HOW CAN WE HAVE FAITH IN OUR LEADERS WHO DO NOT HAVE THE FEAR OF GOD IN THEM?

Έγκύκλιος τού Μητροπολίτου Μεσογαίας & Λαυρεωτικής Νικόλαος

Άγαπητοί μου άδελφοί, Χριστός Άνέστη,

Ήδη πέρασαν τρείς έβδομάδες άπό τό Πάσχα, άπό τήν έορτήν τής άληθινής πανηγύρεως καί τής αύθεντικής είρήνης καί βρισκόμαστε πάλιν μπροστά στήν πρόκλησιν πολλαπλών αύτήν τήν φοράν έκλογών. Ό πασχαλινός έορτασμός λαμπροφόρος, γεμάτος φώς καί χαρά.  Ή πραγματικότης όμως καί πάλιν είναι ζοφερή.  Ή καθημερινότητα είναι δυσβάσταχτη, οί προοπτικές είναι άμφίβολες, οί έλπίδες είναι έξανεμισμένες, οί έπιλογές είναι περιορισμένες.  Είναι κρίση πρωτοφανής, προβλήματα τεράστια, πολιτευτές πολλές, ίκανές όμως ήγέτες έλάχιστοι, ό λαός είναι βουλιαγμένος σέ σύγχυσιν καί άθυμίαν.  Έχομεν φτώχεια, έξουθενωτικά μέτρα, άνεργία, θλίψις, αίσθησις άδιεξόδου.

Κάποιοι ίσχυρίζονται ότι βλέπουν φώς.  Μάλιστα έπαγγέλλονται σωτήριες λύσεις.  Οί ύποψήφιοι ύπόσχονται.  Τά όνόματά τών ποικίλων παρατάξεων δίνουν μίαν είκόνα αίσιοδοξίας.  Ήμείς όμως, ό λαός, άκόμη ύποφέρομεν.  Αύτό πού βλέπομεν μάς πονάει.  Αύτό πού φανταζόμαστε μάς τρομάζει.  Αύτή είναι ή όρατή είκόνα τής κρίσεως, αύτό πού φαίνεται.  Στήν πραγματικότητα άντιλαμβανόμαστε ότι ή κρίσις είναι πνευματική.  Έδώ είναι τό πρόβλημα.  Δι’ αύτό καί οί έλπίδες μας είναι μόνον πνευματικές. Αύτό σημαίνει ότι καί τά κριτήριά μας καί οί πολιτικές μας έπιλογές καί ή ψήφος μας πρέπει νά έχουν βασικά πνευματικό ύπόβαθρο.  Άλήθεια, πώς νά ψηφίσομεν έναν άνθρωπον δίχως άρετήν καί τόλμην;  Πώς νά έμπιστευθόμεν ήγέτες δίχως σοβαρότητα καί άρχές, δίχως φόβο Θεού καί σεβασμό στήν ίστορίαν, δίχως εύαισθησία πίστεως, δίχως σταθερές καί άξίες;  Άν σέ τέτοιους έμπιστευθόμεν τήν ψήφον μας, άμαρτάνομεν.

Dear People,

This is a small portion of an encyclical issued by Metropolitan Nicholas Archbishop of Mesagaias and Lavreotikis, Greece.  It is a spiritual appeal to the faithful of Greece to vote for people who have profound spiritual values.  It is an appeal for people to vote for people with strong spiritual moorings that will guide their decisions for the benefit of the people and a country that has gone terribly astray.  He is truly one of the outstanding younger spiritual leaders of Greece who understands the spiritual issues that have led Greece astray.  This encyclical along with the way Vladimir Putin recently received the Relic of the Holy Mother in St. Petersburg, Russia is a revealing insight into the profound spiritual struggle that is taking place throughout the world.  Metropolitan Nicholas has been tonsured a monk of the Orthodox Church.  He is highly educated first starting off in life as a physicist in Greece and then taking PhD graduate studies in the USA.  He has degrees from Harvard and MIT.  He is also a graduate of our seminary of Hellenic College/Holy Cross School of Theology in Brookline, MA.  He is a highly motivated religious leader of Greece and will surely lead the battle to save the soul of Orthodox Greece.

HOW CAN WE HAVE FAITH IN OUR LEADERS WHO DO NOT 
HAVE THE FEAR OF GOD IN THEM?



Dear Faithful, Christ Is Risen,

Already three months have passed since Pascha, since that time when we celebrated that true and authoritative celebration of peace.  We now find ourselves again on the verge of the challenge of an important election.  The paschal celebration was full of light and joy.  But the reality of life again is gloomy.  Daily life is hard to endure.  The future is unsure.  Hope has been destroyed and our choices are limited.  It is a crisis of unprecedented proportions with huge problems.  We have many politicians but few leaders.   The people are overwhelmed with confusion and distress.  There is poverty of disgraceful dimensions.  There is unemployment.  There is grief and feelings of no way out of the dilemma.  

Some people claim that they see the light.  In fact they proclaim solutions of salvation.  The candidates make all kinds of promises.  The names of the many political parties project an image of optimism.  But we, the people, are still suffering. That which we see hurts us terribly.  That which we see before us terrifies us.  This is the visible image of the crisis.  This is what we see.  In truth, we understand that the crisis is one of a spiritual nature.  And this is where the problem is found.  This is why our hope is found in our faith.  This means that whatever our criteria might be and whatever our political choices might be, our vote must be based on spiritual values.  In truth, how can we vote for a man who does not have virtue and strength?  How can we entrust ourselves to leaders who are not serious about solutions and are not virtuous?  How can we vote for people of do not have the fear of God in them and do not respect our history.  How can we vote for people who are not sensitive to faith, without a firm sense of morality?  If we vote for such people then our vote is sinful.



+Fr. Constantine (Charles) J. Simones, May 16, 2014, Waterford, CT, USA, cjsimones300@gmail.com