ST.

NICHOLAS ALBANIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH

ECUMENICAL PATRIARCHATE
SHRINEOFTHEHOLY VIRGIN MARY
2701 NORTH NARRAGANSETT AVENUE CHICAGO, IL 60639 773-889-4282
stnicholasalbanianchicago.org

The Nativity of Our Lord and Savior

Jesus Christ
December 25th, 2016
 Epistle Reading
St. Paul's Letter to the Galatians 4:4-7
Prokeimenon. Mode Plagal 1.
Psalm 65.4,1
Let all the earth worship you,
and sing praises to you.
Verse: Shout with joy to God,
all the earth.
Gospel Reading
The Nativity of Our Lord and Savior, Jesus
Christ
The Gospel according to Matthew 2:1-12
Now when Jesus was born in
Bethlehem of Judea in the days of
Herod the king, behold, wise men
from the East came to Jerusalem,
saying, "Where is he who has been born king of the
Jews? For we have seen his star in the East, and have
come to worship him." When Herod the king heard this,
he was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him; and
assembling all the chief priests and scribes of the
people, he inquired of them where the Christ was to be
born. They told him, "In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it is
written by the prophet: 'And you, O Bethlehem, in the
land of Judah, are by no means least among the rulers
BRETHREN, when the time had fully come, God sent
forth his Son, born of woman, born under the law, to
redeem those who were under the law, so that we
might receive adoption as sons. And because you are
sons, God has sent the Spirit of his Son into our hearts,
crying, "Abba! Father!" So you are no longer a slave but
a son, and if a son then also an heir of God through
Christ.
of Judah; for from you shall come a ruler who will
govern my people Israel.'"
Then Herod summoned the wise men secretly
and ascertained from them what time the star
appeared; and he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, "Go
and search diligently for the child, and when you have
found him bring me word, that I too may come and
worship him." When they had heard the king they went
their way; and lo the star which they had seen in the
East went before them, till it came to rest over the place
where the child was. When they saw the star, they
rejoiced exceedingly with great joy; and going into the
house they saw the child with Mary his mother, and
they fell down and worshiped him. Then, opening their
treasures, they offered him gifts, gold and frankincense
and myrrh. And being warned in a dream not to return
to Herod, they departed to their own country by
another way.
Kristi Kristo Krista
Kristian Kriselda Agllai
Ignati Juliana Themistokli
Faviani Naumi Evgjenia
Irmina Adela Anastasia
 MESSAGES FROM Fr. KOSTANDIN
FR KOSTANDIN AND PARISH COUNCIL LADIES AUXILIARY FOR
EXTEND THEIR WARMEST THANKS TO
ORGANIZING IT AND ALL SPONSORS AND PARISHIONERS WHO PARTICIPATED AND SUPPORTED 2016S ST.
NICHOLAS DINNER DANCE FUNDRAISING EVENT.

THIS YEAR WE WILL CONTINUE OUR CHURCHS OLD TRADITION

OF CELEBRATING THE NEW YEAR'S EVE IN THE CHURCH HALL.
ALL PARISHIONERS ARE WELCOMED TO PARTICIPATE.
Ask Fr. Kostandin for details

WE WILL START IN OUR CHURCH THE OLD TRATITION KONIZMAT - ICON AUCTION
I am delighted to announce that this January our
parish will start to celebrate a stewardship tradition that
comes from our old country called: the icon auction or
Konizmat.
The practice stems from a time when Albania and the
Orthodox Church were under Ottoman (Turkish) suzerainty
(1468-1912). In the period between the 17th and 19th
century the local pasha came up with a particularly
oppressive means to tax the local parish. When parishes
could not (or would not) pay the yearly tax, the pasha, or his
minions, took whatever items were in the church and held
them for ransom from the faithful. Items ranged from the
sacred vessels to the icons.
The practice was carried over into the other Albanian
Orthodox Churches in United States as a means of
challenging the faithful by the words of the Gospel: Where
your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
As in many Albanian-American Orthodox
communities, in our parish this stewardship practice will be in
the form of an auction, where members of the community
bid on the the icons and Holly Cross in an open forum.
Participants will be standing members of St Nicholas
Church who will have to submit silent bids with the highest
bid, or the earliest bid in case of a tie, gets to take the item
home on the last Sunday of January, and keep it there until
the first Sunday of Great Lent, where this unique custom from
Albania is integrated into the Orthodox celebration of
Orthodoxy Sunday the universal Orthodox celebration of
the restoration of icons by the Seventh Ecumenical Council
(787), as affirmed in their full return in 843.
On the Sunday of Orthodoxy, the persons who took
their icon home return it in the triumphal and moving
procession of the Great Entrance connecting their
stewardship gift with the Holy and Sacrificial Gifts of wine
and bread.
May the blessings of the Lord be with you.
With Love in Christ, Father Kostandin

