† B A R T H O L O M E W
By the Mercy of God Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome
and Ecumenical Patriarch
To the Plenitude of the Church
Grace and Peace be with you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ
together with our Prayer, Blessing and Forgiveness
Beloved brothers and sisters, children in the Lord,
The holy fathers, who arranged everything in an orderly manner, instituted a period of ascetic discipline and spiritual purification for forty days prior to the great feast of the Lord’s resurrection. This ascetic rule assumes the form of a limitation on foods through fasting, but especially an abstinence from evil. The saintly hymnographer characteristically emphasizes that a genuine and favorable form of fasting for God is the estrangement from wrongdoing, control of the tongue, alienation from anger, separation from evil desires, including gossip, deceit and swearing, restoration of justice, disengagement from passionate thoughts, fervent confession, cleansing of the conscience, “which there can be nothing more difficult,” refraining from “harmful passions, from envy and hatred, indeed from every wickedness,” shunning of “the mind’s perversion,” admission of transgressions. For “the Judge is close, at the door,” and he tries hearts and minds, since “He is everywhere present and fills all things.” (Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete)
The aim of bodily ascesis is the purification of the mind and its concentration on the love of our Lord and God, Jesus Christ, as well as on the love of our fellow human beings, which constitutes the evidence that we are disciples of the One who loves them. This love must be tangible, resulting in some sacrifice for them on our part. For love without offering the necessary material and spiritual goods to those whom we love is but an empty word. This is particularly true in our age of great moral and financial crisis, when those of us who can are obliged to offer assistance to our fellow human beings with gladness, love and respect. Only then will our joy in the Lord’s resurrection be complete, when our support for the least of His brothers, our own brothers and sisters, is complete. According to the honorable words of St. Basil the Great, “the man who loves his neighbor as himself possesses no more than his neighbor…thus, as much as your wealth increases, so much does your love decrease” (Homily to the Rich, PG 31.281B).
Unfortunately, the world believes that joy comes from gaining and possessing wealth, glory, positions and other pleasures. “There is nothing worse than a person who does not know how to love.” And “when you see someone who needs physical or spiritual healing, do not say to yourself: I wonder why this person was not healed by anyone. Simply heal that person of his or her illness, and do not seek to lay blame on others. If you anoint that person with the word of your teaching, like the oil of healing, if you cure that person with your good nature, restoring that person’s health with your patience, then that person will become the cause of the greatest treasure for you.” (See St. John Chrysostom, Homily 27 on 2 Corinthians and Homily 8 Against the Jews, PG 61.586-587 and PG 48.932-933). The truth is that the joy and satisfaction from offering love and material goods to our fellow human beings is incomparably greater. The conventional social understanding, which the young generation is taught as the most advantageous way of life, is greed and avarice. However, when such notions prevail, they create social turmoil and ultimately harm even those who acquire excessive wealth at the expense of others. The inevitable social division must be alleviated voluntarily by the offering of those who have to those who do not have, as our Lord explicitly teaches: “Let the person who has two garments give to another who has none” (Luke 3:11). It is only when we perceive our unity with all our fellow human beings, and especially the weak, will we journey through the period of Holy and Great Lent in a godly manner and receive the blessing of Christ.
During this year, which we have declared as “The Year of Global Solidarity,” particularly in light of the serious financial crisis in our world, we must all demonstrate greater concern for the consolation of our brothers and sisters who are deprived of the most elementary resources.
In this way, we shall enter “the arena of virtues that lies before us” in a devout manner and with spiritual progress, we will “enjoy the small coin,” “we will accept the just payment” and we will celebrate with fullness of joy the Holy Resurrection of our Lord, through which “life is truly oriented.” May His Grace and rich Mercy be with you all.
Holy and Great Lent 2013
Your fervent supplicant to God
† B A R T H O L O M E W
Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome,
and Ecumenical Patriarch
In Chinese:
2013 Catechetical Homily of Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew for the beginning of Great Lent in Chinese.
