ΧΡΙΣΤΟΥΓΕΝΝΑ 2008

 

Εὐλαβεστάτους Ἱερατικῶς Προϊσταμένους

Ἐντιμοτάτους Προέδρους καί Ἀξιότιμα Μέλη τῶν Διοικ. Συμβουλίων

Φιλοπτώχους Ἀδελφότητες, Διδασκάλους, Διδασκάλισσες,

Μαθητές καί Μαθήτριες, Νεολαία τῶν Κοινοτήτων

καί ἅπαν τό εὐλαβές πλήρωμα

τῆς Ἑλληνικῆς Ὀρθοδόξου Μητροπόλεως Τορόντο (Καναδᾶ)

 

“ουτοσ εστιν ο Υιοσ του Θεου”

Ἰωάννου 1, 34

Μητροπολίτη Σωτηρίου

O Ἰωσήφ καί ἡ Μαρία κατάκοποι φθάνουν στή Βηθλεέμ. Ζητοῦν κάπου νά ξεκουραστοῦν. Νά κοιμηθοῦν. Μά δέν ὑπάρχει γι’ αὐτούς τόπος στό κατάλυμμα. Βγαίνουν ἀπό τήν πόλη. Καταφεύγουν σ’ ἕνα σπήλαιο. Μπαίνουν ἐκεῖ γιά νά προστατευθοῦν ἀπό τό κρύο καί τόν ἀέρα. Συμπληρώθηκαν οἱ ἡμέρες καί ἡ Μαρία στό σπήλαιο γεννᾶ ἕνα ἀγοράκι. Τό ξαπλώνει στή φάτνη. Τό ζεσταίνει μέ τά ἄχυρα. Τά χνῶτα τῶν ζώων. Τήν ἀγκαλιά της.

Ποιό εἶναι αὐτό το παιδί; Γιατί ξαφνικά ἀνοίγουν οἱ οὐρανοί; Γιατί ἀνεβοκατεβαίνουν, κυριολεκτικά χορεύουν, οἱ Ἄγγελοι; Νά ἕνας Ἄγγελος ξεκόβει καί πηγαίνει στούς τσοπάνηδες πού ξενυχτοῦν. Ὁλόχαρα τούς λέγει. Γεννήθηκε σήμερα γιά σᾶς Σωτήρας πού εἶναι καί Σωτήρας ὅλου τοῦ κόσμου.

Τρέχουν οἱ τσοπάνηδες στό σπήλαιο. Βρίσκουν τόν Ἰωσήφ καί τήν Μαρία. Βρίσκουν τόν νεογέννητο Ἰησοῦ σπαργανωμμένο. Μάγοι ξεκινοῦν ἀπό τήν Ἀνατολή. Ἀπό τήν Περσία. Τούς ὁδηγεῖ ἕνα ἀστέρι καί φθάνουν στή Βηθλεέμ. Ρωτοῦν ποῦ γεννήθηκε ὁ Ἰησοῦς. Τόν βρίσκουν. Τόν προσκυνοῦν. Τοῦ προσφέρουν δῶρα. Σμύρνα, χρυσόν καί λίβανον. Τήν σμύρνα, γιατί εἶναι ἄνθρωπος. Τόν χρυσό, γιατί εἶναι βασιλιᾶς. Τό λιβάνι, γιατί εἶναι Θεός.

Ταράσσεται ὁ Ἡρώδης. Φοβᾶται μή χάσει τήν βασιλεία του. Παρακαλεῖ τούς Μάγους ὅταν βροῦν τόν νεογέννητο βασιλιά νά τόν εἰδοποιήσουν. Προσποιεῖται, ὅτι θά πάει νά τόν προσκυνήσει. Σχεδιάζει ὅμως μέ δόλο νά τόν δολοφονήσει. Φεύγουν οἱ Μάγοι. Δέν εἰδοποιοῦν τόν Ἡρώδη. Ὑποπτεύονται τά σχέδιά του. Ὁ Ἡρώδης φονεύει 14.000 παιδιά πιστεύοντας, ὅτι ἔτσι θά φονεύσει καί τό νεογέννητο Βασιλιά. Ὁ Θεός προστατεύει τό νεογέννητο Βασιλιά. Τόν εἰδοποιεῖ. Καί τόν παίρνουν, ἡ Μαρία καί ὁ Ἰωσήφ καί φεύγουν στήν Αἴγυπτο.

