Parish Bulletin / January 2026

Parish Bulletin / January 2026

January 1, 2026

CHRISTMAS MESSAGE

OF HIS EMINENCE
METROPOLITAN ATHENAGORAS OF BELGIUM,
EXARCH OF THE NETHERLANDS AND LUXEMBOURG**

Christmas
Prot. No. 1035/2025

Beloved brothers and sisters in Christ,

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill among people!”

We are living in a time marked by deep anxiety and moral decline. Wars continue to devastate nations, senseless violence is increasing, and fanaticism and populism undermine the foundations of truth, justice, and human dignity. While humanity seeks to forget death, it simultaneously accumulates the means capable of bringing about its own self-destruction. The logic of power replaces the logic of service, and many people feel invisible, uprooted, and deprived of meaning.

This external crisis reflects an internal one a spiritual crisis. When the soul is neglected, it wanders in darkness, searching for tenderness, warmth, and true beauty. In this emptiness, some seek truth, while others attempt to escape reality through drugs or even suicide, in a desperate effort to silence existential pain.

Humanity is fascinated by death because it longs for eternity, yet fears that it will encounter only nothingness. Deep within, human beings are guided by love by a longing for wholeness and unity. Yet this love collides with the reality of death and risks turning into self-hatred and hostility toward others. There are many forms of despair, often hidden and sometimes visible, but all of them reveal an unfulfilled desire for life.

And then Christmas arrives the mystery of the Incarnation.
God is among us. God is with us. God is within us.
God comes to meet us even in death, even in the depths of hell.

Christian iconography powerfully expresses this truth: the dark cave of the Nativity and the swaddling clothes of the Child recall the burial shrouds of Good Friday. Even in the manger, the Cross is already foreshadowed.

We do not know the exact date of Christ’s birth. The Church established the celebration of Christmas on December 25 according to a profound cosmic symbolism: God comes to us in the longest night, when we fear that darkness may engulf everything. Precisely then, in a world marked by night and death, God comes no longer distant and inaccessible, but near, God who became flesh.

He comes into death to conquer death; He comes into the night to overcome the night. The light that surrounded the shepherds already proclaims the light of Pascha. He is Emmanuel, God-with-us, the suffering Messiah who rises from the dead and raises us with Him.

Thus, another power enters the world a power that does not obey the laws of this world. It is the power of pure goodness, forgiveness, mercy, tenderness, and luminous, creative love the very life of God, which in Christ becomes the life of humanity. In Christ, God enters the heart of humanity and forever stands between us and nothingness, fighting with us and for us against death.

We, brothers and sisters, are called to receive this Child, for whom “there was no room in the inn.” We are invited to open our hearts to the God-Child and receive Him today in the Holy Eucharist as a seed of life, called to grow and bear fruit. And this fruit, says the Apostle Paul, is
“love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control”
(Galatians 5:22–23).

Perhaps the hardest thing asked of us is to accept love. We have so often become indifferent, distrustful, and even inwardly rebellious. Yet only by allowing ourselves to be loved can God, who is Love, love through us.

Therefore, brothers and sisters, let us pray that in this world of suffering we may be faithful witnesses of the Gospel the Good News: God is now with us, closer to us than we are to ourselves.

We eagerly await many of you in our cathedral for Vespers and the blessing of the bread of Saint Basil on Sunday, January 11, at 4:00 PM.

May the joy of this Nativity fill your hearts with gratitude to God for all that He does for us, and above all for the love He gives us by sending His Son into the world.

With my fatherly blessing and great love.

Brussels, at the Chancery of the Archdiocese,
Christmas

† Athenagoras
Metropolitan of Belgium
Exarch of the Netherlands and Luxembourg

News

We are pleased to announce that Orthodox religious education can now be offered in public primary schools, which is a legal right of parents.

How it works:

• Parents may request Orthodox religious education for their child through the school.

• These courses are state-funded and free of charge for parents.

• Lessons are taught by certified teachers and usually take place once a week for 45 minutes during school hours.

The curriculum includes the study of the Bible, Orthodox traditions, and the development of values such as respect for other beliefs and cultures. These lessons help children form their own identity and develop independent, critical thinking.

We encourage all parish priests to promote this initiative in their communities and to assist parents in arranging Orthodox religious education for their children.
More information: https://orthodoxopschool.nl

Important Information

January 4
Divine Liturgy at the Monastery dedicated to Saint Adalbert of Egmond.
After the Liturgy, a Memorial Service (Panikhida) will be served for the newly departed servant of God Roman
(secular name: Milan). All are invited to join in prayer and support the family.

Night of January 6–7
Divine Liturgy for the Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord Jesus Christ
at the Monastery of Saint Adalbert of Egmond (Egmond-Binnen).

After the Liturgy, everyone young and old is warmly invited to celebrate together:
a shared festive meal (please bring food to share), mulled wine, and Christmas carols.

January 11, 2026
After the Divine Liturgy at the Monastery of Saint Adalbert of Egmond,
a pilgrimage to Brussels is planned for the celebration of the
Feast of Saint Basil of our Holy Metropolis
(with the blessing of † Metropolitan Athenagoras).

Commemorations

For the health of:
Archimandrite Leonty, Priest Andriy, Olga with her children, Daria.

For the sick:
Raisa.

For the repose of:
Priest Oleg, Tamara, Vasyl, Lydia.

Newly departed:
Roman.

Please remember them in your daily prayers.