keeps increasing and the concept of the family is replaced by that of the hotel! We talk about the Youth and try to do what we can to “save” it from going down the wrong path. All efforts are reduced to straws, because the Youth hears a lot, but sees very little! We talk about School; about the changes that must be implemented. However, the School promises a future, without knowing the present. It creates brainless brains! It instructs, but it does not inspire! We talk about and accept the need for truth; in the end, the appearance of truth supersedes the truth, and the virtual replaces the real! We talk about spirituality and a living Christianity, while making intellectually spiritual crescendos from the comfort of our couch, but in the final analysis we fail to see our own spiritual fogginess! Almost everything is reduced to straws, because a human being on its own can offer only straws. That’s all it offered to Christ at His birth. The difference is that those straws turned to gold as soon as He touched them! All humankind’s efforts will turn to gold and come to fruition if Christ is born in our hearts; if our heart becomes the manger for His love and peace. We do not need to rush to some distant Bethlehem to find Christ. Let us rush to our own Bethlehem, our own heart. May the love and peace of the born Christ be also born within us, so that with His Grace and Blessing we transform form a “society of wilderness” to a “society of holiness”! Have a Blessed Christmas!
Very Rev. Fr. Constantine Siarapis Preacher of the Ecumenical Throne
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