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Στ. Ν. Σάκκου

  Οἱ διαπροσωπικές μας σχέσεις συνήθως ἐμφανίζονται προβληματικές καί τό πρόβλημα μοιάζει ἄλυτο, καθώς καθημερινά σωρεύονται γύρω καί μέσα μας ἀμέτρητες ἀντιθέσεις καί συγκρούσεις πού διχάζουν. Μία πρόταση γιά τήν ὑπέρβαση τοῦ προβλήματος καί τήν ἁρμονική λειτουργία τῆς κοινωνίας μας προσφέρει ὁ θεόπνευστος λόγος τοῦ ἀποστόλου Παύλου πού ἑρμηνεύεται στό βιβλίο αὐτό: Ρω 15,1-7. 

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Translation from the Book

Ὁ Θεός στήν Παλαιά Διαθήκη, Βοήθημα Κατωτέρου Κατηχητικοῦ Α΄,

ἐκδ. «Χριστιανική Ἐλπίς» Ὀρθόδοξη Ἀδελφότητα, Θεσσαλονίκη 2015, σσ. 157-161

  “Christ is risen!” From Easter day and on and for forty days until the feast of Christ’s Ascension, the Christians use only one greeting, and that is “Christ is risen! Christos anesti!”. So, this is how we are going to greet each other in these days.
  “Christ is risen!”. It is the most joyful message, as it confirms that Christ is indeed our God, who defeated death.
  “Christ is risen!”, it is the greatest joy, as it proclaims the victory against death.
  “Christ is risen!”, it is the most hopeful message, because as the death was defeated, we can be sure that the deceased are not lost forever but one day we will all be resurrected.
  “Christ is risen!”, the believers cannot stop saying it, chanting it, singing it!
  Who was the first to hear the message about Christ’s Resurrection? His faithful women followers, the myrrh-bearers. Let’s revise the progression of the facts.
  Our Lord Jesus was crucified and died on the cross on that Friday. Two of His disciples, not from the group of the twelve, Joseph and Nicodemus, asked for permission from Pilate to obtain Christ’s dead body. The permission was granted to them. With great respect and affection, they took Christ’s body down from the Cross, they wrapped Him in a clean sheet and laid Him down in a new tomb. Then they rolled a big rock to block the entrance to the tomb, which was a cave dug in a rock.
  These women were watching everything happening from a very close distance: Mary Magdalene, Mary Jacob’s wife, Joanna, Salome and more. These women never left Jesus’ side. They stayed there on Golgotha all the time and even when His body was placed in the tomb. After the disciples buried Him, these women went straight to buy the special perfumes to cover the body with them, as Jewish used to do. However, the following day was Saturday, meaning a very strict holiday for Jews. So, they had to hold back visiting Jesus’ tomb and visit it the day after.
  On the other side, Christ’s enemies, the high priests and the Pharisees turned up at Pilate and told him:
  -That deceiver said, while he was still alive, that three days after his death he will be resurrected. So, give an order for his tomb to be guarded for three days. We suspect that his disciples will steal his body and announce to the people that he was resurrected from the dead.
  -So, you have soldiers under your orders, Pilate told them, send some of them to guard the tomb.
  Indeed, they sent the guards straight away, because they were anxious. They also sealed the tomb using wax sealing, so it would be impossible for someone to open it. No point, though! As the sun was rising on Sunday early morning, the soldiers were just guarding an empty tomb! Christ was out of the tomb without anyone noticing at all! How did the guards realise? A strong earthquake took place and then an angel came down to earth. His eyes were shining like a lightning and his clothes were as bright white as the snow! He pushed the big rock, blocking the entrance to the tomb and everyone could see it was empty. The guards, scared to death, quickly ran away, went to the high priests and told them everything.
  You can understand how this shocked the high priests. They immediately called a meeting with the elders. But instead of confessing their mistake, instead of admitting that Christ crucified by them, defeated death, what did they do? They bribed the guard soldiers with large amounts of money, so they spread a lie.
  -Go and tell people that Jesus’ disciples came and stole his body during the night, while you were being asleep.
  But wouldn’t Pilate punish them, hearing that they fell asleep while being on duty? And then, how could they possibly have all fallen asleep at the same time and none of them realised what was happening? Also, how could they had seen the disciples stealing Jesus’ body, since they were sleeping?
  However, the high priests and the elders put the soldiers’ mind at ease and they took responsibility to persuade Pilate. The soldiers agreed to the deal, took the money and did exactly like Christ’s enemies told them to do.
  In the meantime, on Sunday morning, before even the sun was out, Christ’s women followers were walking towards His grave. They could not wait anymore. They wanted to return as soon as possible to their dearest Teacher and offer Him the myrrh, showing their love. On the way, they were talking about the insuperable difficulty they had to face: “Who is going to move for us the big rock that seals the grave?”.
  The rock was indeed very heavy. They saw how difficult was for Joseph and Nicodemus to roll it. How would they manage? It was impossible! What should they do though? Should they go back? Of course not! Their love for Christ encouraged them not to step back. Sufferings and difficulties cannot hinder love. They were determined to offer the myrrh to Christ and hurried to reach Him.
  They could have never imagined that they would find the rock pulled to the side and the grave to be open. They were looking with astonishment and some kind of fear. What happened? Maybe someone came and stole Jesus’ body? Was the hatred of his enemies that much, so they didn’t even show respect to Him being dead? They approached the grave and entered it. What did they see? A young man dressed in dazzling white clothes! They got amazed by seeing him.
  “Don’t be scared”, he said, “I know that you are looking for Jesus crucified. He is not here. He is risen, like he had said. There, see the place where His body was buried. Hurry and tell His disciples that He is risen from the dead and He is waiting for them in Galilee. They will see Him there”.
  The myrrh bearers left the grave. They still felt a bit scared, but happy too! Who could describe their feelings? Someone stopped them. Greeted them with: “All hail! = Rejoice!”. Who was it? It was the resurrected Jesus himself! Now they became overjoyed! They saw in front of them their dearest Teacher! They fell on their knees and grovelled before Him with adoration and respect.
  “Don’t be afraid!”, they heard His sweet and familiar voice. “Go and tell the news to my brothers, so they come to Galilee and there they will see me”.
  The myrrh bearers went as fast as the wind! They were no longer walking, they were running. It was as if they grew wings to fly, to deliver the big news to the apostles, that Christ was risen!

