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Kiev, Ukraine - “Christ’s Church in Ukraine, when Christianity was finally accepted by Saint Volodymyr at the end of the 10th century, was one. With the passing of time, especially in the last decades, this Church was divided and our desire is to return to the primary unity,” His Beatitude Lubomyr said in an interview for radio “Resurrection,” commenting on the initiative of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC, put forth in the synod’s message on the occasion of the 20^th anniversary of the legalization of the UGCC, the 65^th anniversary of the death of Metropolitan Andrey, and the 25^th anniversary of the death of Patriarch Joseph. This initiative is shown in the message with such words: “Instead of the monopolistic domain by the Christian Ukraine, which was characteristic of past epochs, we propose the unity of the community for today of the still divided Kyivan Church.”

The process of unity, according to the head of the UGCC, will be long and must be gradual. “We have to find a way to one another, being conscious of our differences; it will take some time, I would say, to get used to each other. We have to learn to respect each other, we must remember that we are divided and that through time this division created distinctions in each branch which we have to consider,” explained His Beatitude Lubomyr.

The synod’s message addresses the patriarchate of the UGCC. Therefore, His Beatitude Lubomyr was asked if the patriarchal order of the UGCC will hinder the development of the model community. “It has to help, because the UGCC has to be original. In the Orthodox tradition it is called autocephaly. In the Catholic tradition – the Church of “sui juris.” The contents of one or another are not the complete dissociation of one from another. The purpose of the patriarchate is certain internal autonomy,” the head of the UGCC said. Thus, His Beatitude Lubomyr stressed that although the Church exists in the patriarchates, in national churches, it is the same Christ’s Church.

Information Department of the UGCC

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Protocol 01/10

January 1, 2010
Feast of Saint Basil and New Year          

To the Most Reverend Hierarchs, the Reverend Priests and Deacons, the Monks and Nuns, the Presidents and Members of the Parish Councils of the Greek Orthodox Communities, the Distinguished Archons of the Ecumenical Patriarchate, the Day, Afternoon, and Church Schools, the Philoptochos Sisterhoods, the Youth, the Hellenic Organizations, and the entire Greek Orthodox Family in America

Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

We greet the beginning of this new year and the end of the first decade of the new millennium in the grace and strength of our Lord.  The coming of the New Year is always accompanied by a variety of emotions and concerns, as well as goals and plans.  It is a time for reflecting on the past and anticipating what the year may bring.  As we look back and forward in our thoughts, it is essential that we be mindful of the centrality of Christ and our spiritual well-being in all that we do.  For reflection and anticipation are both characteristics of our lives as Orthodox Christians.

Reflection is inherent to our identity, beliefs, and practices.  The divine services, the Holy Scriptures, the lives of Saints, and the iconography and architecture of our sacred places of worship all call us to reflect on a history of revelation and of the manifestation of God’s grace and presence in our world.  We are invited to engage with the truth about our existence, the challenges of human life, and the telos, the purpose of this life as they relate to salvation and eternal communion with God.  We are also called to reflect upon the teachings and examples of our Orthodox faith and to contemplate the condition of our souls.  It is in this holy context of faith and truth that we reflect upon our lives.

The assurance of God’s presence and grace is accompanied by anticipation of what is to come.  In the observances and teachings of our faith, we anticipate the fulfillment of all things, the Eschaton, the coming of our Lord, and the inauguration of eternal life in His presence.  As we begin this New Year, we look forward to the wonderful blessings that God will give to us as we commit to the transformation of our lives in becoming the holy people He calls us to be.  Through a life of prayer and faithful worship, we anticipate the beautiful growth of our souls, as well as our lives of service to others.  Through the presence and grace of God we anticipate great spiritual victories over evil and temptation and the further sanctification of our hearts, minds, and souls.

Our thoughts on reflection and anticipation are also applicable to an annual commemoration of our Holy Archdiocese in honor of Saint Basil Academy.  Named for the great Saint of wisdom and love, Saint Basil Academy is completing sixty-five years of unique and dynamic service to children and families.  This has been a time of serious appreciation of the work and witness offered by this ministry, offering a chance to review the strong foundations of the past, to be thankful for the lives that have been transformed, and to show our thankfulness to the founders, donors, directors, and staff.  But it is also a time of anticipation of the great works that will be accomplished through God in the years to come.  Saint Basil Academy will continue to be a ministry of blessing and life to children and families through quality programs and resources, dedicated and trained staff, and a vision that embodies the compassion of Christ.  