† B A R T H O L O M E W
By the Mercy of God Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome
and Ecumenical Patriarch
富足的教會
恩典與平安與你同在來自我們主及救世主耶穌基督以及我們的祈禱，祝福與寬恕
親愛兄弟姐妹,在主內的孩子們
神聖的神父們在合適的舉止與態度中安排好一切，主復活筵席之前制定了一個為期四十天的克修紀律和靈性得到淨化。這克修形式的規範須透過食物的齋戒，主要防治來自邪惡的慾望。聖潔的讚美詩強調並刻劃出真正有利的形式為神齋戒是遠離不道德的行為，控制舌頭，轉化憤怒，分辨出邪惡的慾望，包括八卦，欺騙及發誓，恢復正義，脫離情慾之念，熱切的悔改告解，清白的良知，“有什麼比這更困難的，”避免來自“有害的激情，嫉妒和仇恨，各種的惡行，”迴避“變態的思想，”承認過犯。因為“審判者已近在門口，”他試圖攻心為上，因為“他無處不在充滿所有的事情。” (Great Canon of St. Andrew of Crete)
克修身體的目的主要是淨化思想並能專注於愛我們的主，上帝，耶穌基督，以及對我們同胞的愛，在愛的架構下表明我們是合一中的門徒。這愛必須是實質的，我們願意為他們做些犧牲。至於愛若不願付出一些基本資源和靈性的幫助，對我們所愛的人只不過是一句空話。特別是當金融危機時在我們這世代訴說著崇高的道德，我們這些人有義務去支援我們的同胞一同歡樂，愛和被尊重。只有如此我們的喜悅在主的復活必是完整的，當我們支持祂最小弟兄們，我們自己的兄弟姐妹，才能完整的。根據聖徒大巴西略誠懇的告誡，“一個人愛他的鄰居不超過愛他自己的財富……因此，當你的財富增加多少，你的愛也減少多少” (Homily to the Rich, PG 31.281B)。
不幸的是，這世界總認為快樂來自於獲得和擁有財富，榮耀，頭銜和其他的享樂。“沒有比不知道如何去愛更糟糕的。”然而“當你看到有人需要身體或精神醫治，不要對自己說：我不知道為什麼別人不去醫治這人。基本上醫治那人他或她的疾病，而不是去尋找歸咎他人責任。如果你用訓誡為他傅油，如油的醫治，如果你醫治那人以你良善的本性，以你的耐心讓那人恢復健康，那麼這個人將成為你最偉大的寶藏。“(See St. John Chrysostom, Homily 27 on 2 Corinthians and Homily 8 Against the Jews, PG 61.586-587 and PG 48.932-933)。喜悅與滿足事實的真相是來自愛和物質的付出與幫助我們的同胞這是無比的偉大。世俗社會的體驗是，年輕一代被教育最利己的生存方式，是貪婪和貪慾。然而，當這觀念盛行，他們創造社會動盪及終極的迫害，甚至有些為了擴充自己的財富而犧牲其他人。不可避免的社會分工必須由那些擁有者由自願者提供給那些缺乏者讓他們得以舒緩，正如我們的主明確地教導：“有兩件衣裳的，就分給那沒有的”（路加福音3:11）。只有當我們感到與我們的同胞合一的時候，特別是與軟弱者，我們的旅程將透過神聖偉大的齋期並在敬虔態度並領受基督的祝福。
在這一年中，我們已宣告為“全球團結年，”尤其是考慮到世界金融危機的嚴重，我們都必須表現出最大的關懷安慰被剝奪了最基本資源的兄弟姐妹們。
藉由這種方式，我們將進入“競技場上我們將美德鋪上”以虔誠的態度與靈性的成長，我們將會“喜樂這小錢幣”，“我們將接受正義的酬勞”，我們將迎接豐盛喜悅我們的主神聖復活，透過“生命是真實的面向。”願祂的恩典和豐厚的憐憫與你們同在。
Holy and Great Lent 2013
Your fervent supplicant to God
† B A R T H O L O M E W
Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome,
and Ecumenical Patriarch
