The round is similar
GEORGE
By the grace of God, Archbishop of Nea Justiniana and all of Cyprus,
Every thing to the identify of Christ Pliomati
of the Holiness Apostolic Church of Cyprus.
Grace to you and Peace from Christ the Savior made in Bethlehem.
Beloved within the Lord,
“He who sits in glory on the throne of Godhead” is born at present from the Virgin Mary “within the type of a slave”, in Bethlehem of Judea, validating and verifying all of the Prophecies of the Previous Testomony and the expectation of the Nations. With His entry into our world, He redefines human historical past and provides it important content material and objective.
Saint John Chrysostom calls Christmas the “metropolis of holidays”, referring to its significance and the origin of different holidays from it. “The birthday of humanity and a standard celebration of all creation”, Basil the Nice calls it, indicating that via the incarnation of the Son and Phrase of God, your complete creation was re-created. And Gregory the Theologian defines it as an “earthquake”, implying the precipitation of the state of decay and dying.
The incarnation of Christ is the best thriller of all of the ages, which can’t even be in contrast with this creation of the world. Then, God, with His omnipotence, created all the things from nothing. Now, “the omnipresent” and “aÏŽ ὢν” turns into the identical creation.
As we additionally glorify with the Angels and worship with the Magi and the Shepherds “the one sitting on the Cherubim and sleeping within the manger”, we’re known as to stand up and perceive the primary messages of the vacation:
The “nice thriller of salvation” proves God's infinite love for apostate man. Saint John the Evangelist tells us that “on this the love of God was manifested in us, that God despatched his solely Son into the world in order that we would dwell via him” (1 Jn. 4, 9-10). With the incarnation of Christ got here the pacification, the reconciliation and the conversion of the rebellious man to God. This return of man to God, which occurred via Jesus Christ, contributed to the restoration of each internal peace within the souls of males and peace and love in direction of one another. With the incarnation of Christ, man can uncover his archetype, the reality of his life, his true future. Christ offers Himself, His life and His educating, for example, in order that man can overcome sin and all its unhappy penalties. The delivery of Christ on earth is the surest assure that we’re not alone in a world with out that means, wandering, with out hope, “within the land and shadow of dying” (Mat. 4, 16), however as a result of God, Immanuel, is amongst us, information and supporter in our wrestle.
Nice, due to this fact, are the messages of at present's vacation. Wealthy and immeasurable is the supplied favor of God to man. Nonetheless, to ensure that man to applicable salvation, he additionally wants his personal will. Christ, together with his incarnation and his redemptive work, gave us the potential of salvation. For its realization, the free will of man can be wanted.
Two thousand years have handed since God supplied us the potential of salvation. And if wars and conflicts nonetheless shake the world, particularly within the locations the place the hymn of the Angels was heard “on earth peace” and if individuals are nonetheless disadvantaged of their freedom, it’s as a result of folks place themselves negatively in direction of God's supply, selecting “darkness reasonably than mild”. (John 3, 19)
Beloved within the Lord,
We in Cyprus are brutally disadvantaged of this freedom, even right here for 50 years. Regardless of the nice will proven and the submissiveness past safety limits on our aspect, the occupying energy insists on realizing its inviolable objectives, which is the occupation and Turkification of the entire of Cyprus.
Right this moment, specifically, reminds us of the everlasting values ​​that Christ's coming to earth reminded us of. Christ reminds us that we’ve been created “within the picture” of God. The principle attribute of the picture of God is freedom. God created us free. Whoever tolerates slavery, not solely non secular, but additionally ethnic, insults God's creation “within the picture”. And when the Apostle Paul explains “we have been known as to freedom” (Gal. 5, 13), he tells us that not solely non secular, but additionally each sort of slavery is hateful to God.
Along with our obligation as Christians to defend our freedom and dignity, looking for by all means the liberty from occupation and the liberation of our homeland, we even have a debt to our ethnic origin. We Greeks have been residing right here in Cyprus for 35 centuries. We can’t overlook this historic course by contributing with our negligence or inadequacy to the Turkification of the place.
We’re of the opinion that we’ve not totally realized the seriousness of the hazard that threatens us, that’s the reason we’re not coping with the scenario correctly. Sadly, our aspect has trapped itself within the pursuit of an answer, which relies on the logic that we Greek Cypriots shouldn’t have the suitable to dwell inside the framework of a contemporary state beneath circumstances of freedom and respect for human rights. And it’s because we contemplate that Turkey is highly effective and we settle for that we must make steady concessions to appease it. However the conclusion of such a course can be clearly seen, which is none apart from the Turkification of the entire of Cyprus.
We’re as soon as once more addressing everybody: The Governments of Greece and Cyprus, all of the political forces of Greece and Cyprus and to your complete Nation. A piece of the Nation is liable to the last word hazard. It’s needed, with duty in direction of Historical past and our ancestors, to face the scenario and plan for the long run. Our planning shouldn’t have a horizon of 4 or 5 years, in addition to the subsequent elections, however perpetuity. Such a planning shouldn’t depart room for the imposition of the Turkish harmless pursuits on Cyprus. It must be a program as outlined by the timeless values ​​of our religion and race, as outlined by the 35 centuries of our Greek presence in Cyprus and which could have as its aim the liberation of our homeland.
The primary and pressing necessity should be to eliminate the phantasm that any motion, even verbal, across the Cyprus problem, promotes an accurate resolution. The expertise of fifty years has proven the ineffectiveness of the method of inter-community talks. All of us, coordinated, must reposition our drawback as an issue of invasion and occupation and beneath this mild to hunt an answer.
As residents of the European Union, we’ve the suitable to demand for ourselves, all of the authorized residents of Cyprus, what different Europeans take pleasure in: Free motion, institution and acquisition of property all through our homeland. We must always steadfastly insist on this declare. Another resolution results in the Turkification of the place. Our duty in direction of Historical past retains us going. And allow us to ensure that God will bless and strengthen our efforts.
With these ideas, we bestow our paternal blessing on everybody, particularly these within the know: our unknowns, whom we don’t contemplate, with no thorough investigation, lifeless, in addition to their kinfolk, the imprisoned and our refugee compatriots. Invoking the blessing and the infinite mercy of God in direction of all and in direction of the rising, in a brief, new method, we’re
Holy Archdiocese of Cyprus,
Christmas 2024.
With the blessings of Christ, all the things is finished
†GEORGE OF CYPRUS
NOTE: Monks are accountable for the studying of the Encyclical through the Divine Liturgy of the Christmas vacation.
From the Archsecretariat of the Holy Synod
Clerk of the Holy Synod of the Church of Cyprus
CC/IN