On this Feast of Saint Basil and the beginning of the New Year, I ask that you contribute generously to Saint Basil Academy through the annual offering gathered by the members of our Ladies Philoptochos Society.  I also ask that you dedicate time each day for reflection and anticipation.  Remember the past, the challenges, the needs, the joys and blessings.  Anticipate the wondrous things that God will bring to your life in the year that has just begun.  Certainly, challenges and needs are a part of our earthly existence.  But we live each day in anticipation of the life that is completely filled with the love and presence of God for all eternity.  May our Lord, a Lord of love and grace, grant you peace and health in the New Year.

With paternal love in Christ,

† DEMETRIOS
Archbishop of America

GREEK ORTHODOX ARCHDIOCESE OF AMERICA
8-10 East 79th St. New York, NY 10075-0106
Tel: (212) 570-3530 Fax: (212) 774-0237
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CWNews.com - Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill has sent his Christmas greetings to Pope Benedict XVI. The Russian prelate’s message—also sent to other Christian leaders—said: “Under conditions of modern civilization, when many people lose spiritual and moral compass, the Star of Bethlehem is still showing the way to the Lord to all who seek light of the Divine Truth.”

The Russian Orthodox Church, which adheres to the old Julian calendar, will celebrate the Nativity on January 7.

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• Patriarch Kirill congratulates Benedict XVI and other Christian leaders on Christmas (Interfax)

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VATICAN CITY — The Vatican's official English-language translation of Pope Benedict XVI's homily, to be delivered in Italian during Christmas Eve Mass in St. Peter's Basilica.

Dear Brothers and Sisters! "A child is born for us, a son is given to us" (Is 9:5). What Isaiah prophesied as he gazed into the future from afar, consoling Israel amid its trials and its darkness, is now proclaimed to the shepherds as a present reality by the Angel, from whom a cloud of light streams forth: "To you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord" (Lk 2:11). The Lord is here. From this moment, God is truly "God with us". No longer is he the distant God who can in some way be perceived from afar, in creation and in our own consciousness. He has entered the world. He is close to us. The words of the risen Christ to his followers are addressed also to us: "Lo, I am with you always, to the close of the age" (Mt 28:20). For you the Saviour is born: through the Gospel and those who proclaim it, God now reminds us of the message that the Angel announced to the shepherds. It is a message that cannot leave us indifferent. If it is true, it changes everything. If it is true, it also affects me. Like the shepherds, then, I too must say: Come on, I want to go to Bethlehem to see the Word that has occurred there. The story of the shepherds is included in the Gospel for a reason. They show us the right way to respond to the message that we too have received. What is it that these first witnesses of God's incarnation have to tell us?


The first thing we are told about the shepherds is that they were on the watch they could hear the message precisely because they were awake. We must be awake, so that we can hear the message. We must become truly vigilant people. What does this mean? The principal difference between someone dreaming and someone awake is that the dreamer is in a world of his own. His "self" is locked into this dreamworld that is his alone and does not connect him with others. To wake up means to leave that private world of one's own and to enter the common reality, the truth that alone can unite all people. Conflict and lack of reconciliation in the world stem from the fact that we are locked into our own interests and opinions, into our own little private world. Selfishness, both individual and collective, makes us prisoners of our interests and our desires that stand against the truth and separate us from one another. Awake, the Gospel tells us. Step outside, so as to enter the great communal truth, the communion of the one God. To awake, then, means to develop a receptivity for God: for the silent promptings with which he chooses to guide us; for the many indications of his presence. There are people who describe themselves as "religiously tone deaf". The gift of a capacity to perceive God seems as if it is withheld from some. And indeed our way of thinking and acting, the mentality of today's world, the whole range of our experience is inclined to deaden our receptivity for God, to make us "tone deaf" towards him. And yet in every soul, the desire for God, the capacity to encounter him, is present, whether in a hidden way or overtly. In order to arrive at this vigilance, this awakening to what is essential, we should pray for ourselves and for others, for those who appear "tone deaf" and yet in whom there is a keen desire for God to manifest himself. The great theologian Origen said this: if I had the grace to see as Paul saw, I could even now (during the Liturgy) contemplate a great host of angels (cf. in Lk 23:9). And indeed, in the sacred liturgy, we are surrounded by the angels of God and the saints. The Lord himself is present in our midst. Lord, open the eyes of our hearts, so that we may become vigilant and clear-sighted, in this way bringing you close to others as well!

