The Day extends sincere greetings to all its readers on New Year and Christmas. Most Christians in the world celebrate Christmas on Dec. 25, according to the Gregorian calendar. Approximately two billion people of various nationalities, including Catholics and Protestants, as well as a considerable number of Orthodox believers who belong to the Constantinople, Antiochian, Alexandrian, Bulgarian, Greek, Polish, Czech and other churches, celebrate on this date.
On Christmas, the Archbishop of Constantinople and Ecumenical Patriarch, Bartholomew I, addressed all the churches and called for “the Blessings, Grace, and Peace of Christ, our Savior born in Bethlehem in poverty in order to show that power, fame, and material benefits in which humankind seeks joy and salvation are not the true sources of joy. But people did not accept this love and failed to respond with love. As a result, we have around us a world of uninterrupted confrontations, hatred, and bloodshed. Despite everything, Jesus Christ awaits his rebirth in everyone’s hearts — to instill in us a feeling of the importance and significance of life.”
The Catholic world is also ready for the great feast. Switching on the lights of a huge Christmas tree on St. Peter’s Square, Pope Benedict XVI said, “The Christmas tree is the sign of Christ’s light. It calls upon man to let joy, light, and love for Jesus into his heart.” The pontiff urged all people to bestow joy, kindness, and love on one another. “For joy, a sincere Christmas gift, does not require too much time or money. Each of us can bring joy to others by showing grace, and then joy will return to you,” he said.
Merry Christmas to you, our fellow countrymen!