With the joy of the Resurrection

  Such a great honour it was for these women to be the first to see Jesus risen! This was the way that our Lord wanted to award them for their great love to Him, because they didn’t mind the danger and exertion but were faithful and dedicated to Him till the end. That is why they were given the honour to see the resurrected Jesus first. They were the first to deliver the most joyful message that was ever heard before, that Christ was risen! He defeated death and by His victory, reassured all of us that He is the God we can trust on. If only we could love Christ as much as His women followers! Our hearts would overflow of happiness, just like the myrrh bearers’ hearts did! Τhen, we will be able to spread this joy to other people, the joy our Lord grants!

Copyright © 2021 by Orthodox Christian Association «ΧΡΙΣΤΙΑΝΙΚΗ ΕΛΠΙΣ» ΟΡΘΟΔΟΞΗ ΑΔΕΛΦΟΤΗΤΑ. All rights reserved.

   Μέ ἀφορμή διάφορες φῆμες καί δημοσιεύματα πού ἀναφέρονται στόν ρόλο καί στήν ἀνάμειξη κάποιων Ἀδελφοτήτων στίς πρόσφατες ἐθνικές ἐκλογές, θεωροῦμε χρέος μας νά δηλώσουμε τά ἑξῆς:

   Ἡ Ἀδελφότητά μας παραμένει πιστή στίς χριστιανικές ἀξίες, τίς ἀρχές καί τά ἰδανικά, τά ὁποῖα ὑπηρετεῖ μέ πίστη ἀπαρέγκλιτη, καί οὐδέποτε, στήν μακρά ἱστορία της, ἀναμίχθηκε στόν χῶρο τῆς πολιτικῆς. Πρός ἄρση, λοιπόν, ὁποιασδήποτε παρανοήσεως ἐπαναλαμβάνουμε κατηγορηματικά ὅτι αὐτή ἡ πάγια στάση μας ἐξακολουθεῖ νά ἰσχύει σέ σχέση μέ τά πολιτικά δρώμενα στήν Πατρίδα μας: Μιά στάση ἀπόλυτης ἀποστασιοποίησης καί οὐδετερότητας μέ ὅσα συμβαίνουν στήν πολιτική σκηνή. Ὁ ρόλος καί ἡ ἀποστολή μας οὐδεμία σχέση ἔχουν μέ τίς πολιτικές ἐπιλογές τοῦ ἑλληνικοῦ λαοῦ.