Let us return to the Christmas Gospel. It tells us that after listening to the Angel's message, the shepherds said one to another: "'Let us go over to Bethlehem' they went at once" (Lk 2:15f.). "They made haste" is literally what the Greek text says. What had been announced to them was so important that they had to go immediately. In fact, what had been said to them was utterly out of the ordinary. It changed the world. The Saviour is born. The long-awaited Son of David has come into the world in his own city. What could be more important? No doubt they were partly driven by curiosity, but first and foremost it was their excitement at the wonderful news that had been conveyed to them, of all people, to the little ones, to the seemingly unimportant. They made haste they went at once. In our daily life, it is not like that. For most people, the things of God are not given priority, they do not impose themselves on us directly And so the great majority of us tend to postpone them. First we do what seems urgent here and now. In the list of priorities God is often more or less at the end. We can always deal with that later, we tend to think. The Gospel tells us: God is the highest priority. If anything in our life deserves haste without delay, then, it is God's work alone. The Rule of Saint Benedict contains this teaching: "Place nothing at all before the work of God (i.e. the divine office)". For monks, the Liturgy is the first priority. Everything else comes later. In its essence, though, this saying applies to everyone. God is important, by far the most important thing in our lives. The shepherds teach us this priority. From them we should learn not to be crushed by all the pressing matters in our daily lives. From them we should learn the inner freedom to put other tasks in second place however important they may be so as to make our way towards God, to allow him into our lives and into our time. Time given to God and, in his name, to our neighbour is never time lost. It is the time when we are most truly alive, when we live our humanity to the full.

Some commentators point out that the shepherds, the simple souls, were the first to come to Jesus in the manger and to encounter the Redeemer of the world. The wise men from the East, representing those with social standing and fame, arrived much later. The commentators go on to say: this is quite natural. The shepherds lived nearby. They only needed to "come over" (cf. Lk 2:15), as we do when we go to visit our neighbours. The wise men, however, lived far away. They had to undertake a long and arduous journey in order to arrive in Bethlehem. And they needed guidance and direction. Today too there are simple and lowly souls who live very close to the Lord. They are, so to speak, his neighbours and they can easily go to see him. But most of us in the world today live far from Jesus Christ, the incarnate God who came to dwell amongst us. We live our lives by philosophies, amid worldly affairs and occupations that totally absorb us and are a great distance from the manger. In all kinds of ways, God has to prod us and reach out to us again and again, so that we can manage to escape from the muddle of our thoughts and activities and discover the way that leads to him. But a path exists for all of us. The Lord provides everyone with tailor-made signals. He calls each one of us, so that we too can say: "Come on, 'let us go over' to Bethlehem to the God who has come to meet us. Yes indeed, God has set out towards us. Left to ourselves we could not reach him. The path is too much for our strength. But God has come down. He comes towards us. He has travelled the longer part of the journey. Now he invites us: come and see how much I love you. Come and see that I am here. Transeamus usque Bethlehem, the Latin Bible says. Let us go there! Let us surpass ourselves! Let us journey towards God in all sorts of ways: along our interior path towards him, but also along very concrete paths the Liturgy of the Church, the service of our neighbour, in whom Christ awaits us.

