Θ Ε Ο Δ Ω Ρ Ο Σ Β’

ΕΛΕΩι ΘΕΟΥ ΠΑΠΑΣ ΚΑΙ ΠΑΤΡΙΑΡΧΗΣ

ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΕΙΑΣ, ΠΑΣΗΣ ΓΗΣ ΑΙΓΥΠΤΟΥ ΚΑΙ ΠΑΣΗΣ ΑΦΡΙΚΗΣ

ΠΑΝΤΙ Τῼ ΠΛΗΡΩΜΑΤΙ

ΤΟΥ ΑΠΟΣΤΟΛΙΚΟΥ ΚΑΙ ΠΑΤΡΙΑΡΧΙΚΟΥ ΘΡΟΝΟΥ ΑΛΕΞΑΝΔΡΕΙΑΣ

ΧΑΡΙΣ ΚΑΙ ΕΛΕΟΣ ΚΑΙ ΕΙΡΗΝΗ

ΠΑΡΑ ΤΟΥ ΕΝ ΒΗΘΛΕΕΜ ΓΕΝΝΗΘΕΝΤΟΣ

ΚΥΡΙΟΥ ΚΑΙ ΘΕΟΥ ΚΑΙ ΣΩΤΗΡΟΣ ΗΜΩΝ ΙΗΣΟΥ ΧΡΙΣΤΟΥ

«Δόξα ἐν ὑψίστοις Θεῷ καὶ ἐπὶ γῆς εἰρήνη ἐν ἀνθρώποις εὐδοκία»

Παιδιά μου ἀγαπητὰ καὶ εὐλογημένα,

Χριστὸς ἐτέχθη!

Ὅπως κάθε χρόνο, ἔτσι καὶ ἐφέτος τὰ Χριστούγεννα ἔρχονται νὰ μᾶς βεβαιώσουν ὅτι, ἡ σωτηρία τοῦ κόσμου βρίσκεται μέσα στὴν ἀναγέννηση τῆς ψυχῆς μας, τῆς ψυχῆς τοῦ καθ΄ ἑνός.

Ἡ κοινωνικὴ ζωὴ καὶ ἡ εὐτυχία δὲν ὑπάρχει στὰ συστήματα ποὺ ἐφαρμόζουν οἱ ἰσχυροὶ τῆς γῆς, οὔτε εἶναι αὐτὸ ποὺ δικαιώνει τὸν ἀδικημένο καὶ παραγκωνισμένο ἄνθρωπο. Διότι πλέον ἀποδεικνύεται ὅτι δὲν εἶναι λογικὸ ὁ ἄνθρωπος νὰ ὑπηρετεῖ τὸ σύστημα, ἀλλὰ τὸ σύστημα τὸν ἄνθρωπο. Γι΄αὐτό ἡ ἑορτὴ τῶν Χριστουγέννων ἔρχεται νὰ μᾶς ἀφυπνίσει, ὥστε νὰ δοῦμε τὶ πράξαμε γιὰ τὸν πτωχὸ συνάνθρωπὸ μας, ἢ τὶ πρέπει νὰ κάνουμε, διότι κατὰ τὸν Σίλλερ, «γιὰ κάτι καλύτερο ἔχουμε γεννηθεῖ».

Ἀλλὰ πότε γεννήθηκε ὁ Χριστός; Ὅταν ἦλθε τὸ πλήρωμα τοῦ χρόνου, μᾶς ἀπαντοῦν οἱ Γραφές. Πότε ἦλθε; Ὅταν τὸ μῖσος καὶ ἡ κακία ἦταν τὰ κύρια χαρακτηριστικὰ γνωρίσματα τῆς καρδιᾶς τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Ὅταν ἡ φθορὰ τὸ ἔγκλημα καὶ ἡ ἀδελφοκτονία εἶχαν κυριαρχήσει στὸν κόσμο. Ὅταν οἱ ἄνθρωποι ζοῦσαν μακριὰ ἀπὸ τὸ φῶς τῆς ἀλήθειας καὶ περπατοῦσαν μέσα στὸ σκοτάδι τῆς ἁμαρτίας. Τότε ἦλθε ὁ Χριστός, ὅταν ἡ δίψα τῆς λυτρώσεως ἔφτασε στὸ ἀπροχώρητο καὶ ἡ προσμονὴ τῶν λαῶν γιὰ τὸν ἐρχομὸ τοῦ Σωτῆρα δὲν εἶχε πλέον ἄλλα περιθώρια. Καὶ ὁ ἐρχομὸς τοῦ Χριστοῦ τὶ μᾶς ἔφερε; Μᾶς ἔφερε τὸ μεγάλο δῶρο, τὴν εἰρήνη καί τήν ἰσότητα τῶν ἀνθρώπων. Γέμισε τὶς καρδιές μας ἀπὸ ἀγάπη καὶ ἐλπίδα!

