The Church invites the faithful to come alongside the Magi and simple shepherds in worship of the newborn baby, the eternal God. For the King of Kings and Lord of Lords has been born. He is the new Adam and at the same time the Son and Word of God . The birth of our Lord Jesus Christ joyfully illuminates all creation. Today, the great feast is once again filled with hope.
When the time that God had predestined came, He sent His Son to be born of a woman, pure Mary, and as a perfect husband to obey the provisions of the Mosaic Law, to give them true value and at a price. at the same time to free mankind from the darkness of sin and formalism.
The Nativity of Christ the Savior is predominantly the first Baptism. "Surely the mystery of godliness is great: God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, sent by angels, preached to the nations, believed in the world, ascended in glory." (1 Tim. 3, 16). It is for this reason that until the fourth century Christmas and the Baptism of Jesus were celebrated on the same day, January 6. However, we should not forget that He who was born in Bethlehem is the God-Man: perfect God as the only begotten Son of the Father, and perfect Man, in all things like us, without sin, which does not belong to our nature, but is an acquired condition due to the disobedience and corruption of the first Adam.
Merry Christmas Christ reveals the type of the true man stained by sin. Christ is the archetypal person, so that with Him we find our salvation by following His commandments and way of life, according to the holy Gospel within our Holy Church.
With the birth of the Redeemer, the waiting period of the nations is completed and we experience a period of salvation and grace in Christ. The expected Messiah has appeared in the life of the Church. This is our responsibility and the personal challenge of each of us, especially in these feast days, abandoning wandering as an alibi in the search, but also a new voyage as a subtle breeze of refreshment, our humble and voluntary encounter with Christ the Savior.
The meaning of Christmas lies in the extent to which we are willing to ontologically appropriate the gifts of God, and not, of course, in the various superficial cultural and folkloric events that, though familiar to us, still bring only temporary excitement.
The Magi, though raised in the idolatry of Persian knowledge and wisdom, nevertheless succeeded in what they were striving for - being led to the truth. Therefore, it is sad that we, who were born of Christian parents and received a universal Greek education, are unable to recognize the will of God and are lost in the hustle and bustle of daily life.
"Where is the King of the Jews?" - The Magi asked, expressing their desire to worship Him. This question has not ceased to be relevant today. The simple shepherds bowed first and heard the angelic hymn "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace". Peace is a requirement of every age of visible and invisible wars.
And yet the answer remains the same: Christ is in our soul and at the same time is represented in the person of another person. This essential kinship is realized in the Church, in the Divine Liturgy and the Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ. A miraculous event experienced by those who sincerely desire this relationship with Christ the Savior, freely and lovingly. It is truly a peace, a higher mind!
The swaddled baby, worshipped by the shepherds and glorified by the angels, is the living hope of the world. For our sake, the Word of God has hired human nature to bring us back to the ancient beauty of divine adoption.
This morning's Orf and Christmas Divine Liturgy is celebrated. The text of the Divine Liturgy comes from St. Basil the Great.
Dear ones, all wish that peace may reign in our souls and in the whole world, and may freedom come to our homeland temporarily occupied by Turkey and the return of all refugees to our villages and towns. And declare that all of our silent churches are functioning.
Let us realize that no human value is permanent in this the changing world we live in, except solidarity and love.
When the time that God had predestined came, He sent His Son to be born of a woman, pure Mary, and as a perfect husband to obey the provisions of the Mosaic Law, to give them true value and at a price. at the same time to free mankind from the darkness of sin and formalism.
The Nativity of Christ the Savior is predominantly the first Baptism. "Surely the mystery of godliness is great: God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, sent by angels, preached to the nations, believed in the world, ascended in glory." (1 Tim. 3, 16). It is for this reason that until the fourth century Christmas and the Baptism of Jesus were celebrated on the same day, January 6. However, we should not forget that He who was born in Bethlehem is the God-Man: perfect God as the only begotten Son of the Father, and perfect Man, in all things like us, without sin, which does not belong to our nature, but is an acquired condition due to the disobedience and corruption of the first Adam.
Merry Christmas Christ reveals the type of the true man stained by sin. Christ is the archetypal person, so that with Him we find our salvation by following His commandments and way of life, according to the holy Gospel within our Holy Church.
With the birth of the Redeemer, the waiting period of the nations is completed and we experience a period of salvation and grace in Christ. The expected Messiah has appeared in the life of the Church. This is our responsibility and the personal challenge of each of us, especially in these feast days, abandoning wandering as an alibi in the search, but also a new voyage as a subtle breeze of refreshment, our humble and voluntary encounter with Christ the Savior.
The meaning of Christmas lies in the extent to which we are willing to ontologically appropriate the gifts of God, and not, of course, in the various superficial cultural and folkloric events that, though familiar to us, still bring only temporary excitement.
The Magi, though raised in the idolatry of Persian knowledge and wisdom, nevertheless succeeded in what they were striving for - being led to the truth. Therefore, it is sad that we, who were born of Christian parents and received a universal Greek education, are unable to recognize the will of God and are lost in the hustle and bustle of daily life.
"Where is the King of the Jews?" - The Magi asked, expressing their desire to worship Him. This question has not ceased to be relevant today. The simple shepherds bowed first and heard the angelic hymn "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace". Peace is a requirement of every age of visible and invisible wars.
And yet the answer remains the same: Christ is in our soul and at the same time is represented in the person of another person. This essential kinship is realized in the Church, in the Divine Liturgy and the Communion of the Body and Blood of Christ. A miraculous event experienced by those who sincerely desire this relationship with Christ the Savior, freely and lovingly. It is truly a peace, a higher mind!
The swaddled baby, worshipped by the shepherds and glorified by the angels, is the living hope of the world. For our sake, the Word of God has hired human nature to bring us back to the ancient beauty of divine adoption.
This morning's Orf and Christmas Divine Liturgy is celebrated. The text of the Divine Liturgy comes from St. Basil the Great.
Dear ones, all wish that peace may reign in our souls and in the whole world, and may freedom come to our homeland temporarily occupied by Turkey and the return of all refugees to our villages and towns. And declare that all of our silent churches are functioning.
Let us realize that no human value is permanent in this the changing world we live in, except solidarity and love.
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