LINDJA E KRISHTIT
LAJM SHPTIMI PR
NJERIUN
Commemorated on December 24th
Sipas shkrimit te Arkimandrit Kozma
Sovjani n NGJALLJA, Dhjetor 2016
Historiku i kremtimit t Krishtlindjes
Kjo e kremte e madhe e Krishterimit, e njohur me
emrin Epifania, deri nshek. IV festohej s bashku me
Pagzimin e Krishtit, m 6 Janar. Nga fundi ishek. IV, Epifania
filloi t ndahej n festat e tjera, si ishin: Lindja e Krishtit
(25Dhjetor), Mbledhja e Hyjlindses (26 Dhjetor),
Rrethprerja e Zotit (1 Janar) dhe Pagzimi i Krishtit (6 Janar).
N Perndim, n Rom, rreth vitit 354, filloi t kremtohej pr
her t parm 25 Dhjetor Krishtlindja ve nga Epifania.
Shkaku kryesor ishte se n kt dat idhujtart festonin
lindjen e diellit t pamposhtur (lat. Dies Natalis Solis Invicti).
Me shum kuptim dhe urtsi Kisha paraqiti si kontrast
Lindjen e Krishtitsi Dielli i Drejtsis (Prlshorja e
Krishtlindjes...Ty t t falen, Diellit t Drej-tsis ), q sht vazhdonin t shkujdesur jetn e tyre me ritmete saj, brenda
Dielli dhe Drita e vrtet, i Cili, me ardhjen e Tij, ndrioi gjith
njerzit q ndodheshin nn hijen e vdekjes. Ky lloj festimi,
prve Armenis, ku ende edhe sot festojn bashk m 6
Janar Epifanin (Lindjen dhe Pagzimin), gradualisht u
prhap edhe n Lindje. Fillimisht, nga shn Vasili i Madh e
Grigor Theologu, hyri para vitit 379 n krahinn e
Kapadokis; pastaj n Konstandinopojnga Grigor Theologu,
pas vitit 380; n Siri nga shn Joan Gojarti m 386; n
Egjiptrreth vitit 430 n kohn e shn Kirilit t Aleksandris e
nga mesi i shek. V derin dekadat e para t shek. VI n
Jerusalem dhe n gjith Kishat e Palestins. Pr stabilizimin e
ktyre festave n Lindje kontribuuan edhe Etrit e
Mdhenjt Kishs me fjalimet dhe veprat e tyre, kryesisht ata
kapadokas, si shn Vasilii Madh e Grigor Theologu t cilt
propozuan q Krishtlindja t quhej Theofani. Prfundimisht,
emri Theofani iu dha fests s Pagzimit t Krishtit duke e
lidhur me ngjarjen gjat s cils u shfaq n bot e gjith
Trinia.
Lindja e Krishtit - Fillimi i caktimit t epokave
Kur Lindi Jisu Krishti, shteti zyrtar romak kishte
adoptuar si dat fillestare t prcaktimit t kohs dhe
numrimit t viteve, vitin kur u ndrtua Roma. Rrethshek. VI
pas Lindjes s Krishtit Dionisi i Vogl , nj murg n Perndim,
propozoi q t ndryshonte kjo mnyr e llogaritjes dhe
prcaktimit t viteve dhe tzvendsohej me vitin e Lindjes
s Krishtit. Pasi kreu prllogaritjet, ai paraqiti propozimin e
tij, i cili u adoptua nga shteti romako-bizantin dhe nga e gjith
botae krishter e deri m sot. N dekadat e fundit
shkenctar t fushave t ndryshme kan arritur n
prfundimin se Dionisi kishte gabuar n prllogaritjet e tij me
5-7 vjet. Kshturezulton se Krishti ka lindur 5-7 vjet m
prpara vitit t prcaktuar nga ai. Kur u vu n dukje gabimi,
pr arsye praktike, u pa m e arsyeshme (sepse duhej t
korrigjoheshin e tndryshonin data dhe vite pa fund dhe
pasojat dot ishin ekuilibruese n mjaft fusha t shkencs,
por edhe n aspekte t ndryshme t jetsdhe shoqris
moderne), q t vazhdoj sistemi inumrimit t viteve ashtu
si ka qen.
Lajm shptimi pr njeriun
Lindja trupore e Zotit Krisht shtkonsideruar nga
shn Joan Gojarti si baza dhe piknisja e gjith festave, sepse
n Lindjen e Zotit bazohen t gjitha t kremtet e tjera q
kanlidhje me personin e Krishtit. Sepse, pa Lindjene Krishtit,
nuk do t ekzistonte Ngjallja, por edhe pa Ngjalljen nuk do t
plotsohej synimi i Lindjesdhe mishrimit t Zotit dhe
Shptimtarit. N t njjtn koh, kur miliona njerz
n nj stall, n shpelln e nj fshati t robruar, lindi Krishti.
Q prej asaj natelindi n bot dika e re pr gjith njerzimin:
mundsia e shptimit dhe e nj jete t re. Q prej asaj nate
filloi realizimi i bots s re, iMbretris s Qiejve. Shum pak
njerzmorn mesazhin kur Ai lindi. Perndiau zbuloi atyre
lajmin gazmor se erdhi n bot Krishti, i shumprituri prej
gjith brezave njerzor n shekuj, Ai q dot shptonte
mbar njerzimin (Llk.2:10-18).Padyshim, Lindja e Krishtit
sht njngjarje historike - m e rndsishmja nhistorin e
bots - q ndodhi n kohdhe vend konkret, n kohn e
perandoritromak, Oktavian Augusti (27 paraKrishtit - 14 pas
Krishtit), e mbretit t Judes, Herodit t Madh (37-4
paraKrishtit), n Palestinn e sotme. Ungjillort
kmbngulnin duke theksuar ngjarjen historike, sepse donin
q t pronin mesazhin dhe t vrtetn se Jisu Krishti ishte
person real, i vrtet, jo inekzistent apo imagjinar. Prandaj
edhe Lindja dhe Ngjalljae Tij jan t vrteta. Por, megjithat,
si ngjarje, Lindja e Krishtitmbetet mister i pashpjegueshm,
q nuk arrinta kuptoj apo analizoj as mendja e as shkenca
dhe teknologjia, sado t prparuara qofshin ato. Ne
pranojm dhe besojm se ekziston Perndi-njeriu: Perndi i
prsosur dhe njeri i prsosur n nj person, n at t Jisu
Krishtit; por sht mister shum i madh mnyra se si u
bashkuan kto dy natyra - hyjnore dhe njerzore n nj
person. Sigurisht q ky bashkim sht i paprsritshm.