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Message of His Holiness Karekin II on the Feast of the Holy Nativity
and Theophany of Our Lord Jesus Christ
14:37, 06 Jan 2015
On January 6, on the Feast of the Holy Nativity and Theophany of Our
Lord Jesus Christ, a Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the Mother
Cathedral by His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos
of All Armenians.
The Divine Liturgy was attended by Mr. Serzh Sargsyan, President of
the Republic of Armenia; Mr. Galust Sahakyan , President of the
Republic of Armenia National Assembly; Mr. Hovik Abrahamyan, Prime
Minister of the Republic of Armenia; state officials, members of the
Supreme Spiritual Council, foreign diplomats, and public figures from
the fields of education, science and the arts.
Under canopy, a Pontifical Procession led the Catholicos of All
Armenians, and President Sargsyan, to the Mother Cathedral. The Canopy
bearers were; Dr. Armen Charchyan, Director of the Izmirlian Medical
Center, Mr. Ara Vardanyan, Chief Architect of the Mother See; Mr.
Hrant Tokhatyan, Honored Artist; and Professor Gevork Madoyan Phd,
Vice Dean of the Gevorgyan Theological Seminary.
His Grace Bishop Hovnan Hakobyan, Grant Sacristan of the Mother
Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin; and His Grace Bishop Mushegh Babayan,
Operations Director of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin; assisted
His Holiness during the celebration of the Divine Liturgy.
During the Pontifical Divine Liturgy the Catholicos of All Armenians
extended His Pontifical Blessings and Message to All Armenians
worldwide, conveying to everyone the Good News of the Angel.
Following the Divine Liturgy, His Holiness Karekin II offered the
service of Blessings of Waters. Mr. Hayk Samvel Karapetyan, an
Armenian Russian benefactor of the Armenian Church, served as the
Godfather of the Cross during the ceremony in the Mother Cathedral.
Following the conclusion of the Liturgy, an official reception was
held in the Alec and Marie Manoogian Treasury House Museum, where the
Catholicos of All Armenians offered his blessings and best wishes to
those present on the occasion of Holy Nativity and Theophany of Our
Lord Jesus Christ.
Following is the Pontifical message of His Holiness:
MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS KAREKIN II
SUPREME PATRIARCH AND CATHOLICOS OF ALL ARMENIANS
ON THE OCCASION OF THE HOLY NATIVITY AND THEOPHANY
OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, January 6, 2015
In the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
You who are with the Father on the Throne ablaze
With Angels serving you
Today, by the will of the Father appeared on earth in the flesh
By the birth of the Virgin
Along with the army of the Angels, we ceaselessly praise you
(Holy Nativity Hymn)
Dear and Pious Faithful,
With the prayerful song of the hymn's author, we bring to you the
miraculous tiding of our Lord's Birth and Revelation as God.
The Son of God - coadjutor to the Omnipotent Father and served by the
angels - became incarnate and came down to earth from the heavenly
heights, so that we may accept the hope and grace of salvation, and
the ever-renewing life, which our Lord and Savior grants us. The
infant born in Bethlehem brings new heart and spirit to the world - to
recognize the love of God for mankind, and to turn it into justice,
peace, and love for one another. He brings strength to dispel the
darkness of hopelessness and to establish on earth that life full of
love, which the good news of eternal life possesses.
The evangelical story of the Holy Nativity illustrates the great
mystery of the presence of God in the life of mankind. The manger in
Bethlehem is the prototype of the Holy Church; the simple shepherds
and the wise magi are the faithful gathered together in one place to
worship God; and the gifts that were presented are the good and
heaven-pleasing life and works, lived with faith in God. The dawning
of the Lord's glory in Bethlehem's celestial vault, and the message
proclaimed by the resplendent angels, are the divine invitation to the
world - for peace, love and goodwill among men - which today also is
desired by the God-created cradle of mankind, still burdened with
difficulties and challenges.
The contemporary world of great material and technical achievements
and unparalleled scientific accomplishments, continues to be plagued
by calamities and torments, disrupting the peace and well-being of
life.
Political conflicts, military clashes, deepening financial and
economic crises bring ruin, sorrow and suffering; bring new problems
of poverty and insecurity. In the understanding of man, fundamental
principles established by God are distorted: man is not accepted as
having been created in the image and likeness of God. Life is not
accepted as the greatest gift granted by heaven. Love for one's
neighbor is not accepted as likeness to God. These realities and
similar distortions in thinking lead men away from spirituality and
towards paths that deny God -the trampling of the rights of men and
nations; the destruction of the concept of the family and of moral
values.