  St. Cyril himself gives us the date of his “Catecheses” as fully seventy years after the emperor Probus that is about 347 A.D, providing that he is accurate. The catecheses, or catechetical homilies (lectures), are genuine and are of the greatest interest, both for the history of the Christian faith concerning dogmas, and the true understanding of the liturgy and catechetical methods of the ancient Church.
  Undoubtedly, Saint Cyril of Jerusalem is one of the most important sources we have for how the church celebrated the Divine Liturgy and Mysteries (see Mystagogical Catecheses) during the first few decades after the legalization of Christianity.
  In particular, in these 24 homilies, Saint Cyril instructs new Christians in the days immediately before and after their initiation into the life of the Church. In these homilies we find very strong insistence on the value and efficacy of the mystery of baptism as well as heavy emphasis on the real presence of Christ’s body and blood in the mystery of the Divine Communion.
  They include an introductory homily, the “procatechesis”, followed by eighteen instructions delivered in Lent to those who were preparing for baptism, and five “mystagogical” instructions given during Easter week to the same persons after their having been baptized. They contain interesting local references to the finding of the Holy Cross, the position of Golgotha in relation to the walls of the Holy City, to the other holy places, and to the great basilica of the Resurrection built by Constantine in which these conferences were delivered in 348 A.D or 350 A.D. They seem to have been spoken extempore, in the first place, and written down afterwards.
  Briefly, the Catechetical Homilies are among the most valuable remains of Christian antiquity and especially for an Orthodox Christian they speak volumes of the continuity of the authentic faith throughout the centuries. According to Cyril, the faith is to be proved out of Divine Scripture. That is why his text is rich in scriptural references. Also, he gives us the canon of the Scripture according to his understanding (Concerning the Divine Scriptures, Cat 4, 33-37). It is noteworthy that at that time the canon had not been officially defined by the Church. Additionally, St. Cyril gives us an account of the heresies of the time (Concerning Heresies, Cat 6, 12-36).
In particular, the material of the Catechetical Homilies is divided as follows:

Procatechesis

Eighteen Catechetical Homilies to those who are to be Enlightened:

Homily 1. An Introductory Homily to those who had come forward for Baptism
Homily 2. On Repentance and Remission of Sins and Concerning the Adversary
Homily 3. On Baptism
Homily 4. On the Ten Points of Doctrine
Homily 5. On faith
Homilies 6-18. On the Articles of the Creed

And finally,

Five Mystagogical Catecheses:

Homily 1: To the Enlightened
Homily 2: On Baptism
Homily 3: On Chrism
Homily 4: On the Body and Blood of Christ
Homily 5: On the Mysteries. On the Divine Liturgy and Communion.

Saint Cyril’s Catecheses are included in Patrologia Graeca, Volume 33.

Copyright © 2021 by Orthodox Christian Association «ΧΡΙΣΤΙΑΝΙΚΗ ΕΛΠΙΣ» ΟΡΘΟΔΟΞΗ ΑΔΕΛΦΟΤΗΤΑ. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Translation from the Book

