2002 Pastoral Encyclical for Christmas (Metr. Hierotheos of Nafpaktos)

Pastoral Encyclical

Sacred Metropolis of Nafpaktos and Agiou Vlasiou

Christmas 2002

My beloved brethren,

This year we again celebrate the great event of the incarnation of the Son and Word of God for the salvation of man and the renewal of all creation. Man had lost the relationship and communion with God and this had consequences for all creation. Therefore, the restoration of man in Christ Jesus had to take place so that creation could also be renewed. Precisely for this reason, the feast of the Nativity of Christ has great theological significance and importance.

The apolytikion of the feast, which is well known and beloved by all of us since our childhood, does not simply describe the event of the Birth of Christ, but expresses a great theological meaning. We chant devoutly and at the same time triumphantly during the nightly Christmas Divine Liturgy: “Your birth, Christ our God, has dawned upon the world the Light of knowledge, for by it those who worship the stars, were taught by a star, to worship You, the Sun of righteousness, and to know You the Dawn from on high, Lord, glory to You.”

The main points of this troparion, which refers to the adoration of the Magi, are found in the words “Light of knowledge”, “the Sun of righteousness”, “the Dawn from on high”.

Man has always sought, and this was especially true of the ancient Greek philosophers, to acquire knowledge of God and the world. Many philosophical and scientific systems developed around this subject, but none satisfied man’s hunger and thirst. One system negated the other. These are magical, rationalistic, anthropomorphic, mystical and metaphysical systems. However, the knowledge of God is connected to the Light that shone forth at the Birth of the God-Man Christ. It is knowledge of a divine person and not knowledge of the ideas and principles on the basis of which the world was supposedly created.

This light of knowledge is connected to the Sun of righteousness, Christ. It is not the created sun that our ancestors worshiped as a god at one time in history, but the uncreated Sun of righteousness, Christ. It is a Sun that illuminates and warms the soul of man and enlivens his body, that guides him on the path of truth, that leads him to the experience of eternal life.

And of course this Light of knowledge, the Sun of righteousness and the Dawn from on high is this same Christ, who revealed Himself to men and transmitted true knowledge. This is not a knowledge that comes from human effort and knowledge of earthly realities, but it is a revelation of God Himself in the heart of man.

The apolytikion, therefore, of the Nativity of Christ speaks of the Light of knowledge, which is connected with the dawn of the Sun of righteousness and is an expression of God's love for man. And these signs have great significance for our time.

We live in an age when everyone seeks knowledge of human things, but also of God himself. The means by which this knowledge is transmitted are increasing daily. Man wants to learn the secrets of the universe, the secrets hidden within himself, the secrets of the principle that rules and governs the world. It seeks to find systems so that justice may finally prevail on earth and injustices and wars may cease. However, because this search is based on human powers, it cannot satisfy the spirit of man. Knowledge will increase, but man will remain hungry and thirsty.

We Christians know from experience that “the Light of knowledge,” “the Sun of righteousness,” “the Dawn of dawns” is Christ, as experienced in the Church which is His Body, and through Him we know the Father and have communion with the Holy Spirit, whom He sends into the world. This existential knowledge gives another meaning and purpose to our lives. This light of the Sun of righteousness brings our existence out of the darkness of ignorance.

Let us pray that this Light of knowledge, this Sun of righteousness, may illuminate our souls, so that we may see the world and our lives from a different perspective.

With paternal prayers and blessings,

THE METROPOLITAN

+ HIEROTHEOS OF NAFPAKTOS AND AGIOU VLASIOU

 
Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.