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From Metropolitan Vitaly
Christmas Epistle CHRIST IS BORN! GLORIFY HIM! I greet you all on this joyous and great festival. The Almighty God Himself becomes a man - the God-man, in order to console us with His Divine compassion in the often grievous lot of our earthly life. In the Old Testament we were given very simple commandments - not to kill, not to steal, not to indulge our passions of the flesh, and so on. In the New Testament the Lord gives us the commandments in the Beatitudes, which we proclaim when we sing them at every Liturgy: "Blessed are the poor in spirit..." Finally, in the First Epistle to the Thessalonians, the Holy Apostle Paul puts before us further new commandments relating to our daily spiritual conduct: "Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. For every thing give thanks. For this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you" (Ch. 5 16-18). "Without ceasing" can have no other meaning than "to pray without ever stopping." We are left with the question - how can we pray without ceasing? With the mind? No, because our mind soon becomes tired and stops praying. However, it is precisely with the mind that this real labour must begin. Seeing our labours, the Lord in a miraculous fashion draws this prayer down into the heart, which is the source of man's spiritual energy, and then the whole man prays. The Holy Fathers affirm that the Lord Jesus Christ Himself prays together with us to His Heavenly Father, "Who is greater than Me." This is the real school of prayer. I wish for all of you to enter this Great School, where through prayer the Lord Himself will teach all things. This is the Highest School of all schools and admission to it is always open to everyone. I should also greet all of you with the second millennium of the existence of the Church of Christ on earth. Our Lord Jesus Christ never founded such a thing as "Christianity," but He established His Church, and He promised that it would remain unassailable and invincible until His dread Second Coming. In other words, the members of this Church are the true Christians. And this means that the whole spiritual meaning of our earthly life is this, that we should be and abide in this Church of Christ, which is my heartfelt wish to all of you. Amen.
Metropolitan Vitaly
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Митрополитъ Витал?й
Рождественское Посланiе ХРИСТОСЪ РАЖДАЕТЯ! СЛАВИТЕ! Поздравляю вс?хъ съ этимъ радостнымъ и Великимъ Праздникомъ. Самъ всемогущiй Богъ сод?лывается ?елов?комъ-Бого?елов?комъ, ?тобы насъ ут?шить Своимъ Божественнымъ состраданiемъ въ нашей ?асто пе?альной у?асти земной жизни. Намъ въ Ветхомъ Зав?т? даны о?ень простые запов?ди - не убивать, не красть, не блудить и т.д. Въ Новомъ Зав?т? Господь преподаетъ намъ запов?ди Блаженства, о которыхъ мы изв?щаемъ, поя на каждой Литургiи - «Блаженни нищiи духомъ ... ». И наконецъ, въ Первомъ Посланiи къ 1/2ессалоникiйцамъ, Св. Апостолъ Павелъ намъ предлагаетъ еще новые запов?ди ежедневнаго нашего духовнаго поведенiя - «всегда радуйтесь, непрестанно молитесь, за все благодарите: ибо такова о васъ воля Божiя во Христе Iисус?» (5 гл. 16-18). Непрестанно другого смысла не им?етъ какъ не переставая молиться. Остается вопросъ, какъ можно непрестанно молиться? Умомъ?! Нетъ, т.к. нашъ умъ скоро устаетъ и прекращаетъ молиться. Однако этотъ настоящий трудъ необходимо на?ать именно съ ума. Видя, ?то мы трудимся, Господь ?удеснымъ образомъ эту молитву спускаетъ къ нашему сердцу, этому исто?нику духовной энергiи ?елов?ка, и тогда весь ?елов?къ молится. И утверждаютъ Свв. Отцы, ?то Самъ Господь Iисусъ Христосъ молится съ нами Своему Отцу Небесному, «Который бол?е Мене есть». Это и есть настоящая школа молитвы. Желаю вс?мъ вступить в эту Великую Школу, а ?ерез молитву Самъ Господь всему нау?итъ. Это Высшая Школа вс?хъ школъ и входъ въ Нее всегда открыт каждому. С?итаю своимъ долгомъ поздравить также вс?хъ съ двухтыся?ел?тiемъ существованiя на земл? Церкви Христовой. Господь нашъ Iисусъ Христосъ никогда никакого «христiанства» не создавалъ, но основалъ Свою Церковь, и об?товалъ Ей несокрушимость, непоб?димость до Своего Страшнаго Второго Пришествiя. Другими словами, ?лены этой Церкви и суть настоящiе христiане. И это зна?итъ, ?то весь духовный смыслъ нашей земной жизни - быть и пребывать въ этой Церкви Христовой, ?его и желаю Вамъ отъ всего сердца. Аминь. Митрополитъ Виталiй
Рождество Христово
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