Let us once again listen directly to the Gospel. The shepherds tell one another the reason why they are setting off: "Let us see this thing that has happened." Literally the Greek text says: "Let us see this Word that has occurred there." Yes indeed, such is the radical newness of this night: the Word can be seen. For it has become flesh. The God of whom no image may be made because any image would only diminish, or rather distort him this God has himself become visible in the One who is his true image, as Saint Paul puts it (cf. 2 Cor 4:4; Col 1:15). In the figure of Jesus Christ, in the whole of his life and ministry, in his dying and rising, we can see the Word of God and hence the mystery of the living God himself. This is what God is like. The Angel had said to the shepherds: "This will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger" (Lk 2:12; cf. 2:16). God's sign, the sign given to the shepherds and to us, is not an astonishing miracle. God's sign is his humility. God's sign is that he makes himself small; he becomes a child; he lets us touch him and he asks for our love. How we would prefer a different sign, an imposing, irresistible sign of God's power and greatness! But his sign summons us to faith and love, and thus it gives us hope: this is what God is like. He has power, he is Goodness itself. He invites us to become like him. Yes indeed, we become like God if we allow ourselves to be shaped by this sign; if we ourselves learn humility and hence true greatness; if we renounce violence and use only the weapons of truth and love. Origen, taking up one of John the Baptist's sayings, saw the essence of paganism expressed in the symbol of stones: paganism is a lack of feeling, it means a heart of stone that is incapable of loving and perceiving God's love. Origen says of the pagans: "Lacking feeling and reason, they are transformed into stones and wood" (in Lk 22:9). Christ, though, wishes to give us a heart of flesh. When we see him, the God who became a child, our hearts are opened. In the Liturgy of the holy night, God comes to us as man, so that we might become truly human. Let us listen once again to Origen: "Indeed, what use would it be to you that Christ once came in the flesh if he did not enter your soul? Let us pray that he may come to us each day, that we may be able to say: I live, yet it is no longer I that live, but Christ lives in me (Gal 2:20)" (in Lk 22:3).

Yes indeed, that is what we should pray for on this Holy Night. Lord Jesus Christ, born in Bethlehem, come to us! Enter within me, within my soul. Transform me. Renew me. Change me, change us all from stone and wood into living people, in whom your love is made present and the world is transformed. Amen.

Copyright Vatican Publishing House

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Dec 22, 2009

Prot. No. 1237

†BARTHOLOMEW
By God’s Grace
Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome
and Ecumenical Patriarch
To the Plenitude of the Church
Grace, peace and mercy from the Savior Christ
Born in Bethlehem

Beloved concelebrants and blessed children in the Lord,

Heaven and earth have united
Through the birth of Christ.
Today, God has appeared on earth,
And man has ascended to heaven.
(Christmas Hymn)

The distance and separation between God and humanity resulting from sin has been abolished with the assumption of the entire human nature by the Only-Begotten Son and Pre-eternal Word of God. It was God’s good will – that is to say, His initiative and will – that the incarnation of His Son should abolish all such distance uniting heaven and earth, as well as creation with its Creator.

During the Feast of the Entrance of the Theotokos, the Church chanted: “Today is the beginning of God’s good will and the proclamation of human salvation.” During that feast, through the dedication of the blessed Mary to the temple and her preparation there to become the bearer of the boundless God, the road was paved for the incarnate dispensation of God, which foretold our salvation.

During the feast of the Annunciation, when the divine conception of the Inconceivable occurred through the Holy Spirit within the womb of the Theotokos and divine nature began to coexist with human nature in order that – as St. Athanasius the Great articulated it – “we might become deified,” the Church again chanted: “Today is the beginning of our salvation and the revelation of the pre-eternal mystery; the Son of God becomes the son of the Virgin.” Thus, the “divine good will” welcomed at the Entrance, as well as the salvation commenced and revealed at the Annunciation, are today rendered a tangible reality, as we celebrate the great and holy day of Christmas. Today, “the Word assumes flesh and dwells among us” (John 1.14), while the Angels celebrate the event, chanting: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will among humankind.” (Luke 2.14)

