| “God loved the world.” Why? Why did God love the world? A visitor from outer space, looking at all the conflicts and disunity of humanity, seeing its cruel trials and evils, would perhaps not regard humankind as lovable at all. But God, the true and living God whom we know in Jesus Christ, the God to whom we pray and address as “Our Father who art in heaven,” most assuredly loves the world. He does so because of His own character which is defined by selfless love. We read in the Scriptures: “Beloved, let us love one another; for love is of God, and those who love are born of God and know God . . . for God is love.” (1 Jn 4:7). And again: “God is love, and those who abide in love abide in God, and God abides in them” (1 Jn 4:16). In other words, love is the essence and source of life that comes from God. Whoever truly loves is in spiritual communion with God. Whoever truly loves affirms and shares in the very existence of the living God, the ground of all true, selfless love. “God so loved the world that He gave His only Son.” How much did God love the world? So much so that He gave His only Son. Nothing was more valuable to God than His eternal Son–our Lord Jesus. At His baptism, God said: “You are my beloved Son” (Mk 1:11). At His transfiguration, God said: “This is my beloved Son; listen to Him” (Mk 9:8). At the crucifixion, the Roman centurion cried out: “Truly, this man was the Son of God” (Mk 15:39). God gave as a precious gift to the world what was most valuable to Him, because of the magnitude of His love for us. “God has shown His love for us in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us” (Rom 5:8). In Jesus we have the greatest expression and most persuasive example of what God’s love is all about. “In this the love of God was shown among us, that God sent His only Son into the world . . . In this is love, not that we loved God (first) but that He loved us and sent His Son” to us (1 Jn 4:9-10). What was the purpose of God’s love in sending His only Son to the world? God’s love is purposeful; it has an aim and a target, all motivated by love. |
| Christmas Message of His Holiness Patriarch KIRILL of Moscow and All Russia To celebrate Christ’s Nativity is to bring us closer to the Saviour, to help us seen more clearly his countenance, to be immersed in his good news. The Lord is born ever anew mysteriously for us in the depths of our souls so that we may ‘have life more abundantly’ (Jn 10: 10). The event of that night in Bethlehem enters our life today, helps us to see it from another perspective, at time unusual and unexpected. That which seemed important and great suddenly becomes trivial and transient, making way for the majesty and beauty of eternal Divine truth. Source: Russian Orthodox Church: The Official Web-Site of the Department for External Church Relations Beloved of the Lord archpastors, all-honourable presbyters and deacons, God-loving monks and nuns, dear brothers and sisters! On the radiant of the Nativity of Christ I cordially congratulate you on this great feast day. For two thousand years Christians throughout the world have turned, with joy and hope, their mental gazes to the event which has been decisive for the history of mankind. Our contemporary reckoning of time, which begins with the Nativity and is the reckoning of time for the Christian era, testifies to the exceptional meaning of the coming of Christ the Saviour. The cave in Bethlehem, where the animals took refuge from the cold of the winter night, has become the image of a world that has abandoned its Creator and felt the pain and darkness of being abandoned by God. However, the radiant night of the Nativity filled with light not only the cave which gave refuge to the Most Pure Virgin Mary, but also all creation, for through the birth of the Son of God every man that comes into the world is illumined by the Light of truth, as witnessed by St. John (Jn 1: 9). We may ask: what does the Light of truth mean? We find the answer to this question in the same Gospel narrative of John. The Light of truth is the Lord, the Divine Word who ‘was made flesh, and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth’ (Jn 1: 14). |
