2011 Pastoral Encyclical for Christmas (Metr. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

 

Pastoral Encyclical

Sacred Metropolis of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

Christmas 2011

A Message of Optimism, Hope, and Freedom

This year again we celebrate the Birth of Christ within the wonderful atmosphere of our illuminated holy churches, within the radiant setting created by the astonishing and heavenly troparia that we chanted at the service of Matins and by the exquisite apolytikion of Christmas, as well as within the compunctionate and radiant Divine Liturgy of the feast of Christmas. Everything appears beautiful and spreads a calm within our souls; everything is festive, and we sense peace from the presence of the Grace of the Triune God within the church.

Yet when Christ was born, this atmosphere that we enjoy today did not exist. Palestine was under Roman domination. In modern terms, we could say it was a protectorate of the Roman Empire. The taxes imposed upon the people were unbearable. This was also the reason for the census that brought the pregnant Theotokos, together with the righteous Joseph, to Bethlehem. The rabbis, the scribes and Pharisees, and the Jewish priests oppressed the people through their interpretations and regulations of the Law, as well as through their religious authority. Poverty and injustice abounded. All this can be verified by reading various books that describe the life of the people in Palestine at the time of Christ.

The Birth of Christ took place under tragic conditions, since that society — and humanity more generally — was inhospitable to receiving a pregnant woman who was about to give birth. There was no place for her to lodge, and thus she had to remain in a cave, where Christ was born, in primitive living conditions, without medical supervision, without the conveniences normally provided in such cases. Christ was born in a stable, among animals, in great poverty, outside society and the concern of people, unknown among the unknown. And above all, from the very first moment He faced the hatred of King Herod, who out of fear and terror murdered thousands of newborn children, hoping that among them would be the One who, according to the prophecies and the information given by the Magi who came from the East, would become king. All this shows the tragic nature of the conditions in which Christ was born. The star of the Magi and the hymn of the angels constitute an exception amid all these difficult and tragic circumstances; yet they also reveal the hope of Christ’s future dominion over the world.

Christ, through His birth, His entire life, His teaching, His miracles, above all through the Cross, the Resurrection, and His Ascension into heaven, as well as through the sending of the Holy Spirit, healed all tragic conditions. He created a new reality — the Church with the life it possesses — brought forth millions of saints who lived in every part of the world and struggled against every difficulty, overturned the idolatrous empire and made it Christian, created a marvelous civilization, and much more. This divine Infant, born in the cold and icy cave of Bethlehem, became the hope and the life of the entire world, overturning all previous assumptions and giving direction and perspective to humanity.

We too today are going through difficult days. Of course, comparisons cannot truly be made, yet we face similar temptations. Even today there are dominant and subjugated states; high taxation is imposed that brings poverty upon people; injustice prevails in societies; the law of the stronger dominates; people cling to money and earthly things — in practice, an idolatrous way of life is observed among people who are baptized Christians. People are deprived of basic goods, such as a decent standard of living and the necessary conditions for medical care. In our society injustices prevail; children are born into tragic living conditions, grow up in a callous world, and encounter hatred and indifference from the contemporary structures that exist in society. The unemployed, the poor, the homeless, the wronged, migrants, refugees, the sick, and the unprotected understand very well the manner in which Christ was born.

This contemporary tragic condition, beyond external difficulties, leads people to despair, depression, and profound pain, as specialists themselves attest. Today in our society we encounter people who are in desperate situations, in utter hopelessness; we see parents who cannot raise their children; we live in a society ready to explode. Young people, who ought to be filled with hope for life and creativity, face the specter of unemployment, which wounds their dreams and expectations for the future and for life itself. The present crisis should not be viewed only economically, but also psychologically and spiritually.

The State must care for the social and economic issues of people; it must balance the social oppositions created by self-love and human despair, for this is the task of a well-ordered state. Beyond all this, however, people today are seeking hope, optimism, and perspective for life.

The Church, together with her people, can help in this critical period we are experiencing. Those who are truly members of the Church and possess a deep sense of brotherhood must cultivate to a high degree the spirit of solidarity and love. But what the Church can certainly offer is hope, optimism, tenderness, and love, so that problems may be overcome. Characteristic is the word of the Apostle Peter to the lame man who asked him for alms: “Silver and gold I do not have, but what I have I give you: in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, rise up and walk” (Acts 3:6). He had no money to give him, but he had the Grace of Christ and gave him health, so that he no longer needed to beg. Human beings need not only food — though it is necessary — but also health, a good word, and above all the Grace of God that nourishes the soul. Then a person confronts victoriously all difficulties and temptations and does not need many things.

Just as the seemingly weak divine Infant in Bethlehem — that is, Christ — overturned all the tragic social conditions of His time, so too anyone who is united with Him can overcome, with hope and love, all problems. The Apostles and all the saints, by the power of Christ, confronted the harsh and inhuman Roman authority, imprisonments, persecutions, martyrdoms, and so many other difficulties, and proved victorious. The Evangelist John writes in his Catholic Epistle: “For whatever is born of God overcomes the world; and this is the victory that has overcome the world — our faith” (1 John 5:4).

In this warm and festive atmosphere of Christmas, receive the message of the Church, which is a message of optimism, hope, and freedom. We must not become discouraged by anything, nor lose our courage. Everything will pass. Those who have faith in Christ in their hearts can overturn the plans of the powerful of the earth. Spiritual and inner strength conquers all. No one can deprive us of optimism for life, unless we ourselves deprive ourselves of this hope. No one can steal the joy that dwells in our hearts and our living faith, unless we ourselves lose it. No one can deprive us of the right and the need to love others. No one can disconnect us from Christ, unless we ourselves lose this gift. All things come and go; everyone may betray us, but Christ will never abandon us. He who is united with Christ abides forever. Whoever lives within the Church and is united with Christ is strong, as the Apostle Paul wrote from prison: “I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me” (Phil. 4:13). And to the Corinthians he wrote: “When I am weak, then I am strong” (2 Cor. 12:10). Every contemporary cave can be filled with angelic hymns, and every modern Herod can be humbled and lose his power.

In a hymn of the Church we triumphantly chant: “Let the people of God take courage, for He Himself will fight against the enemies as the Almighty.” Take courage, brothers and sisters; do not grow weary, do not lose your faith and hope, for Christ, the divine Infant, can conquer all things. Do not allow the so-called economic crisis to kill hope, faith, and love for life. As has been said, states do not die from poverty, but from the despair and hopelessness of their citizens.

I wish all of you many blessed years, holy and blessed feasts, with faith, strength, inspiration, optimism, and light.

The Metropolitan
† Hierotheos of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.