Ss Cyril & Methodius Orthodox Church Ss Cyril & Methodius Orthodox Church
An Orthodox Christian community on the campus of UW-Madison
1020 Regent St
(Lower Level)
Madison, WI 53715

Weekly Services:

Vespers: 5:00 PM Saturday
Divine Liturgy: 9:30 AM Sunday

Confessions: before and after Saturday Vespers or by appointment.

www.madisonorthodox.com

Dear and Beloved Clergy and Faithful of our Holy Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA, South America, Western Europe and Australia-New Zealand and all our Brothers and Sisters in Ukraine,

CHRIST IS BORN!  LET US GLORIFY HIM!

Once again by the Grace of God, the Great Feast of the NATIVITY – INCARNATION of our Lord, God and Savior, Jesus Christ, is upon us. Even though it comes in wintertime, the joy it brings into our lives is much more like the joy we experience in spring when we witness the all the budding of nature’s beauty.  The Nativity fills us with joy without limits. “For there is born to us this day in the City of David (Bethlehem), a Savior, Who is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:11)

He is the promised One prophesized throughout the Old Testament, the One Who sustains all.  He is born of the Ever-Virgin Mary as a humble infant so that He might make us children of God.  He is the Son of God Who descends from Heaven in order to lift all humanity up to Heaven – to grant us eternal life “for it pleased the Father that in Him all fullness should dwell and by Him to reconcile all things to Himself”. (Colossians 1:19-20)   Today Angels and all mankind proclaim the spiritual song of the Nativity Canon: “Christ is born!  Glorify Him! Christ has come from the Heavens! Welcome Him!  Christ is on Earth!  Exult Him!

It is sad to observe throughout this, our earthly world, a loss of relationship with God in the Holy Trinity.  We have, however, another opportunity to change this estrangement into fullness of reconciliation with Father, Son and Holy Spirit – by opening our hearts, minds and souls to the Good News of the Nativity.  We have the opportunity to relate to Emmanuel – “God with us” and to follow His lead into Heaven!  We who live in the great democracies of the world, have the opportunity to witness to the never-ending power of God, manifested to us in fullness of love – through the incarnation of His Son.

In Ukraine, however, and too many other nations around the world suffering invasion, repression and domination from beyond their borders, our brothers and sisters struggle each day to also witness - even at the darkest of times.  They struggle to hear the Nativity Carols sung in their churches, their neighborhoods and in their own homes, but often the loudness of the bombs that rain down upon those homes, neighborhoods and churches drown out the beautiful carols glorifying the Christ Child, filling their lives with fear and pain. 

As we gather together on the Eve of Nativity with all our loved ones present, we MUST remember in our prayers before Holy Supper, along with our family ancestors, all those who have suffered and perished over the last two years – simply because of greed and covetousness in those who have attempted for centuries to usurp our spirituality, our history, our culture and our very identity.  We MUST also pray for those who still suffer under daily threats to their very existence, beseeching that the comfort and Love of the Christ Child will fill and warm their hearts even under the worst of circumstances.

We assure you, our spiritual children, of our continued prayers for each and every one of you during these holy Nativity days.  May the Love of the Christ Child fill your homes and your lives in such an abundance that it cannot be contained but spread through you into the lives of all who need that Love – and you – to make their lives whole. 

 In our Lord’s All-Encompassing Love,

+Antony, Metropolitan

+Jeremiah, Archbishop

+Daniel, Archbishop

+ B A R T H O L O M E W

By God’s Mercy, Archbishop of Constantinople-New Rome and Ecumenical Patriarch

to All the Plenitude of the Church

Grace, Mercy, and Peace from the Saviour Christ Born in Bethlehem

 

Most honorable brother hierarchs,

Beloved children in the Lord,

With the grace of God, we are once again this year celebrating in chant, hymn, and spiritual song the Nativity according to the flesh of the pre-eternal Son and Word of God, namely the manifestation of the mystery of God and humankind. According to St. Nicholas Cabasilas, what occurs in the Divine Liturgy is “the mystagogy of the Lord’s incarnation,” while its introductory acclamation “Blessed is the Kingdom of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” is evidence “that it is through the Lord’s incarnation that people first learned that God is three persons.”[1] The same saintly Father proclaims that our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ was the first and only to demonstrate the authentic and perfect human being, concerning His ethos, life, and everything else.”[2]

The assumption of human nature in the person of the Son and Word of God, along with the opening of the way of human deification through grace, add unsurpassable value to humankind. Forgetting this truth leads to the diminishment of respect for the human person. The denial of the supreme destiny of human beings does not only liberate them, but also leads to diverse reductions and divisions. Without being conscious of their divine origin and their hope for eternity, humans struggle to remain human and are unable to handle the contradictions of the “human condition.”