Despite man's antithetical way against God's will, the Lord has
demonstrated through the great mystery of incarnation that man created
by God is under his boundless love and care, that earthly existence is
not separate from the eternal, nor is the history of mankind separate
from the presence of God. As our Lord and Savior says, "And surely I
am with you always, until the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:20).
The constant presence of the Savior in the life of man grants new
meaning; conveys a high and lofty context to the comprehension of men
and the world; bringing to humanity the knowledge and responsibility
of being people of God, and the invitation to stay and persevere under
the new commandment of our Lord to "Love one another" (John 13:34).
Love for one's neighbor elevates and gives worth to the individual and
his works, keeps him in the grace of the likeness of God, and
establishes the life of society in goodness.
A society guided by the love for one another, is able to spout
incessant springs of spirituality to nurture life, to be truly fair
and just, compassionate and merciful. With this path as commanded by
the Lord, mankind is capable of freeing itself from disastrous
situations and trials; to face the difficulties, to fairly solve
disagreements, and with harmonious coexistence, create the new day of
the life of mankind.
Dearly beloved and pious faithful, with prayerful song and
glorification of the Holy Nativity, today our heartfelt prayers are
joined for the sinless martyrs of the Armenian Genocide, who did not
renounce the Savior, their identity, and their holy faith. Even in the
most severe temptations, during the bitter years of the Genocide, the
hymns of the souls of our people to the Savior, has never ceased. With
our Lord, we found the spirit and strength of rebirth. We built
statehood, we elevated our national life, and we struggled for our
rights, believing that the paths of righteousness and truth will
create a peaceful and humanitarian world free of violence.
One hundred years after the commencement of the crime of the Armenian
Genocide, we continue our struggle with the same faith and confidence
- for the sake of our righteous cause and our peaceful life, under
conditions of unending illegal blockades, and the threat of restarting
war. Today, facing many imperatives and problems in our life, dear
ones, let us put more efforts and devotion, undertake homeland and
nation building programs and works, for the love of the prosperity of
our people, the strength of our country, and the realization of our
aspirations. Let us live our lives with the traditions of our
forebears, faithful to our Christian values, combating materialism
with worship of God, placing the Lord's mercy (Matthew 5:7) before
greed, keeping Christ's commandment of love (John 13:34) instead of
force and constraint. Let us imitate the Good Samaritan who helps the
needy (Luke 10:30-37) instead of being selfish and exploitative,
implement brotherly love (Romans 12:10) in place of hate, and in the
examples of our forefathers, place the nation before the individual.
Let us prosper and grow with new children being born in our families,
new testimonies of patriotism and love of nation, and from our free
homeland, from the far ends of the Diaspora, from our newly
constructed and rebuilt churches, from all Armenian life, let us raise
up to heaven our native hymn: "Along with the army of the Angels, we
ceaselessly praise you."
With the cheerful good news of the Holy Nativity, we greet 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; and all oath-bound clergy of our Church,
asking for God's help in their mission, for the reinforcement of the
spiritual life of our pious people and for the glory of our Holy
Church.
We greet the heads of our Sister Churches, asking for the bountiful
graces of the Savior to bless them and their faithful flocks.
With our pontifical blessings, we bring our best wishes and greetings
to the President of the Republic of Armenia, Serzh Sargsian and the
First Lady, present here today for the Divine Liturgy; we extend our
greetings to the President of the Republic of Artsakh, Bako Sahakian,
to high ranking Armenian state officials, with our prayer for the
Lord's blessing to crown their efforts aimed at the peace and
prosperity of our country and the defense of the rights of our people.
We greet and bring our best wishes to the representatives of
diplomatic missions accredited to Armenia, for the success of their
fruitful efforts for the benefit of friendship and cooperation among
our peoples, and enforcement of stability and peace in the region.
With the glad tiding of the Holy Nativity, we extend our pontifical
blessing to all of our people, with the wish that we keep with love in
our warm hearts the hymn to the Lord, and that they remain under His
all-provident Right Hand, faithful to their visions of rebirth, and
optimistic, that with the light of heavenly justice, the blessed day
of restored justice will dawn again.
We offer prayers up to heaven, for the graces of our Lord and Savior
to be dispersed throughout the hearts of men; bringing peace,
solidarity, and secure progress to the world. May our incarnate Lord
Jesus Christ bless and guide our lives at every hour, in peace,
strengthened in faith, keeping our people in unanimity and love, to
praise His Holy Name, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and
always. Amen.
Christ is Born and Revealed.
