Saturday, January 10, 2015
Nativity Epistle of the Right Reverend Andronik
Archbishop of Syracuse and St. Nicholas, Ottawa and Canada
(John 1:14)
Greetings on the Nativity of Christ and the coming New Year of 2015!
Dear in Christ pastors, clergy and faithful of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, greetings to all on the occasion of the great feast of the Nativity of the Incarnate Lord our Jesus Christ!
By God’s infinite love of mankind and to adopt mankind for Himself, the Son of God descended from heaven twenty centuries ago and was born in Judaic Bethlehem from the Ever-Virgin Mary. Though this glorious event took place among us so many years ago, each one of us from year to year still experiences it in his or her heart.
The best gift that we could bring to the newborn Christ child is our faithfulness to the Church and love of one another and to those who by imprudence find themselves over the side of the lifesaving vessel of the Church Abroad. Let us pray, brothers and sisters that we may not only in name, but in spirit become children of God, so that none of us may perish, but inherit eternal life.
In our time, when heresies and schisms befall the Church of Christ with such force, only our faithfulness to God, obedience to the Church and love of one another will help us overcome all our troubles.
At this time, when our hearts are overflowing with love, and our gratitude to God reverberates in our souls for His eternal grace to us, our lips cannot stay shut, but cry out,
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men!”
Greetings on the feast!
+ANDRONIK
Archbishop of Syracuse and St. Nicholas, Ottawa and Canada
Upcoming children’s camp at Serbian Monastery
The traditional annual children’s camp at the Free Serbian Monastery of St Sava will take place from January 18 to 23. The camp is open for children aged 7 to 12 years old of all nationalities.
Please download a registration form here and return to the organisers as soon as possible.
Lessons in the Law of God at the camp are given in English by Fr John Smelic (ROCA). There are short daily morning and evening services, which the children chant and read themselves. Accommodation is in separate girls’ and boys’ dorm houses on the grounds of the monastery. There is opportunity to play tennis, fish in the monastery lake, and an excursion. At the end of the camp, all the children take Confession and Holy Communion.
More information from Jela Bulatovic, who can be contacted on telephone 0402033834.
The St Sava Festival will take place at the monastery the weekend of 24-25 January, and is open for all pilgrims.
Thursday, January 8, 2015
Metropolitan Agafangel’s Nativity Epistle
Dear hierarchs and pastors, monastics and laity, brothers and sisters!
of His Eminence Metropolitan Agafangel,
First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad
It has been a long time since we last had such a difficult year for our Church. This is because of the events which have shaken the world, which in turn resound very noticeably in our lives. Now, almost universally, the world has turned to war. “For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.” (Matthew 24.7-8). Indeed, we see firsthand the beginning of these tribulations - not so much physical as spiritual ones. We have reached the time when even those who are called to keep and observe Truth have stopped accepting “sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears,” (2 Timothy 4:3). Everything is coming true - “Then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another” (Matthew 24.10). The ever-present apostasy is coming upon us like the approaching night, gradually and inevitably absorbing the souls of men. Less and less souls warm themselves around the spiritual beacons of intact faith. Even the visible, earthly Church is harder to find in the ruling chaos surrounding Her. As we enter the period of Passion Week of human history, we can only observe what is happening. In our weakness we are not able to prevent the end of time.
But we remember that the historical birth of Christ occurred in almost the same kind of impenetrable night, during a time of captivity, apostasy and national poverty, when prophecies were silent, and the priesthood and leaders of the people had degenerated into Pharisees and scribes. The Incarnation of God pierced the surrounding spiritual darkness as the saving beam of a lighthouse during a storm of complete destruction. Suddenly a guiding star was revealed to travelers astray. A highly anticipated door of freedom, was suddenly flung open, leading out from the crude and hateful prison!
If we are with God, then we have nothing to fear! I urge you, my dear ones, to spiritual renewal by the current Nativity of Christ! May it shine in every heart with the unwaning light of Divine wisdom! So that we, despite of the fallen and sinful world, together with the entire Holy Church, would exclaim in a single triumphant voice: O Life-Giver, Christ our God, glory to Thee!
+ Metropolitan Agafangel
Odessa, Nativity of Christ, 2014-2015.