| Lazarus Saturday and Palm Sunday The week following the Sunday of St Mary of Egypt is called Palm or Branch Week. At the Tuesday services of this week the Church recalls that Jesus’ friend Lazarus has died and that the Lord is going to raise him from the dead ( Jn 11 ). As the days continue toward Saturday, the Church, in its hymns and verses, continues to follow Christ towards Bethany to the tomb of Lazarus. On Friday evening, the eve of the celebration of the Resurrection of Lazarus, the “great and saving forty days” of Great Lent are formally brought to an end: Having accomplished the forty days for the benefit of our souls, we pray to Thee, O Lover of Man, that we may see the holy week of Thy passion, that in it we may glorify Thy greatness and Thine unspeakable plan of salvation for our sake. ...(Vesper Hymn) Lazarus Saturday is a paschal celebration. It is the only time in the entire Church Year that the resurrectional service of Sunday is celebrated on another day. At the liturgy of Lazarus Saturday, the Church glorifies Christ as “the Resurrection and the Life ” who, by raising Lazarus, has confirmed the universal resurrection of mankind even before his own suffering and death. By raising Lazarus from the dead before Thy passion, Thou didst confirm the universal resurrection, O Christ God! Like the children with the branches of victory, we cry out to Thee, O Vanquisher of Death: Hosanna in the highest! Blessed is he that comes in the name of the Lord! (Troparion). Christ —the Joy, the Truth and the Light of All, the Life of the world and its Resurrection—has appeared in his goodness to those on earth. He has become the Image of our Resurrection, granting divine forgiveness to all (Kontakion). At the Divine Liturgy of Lazarus Saturday the baptismal verse from Galatians:As many as have been baptizedl into Christ have put on Christ ( Gal 3:27 ) replaces the Thrice-holy Hymn thus indicating the resurrectional character of the celebration, and the fact that Lazarus Saturday was once among the few great baptismal days in the Orthodox Church Year. Because of the resurrection of Lazarus from the dead, Christ was hailed by the masses as the long-expected Messiah-King of Israel. Thus, in fulfillment of the prophecies of the Old Testament, he entered Jenrsalem, the City of the King, riding on the colt of an ass ( Zech 9:9; Jn 12:12 ). The crowds greeted him with brancfies in their hands and called out to him with shouts of praise: Hosanna! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! The Son of David! The King of Israel! Because of this glorification by the people, the priests and scribes were finally driven “to destroy him, to put him to death” ( Lk 19:47; Jn 11:53, 12:10 ). |
| Theotokion: As from scarlet silk, O spotless Virgin, within thy womb the spiritual purple was woven, the flesh Of Emmanuel. Therefore we honor thee as in truth Mother of God. Song 9 Eirmos: Ineffable is the childbearing of a seedless conception, unsullied the pregnancy of a Virgin Mother, for the birth of God renews natures. So in all generations we magnify thee in orthodox fashion as the Mother and Bride of God. Refrain: Have mercy on me, O God, have mercy on me. Troparia: Christ was tempted, the devil was tempting Him, showing Him stones to be turned into bread; and he led Him up a mountain to see all the kingdoms of the world in a flash. Dread, my soul, the scene; watch and pray at every hour to God. ( Mt.4:3-9, 26:41 ) The desert-loving dove, the lamp of Christ, the Voice crying in the wilderness sounded, preaching repentance; while Herod sinned with Herodias. See, my soul, that thou art not caught in the toils of sin, but embrace repentance. ( Mk.1:3 ; Mt.14:3 ) The Forerunner of grace dwelt in the desert and all Judea and Samaria ran to hear him; and they confessed their sins, and eagerly received baptism. But thou, my soul, hast not imitated them. ( Mt.3:5-6 ) Marriage is honourable and the bed undefiled, for Christ earlier blessed both, eating in His flesh at the marriage in Cana and changing water into wine, and showing His first miracle so that thou, my soul, might be changed. ( Hebr.13:4 ; Jn.2:1-11 ) Christ braced the paralytic and he carried his bed; He raised up the dead young man, the son of the widow, and the Centurion’s servant; and by revealing Himself to the Samaritan woman, He traced in advance for thee, my soul, how to worship in spirit. ( Mt.9:2-7 ; Lk.7:14 ; Mt.8:6-13 ; Jn.4:26 ; Sir.4:24 ) The Lord healed the woman with hemorrhage by the touch of His hem, cleansed lepers, gave sight to the blind, and cured cripples; the deaf and the dumb and the woman bent earthward he healed with His word, that thou, wretched soul, might be saved. ( Mt.9:20-22, 10:8, 11:5 ; Lk.13:11-13 ) |