Great Tidings to us all.
http://www.armradio.am/en/2015/01/06/message-of-his-holiness-karekin-ii-on-the-feast-of-the-holy-nativity-and-theophany-of-our-lord-jesus-christ-3/
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
and Theophany of Our Lord Jesus Christ
14:37, 06 Jan 2015
On January 6, on the Feast of the Holy Nativity and Theophany of Our
Lord Jesus Christ, a Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the Mother
Cathedral by His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos
of All Armenians.
The Divine Liturgy was attended by Mr. Serzh Sargsyan, President of
the Republic of Armenia; Mr. Galust Sahakyan , President of the
Republic of Armenia National Assembly; Mr. Hovik Abrahamyan, Prime
Minister of the Republic of Armenia; state officials, members of the
Supreme Spiritual Council, foreign diplomats, and public figures from
the fields of education, science and the arts.
Under canopy, a Pontifical Procession led the Catholicos of All
Armenians, and President Sargsyan, to the Mother Cathedral. The Canopy
bearers were; Dr. Armen Charchyan, Director of the Izmirlian Medical
Center, Mr. Ara Vardanyan, Chief Architect of the Mother See; Mr.
Hrant Tokhatyan, Honored Artist; and Professor Gevork Madoyan Phd,
Vice Dean of the Gevorgyan Theological Seminary.
His Grace Bishop Hovnan Hakobyan, Grant Sacristan of the Mother
Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin; and His Grace Bishop Mushegh Babayan,
Operations Director of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin; assisted
His Holiness during the celebration of the Divine Liturgy.
During the Pontifical Divine Liturgy the Catholicos of All Armenians
extended His Pontifical Blessings and Message to All Armenians
worldwide, conveying to everyone the Good News of the Angel.
Following the Divine Liturgy, His Holiness Karekin II offered the
service of Blessings of Waters. Mr. Hayk Samvel Karapetyan, an
Armenian Russian benefactor of the Armenian Church, served as the
Godfather of the Cross during the ceremony in the Mother Cathedral.
Following the conclusion of the Liturgy, an official reception was
held in the Alec and Marie Manoogian Treasury House Museum, where the
Catholicos of All Armenians offered his blessings and best wishes to
those present on the occasion of Holy Nativity and Theophany of Our
Lord Jesus Christ.
Following is the Pontifical message of His Holiness:
MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS KAREKIN II
SUPREME PATRIARCH AND CATHOLICOS OF ALL ARMENIANS
ON THE OCCASION OF THE HOLY NATIVITY AND THEOPHANY
OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, January 6, 2015
In the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
You who are with the Father on the Throne ablaze
With Angels serving you
Today, by the will of the Father appeared on earth in the flesh
By the birth of the Virgin
Along with the army of the Angels, we ceaselessly praise you
(Holy Nativity Hymn)
Dear and Pious Faithful,
With the prayerful song of the hymn's author, we bring to you the
miraculous tiding of our Lord's Birth and Revelation as God.
The Son of God - coadjutor to the Omnipotent Father and served by the
angels - became incarnate and came down to earth from the heavenly
heights, so that we may accept the hope and grace of salvation, and
the ever-renewing life, which our Lord and Savior grants us. The
infant born in Bethlehem brings new heart and spirit to the world - to
recognize the love of God for mankind, and to turn it into justice,
peace, and love for one another. He brings strength to dispel the
darkness of hopelessness and to establish on earth that life full of
love, which the good news of eternal life possesses.
The evangelical story of the Holy Nativity illustrates the great
mystery of the presence of God in the life of mankind. The manger in
Bethlehem is the prototype of the Holy Church; the simple shepherds
and the wise magi are the faithful gathered together in one place to
worship God; and the gifts that were presented are the good and
heaven-pleasing life and works, lived with faith in God. The dawning
of the Lord's glory in Bethlehem's celestial vault, and the message
proclaimed by the resplendent angels, are the divine invitation to the
world - for peace, love and goodwill among men - which today also is
desired by the God-created cradle of mankind, still burdened with
difficulties and challenges.
The contemporary world of great material and technical achievements
and unparalleled scientific accomplishments, continues to be plagued
by calamities and torments, disrupting the peace and well-being of
life.
Political conflicts, military clashes, deepening financial and
economic crises bring ruin, sorrow and suffering; bring new problems
of poverty and insecurity. In the understanding of man, fundamental
principles established by God are distorted: man is not accepted as
having been created in the image and likeness of God. Life is not
accepted as the greatest gift granted by heaven. Love for one's
neighbor is not accepted as likeness to God. These realities and
similar distortions in thinking lead men away from spirituality and
towards paths that deny God -the trampling of the rights of men and
nations; the destruction of the concept of the family and of moral
values.