Κατέβηκε ὁ Θεὸς ἀπὸ τὸν οὐρανὸ στὴ γῆ, καὶ μεταμόρφωσε τὴν γῆ σὲ οὐρανό! Μᾶς κήρυξε τὴν ἀλήθεια. Μᾶς δίδαξε τὴ συγγνώμη. Μᾶς φανέρωσε τὴν ἄπειρη ἀγάπη Του, καὶ μᾶς ἀποκάλυψε τὴ λησμονημένη πατρίδα μας, τὴν ἄνω Ἱερουσαλήμ.

Καὶ ἐμεῖς τὶ κάνουμε; Τότε δεχθήκαμε τὸ μήνυμά Του καὶ συμφωνήσαμε, ἀλλὰ διαφωνοῦμε τώρα. Τὸν ἀναγνωρίσαμε τότε, ἀλλὰ τὸν ἀμφισβητοῦμε τώρα.

Ὁ ἄνθρωπος τῆς ἐποχῆς μας μεθυσμένος ἀπὸ τὰ ἐπιτεύγματά του καὶ ἐπηρεασμένος ἀπὸ διάφορα ξένα πρὸς τὴν Ὀρθοδοξία συνθήματα, θεωρεῖ τὴν παρουσία τοῦ Θεοῦ ζυγὸ δυσβάστακτο. Ἡ ἀγάπη ἐξορίζεται καὶ ἡ συγχώρηση σπανίζει. Ὅλοι συμφωνοῦν στὸ νὰ σταματήσουν οἱ ἐχθροπραξίες καὶ ὅλοι ἀσχολοῦνται μὲ τὸν πολεμικὸ ἐξοπλισμό.

Λαοί, χῶρες, κοινωνίες δεινοπαθοῦν ἀπὸ τὸν ἐγωισμὸ τοῦ σύγχρονου ἀνθρώπου, ὁ ὁποῖος στόχο ἔχει νὰ κυριαρχήσει εἰς βάρος τοῦ ἀδυνάτου καὶ νὰ τοῦ στερήσει τὴν ἐλευθερία καὶ τὸ ψωμὶ τῆς ἡμέρας.

Μία ἀπὸ τὶς πιὸ ὄμορφες καὶ εὐλογημένες περιοχές τοῦ κόσμου, ἀλλά ταυτόχρονα καί ἡ περισσότερο ταλαιπωρημένη ἀπό τήν πεῖνα καί τήν φτώχια, ἡ Ἀφρική, αἰῶνες τώρα προσπαθεῖ νὰ βρεῖ τὸν προσανατολισμό της. Μεγάλα ὅμως γεωπολιτικὰ συμφέροντα ταλαιπωροῦν τὸν ἀφρικανὸ ἀδελφό μας καὶ τὸν κρατοῦν δέσμιο τῶν ἀναγκῶν του.

Τό Πατριαρχείο μας μέ τό Ἱεραποστολικό του ἔργο, ἀπ’ ἄκρη σ’ ἄκρη στὴν Ἀφρική, ἀγωνίζεται νὰ ἁπαλύνει τόν πόνο χιλιάδων ἀνθρώπων ἔμπρακτα καί προσπαθεῖ ἀγόγγυστα νύχτα καὶ ἡμέρα γιὰ νά δοῦν «Θεοῦ πρόσωπον» ὅλοι οἱ βασανισμένοι ἀπό τά προβλήματα τῆς ζωῆς συνάνθρωποί μας. Δὲν παύουμε, νὰ μεταφέρουμε μαζὶ μὲ τὸ ψωμὶ καὶ τὸ νερὸ στοὺς φτωχοὺς ἀδελφούς μας, καὶ τὸ μήνυμα τῆς εἰρήνης ποὺ ἐκείνη τὴν Ἁγία νύκτα τὴν ὕμνησαν οἱ Ἄγγελοι, καὶ ποὺ τὴν σκόρπιζε σὲ κάθε του βῆμα ὁ Θεῖος Λυτρωτής.

Ὑψώνω τὰ χέρια μου καὶ γονατίζω στὴν ταπεινὴ φάτνη τοῦ νεογέννητου καὶ φέτος Θείου βρέφους καὶ μὲ κραυγὴ ἀγωνίας παρακαλῶ νὰ φωτίσει τοὺς Ἰσχυροὺς τῆς γῆς, ὥστε νὰ ἐπικρατήσει καὶ πάλι ἡ εἰρήνη τοῦ Χριστοῦ καὶ νὰ ἀνατείλει μία γιὰ πάντα πλέον ὁ ἥλιος τῆς δικαιοσύνης σ’ ὁλόκληρο τὸν πλανήτη.

Καλὰ καὶ εὐλογημένα Χριστούγεννα παιδιά μου!

† Θ Ε Ο Δ Ω Ρ Ο Σ Β΄

Πάπας καί Πατριάρχης Ἀλεξανδρείας καί πάσης Αφρικῆς

Ἐν τῇ Μεγάλῃ Πόλει τῆς Ἀλεξανδρείας

Χριστούγεννα 2021

Ref. No. 102/2021

THEODOROS II

BY THE GRACE OF GOD POPE AND PATRIARCH

OF ALEXANDRIA AND ALL AFRICA

TO THE FULNESS

OF THE APOSTOLIC AND PATRIARCHAL THRONE OF ALEXANDRIA

GRACE AND MERCY AND PEACE

FROM OUR LORD AND GOD AND SAVIOUR JESUS CHRIST

BORN IN BETHLEHEM

“Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace goodwill to all men”

My beloved and blessed children,

Christ is born!

As it does every year, so this year too the Nativity comes to assure us that the salvation of the world is found in the rebirth of our souls, the soul of each person.

Social life and happiness does not exist in the systems enforced by the powers on earth, neither are they the things that will give justice to people who are wronged and marginalized. Because now it is proven that it is not logical for man to serve the system, but for the system to serve man. This is why the feast of the Nativity comes to awaken us, so that we can see what we have done for our needy fellow human beings, or what it is that we need to do, because according to Schiller “we were born for something better”.

But, when was Christ born? Scripture tells us it was when the fullness of time had come. When did He come? When hatred and evil were the main characteristic features of the heart of mankind. When decay, crime and fratricide had dominated the world. When people lived far from the light of truth and walked in the darkness of sin. That is when Christ came, when the thirst for redemption had reached a deadlock and the expectation of the nations for the coming of the Saviour no longer had reached its limits. What did the coming of Christ bring us? It brought us the great gift of peace and equality between people. It filled our hearts with love and hope!

God came down from heaven to earth and transformed the earth into heaven! He preached the truth. He taught us forgiveness. He showed us His infinite love and revealed to us our forgotten homeland, heavenly Jerusalem.

And what do we do? Back then we accepted His message and agreed, however, now we disagree. We acknowledged Him then, yet now we doubt Him.

People today, intoxicated by various catchphrases foreign to Orthodoxy, consider the presence of God as an unbearable yoke. Love is banished and forgiveness is rare. Everyone agrees that hostilities should cease yet everyone is involved with military armament.

Nations, countries, communities suffer terribly from the selfishness of modern man, whose aim is to dominate the weak and to deprive them of their freedom and their daily bread.

Africa, one of the most beautiful and blessed areas of the world, yet at the same time the most affected by hunger and poverty, has been trying for centuries now to find its bearings. However, huge geopolitical interests afflict our African brothers and sisters and keep them prisoners of their needs..

Through its missionary efforts our Patriarchate toils to relieve in practice the pain of thousands of people throughout Africa and tries without complaint night and day that all our fellow human beings suffering from the problems of life might see “the face of God” ,

We do not fail, together with the bread and water given to our poor brothers and sisters, to convey to them the message of peace which on that Holy night was lauded by the Angels and which was spread through His every step by the Divine Redeemer.

I raise my hands and kneel before the humble manger of the newborn Divine Child this year again, and with a cry of despair I plead that He will enlighten the powers of earth, that the peace of Christ may prevail again and that once and for all the sun of righteousness may rise on the entire planet.

A happy and blessed Feast of the Nativity my children!

†THEODOROS II

Pope and Patriarch of Alexandria and All Africa

In the Great City of Alexandria

Feast of the Nativity 2021