My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God, and Savior,
CHRIST IS IN OUR MIDST! HE WAS, IS, AND EVER SHALL BE.
RISTMAS IS THE FEAST OF THE BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST, THE LORD,
GOD, AND SAVIOR.
The Birth of Jesus Christ is a Historical Event, because it took place at a specific moment in history, when Caesar Augustus was Emperor of Rome and Herod was ruler of Judaea. The Evangelists insist on emphasizing the historicity of the Event, because they want to say that Christ is A HISTORICAL PERSON. This means that Christ ASSUMED REAL HUMAN FLESH, and the Incarnation was not merely seeming or imagined.
In spite of its historicity, this Event remains a Mystery. We know that the Godman, PERFECT GOD and PERFECT MAN, exists, but it remains a Mystery how the Divine Nature UNITED WITH HUMAN NATURE in the Person of the Logos/Word. Moreover, what happened to the Person of Christ, that the Divine Nature was united hypostatically with Human Nature, happened just once. Therefore, Saint John of Damascus said that Christ is "THE ONLY NEW THING UNDER THE SUN." This means that since the CREATION OF THE WORLD and man, nothing new has happened in the world. Everything is repeated. The birth of man is a consequence and result of God’s words: "LET US MAKE MAN IN OUR IMAGE AND LIKENESS," and "BE FRUITFUL AND MULTIPLY; FILL THE EARTH AND SUBDUE IT" [Genesis 1:26-28). The only new thing is the Godman Christ.
At Christmas WE CELEBRATE THE BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST, but at the same time we experience mysteriously in our hearts all the events connected with it, for when we are alive in the Church, WE ARE PARTICIPATING IN AND EXPERIENCING ALL THE STAGES OF THE DIVINE INCARNATION.
Apart from the Panagia (All-Holy Mother of God) and Joseph, the first to worship the Divine Child were the Shepherds. An Angel of the Lord made known to them that the Savior of the world had been born. This was not a chance event, it did not mean that the particular shepherds were worthy of this revelation because they were nearest the Crypt. According to the Holy Fathers of the Church, this happened for many reasons. First, because of THE PURITY of the Shepherds by reason of their solitude and hesychia (quiet). Secondly, because the shepherds were imitators and followers of the way of life and virtues of the Patriarchs of the Old Testament. That is to say, Shepherds were not chance characters. Thirdly, for it to be shown that Christ will be the True Shepherd of the Israelite and Gentile people. Fourthly, for it to be seen clearly that Christ chose the most simple-hearted and most capable of receiving this revelation, and not the crafty Scribes and Pharisees. All these things show the method that one can use to experience the mystery of the revelation.
The Angels' hymn is also characteristic: "Glory to God in the Highest and on earth peace, good will toward men" [Luke 2:14]. The PEACE which the Angels praised was NOT a social peace, the absence of war, but THE INCARNATION and PRESENCE OF CHRIST. Thus the Angels were hymning the peace which came with the Birth of Christ and not a peace that would come in the future. For by His Incarnation Christ GAVE MAN PEACE with God, his neighbor and himself as well, precisely because the Divine Nature was UNITED WITH THE HUMAN NATURE in His Person. After the Fall man LOST PEACE WITH GOD, because he worshipped idols without souls and senses and not the True God. Now by the INCARNATION man is given the possibility TO WORSHIP THE TRUE GOD. He also attained peace with the Angels and with his fellowmen. And indeed the powers of his soul attained peace, because Christ did what Adam failed to do. Adam had to attain FULL COMMUNION WITH GOD BY THE GRACE OF GOD AND HIS OWN PERSONAL STRUGGLE, the powers of his soul had to function naturally and supranaturally. THIS WAS ACHIEVED IN CHRIST.
The phrase "GOOD WILL TOWARD MEN" suggests that the Incarnation was previously willed by God. According to the Holy Fathers of the Church, God’s will is discerned in what precedes and what follows. What precedes is by His Good Will, while what follows is by concession. When it is said that the Incarnation is the previous will of God, it is understood that it was not a consequence of the Fall. In other words, MAN’S UNION WITH GOD WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN ABLE TO SUCCED IF THERE HAD NOT BEEN A PARTICULAR PERSON IN WHOM THE DIVINE WOULD UNITE HYPOSTATICALLY WITH HIS HUMAN NATURE. Therefore, the Incarnation IS THE PRICE WILL OF GOD, WHICH MEANS THAT IT HAD BEEN PLANNED REGARDLESS OF ADAM’S FALL. What followed from the Fall were the Passion and Cross of Christ. The whole creation and man came into being for the Godman. This is said from the point of view that man could not have been deified (theosis) and creation sanctified if there had not been the Godman.
In addition to the Shepherds, the Magi or Wise men from the East were granted to worship the Newborn Christ. The important thing is not when this happened, but that they discovered Christ. Essentially God was REVEALED TO THEM, a thing which did not happen to the Scribes and Pharisees, who were the religious establishment of that time. The Wise Men were not astrologers as we know them today, but astronomers, who were observing the stars in the sky and their movements. At that time astrology was regarded as a science. Today, when the science of astronomy has been separated from astrology which is bound up with metaphysics and satanism, astrology has been rejected by the Orthodox Faith.
The Magi recognized Christ and worshipped Him "because of their INNER KNOWLEDGE." With their physical eyes, with their sight, they saw an infant, but WITH THEIR NOUS THEY SAW GOD WHO HAS BECOME MAN. Thus the Magi were IN A SPIRITUAL STATE SUITABLE FOR SEEING AND WORSHIPPING GOD. IT WAS NOT A MATTER OF SCIENCE, BUT OF INNER NOETIC PURITY. (Source: The Feasts of the Lord by Metropolitan Hierotheos)
(To be continued)
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"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
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With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George
The Eastern Orthodox Christian Ethos 