THE DIVINE INCARNATION OF THE LOGOS/WORD OF GOD

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.

THE DIVINE INCARNATION OF THE LOGOS/WORD OF GOD

Apolytikion (Dismissal) Hymn of the Feast. Mode 4

Thy Nativity, O Christ our God, has caused the light of
knowledge to rise upon the world. For therein the
worshippers of the stars were by a Star instructed to
worship Thee, the Sun of Righteousness, and to know
Thee as Orient from on High. Glory to Thee, O Lord.

Kathisma I. Mode 4

Come, believers, let us see the place where Christ has
been born. With Magi, those three kings who from the
orient are, now let us follow to where the star is
proceeding. Ceaselessly do Angels sing praises there,
Shepherds in the field sing a worthy song, saying:
Glory in the highest be to Him Who was born today in
the grotto from the Virgin and Theotokos, in
Bethlehem of Judaea.

Kathisma II. Mode 4.

Mary, why are you amazed and awed by what was done
in you? And she answers, "For in time I have brought
forth a timeless Son. But I have no understanding of His
conception. Husbandless am I: how can I bear a son?
Who has ever seen seedless childbirth? But where God
wills, the order found in nature is overcome, as it is written."
So Christ was born from the Virgin Maiden, in Bethlehem
of Judaea.
+

As we are approaching the Divine Nativity of our Lord Christ, let us look at the following four points which show a personal approach to this Great Feast, the "CAPITAL" of all the Feasts of the Lord:

First, The CAVE in which Christ was born is a type of the Church. Saint Athanasios the Great speaks graphically. The small room where the Panagia (All-Holy Mother of God) awaited the Birth has been accepted as the type of the Church. The MANGER is seen as the Altar, Joseph is the server, the Magi are the Clergy, the Shepherds are the Deacons, the Angels are the Priests, the Lord is the Bishop, the Virgin is the THRONE, the craters are the chalicess, the INCARNATION is the Vestment, the Cherubim are the fans, the Holy Spirit is the paten, the Father Who overshadows all things with His power is the Veil covering the Paten.
The Church is the Body of Christ the Godman, that which was born in the womb of the Theotokos, was born, was transfigured, suffered, was crucified, rose again and was taken up into heaven. In the Divine Liturgy this Great Mystery is celebrated and we are given THE ABILITY TO PARTAKE OF THE GRACE OF CHRIST. The Church is NOT a human organization, nor is the Divine Liturgy a rite of commemoration and satisfaction of our feelings.

Second. The Divine and Human Natures are always UNITED with the human nature in the hypostasis of the Logos/Word WITHOUT CHANGE, CONFUSION, DIVISION OR SEPARATION. This means that they have never been separated and they never are never are separated. Since the human nature remains inseparable from the Divine Nature, since the Godman always exists for all time, we can even now partake of the deified flesh of the Lord. IN PARTAKING OF THE DEIFIED BODY AND BLOOD OF CHRIST, WE BECOME ONE BODY AND ONE BLOOD WITH CHRIST.

Third, Since we now before us this Great Mystery of the INCARNATION, and especially since we commune of the Body and Blood of Christ, we must deceive Herod as the Magi did. The Evangelist Matthew says of the Magi: "being divinely warned in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed for their own country another way" {Matthew 2:12).
The word ‘Herod’ in the Hebrew language means ‘of leather’. Therefore Saint Nikodemos the Hagiorite says that we must delude the thought and pleasures of the flesh. Moreover, we must mock the devil of the mind, who prevent us from walking the path of salvation. We must return by another way, by the virtues, to our native land, which is Paradise.
This means that WE ARE REQUIRED TO LIVE A SACRAMENTAL AND ASCETIC LIFE. All who live ascetically are granted TO BE UNITED WITH CHRIST, IN THE SACRAMENTS (MYSTERIES)

Fourth. When a person lives sacramentally and ascetically, in harmony with the spirit of the Orthodox Tradition, then he is experiencing SPIRITUALLY THE EVENTS OF THE DIVINE INCARNATION IN HIS HEART, AND MORE GENERALLY IN HIS WHOLE BEING. Then he does not perceive events outwardly, BUT INWARDLY. Saint Symeon the New Theologian says that WHEN A MAN PURIFIES HIS HEART AND IS ILLUMINATED, THEN HE RECEIVES CHRIST WITHIN HIMSELF AND UNDERSTANDS HIS INFANT-LIKE LEAPS. Christ is conceived as an infant in him and is born through the virtues, and now the man is living all these events in his being. To be sure, IT IS ONLY IN CHRIST THAT THE DIVINE WAS UNITED WITH THE HUMAN NATURE HYPOSTATICALLY. But the deified (theosis) person also receives God’s energy in his nature AND BECOMES A MEMBER OF THE BODY OF CHRIST. Thus he comprehends how the grace of God works in his nature, what kenosis is, what deification (theosis) of human nature is.

The INCARNATION OF THE SECOND PERSON OF THE HOLY TRINITY WAS AIMED AT THE DEIFICATION (THEOSIS) OF HUMAN NATURE. HOWEVER, THE HYPOSTASIS OF EACH ONE OF US MUST ALSO BE DEIFIED. IF WE DO NOT ANTICIPATE DEIFICATION, THEN FOR US IT IS AS IF CHRIST HAD NOT BECOME MAN. [Source:  The Feasts of the Lord.  Introduction to the Twelve Feasts and Orthodox Christology by Metropolitan of Nafpaktos HIEROTHEOS]

_________
"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
– Saint John Chrysostomos
+ + +

With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Diakonia (Ministry),
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George