| The word “loinix” (date-palm) became also confused with the legendary bird—phoenix, believed to revive from its ashes. Thus, since the end of the fourth century, the palm-branch also became a symbol of the Resurrection. (P.C. 33, 1025-1028). J esus Christ, after raising Lazarus (Jn. 11:1-44), was finally recognized by the Jewish people as their Messiah. When He arrived in Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover, they greeted Him with a triumphant welcome. The Evangelist, however, hastened to remark that it was done in fulfillment of a prophecy (Mt. 21:4-5). When the Apostles saw the enthusiastic crowds, they brought a donkey colt and made their Master ride upon it, while the people spread their cloaks and strewed “branches from the trees” (Mt. 21:8) on the road in front of Him. Others took “branches of palms” (Jn. 12:13) in their hands and, cheering, cried out: “Hosannal Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!” (Mt. 21:9). As Jesus was entering the city, surrounded by the excited crowds, the Scribes and the Pharisees became alarmed and decided to stop Him at any cost. But the people kept acclaiming Him as their Messiah, saying: “This is the Prophet, Jesus from Nazareth in Galiless!” (Mt. 21:10). From earliest times, the Christians in Jerusalem celebrated this event with great joy and solemnity, reenacting Christ’s triumphant entry into their city. This is described by the Spanish pilgrim, nun Egeria, in her diary written toward the end of the fourth century, thus: “As the eleventh hour (our 5:00 P.M.) draws near, that particular passage from Scriptures is read in which the children, bearing palms and branches, came forth to meet the Lord, saying: “Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Mt. 21:9). The Bishop and the people rise immediately and walk down from the top of the Mount of Olives, responding continually: ‘Blessed is He Who comes in the name of the Lord!’ to the hymns and antiphons. All the children who are present bear branches, some carrying palms, others olive branches. And the Bishop is led in the same manner as the Lord was led (riding on a donkey). They move very slowly so that the people would not tire. By the time they arrive at the Anastasis (Basilica of Resurrection), it is already evening and Vespers is celebrated.” (Egeria, Diary of a Pilgrimage, 31). |
| Archive Пн Christmas Message from Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia 6 January 2023 year 08:00 Christmas Message from Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and all Russia to the Archpastors, Pastors, Deacons, Monastics and all the Faithful Children of the Russian Orthodox Church. Beloved in the Lord archpastors, all-honourable presbyters and deacons, God-loving monks and nuns, dear brothers and sisters, Today, as the Heavenly and earthly Church in conciliar unity glorifies God Incarnate, I extend my heartfelt greetings to all of you on the great and radiant feast of the Nativity of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Once again we look back at the events that occurred in Bethlehem over two thousand years ago, beholding the meek Infant lying in the manger, surrounded by His Most Pure Mother, the righteous Joseph and the shepherds who were the first to hear the glad tidings of the Saviour coming into the world. We join the heavenly hosts in praising the Most High Creator Who through His Begotten Son granted unto people peace and good will. St. Gregory the Theologian reveals the very essence of this feast, saying: It is this which we are celebrating today, the Coming of God to Man... that we might go back to God (Oration 38). Truly, the kingdom of heaven is at hand (Mt 3:2); the long-expected Shiloh (Gen 49:10) has come to earth to fulfil the ancient prophecies; unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given... and his name shall be called... The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace (Is 9:6). Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you (Jn 14:27), Christ says to us. What kind of peace is it, which the Lord granted unto man and which the angels were singing of at the time of the Saviour’s birth? Has there been less enmity or conflicts in the world since then? We hear all around, Peace, peace; when there is no peace , as Jeremiah the prophet writes (Jer 8:11). Yet, the true peace of God that came down to earth with the Nativity of Christ surpasses all understanding (Phil 4:7) and is unaffected by external circumstances or afflictions and hardships of this transient life. This invincible inner peace is in God Himself Who, having become a man like us in all things but sin, is not only active, but visibly present in the human history. The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth (Jn 1:14). The Lord is at hand, my beloved, let us never forget that and be of good cheer! In Him is our strength, our firm hope and spiritual comfort in all vicissitudes of life. |
