Magyar Egyház, 2005 (84. évfolyam, 1-4. szám)

2005-10-01 / 4. szám

6. oldal

MAGYAR EGYHÁZ

Christmas Eve Prayer

Midnight has cleared before our very eyes, and your holy Child is bringing an uncommon light into the world. Thanks be to you, O God, who knows so well the way of light and darkness and assures us of the light. Thanks be to you, O God, who knows the power of the small, the bliss of Bethlehem, the extraordinary of the ordinary. Here you come, in normal time, to do a marvelous thing.

Joy has come to the world; peace has come on earth; we need worry no more. Immanuel, God be with us, we have prayed for so long, and now God is here. In the serendipity and surprise of a Child, in the wonder of two young parents, in the wisdom of sages and the humility of shepherds, in innkeepers who make room when there is no room, in all these narratives and more, we know your presence among us.

For the choice of a Child to save us, we praise your holy

name.

Let this night contain the kind of memory that lasts. Candlelight, greens, mangers far away - let each remind us of you as the year progresses. Let each straw in the manger represent a holy respect for you, that borne by millions around the world this sacred night. Blend our hearts with those everywhere who rejoice in your time and your coming into our time.

Word is among us and we are given the gift of Light.

Let the people join together in glad "AMEN!"

Catholics, Protestants Urged to Meditate During Christmas Season

Pope Benedict XVI on Sunday urged Catholics to avoid the commercialization of Christmas and suggested that assembling the Nativity scene at home is an effective way of presenting the faith to children. "In today's consumer society, this time is unfortunately subjected to a sort of commercial 'pollution' that is in danger of altering its true spirit, which is characterized by meditation, sobriety and by a joy that is not exterior but intimate," the pope said. The commercialization of the holiday season has been a concern for Catholics and Protestants alike, with many denominations urging members to reflect on the suffering of Christ throughout Advent. The Presbyterian Church U.S.A. and the United Methodist Church have made available day-by-day advent resources for online for ministers to use at church and parents to use at home. PCUSA's advent calendar even includes special suggestions on how to share the Christmas story with children. Meanwhile, Pope Benedict had a different suggestion: "Assembling the Nativity scene... helps us contemplate the mystery of the love of God, which is revealed to us in the poverty and simplicity of the grotto in Bethlehem"

The Christian Post

INTERNATIONAL THEOLOGICAL DIALOGUE BETWEEN THE ORTHODOX CHURCH AND THE WORLD ALLIANCE OF REFORMED CHURCHES

The ninth session of the International Theological Dialogue between the Orthodox Church and the World Alliance of Reformed Churches was held in Dhour Choueir Evangelical Conference Center of the Presbyterian Synod of Syria and Lebanon, in the Metn district of Lebanon, from October 13-19, 2005.

The meeting was jointly chaired by His Eminence Metropolitan Panteleimon Rodopoulos of Tyroloe and Serention, of the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, and the Very Rev. Prof. Iain Torrance, of the Church of Scotland, President of Princeton Theological Seminary, USA.

The general themes of this dialogue, officially started in 1988, follow the articles of the Creed of Nicea-Constantinople; and are approached in the light of the teachings of the Fathers of the Church as well as the historic Confessions of the Reformed Churches. The main theme of the present session was "The Catholicity and Mission of the Church".

On the topic of the catholicity of the church, papers were successively presented by Prof. Dr. Dawn DeVries (Reformed, Richmond, USA) and by Prof. Christos Voulgaris (Orthodox, Athens, Greece). Papers on the Orthodox and Reformed understanding of koinonia or communion were read by the Protopresbyter Prof. George Dragas (Orthodox, Boston, USA) and by Rev. Dr. Karel Blei (Reformed, Haarlem, the Netherlands). The mission of the church was the theme of papers presented by Fr. Prof. Dórin Oancea (Orthodox, Sibiu, Romania) and by Prof. Phee-seng Kang (Reformed, Hong Kong, China).

The participants prayed together according to their respective traditions. On Sunday, October 16, the Orthodox delegation attended the divine liturgy celebrated at the St. George Orthodox Church in Jdeideh near Beirut, while the Reformed delegation worshipped with the Beirut Church of the National Evangelical Union of Lebanon. On the same day, the National Evangelical Church of Beirut hosted a reception in honour of the two delegations. In attendance were members of the Lebanese government and parliament, and the Orthodox Metropolitan of Beirut with his clergy, as well as representatives of the Reformed Churches in Lebanon headed by the president of the Supreme Council of the Evangelical Community of Syria and Lebanon. The Greek Catholic (Melkite) and Armenian Orthodox bishops of Beirut were also in attendance. Representatives of the Maronite, Anglican, and Baptist Churches, the general secretary of the Middle East Council of Churches, the president and dean of the Near East School of Theology, the Arab Baptist Seminary, and the Secretary of the Middle East Desk of the World Council of Churches were also present.

The Orthodox delegation came from: The Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople (Metropolitan Panteleimon Rodopoulos of Tyroloe and Serention), (Protopresbyter Prof. George Dragas), the Patriarchate of Alexandria (Metropolitan Makarios of Kenya and Eirenoupolis), Patriarchate of Antioch (Exarchos Fr. George Dimas), Patriarchate of Moscow (Fr. Igor Vyzhanov), Patriarchate of Belgrade (Fr. Prof. Zoran Krstic), Patriarchate of Bucharest (Fr. Prof. Dórin Oancea), the Church of Cyprus (the