In an article* published on the occasion of the beginning of the new year, Archbishop Ieronymos of Athens and All Greece offers a profound reflection on time, human responsibility, and the meaning of life in the light of the feast of Christmas.
As he notes, “the beginning of each new year always becomes an occasion for reflection and good wishes,” since it is memories, goals, and dreams that transform objective time into personal and lived experience. According to the Archbishop, time becomes meaningful when a person takes distance from the fleeting moment and “welcomes the world into the soul,” sharing with others the vision of a transformed reality.
Referring to the new year, he describes it as “a fabric of possibilities,” in which hopes and wishes contend with “the advance of evil upon the canvas of human history.” Quoting the Alexandrian poet, he recalls that “the days of the future stand before us like a row of lit candles,” while past days remain behind us, emphasizing that the flow of time always acquires meaning in relation to the person who looks forward or backward.
The Archbishop makes special reference to the feast of Christmas, which, as he underlines, “reveals the God-Man and offers us the archetype of humanity, the true human being.” Our relationship with Christ, he explains, teaches us “how truth and life are incarnated” and, ultimately, how death is overcome.
In the humble Infant of Bethlehem, who is at the same time “the Victor of history,” the values upon which we wish to build our civilization acquire real substance. Within this perspective, even dark moments or situations where human capabilities reach their limits can reveal meaning in human life.
In the spiritual tradition of the Church, the Archbishop emphasizes, time can become kairos, that is, an opportunity for a living relationship between humanity and God. He recalls the biblical words, “Behold, now is the acceptable time; behold, now is the day of salvation,” stressing the importance of the present as the only moment available to humanity in which to work “the mystery of its own salvation and the salvation of the world.”
The Archbishop calls for the uniting of forces for a better world, through participation in common actions that promote human well-being, justice, and equality. He warns of the dangers of human self-interest when it uses new technology as a tool, as well as of narcissism that “seeks to impose itself arbitrarily and to disdain the natural order.”
In conclusion, he expresses the wish that “the new year may find us in spiritual vigilance, in a state of watchfulness,” praying to the Lord Jesus Christ to bless every good effort, to enlighten leaders for the benefit of their peoples, to grant health and blessings to every person, and “especially to bless our homeland.”
*The article was originally published in the newspaper Eleftheros Typos. / Translated by: Konstantinos Menyktas