Despite man's antithetical way against God's will, the Lord has
demonstrated through the great mystery of incarnation that man created
by God is under his boundless love and care, that earthly existence is
not separate from the eternal, nor is the history of mankind separate
from the presence of God. As our Lord and Savior says, "And surely I
am with you always, until the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:20).
The constant presence of the Savior in the life of man grants new
meaning; conveys a high and lofty context to the comprehension of men
and the world; bringing to humanity the knowledge and responsibility
of being people of God, and the invitation to stay and persevere under
the new commandment of our Lord to "Love one another" (John 13:34).
Love for one's neighbor elevates and gives worth to the individual and
his works, keeps him in the grace of the likeness of God, and
establishes the life of society in goodness.
A society guided by the love for one another, is able to spout
incessant springs of spirituality to nurture life, to be truly fair
and just, compassionate and merciful. With this path as commanded by
the Lord, mankind is capable of freeing itself from disastrous
situations and trials; to face the difficulties, to fairly solve
disagreements, and with harmonious coexistence, create the new day of
the life of mankind.
Dearly beloved and pious faithful, with prayerful song and
glorification of the Holy Nativity, today our heartfelt prayers are
joined for the sinless martyrs of the Armenian Genocide, who did not
renounce the Savior, their identity, and their holy faith. Even in the
most severe temptations, during the bitter years of the Genocide, the
hymns of the souls of our people to the Savior, has never ceased. With
our Lord, we found the spirit and strength of rebirth. We built
statehood, we elevated our national life, and we struggled for our
rights, believing that the paths of righteousness and truth will
create a peaceful and humanitarian world free of violence.
One hundred years after the commencement of the crime of the Armenian
Genocide, we continue our struggle with the same faith and confidence
- for the sake of our righteous cause and our peaceful life, under
conditions of unending illegal blockades, and the threat of restarting
war. Today, facing many imperatives and problems in our life, dear
ones, let us put more efforts and devotion, undertake homeland and
nation building programs and works, for the love of the prosperity of
our people, the strength of our country, and the realization of our
aspirations. Let us live our lives with the traditions of our
forebears, faithful to our Christian values, combating materialism
with worship of God, placing the Lord's mercy (Matthew 5:7) before
greed, keeping Christ's commandment of love (John 13:34) instead of
force and constraint. Let us imitate the Good Samaritan who helps the
needy (Luke 10:30-37) instead of being selfish and exploitative,
implement brotherly love (Romans 12:10) in place of hate, and in the
examples of our forefathers, place the nation before the individual.
Let us prosper and grow with new children being born in our families,
new testimonies of patriotism and love of nation, and from our free
homeland, from the far ends of the Diaspora, from our newly
constructed and rebuilt churches, from all Armenian life, let us raise
up to heaven our native hymn: "Along with the army of the Angels, we
ceaselessly praise you."
With the cheerful good news of the Holy Nativity, we greet 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; and all oath-bound clergy of our Church,
asking for God's help in their mission, for the reinforcement of the
spiritual life of our pious people and for the glory of our Holy
Church.
We greet the heads of our Sister Churches, asking for the bountiful
graces of the Savior to bless them and their faithful flocks.
With our pontifical blessings, we bring our best wishes and greetings
to the President of the Republic of Armenia, Serzh Sargsian and the
First Lady, present here today for the Divine Liturgy; we extend our
greetings to the President of the Republic of Artsakh, Bako Sahakian,
to high ranking Armenian state officials, with our prayer for the
Lord's blessing to crown their efforts aimed at the peace and
prosperity of our country and the defense of the rights of our people.
We greet and bring our best wishes to the representatives of
diplomatic missions accredited to Armenia, for the success of their
fruitful efforts for the benefit of friendship and cooperation among
our peoples, and enforcement of stability and peace in the region.
With the glad tiding of the Holy Nativity, we extend our pontifical
blessing to all of our people, with the wish that we keep with love in
our warm hearts the hymn to the Lord, and that they remain under His
all-provident Right Hand, faithful to their visions of rebirth, and
optimistic, that with the light of heavenly justice, the blessed day
of restored justice will dawn again.
We offer prayers up to heaven, for the graces of our Lord and Savior
to be dispersed throughout the hearts of men; bringing peace,
solidarity, and secure progress to the world. May our incarnate Lord
Jesus Christ bless and guide our lives at every hour, in peace,
strengthened in faith, keeping our people in unanimity and love, to
praise His Holy Name, with the Father and the Holy Spirit, now and
always. Amen.
Christ is Born and Revealed.
Great Tidings to us all.
http://www.armradio.am/en/2015/01/06/message-of-his-holiness-karekin-ii-on-the-feast-of-the-holy-nativity-and-theophany-of-our-lord-jesus-christ-3/
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress