Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

HH Karekin II on the Feast of the Holy Nativity and Theophany

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

  • HH Karekin II on the Feast of the Holy Nativity and Theophany

    Message of His Holiness Karekin II on the Feast of the Holy Nativity
    and Theophany of Our Lord Jesus Christ

    http://www.armradio.am/en/2014/01/06/message-of-his-holiness-karekin-ii-on-the-feast-of-the-holy-nativity-and-theophany-of-our-lord-jesus-christ-2/
    13:13 06.01.2014


    In the Name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.

    `I am the Way and the Truth and the Life.'
    John 14:6

    Dear and faithful people in Armenia, Artsakh and the Dispersion,

    It is with the exultation of Christ our Lord's Holy Nativity that we
    offer today our joyful gratitude to God. We glorify our Savior - the
    infant Jesus born in Bethlehem. On the blessed day of the Holy
    Nativity, the earth became heaven, and the ray of Justice with the
    light of righteousness dawned to illuminate the souls of men, so that
    they know, see, and find their salvation.

    The Son of God humbled Himself from the heights of heaven, became man
    and came to earth, to save man who had been exiled from paradise
    through the deception of the intriguer, from sin and from the power of
    Satan who breeds sin. He came to return the lost generations of the
    first-created man who had come out against God in transgression to the
    kingdom of heaven, and to turn them into the children of God. `Teach
    me the way I should go, Lord, for to you I lift up my soul.' (Psalms
    143:8). In response to this plea of mankind that was raised up to
    heaven by the psalmist's lips:, the voice of our Savior resounded: `I
    am the Way and the Truth and the Life.'

    By making truth and life one with Himself, our Lord proclaimed that
    truth is a value equal to life. He dispersed the darkness of aimless
    wanderings and sinfulness with the rays of truth, and granted to men
    the Holy Spirit of Truth (John 14:17), so that the path of mankind be
    established in a life of peace and righteousness - a life founded on
    love and honesty for one another.

    Through the Lord's act of salvation, the defeated evil fights today as
    well with fury for the souls of men, trying to obscure with fog the
    light of truth brought by Christ; so that men do not see the path that
    leads to heaven, and by leading them astray through snares of
    deception, be denied the eternal life of the kingdom of God. Evil has
    no rest - it works day in and day out and works through men. Evil
    creates the path when vigilance for the truth is lacking in life, and
    falsehood finds its collaborators. The beguiling ways of evil are
    strengthened when man strays from the principles taught by Christ -
    filling life with falsehoods and distortions. It is thus that the
    presentation of realities are transformed into intrigues and false
    evaluations; arbitrary and selfish interpretation in religions, give
    birth to cults; by the demands of the defense of human rights, society
    is at times also compelled to adopt behaviors that are contradictory
    with societal thinking and value structures.

    It is in this manner that morality in the world cedes ground to
    immorality, freedom of speech is transformed to licentiousness of
    speech, and testimony becomes the distortion of truth. By distorting
    the truth, political interests often oppose peace and justice, frenzy
    to acquire the material and selfish desires oppose mercy and
    philanthropy, and multiply the conflicts, sorrows, wants and pains in
    the world.

    The world shall be liberated of these life-agitating realities when
    men accept the truth of Christ, when they witness the presence of the
    Lord through their faithful works, and like the Apostle, proclaim,
    `...the truth of Christ is in me!' (2 Corinthians 11:10). Only by
    bearing the truth can mankind secure the progress of life,
    reformation, beneficial results and development; because nothing that
    lasts is built on deception - neither relationships between
    individuals, nor a vibrant societal life or statehood. When truth is
    not within men, dedication, righteousness and brotherhood have no
    value; however through truth they take on strength and the power to be
    transformed into work.

    In our reality, dear pious faithful, regrettably we also find
    impropriety and slander, indifference towards the general welfare of
    the country. Traditional family values are in retreat, and in the
    face of difficulties, the spirit of conscientiousness. Unreserved
    behavior and insult are regarded as courageous; responsibility is
    subordinated to rights. Frequently, the right to express one's
    personal opinion is wrongly utilized to distort the truth, in order to
    spread subjective or biased opinions.

    It is in this mentality that falsehood is veiled with a mask of truth,
    debate becomes argument, discussion transforms into scorn and
    condemnation, from which the Spirit of God's truth and the wisdom of
    God move away; and we have difficulty - yes, even cease - to see the
    good and the just; and faith and trust in one another, as well as hope
    and optimism for the future, all weaken in our lives.

    Dear faithful, it is the child born in Bethlehem who is the way, the
    truth and the life. We must rely on Him, we must bear His truth in
    our hearts so that our lives are transformed, be filled with
    unwavering trust, and the strength to overcome difficulties, and
    everything will be made right through the power of God's benevolent
    will. The truth is liberating. `And you will know the truth, and the
    truth will make you free.' (John 8:32), says our Lord. Let us live
    and work with Christ's truth; let us make his word and commandments
    the light that disperses the darkness in our lives; let us make His
    love and mercy for us the power that unites us - the power that
    creates the unity of the nation. Let us keep steadfast and strong our
    unanimity, spirit of harmony, let us care for and attend to one
    another, for our country and the elevation of our spiritual and
    national life. It is in this manner - and only in this manner - that
    we shall build and create our vibrant and prosperous homeland. It is
    only in this way that we shall transform the 100th anniversary
    commemorating the Genocide of the Armenians into the platform of
    victory for our righteous cause, and lead to a just and positive
    solution the fundamental issue of Artsakh. It is in this way we shall
    keep the Diaspora vibrant and energetic, and become the hope and
    refuge for our Syrian-Armenian brothers and sisters bearing the
    adversities of conflict. And may all of our labors be with the Lord.

    It is with this wish and the good tiding of the Holy Nativity that we
    extend our greetings to the incumbents of the hierarchal sees of our
    Holy Apostolic Church: His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great
    House of Cilicia; His Beatitude Archbishop Nourhan Manougian, Armenian
    Patriarch of Jerusalem; His Beatitude Archbishop Mesrob Mutafian,
    Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople; to all of our oath-bound and
    devoted clergy; and to the graceful heads of our sister Churches.

    With pontifical blessings and the appeal for the graces of the Holy
    Nativity, we greet the President of the Republic of Armenia, Serzh
    Sargsian and the First Lady, present here for the Divine Liturgy
    today. We convey our greetings to the President of the Republic of
    Artsakh, Bako Sahakian, to all high-ranking state officials of the
    Armenian people, to the leaders of diplomatic missions accredited in
    Armenia and representatives of international organizations.

    >From God-built Holy Etchmiadzin and the Holy Altar of Descent of our
    Lord and Savior, with the good tidings of the Holy Nativity, we extend
    our pontifical love and blessings to all of our sons and daughters
    dispersed throughout the world.

    On this joyful day, let us pray for the graces of the Savior's birth
    to always reign over the earth, and with the entreaty of the prophet,
    `Steadfast love and faithfulness will meet; righteousness and peace
    will kiss each other.' (Psalms 85:10).

    May the illuminated rays of our Lord Jesus Christ's birth give
    brilliance to our Holy Church, our Homeland, to Armenian life in the
    Diaspora, so that it be glorification to the Most-High God and grant
    to our nation constant and endless spiritual happiness, and today and
    always, may we always proclaim with joy,

    Christ is Born and Revealed
    Great Tidings to All

Working...
X