The last Christmas message of December 2007, of the blessed Archbishop of Athens and all Greece Mr. Christodoulou. ➤ Subscribe to the channel and press the ???? to be automatically notified of new posts: / @theuncutmountain ➤ Facebook: / Oros-Alatomiton-102866461464159 ➤ Instagram: / theuncutmountain ➤ Pinterest: / theuncutmountain Dear Children, "Be ye saved today" . This phrase, addressed by the Angel to the shepherds of Bethlehem on the night of the Nativity, I am afraid that we have heard it so many times that it no longer makes much of an impression on us. Despite this, the Church does not tire of repeating it even today, calling all of us, people of the 21st century, to welcome our Savior, there in the stable of Bethlehem, God made flesh of love, in our hearts, in our homes, in our cities, in the our homelands. Everywhere. Of course, this phrase is addressed today to an arrogant and proud man of his technological conquests, the man who was bred by the 20th century, and projected by the 21st. The man of the abundance of means, of the successes of his science, but also of spiritual atrophy, the inner void, and the lack of shared experience that requires logical foundations in matters of faith. Man today seems to be bereft of inspiration, of hope, a prisoner of his conquests, a victim of his progress, burdened with a hopeless prospect for his future. The Angel's phrase is heard again today like a wake-up call. It is as if he is calling the man of the 21st century to wake up from the lethargy of utilitarian euphoria and the ravings of his fictitious self-sufficiency. "Wake up, 21st century man." The Savior challenges and also invites each one of us to reconsider his course, to regain his freedom, to see the spectrum of his life again through the brilliant light of His Truth. "Wake up, 21st century man." Your achievements lulled you to sleep and you thought you had conquered the world. You also degraded these holy and loyal ones. You considered them myths and legends that feed the imagination of small children, with no counterpart in your personal existential entity. But look around you. Fratricidal wars, hunger and disease for the weak, violation of human dignity, corruption, scandals, disintegration of the unity of the human race, absence of love, dominance of interests. You have prepared such a world for your children, where this nature also sighs and complains about your abuses. Of course, there were no islands of hope. But they are tragically few, demonstrably insufficient. Christmas is primarily about our souls. Faith in the Savior saves and gives meaning to our lives. It leads to the empirical palpation of the interpretation of the event. With humiliation but also freedom. The consequences follow. Hope, light, struggle, humanity. Christ the Savior challenges and inspires us to become human and free ourselves from the bonds of inner worldism and alienation. And this path many, countless multitudes of believers consistently follow. I am happy when I visit the parishes of the Archdiocese and other Metropolitans in the Province to see how many, including young people, find their way to faith again. The phenomenon is amazing. If I point this out, it is because it is useful to maintain within you the hope that the world of phenomena hides within and behind it another more vivid reality that only those who can and want to see it. Jesus Christ is not a myth, nor a folklore game. Ultimately if the baby in the manger is God who became man - and this depends on the quality of our Faith - then this God is man's hope of freedom from the fate of mortality, a guarantee of immortality, a guarantee of relationship with God, true salvation. Merry Christmas, Happy New Year! After paternal wishes and love THE ARCHBISHOP CHRISTODOULOS 20/12/2007 #χριστοδουλος #χριστουγεννα #αθηνωνχριστοδουλος #αρχιεπισκοπος