Ὅλα αὐτά τά παράξενα γίνονται στή γέννηση τοῦ Ἰησοῦ. Μά ὁ κόσμος τά ξεχνᾶ. Ὁ ἴδιος ὁ Ἰησοῦς μεγαλώνει ἥσυχα στό μαραγκούδικο τοῦ πατέρα Του τοῦ Ἰωσήφ. Ταπεινός. Ὑπάκουος. Συνετός. Χαριτωμένος.

Περνοῦν τριάντα χρόνια κι ὁ Ἰησοῦς εἶναι σχεδόν ξεχασμένος. Βέβαια, ὅταν ὁ γέρο-Συμεών τόν δέχεται στό ναό, τόν ἀναγνωρίζει καί λέγει: «Νῦν ἀπολύεις τόν δοῦλον σου δέσποτα, ὅτι εἶδον οἱ ὀφθαλμοί μου τό σωτήριόν σου». Καί ὅταν δωδεκαετής ὁ Ἰησοῦς ἐπισκέπτεται τό ναό, θαυμάζουν οἱ ἱερεῖς καί οἱ διδάσκαλοι ἐκεῖ τήν σοφία του.

Ὁ Ἰωάννης βαπτίζει ἐν ὕδατι στόν Ἰορδάνη. Οἱ βαπτιζόμενοι ρωτοῦν: Ἐσύ εἶσαι ὁ ἐρχόμενος, ὁ Μεσσίας ἤ ἄλλον περιμένουμε; Δέν εἶμαι ἐγώ ὁ Μεσσίας, λέγει ὁ Ἰωάννης. Ὁ Μεσσίας εἶναι ἀνάμεσά μας. Ἔρχεται.

Ἔρχεται ὁ Ἰησοῦς καί βαπτίζεται ἀπό τόν Ἰωάννη. Εὐθύς ἀνοίγουν ξανά οἱ οὐρανοί. Ὅπως καί στή γέννηση. Τό Πνεῦμα κατέρχεται στήν κεφαλή τοῦ Ἰησοῦ. Καί ἡ φωνή τοῦ Θεοῦ Πατέρα ἀκούγεται ἀπό τόν οὐρανό: «Οὗτος ἐστίν ὁ Υἱός μου ὁ ἀγαπητός ἐν ὧ εὐδόκησα».

Τά βλέπει ὅλα αὐτά ἐκστατικός ὁ Ἰωάννης. Τά ζεῖ. Θυμᾶται πώς ὁ Θεός τοῦ εἶπε, ὅτι αὐτός στόν ὁποῖο θά δεῖς τό Πνεῦμα νά κατεβαίνει ἀπό τόν οὐρανό, αὐτός εἶναι ὁ ἐρχόμενος. Καί ὁ Ἰωάννης λέγει: Εἶδα καί μαρτύρησα καί μαρτυρῶ. «Οὗτος ἐστίν ὁ Υἱός τοῦ Θεοῦ».

Στό πρόσωπο τοῦ Ἰησοῦ ἐκπληρώθηκαν οἱ προφητεῖες ὅλων τῶν προφητῶν. Ὁ τελευταῖος προφήτης εἶναι ὁ Ἰωάννης ὁ Βαπτιστής. Ὁ Ἠσαΐας μᾶς εἶπε: «Ἰδού ἡ παρθένος ἐν γαστρί ἕξει καί τέξεται υἱόν καί καλέσουσι τό ὄνομα αὐτοῦ Ἐμμανουήλ ὅ ἐστί μεθερμηνευόμενον μεθ’ ἡμῶν ὁ Θεός».  Καί ὁ Ἰωάννης βεβαιώνει: «Οὗτος ἐστίν ὁ Υἱός τοῦ Θεοῦ».