The Christian perception of human existence provides a solution to problems created by violence, war, and injustice in our world. Respect for the human person, peace, and justice are gifts from God; however, establishing the peace that comes from Christ demands the participation and cooperation of human beings. The Christian view on the struggle for peace lies in the words of Christ our Savior, who proclaims peace, addressing His disciples with the greeting “Peace be with you” and encouraging us to love our enemies.[3] The revelation in Christ is called the “gospel of peace.”[4]

This means that, for us Christians, the way to peace is through peace and that non-violence, dialogue, love, forgiveness, and reconciliation have priority before other forms of resolving differences. The theology of peace is clearly described in the Ecumenical Patriarchate’s document For the Life of the World: Toward a Social Ethos of the Orthodox Church (2020):

Nothing is more contrary to God’s will for His creatures fashioned in His image and likeness than violence one against another . . . We may justly say that violence is sin par excellence. It is the perfect contradiction of our created nature and our supernatural vocation to seek union in love with God and our neighbour. . . Peace is a real revelation of the still deeper reality of creation as God intends it and as God fashioned it in his eternal counsels.[5]

Peace cannot be taken for granted; it is not self-evident. It is an obligation, an achievement, and an incessant struggle to preserve it. There are no automatic solutions or permanent recipes. In the face of ongoing threats to peace, we need to have vigilance and willingness to resolve problems through dialogue. The great heroes of politics are the champions of peace. As for us, we continue to underline the peacemaking role of religion. This is during a time when religions are criticized for nurturing fanaticism and violence “in the name of God” instead of being forces of peace, solidarity, and reconciliation. However, this indicates an alienation of religious faith and not an integral part of it. Genuine faith in God is the harshest critic of religious fanaticism. Religions are the natural allies of all human beings who strive for peace, justice, and the preservation of creation from human destruction.

This year, the world honours the 75th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (December 10, 1948), constituting a summary of fundamental humanitarian ideals and values, “the shared standard, to which all peoples and all nations should aim.” Human rights, whose central point of focus includes the protection of human dignity with its individual, social, cultural, economic, and ecological conditions, are only understood in their original dynamics if they are acknowledged as the basis and criterion of global peace, associating it with freedom and justice. In this sense, the future of human rights and peace is also linked to the contribution of religions in the matter of respecting them and making them a reality.

With these thoughts and festive sentiments, in full conviction that the life of the Church in itself comprises resistance against inhumanity, wherever such inhumanity arises, we invite all of you to the good fight of constructing a culture of peace and solidarity, where people will see in the face of their fellow human beings a brother or sister and a friend, rather than a threat and enemy. Moreover, we remind you all, dear brother Hierarchs and children, that Christmas is a time of self-consciousness and thanksgiving, of the revelation of the difference between the God-man and “man-god,” of the realization of the “great miracle” of freedom in Christ and of the healing of the “great wound” of alienation from God. Finally, we kneel respectfully before Mary, the Mother of God, who bears in her arms the incarnate Word, and we convey to you the blessing of the Mother Holy Great Church of Christ, wishing you an auspicious, healthy, fruitful, peaceful, and joyous new year of the Lord’s favour.

Christmas 2023

+ Bartholomew of Constantinople

Your fervent supplicant of all before God

++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

[1] On the Divine Liturgy XII, PG 150.392D.

[2] On the Life of Christ VI, PG 150.680C.

[3] Cf. Mt. 5:44

[4] Eph. 6:44

[5] § 42, 43 and 44.

By the age of 25, about 60% of those baptized as infants will no longer consider themselves members of the Orthodox Church. A parish on a university campus is an important witness not only to the surrounding community but also to high school age and younger parishioner. Establishing a parish on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Madison helps remind young people that graduating high school doesn't mean "graduating" from the Church. Please consider joining those who have committed their time, treasure and talent in establishing an Orthodox community on the Isthmus. Help us reach your children and grandchildren with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

By the age of 25, about 60% of those baptized as infants will no longer consider themselves members of the Orthodox Church. A parish on a university campus is an important witness not only to the surrounding community but also to high school age and younger parishioner. Establishing a parish on the campus of the University of Wisconsin-Madison helps remind young people that graduating high school doesn't mean "graduating" from the Church. Please consider joining those who have committed their time, treasure and talent in establishing an Orthodox community on the Isthmus. Help us reach your children and grandchildren with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
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