Ὁ Θεός στήν Παλαιά Διαθήκη, Βοήθημα Κατωτέρου Κατηχητικοῦ Α΄,

ἐκδ. «Χριστιανική Ἐλπίς» Ὀρθόδοξη Ἀδελφότητα, Θεσσαλονίκη 2015, σσ. 66-72

  The patriarch Jacob had 12 sons. Their names were: Reuben, Simeon, Levi, Judah, Dan, Naphtali, Gad, Asher, Issachar, Zebulun, Joseph and Benjamin. His favourite son was Joseph. Joseph was kind, obedient, a hard worker and full of brotherly love. His father was very proud of him. He gave to Joseph a very nice and colourful garment (robe) in order to show his love and satisfaction to him.
  His brothers, however, were jealous of Joseph because he was the kindest of all and their father had great affection for him. From the moment they saw that beautiful garment, jealousy pinched their hearts like a thorn and the fire of hate flared up in their souls. They could not say a good word for him. Things went worse when Joseph narrated two of his dreams to his brothers.
  “Listen to my dream,” said Joseph, “we were in the fields and each of us was making a sheaf of wheat. Then your sheaves bowed down and worshiped mine.”
“What did you say?” his brothers exclaimed angrily, “do you think you are going to be a king to rule over us?”
  “I had a dream that the sun, the moon and eleven stars worshipfully bowed down to me,” he said confusingly another day to them.
  Joseph’s siblings were even more envious of him and they called him “dreamy”. Although his brothers teased him, he never stopped loving them sincerely.
  One day his father asked him to go and find his siblings in the faraway pastures, because they had been there for several days. He willingly accepted to go there and after walking for hours, he finally found them. When they saw him coming, they decided to kill him.
  They said, “Here comes the “dreamy! Let us kill and throw him into a dry well. Then we will tell our father that he was torn into pieces by a wild beast”. After that, we will see if his dreams come true”. However, his eldest brother Reuben wanted to find a way to save him later. So he said, “It is not fair to kill our brother with our hands. Just throw him into a well and he will definitely die from hunger”.
  Very soon, Joseph arrived smiling and he greeted them wholeheartedly. But there was no answer. They were looking at him very angrily and in no time, they fell upon him, they took off his nice robe and threw him into a dry well. Joseph started crying and begging them to feel compassion for him but they remained insensitive. Then, completely indifferent as they were, they sat down to have dinner.
  Soon afterwards, they saw some traders who were coming towards them. They were going to Egypt with their camels. Judas made a suggestion: “If we kill our brother, we are not going to win anything. Why don’t we sell him to these tradesmen?”
  His brothers liked this idea. Unfortunately, Reuben was not there to prevent them. Joseph heard his brothers talking with the tradesmen. They made a deal and sold him. From now on Joseph was going to be a slave in a foreign country. And what about his father? What did his sons tell him? They had a cunning plan. They killed one of their goats and they sprinkled with its blood all over Joseph’s garment. Then they brought this bloody cloth to his father and they asked him: “Is this Joseph’s cloth?” Jacob looked at it carefully and recognized it. He was inconsolable and wept for many days, because he thought that Joseph was torn into pieces by a wild beast.
  Meanwhile Joseph was sold by the tradesmen to Potiphar, a rich Egyptian official. But Joseph was so skillful and intelligent that he gained his master’s favor very quickly. Potiphar was so impressed that made him the master of his household. However, his wife blamed Joseph unfairly and he was put in prison. Although he had this misfortune, he did not lose his faith and hope in God. God was always with him the same way He was with his father; despite the difficulties he had gone through.
  God did not forget Joseph while he was in prison and He released him in a miraculous way. God revealed to Joseph the interpretation of the dreams of two imprisoned officials of Pharaoh, the king of Egypt. Joseph stayed in prison for two years after he interpreted the dreams of the chief butler and baker. Then Pharaoh saw two strange dreams that horrified him. One of the officials, who was not in prison anymore, remembered Joseph. He talked to the King about him and the king ordered to bring Joseph in the palace. God had his plan for the faithful Joseph. He was a slave and a prisoner and finally he became a king!

The Thorn of Jealousy

  What is jealousy? It is the sadness we feel when someone is talented and successful. It is the thorn that pinches our heart when someone is better than us. If we don’t pull this weed up, our heart is going to bleed continuously. It is the gladness with our rivals’ unhappiness and the efforts to find ways to harm them. Jealousy can become envy.
  Jealousy=sadness for someone who is talented and successful.
  Envy=malicious pleasure in people’s misfortune.
  Does the thorn of jealousy pinch your heart?
  At home: The jealous kid is envious of his siblings because he thinks that his parents love them more than him. He believes that they give to them more and better toys and clothes and that they always satisfy all their desires. Then niggles and whines are heard: “Why should my brother come with us?” “You said that “me” was the one to go with you.” “You look after the baby all the time and you do not love me.” “You always buy everything for him….”
  At school: The jealous student dislikes his classmates when they are better students than him. Moreover, he hates the flag attendants and the kids who are praised by their teachers. Niggles and whines are heard again. Look… “The teacher is in favour of him”; “She always gets the leading role” or “Everyone likes her.”
  During the games: The jealous child is never happy. He always wants to be the leader, to be applauded and be admired by everyone. He always fights with the other kids and he says: “I am no longer playing with you.” Finally, envy destroys the jealous child because he is always unhappy. He easily blames others and sometimes he feels contempt for the person he is jealous of. He suffers when other people are praised and especially when he does not get the best. All in all, we corrupt ourselves with jealousy. Jealousy is like a snake which poisons the person who embraces it. Is there a medicine for jealousy? Yes, there are three medicines.
  The first medicine is love: Acts of love towards the person we are jealous of could be very helpful. For instance, try to speak kindly to him, support him in a very difficult situation or praise this person; then jealousy will fade.
  The second medicine is to pray: If I pray for the person I am jealous of, God will give his grace to free me from this passion.
  The third medicine is to develop our gifts and talents. The question is: “do all of us have gifts and talents? Yes, definitely we have”. God has given a lot of talents to all of us. For example, a student can be good at maths, another student can be skilled at music or at painting or one can be good at sports. Moreover, we can also develop some gifts like working hard, being helpful to others, be kind. So, instead of being jealous, let us discover and develop our own gifts. Then we will surely be satisfied.

Copyright © 2021 by Orthodox Christian Association «ΧΡΙΣΤΙΑΝΙΚΗ ΕΛΠΙΣ» ΟΡΘΟΔΟΞΗ ΑΔΕΛΦΟΤΗΤΑ. All rights reserved.

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