Δέν ὑπάρχουν μετά Χριστόν προφῆτες. Ἡ ἀποστολή καί τό ἔργο τῶν προφητῶν ἦταν νά προφητεύουν γιά τόν ἐρχομό τοῦ Μεσσία. Νά κρατοῦν τό λαό τοῦ Θεοῦ προσηλωμένο σ’ αὐτήν τήν ἰδέα. Ὁ Μεσσίας ἦλθε. Εἶναι ὁ Ἰησοῦς Χριστός. Ὁ Σωτήρας καί Λυτρωτής ὅλου τοῦ κόσμου.

Μετά Χριστόν μόνο ψευδοπροφῆτες ὑπάρχουν. Πλανῶνται καί πλανοῦν. Προσέχετε καί ἀποφεύγετε τούς ψευδοπροφῆτες, εἶπε ὁ ἴδιος ὁ Χριστός.

Χαρεῖτε, εὐλογημένοι χριστιανοί, τήν γέννηση τοῦ Χριστοῦ. Τήν γέννηση τοῦ Υἱοῦ τοῦ Θεοῦ. Τήν γέννηση τοῦ ἀληθινοῦ Θεοῦ. Τοῦ Θεανθρώπου. Τοῦ Σωτήρα καί Λυτρωτῆ τοῦ κόσμου. Αὐτός εἶναι ὁ Μεσσίας. Ἦλθε γιά νά σώσει τόν κόσμο. Θά ἔλθει ξανά γιά νά κρίνει τόν κόσμο. Δεχθεῖτε Τον. Κάμετέ Τον βασιλιά τῆς ψυχῆς καί τῆς καρδιᾶς σας.

Νά γιορτάσομε τώρα τήν γέννησή Του. Νά μᾶς ἀξιώσει νά γιορτάζουμε πάντα μαζί Του στή δευτέρα Του παρουσία καί στήν αἰωνιότητα.

 

Μέ πατρική ἀγάπη καί θερμές εὐχές ἐν Χριστῶ τεχθέντι

 

Ο ΜΗΤΡΟΠΟΛΙΤΗΣ

 

Ο ΤΟΡΟΝΤΟ ΣΩΤΗΡΙΟΣ

ΤΣ:γκ

 

Σημείωση: Νά διαβαστεῖ στίς ἐκκλησίες κατά τή θ. Λειτουργία των Χριστουγέννων

 

---

 

CHRISTMAS  2008

 

Reverend Fathers,

Honourable Presidents and Esteemed members of our Community Councils

Philoptochos Societies, Teachers, Students and Youth

of our Communities, and to all the Plenitude of our

Holy Greek Orthodox Metropolis of Toronto (Canada)

 

“He is the Son of God”

       John 1:34

By Metropolitan Sotirios

Joseph and Mary, exhausted as they are from their long journey, finally reach the town of Bethlehem. They search for somewhere to rest and to sleep. Yet, there is no place for them at the inn. They journey a little further from the town.  All they can find is a cave, where animals are kept and there they retire for the night. They find refuge there in order to be protected from the cold and the wind. The time is fulfilled and Mary gives birth to an infant male Child in the cave. She has no where to lay Him, and makes the animals’ feeding trough a bed, so that He can rest in the manger.  She places straw around Him to make Him comfortable.  He is kept warm by the breath of the animals that surround Him and by the tender caresses of His Mother.

Who is this Child? Why do the heavens suddenly open? Why do the angels ascend and descend from the heavens, literally dancing for joy?  One of the Angels leaves the others and goes to the shepherds in the fields who are awake, watching their flocks by night. The Angel announces the glad tidings to them, filling them with joy, “Today a Saviour is born unto you, who is the Saviour of the entire human race.”