| Can. 9. Si alguno dice que Cristo es adorado en dos naturalezas, de donde se introducen dos adoraciones, una propia de Dios Verbo y otra propia del hombre; o si alguno, para destrucción de la carne o para confusión de la divinidad y de la humanidad, o monstruosamente afirmando una sola naturaleza o sustancia de los que se juntan, así adora a Cristo, pero no adora con una sola adoración al Dios Verbo encarnado con su propia carne, según desde el principio lo recibió la Iglesia de Dios, ese tal sea anatema. Can. 10. Si alguno no confiesa que nuestro Señor Jesucristo, que fue crucificado en la carne, es Dios verdadero y Señor de la gloria y uno de la santa Trinidad, ese tal sea anatema. Can. 11. Si alguno no anatematiza a Arrio, Eunomio, Macedonio, Apolinar, Nestorio, Eutiques y Orígenes, juntamente con sus impíos escritos, y a todos los demás herejes, condenados por la santa Iglesia Católica y Apostólica y por los cuatro antedichos santos Concilios, y a los que han pensado o piensan como los antedichos herejes y que permanecieron hasta el fin en su impiedad, ese tal sea anatema. Can. 12. Si alguno defiende al impío Teodoro de Mopsueta, que dijo que uno es el Dios Verbo y otro Cristo, el cual sufrió las molestias de las pasiones del alma y de los deseos de la carne, que poco a poco se fue apartando de lo malo y así se mejoró por el progreso de sus obras, y por su conducta se hizo irreprochable, que como puro hombre fue bautizado en el nombre del Padre y del Hijo y del Espíritu Santo, y por el bautismo recibió la gracia del Espíritu Santo y fue hecho digno de la filiación divina; y que a semejanza de una imagen imperial, es adorado como efigie de Dios Verbo, y que después de la resurrección se convirtió en inmutable en sus pensamientos y absolutamente impecable; y dijo además el mismo impío Teodoro que la unión de Dios Verbo con Cristo fue como la de que habla el Apóstol entre el hombre y la mujer: Serán dos en una sola carne ( Eph. 5:31 ); y aparte otras incontables blasfemias, se atrevió a decir que después de la resurrección, cuando el Señor sopló sobre sus discípulos y les dijo: Recibid el Espíritu Santo ( Jn. 20:22 ), no les dio el Espíritu Santo, sino que sopló sobre ellos sólo en apariencia ¡ éste mismo dijo que la confesión de Tomás al tocar l,as manos y el costado del Señor, después de la resurrección: Señor mío y Dios mío ( Jn. 20:28 ), no fue dicha por Tomás acerca de Cristo, sino que admirado Tomás de lo extraño de la resurrección glorificó a Dios que había resucitado a Cristo. |
| How then to come to this stone, how to touch it, how to enter the Kingdom of God proclaimed by Christ? Today’s Reading of the Gospel answers this question: I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved (Jn. 10:9). There is no other door to salvation. And this is confirmed by other words of the Gospel: I am the way and the truth and the life (Jn. 14:6). We as Orthodox Christians of the 21st century experience a colossal impact of different thinking, different philosophies, a different understanding of life, especially the one that does not recognize any objective truth but links the truth with human dispensation. That is why they say: ‘There are as many truths as there are minds’ or ‘Each has his own truth’. This destructive philosophical idea offered today to the whole human civilization, being falsely justified by personal freedom, leads to the disappearance of truth, its minimization; you cannot discern it amidst other points of view. It is precisely what the struggle against the Church is aimed at so that the truth and the way of truth and life could not be seen. However, today we show our commitment to Christ. Through Him we enter into communion with Triune God, into the Kingdom of God. It is on Him as the foundation stone that we build our life. We remember, believe and confess that He is the way and the truth and the life. It is not easy to confess this gospel’s truth today. In some places and in some countries there is even a conviction that those who insist on their possession of the truth should be punished. They should accept the truths held by other people – false truths even if these truths belong to a minority but are included in the life of society and state through law. And if some people speak of the truth of Christ and reject these false truths, in some countries they can already be subjected to legal persecution. We believe that Jesus born from the Virgin Mary is the Lord and Saviour. There is no other saviour; He is the one. And that is why He is the way and the truth and the life. |
