Posted on 01/06/2009 4:15:26 PM PST by kronos77
Marry Christmass from Orthodox Christians!
Church sends Christmas message 5 January 2009 | 16:21 | Source: Tanjug BELGRADE -- Serbian Orthodox Church (SPC) head His Holiness Patriarch Pavle and the archbishops have sent a Christmas message to the Serb Orthodox believers.
Orthodox Christmas in Serbia is celebrated on Jan. 7, according to the Julian calendar.
The highest Church dignitaries called on Orthodox believers to return to the world that appeared with the birth of Jesus Christ, and to his depiction of the truth which is the sole foundation of life and the purpose of existence. 
The traditional Christmas message, to be read in all SPC temples in the country and abroad on Christmas day, addressed "to the sons and daughters of our Holy Church", was today read out in the Serbian Patriarchate by Metropolitan Amfilohije of Montenegro and the Coastlands in the name and with the blessing of Patriarch Pavle.
The message expressed concern over "the betrayal of the most profound secret of life, which is the cause of the brutal economic crisis".
The crisis, as the SPC archbishops said, is not only economic in character, but is much more profound and more complex, and it "conceals a spiritual, moral and political crisis, as well as the crisis of humanity itself."
The message says that the consequences of that crisis are the disrespect of international rights, violation of justice and general financial chaos and that, as a rule, those who are the most affected and scared by it, are those who are richest, "as their greed for money and pleasures knows no Christian values".
Kosovo-based Raška and Prizren Bishop Artemije has said in his Christmas message that conditions in which the Orthodox congregation in Kosovo will be celebrating this holiday, will greatly differ from the conditions in other parts of Serbia.
"I am speaking about the well-known security situation and the ghetto-like way in which we live without many possibilities, fundamental human rights, even freedom of movement. However, even in such conditions, or lack of them, nothing can mar the internal joy of Christmas itself. In Kosovo and Metohija the birth of our Lord is celebrated according to traditional Serb customs," Bishop Artemije said.
"If we were, God forbid, to lose Kosovo, if we were to accept its breaking away from Serbia, Serbia and we as a nation would cease to exist. Kosovo is our inalienable identity, out personal identity card without which we could not be recognized," Artemije stated in his Christmas message.
Hristos se rodi!
That’s a wonderful Christmas carol!!!!
We on the New Calendar have already been celebrating Theophany, and you all on the Old Calendar will join us on the 19th.
I light a candle and pray for Serbian Christians in Kosovo when I enter the temple before every Divine Liturgy—even in my OCA parish. I hope that we shall always be able to worship the Triune God in peace and freedom here in America, and that our brothers and sisters in Kosovo and in Constantinople will join us in doing so very soon.
Feast of the Nativity Orthodox Ping!
Merry Christmas! God bless you and God bless Serbia.
Happy Christmas my Brother! :)
Christ is born! Glorify Him!
Re: the Hagia Sophia...It looks so lovely without the minarets. Thank you.
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Of course it does. Perhaps one day soon....
A Blessed Christmas to you!
The Maronites celebrate Christmas on Dec. 25 as do, to the best of my knowledge, all of the other Eastern Catholic Churches. Does yours celebrate it on Epiphany?
Certain Orthodox hierarchies haven’t yet adopted that new-fangled Gregorian calendar yet. ;) The Julian calendar is 12-13 days off the Gregorian. So by the Julian calendar it’s December 25. You know what they (we!) say about us Orthodox: anything that happens in less than 400 years is done in unseemly haste and hasn’t been thought through carefully enough. :))
Thank you!
It is on Greek actualy, several eastern christian languages are used in church.
The words mean “Holy God, Holy Mighty One, Holy Immortal One, have mercy on us!” (as of course K77 knows!)
Sas efharisto poli. I try to learn a couple of words in every language. My next attempt is learning a few words in Arabic./Just Asking - seoul62......
Sas efharisto poli, many thanks./Just Asking - seoul62......
“My next attempt is learning a few words in Arabic./Just Asking - seoul62......”
Quddusun Allah! Quddusun al-qawi! Quddusun al-adhi, la yamutu rhamna.
Shukran gazilan, as-salamu-alaykum./Just Asking - seoul62......
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