The shepherds run to the cave. There, they find Joseph and Mary. They also find the newborn Jesus wrapped in swaddling clothes. Wise Men begin their journey from the East, coming from Persia.  They are guided by a star, which leads them to Bethlehem. They ask where the Christ-child is to be born. They find Him. They worship Him. They offer Him gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh. Why do they offer these gifts?  They offer Him myrrh because He is man who will be anointed at His burial; gold, because He is the King of Kings; and incense, because He is God.

Herod is filled with terror.  He is afraid that he will lose his kingdom to the new-born King.  He asks the Wise Men to inform him when they find the Child.  He pretends that he, too, will go to worship Him. Yet, Herod plans with malice to murder Him. The Wise Men depart. They are warned in a dream to avoid Herod. They suspect his evil plans. After seeing that he had been tricked, Herod is enraged and gives orders to his soldiers to murder 14,000 children in all Judaea.  He believes that, in this way, the newborn King will be killed as well. But God protects the newborn King. He informs Joseph in a dream, and he is told to flee to Egypt.  Joseph takes Mary and the Christ-child and they depart for Egypt.

 All these strange and wondrous events occur with the birth of Jesus. Yet the world forgets them. Jesus Himself grows and matures without fanfare, working along side Joseph at his carpenter’s work shop.  He is humble; obedient; prudent; full of grace and truth.

Thirty years pass by and Jesus is almost forgotten. Of course, when Symeon the Elder welcomes Him to the Temple, he recognizes Him and says, “Now, Lord, let Your servant depart in peace, for my eyes have seen Your salvation.” When Jesus visited the Temple at twelve years of age, the priests and teachers are amazed and are in awe at His wisdom.

John baptizes in the waters of the Jordan. Those being baptized ask: “Are you the One who is coming, the Messiah, or is it another whom we are to await?”  John replies:  “I am not the Messiah, but the Messiah is among us. He is coming.”

Jesus comes and He is baptized by John. At that very moment, the heavens are again opened, just as at His birth in Bethlehem.  The Holy Spirit descends in the form of a dove upon Jesus.  The voice of God the Father in Heaven is heard saying:  “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”

John beholds all these wondrous events in utter amazement.  He lives these experiences personally.  He remembers that God had told him:  ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending, and remaining on Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’  And I have seen and testified that: ‘this is the Son of God’.”

In the person of Jesus Christ, all the prophecies of the Prophets of old are fulfilled:  Christ is the One whom they foretold as the Messiah who has come!  The last Prophet is John the Baptist.  In the person of Christ, the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled:  “Behold the Virgin shall conceive and bear a son, and they shall call His Name Emmanuel, which is translated ‘God is with us’.”  And John testifies that “this is the Son of God.”

There are no other prophets after Christ.  John the Baptist was the last Prophet, who closes the Old Testament and ushers in the New Testament with his witness to Christ as the long-awaited Messiah.  The mission and the work of the Prophets was to prophesize the coming of the Messiah, and. to keep the chosen people of God faithful to Him and to His promise of the Messiah.  Christ our Messiah has come:  He is the Saviour and Redeemer of all humanity.

After Christ, only false prophets have come and gone.  Some still exist today.  They are deceived and they try to deceive others.  Christ warned us to beware of false prophets and to avoid them and their false teachings.

My blessed people of God:  rejoice in the birth of Christ; the birth of the Son of Mary, who is our true God.  He is the God-Man – the Theanthropos, who is the Saviour and Redeemer of the world.  He is the Son of God through whom God desires to save all people.  He will also come again as He foretold, to judge the living and the dead.  Receive Him into your life.  Enshrine Him in your heart and soul.  Make Him the King of your life!  I extend to all my warm wishes and prayers for a blessed and joyous celebration of our Lord’s Nativity.  May we be worthy to always celebrate with Him at His Second Coming and in eternity forevermore!

 

With fatherly love and best wishes in the New-born Christ,

 

 

Metropolitan Archbishop Sotirios of Toronto

Head of the Greek Orthodox Church in Canada

 

TS:pa

Note:  To be read at the Christmas Liturgy.