Beloved in the Lord archpastors, all-honourable presbyters and deacons, God-loving monks and nuns, dear brothers and sisters!
I cordially congratulate all of you on the bright feast of the Nativity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
The wondrous miracle of the Incarnation, accomplished more than two thousand years ago, fills our souls with ineffable joy today as well. Today God has come upon earth, and man has gone up to the heavens (sticheron at Vespers of the feast). The Creator and Provider of all has appeared in the world, for in His mercy He could not bear to see mankind tormented by the devil (rite of Holy Baptism); being overcome by love, the Unoriginate and Ineffable One came to seek His lost creation (kontakion on the parable of the lost coin by St. Romanos the Melodist).
The wondrous prophecies of the great heralds of the Word of God have been fulfilled, and before mankind, which for millennia had awaited salvation and deliverance, which had grown weak under the burden of sin and suffered under the curse not only in earthly life but also after death, the door of heaven has been opened. From the ever-flourishing Virgin took flesh our Lord Jesus Christ (canon of the Nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos) — and the cherub who guarded the entrance to paradise with a fiery sword withdraws from the tree of life (sticheron at Vespers of the feast). The Divine Infant was born for the salvation of the world, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons (Gal. 4:4-5).
Incomprehensible is the humility of the Lord: being the Almighty Master, He appears to people as a helpless infant; being God, He takes on perishable flesh and endures the hardships of earthly life; being Immortal, He goes willingly to a tormenting and shameful death. And He does this not for the sake of the chosen — the prophets, the righteous and His faithful servants. Christ comes for the sake of each of us; He desires the salvation of all without exception — sinners and criminals, the indifferent and negligent, the cowardly and wrathful, even His murderers!
The Lord rejects no one and disdains no one, but on the contrary takes on our human flesh, renews it by the Incarnation, His sufferings on the Cross and His life-giving Resurrection, raises it into the bosom of the Holy Trinity and sanctifies it by its abiding at the right hand of the throne of God. And of this Life-giving Body of Christ and His Most Pure Blood, shed for each of us, we partake in the Sacrament of the Eucharist — and become of one body and one blood not only with the Savior but also with one another.
Unfortunately, however, today we see how waves of discord rock the ship of the Church, how the storm of strife and contradiction shakes the unity of Orthodox believers, how people darkened by the enemy and tempter prefer to the Fountain of living water the muddy and undrinkable spring of impious heresies (canon to the holy fathers of the First Ecumenical Council). In such a difficult time we must all remember that for each of us the Lord was born, crucified and rose again, and that He founded on earth the One, Holy, Catholic and Apostolic Church. Belonging to the Church, we are called to overcome discord, confrontation and conflict, to heal schisms, and to help those who are experiencing the horrors of war and suffering from oppression and injustice.
The Lord is born not in royal palaces but in a poor cave, in utter poverty. It would seem, what could be worse than a cave or poorer than a manger for cattle? But there is such a place — the desert, scorched by sin, of the heart of a person who has drawn away from God, lukewarm, devastated, enslaved by passions. Yet it is within our power to make our soul a dwelling place of God, to remember that the Lord is near, at the doors, and He humbly waits for us at last to see Him with the eyes of faith, to let Him into our lives, to hear His words, to respond to His love — and to let Him Himself act in us.
The whole world rejoices at the most glorious nativity of the Savior: the angels sing hymns of praise, the shepherds exult, the wise men worship Him and bring gifts, and only the embittered and envious heart of Herod does not want to accept the divine truth; it does not rejoice but trembles — not from the fear of God but from cowardice. Let us consider: do we not resemble him in our deeds; do we not put our own well-being and comfort first; are we not afraid that someone will be better than us, more talented and kinder; do we not do evil to such a person, trying to wound him or discredit him before others, to topple him from his pedestal in order to raise ourselves higher? Does it not happen that the source of truth for us becomes not the Lord and His holy commandments, but ourselves? Do we not tempt others by passing off our own self-serving inventions as truth; do we not tear the robe of Christ with our ambitious actions; do we not sow the seeds of discord and murmuring among our brothers in the faith?
Looking now upon the Divine Infant Christ, placing ourselves face to face with divine truth, let us lay aside the weight of the passions and the sin which doth so easily beset us (Heb. 12:1), and let us offer fervent prayers for the strengthening of the unity of Orthodoxy and the increase of love, remembering that charity suffereth long, and is kind; charity envieth not; vaunteth not itself, seeketh not her own, thinketh no evil; rejoiceth not in iniquity; beareth all things, believeth all things (1 Cor. 13:4-7).
The festal liturgical texts glorify not only the Lord born for our salvation but also those through whom His Incarnation became possible — the Most Pure Virgin Mary, the righteous Joseph the Betrothed, and the holy forefathers. Let us too remember our loved ones on this festive day: let us visit our parents and friends, give them our attention, find kind words and thank them for all they do for us. May the All-Merciful Christ dwell in our hearts, filled with love for God and neighbor — the Pre-eternal and Incomprehensible, Co-eternal with the invisible Father (sessional hymn at Vespers of the feast). Amen.
+KIRILL, PATRIARCH OF MOSCOW AND ALL RUSSIA
Nativity of Christ
2019/2020
Moscow