| Según el Evangelista Lucas este severo discurso estaba dirigido al pueblo. Pero esto no implica contradicción alguna, pues el pueblo en su mayoría, estaba contaminado con las falsas enseñanzas de los fariseos. Confundido por la estricta prédica del profeta, el pueblo comenzó a preguntar: «¿qué hemos de hacer?» ( Lk. 3:10 ). Juan responde que es imprescindible hacer obras de amor y misericordia y abstenerse de todo mal. Estos serían los «frutos dignos de arrepentimiento. " Aquellos eran días de expectativa general por la venida del Mesías y los judíos creían que el Mesías vendría a bautizar ( Jn. 1:25 ). No es sorprendente entonces que muchos se preguntaran si acaso Juan no era Cristo. A esto Juan replicó que él bautizaba con agua para la conversión ( Mt. 3:11 ), esto es, como un signo de arrepentimiento. Pero Aquel que viene después de Juan es mas Poderoso , a Quien Juan no será digno de desatar ( Lk. 3:16 ; Mk. 1:7 ) y llevar ( Mt. 3:11 ) Sus sandalias, como los esclavos hacen para su señor. »El ha de bautizaros con el Espíritu Santo y fuego« ( Mt. 3:11 ; Lk. 3:16 ; comp. Mk. 1:8 ) – la gracia del Espíritu Santo actuará en Su Bautismo quemando toda iniquidad con fuego abrasador. »Su aventador en su mano está, y aventará su era; y allegará su trigo en el granero, y quemará la paja en fuego que nunca se apagará« ( Mt. 3:12 ; Lk. 3:17 ) – Cristo purificará a su pueblo, tanto como el granjero limpia su era de maleza y cizaña, recolectando el trigo, es decir, reuniendo a todos aquellos que hubieren creído en Él en su Iglesia, como en un granero, y todos aquellos que lo rechazaren serán sometidos al sufrimiento eterno. El Bautismo de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo. ( Mt. 3:13–17 ; Mk. 1:9–11 ; Lk. 3:21–22 ; Jn. 1:32–34 ). Los cuatro Evangelistas relatan el Bautismo de Nuestro Señor Jesucristo, sin embargo, san Mateo es el que describe este acontecimiento con mayor detalle. " Entonces vino Jesús desde Galilea...» – san Marcos completa la cita diciendo que Cristo vino desde Nazareth de Galilea. |
| This is the last interview that Hieromonk Vasily (Roslyakov) is known to have given, shortly before Pascha, April 18, 1993, when he and two other monks—Trophim and Therapont—were killed by the hand of a satanist at Optina Pustyn. Hieromonk Vasily (Roslyakov) —Fr. Vasily, what do you think—will Optina be reborn? —Holy Scripture tells us that God is not the God of the dead, but of the living. In God, all are alive. We serve precisely this God, Who arose and conquered death by His resurrection; God has no death, and in God there is no death; it exists only outside of God. Therefore, it is wholly natural that Optina is alive. For a believer, this question does not even exist. —And are there living elders? —Of course. —And the spirit of Russia—what is it? —The spirit of Russia is Christ. He tells us, I am the Way, the Truth, and the Life . Inasmuch as spirituality cannot be outside of Christ, for Russia it is expressed in one word: Christ. He is everything. —Maybe this is where our tragedy comes from —Without a doubt. —We are devoted to Christ, and therefore we are persecuted? —That is undoubtedly so, as Christ said, In the world ye shall have tribulation: but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world (Jn. 16:33). The promises of the Lord are immutable, and no one can ever abolish them. We live today only by these promises. It’s the only way. —I realize that it’s probably impossible to ask, but anyways, tell us, as far as possible, about your internal life. —The internal life of Optina is a mystery, a Sacrament. Our Church has seven Sacraments, as you know. Everything is anchored on these Sacraments, and every Sacrament has some external coloring—some prayers are read, some actions are completed—but during the Sacraments it’s Christ Himself Who acts, invisibly. It is His grace that completes the Sacrament. It’s the same with the external and internal life of Optina. You see the external, but the internal life is impossible to speak about. Again: The internal life of Optina Pustyn is Christ Himself. We can understand this internal life only if we join ourselves to God. It can be opened to you no other way. I am the door, says the Lord, by me if any man enter in, he shall be saved, and shall go in and out, and find pasture (Jn. 10:9). The door to the inner spiritual life of Optina is Christ. |
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