With the Incarnation of the Divine Word, the salvation of the human race has already potentially occurred. For those who believe in Jesus, live in accordance with this faith, fulfilling His commandments and practicing His teaching, are thereby elevated to become the friends and participants of God! They become “partakers of divine nature” (2 Peter 1.14), gods by grace! This takes place exclusively within the Church, where we are reborn in Christ and adopted by the Father through Holy Baptism and through the holy Sacraments, as well as by cultivation of virtue in order to be filled with divine grace and the Holy Spirit, growing “to maturity, to the measure o the full stature of Christ” (Eph. 4.13) until we reach the level of saying, like St. Paul: “It is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me.” (Gal. 2.20) Those who acquire such perfection are not regarded by Christ simply as His friends or brothers, but are recognized by Him as members of His Body. This is why, from the height of the Cross, he would say to His Most Holy Mother about the Evangelist John: “Woman, here is your son,” and to John: “Here is your mother.” (John 19.26-27) Christmas, therefore, opens wide the door of human “christification” and deification by grace; and for this reason, “the entire creation rejoices in celebration and the heavens delight with us” on this day of significance and salvation.” (Hymn of December 28)

With these joyful and hopeful realities before us, from the sacred See of the Ecumenical Patriarchate at the Phanar, we extend to you our fervent festive congratulations and wholehearted Patriarch wishes on this central feast of the Christian calendar. We greet all of our beloved faithful throughout the world, the beloved children of the holy Mother Church – clergy of all levels, monastics and laity, pastors and parishioners, and especially those suffering, experiencing sorrow, need or trial. May the pre-eternal Son of God – who was born in a cave and lay in a manger – who for our sake became Son of Man, render all of us worthy of his self-emptying love and of His sacred, venerable incarnate dispensation.

At the Phanar, Christmas 2009

†Bartholomew of Constantinople
Fervent supplicant for all before God

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Beloved in Christ!

It has so happened that on the threshold of Christmas we have been witnesses to the International Conference in Copenhagen on Climate Change. Delegates from all over the globe took part in these proceedings in order to determine together ways in which to avoid the catastrophe which today threatens the human race. In Copenhagen scientists re-iterated that this threat has been caused by the selfish and careless stance of people towards their environment.  For decades, if not for centuries, humans have been behaving like creators and actual owners of the world around them, extravagantly exploiting and destroying nature. Hence today, after all this so-called “Stewardship”, humanity has finally understood that we have put ourselves in great danger. Many of us now realise that we are not the real owners or lords of our planet and that in fact nature is gift of God to humankind, a gift which needs to be respected and used within reason. This is indeed what the Scriptures teach us: “Yahweh God took the man and settled him in the garden of Eden to cultivate and to take care of it. Gn. 2:15

Dear brothers and sisters, over 2000 years ago our Lord, God and Saviour, Jesus Christ was born in the village of Bethlehem of Palestine. This is indeed an extraordinary event, for God Himself, the Creator and King of the universe took flesh and human form and became one of us. His birth was a sign that humanity and everything connected to it is so good that God’s own Son, though Whom everything came to being, and without Whom nothing could exist (Jn 1:3), by his coming confirmed that all that God had created is good, even very good. (see Gn. 1, 4, 1Jh 3) By His baptism He sanctified the waters and the whole world, and by His death He conquered death – that reality that we are most afraid of. Through His life, His teaching and His ministry He demonstrated Who is the true Lord and Master of the universe. For ‘everything there is comes from Him, and is caused by Him and exists for Him. To Him be glory forever. Amen” Rom 11:36

Dearly beloved in Christ, as we stand beside the manger of Christ at this festive time, let us ask for the gift of gratitude to God, since everything that we have, our life, our environment, our salvation, is God’s gift to us.

On the occasion of this great feast it is my wish that we would truly discern who we are in the eyes of God. We are His beloved children who have been abundantly blessed and who on our part ought to always give thanks to our Creator and Heavenly Father and to the newborn Jesus, our Lord and Saviour. We need to desire a respect for everything that our God bestows upon us.

At this holy time, let us strive to understand that the realization itself of the truth that all that comes from God is good, is already another great gift of our Most Holy, Almighty God.

As I end my Christmas greeting, my sincere wish is that you may all have a true awareness of God’s love for us and may your hearts always overflow with gratitude for this great gift!

+ Lubomyr

Given in Kyiv at the Patriarchal Sobor of the Resurrection of Christ on 11 December 2009