My beloved brothers and sisters in Christ Our Only True Lord, God, and Savior,
CHRIST IS BORN! GLORIFY HIM!
The Angelic hymn is also characteristic: "Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace, good will towards men" (Lk. 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 the peace that would come in the future. For by His Incarnation Christ GAVE MEN 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 fellow-men. 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.
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 they discovered, but that THE DISCOVERED CHRIST. Essentially God WAS REVEALED TO THEM, a thing which did not happen to the Scribes and Pharisees, who were the religious leaders 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. The STAR which they saw in the East and which guided them to Bethlehem WAS NOT AN ORDINARY STAR, BUT, AS SAINT JOHN CHRYSOSTOM SAYS, AN ANGEL OF THE LORD WHICH GUIDED THEM. The fact that this was not a natural, but A SUPRANATURAL FACT, is seen from the characteristics of the particular star. First, this STAR was not only moved but it also STOOD STILL. When the Magi moved forward, IT MOVED, when they stopped, IT TOO STOPPED. Secondly, this Star was moving lower than the other stars, and when the Magi reached the place where Christ was, IT CAME LOW AND STOOPED OVER THE HOUSE. Thirdly, it was SO BRIGHT THAT IT EXCEEDED THE BRIGHTNESS OF THE OTHER STARS (Saint Nikodemos the Hagiorite). Therefore, this bright Star was an Angel of the Lord, and as Joseph Vrienios says, IT WAS THE ARCHANGEL GABRIEL WHO SERVED AND ASSISTED AT THE GREAT MYSTERY OF THE INCARNATION OF THE SON AND LOGOS/WORD OF GOD.
After all that has been mentioned, we can look at the following FOUR POINTS which show a personal approach to this Great Feast, the "CAPITAL" OF All Feasts of the Lord:
FIRST. The CAVE in which Christ was born is a type of the Church. Saint Athanasius the Great speaks graphically. That SMALL ROOM where the Panagia (All-Holy Mother of God) awaited the birth has been accepted AS THEY 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 the CHALICES, 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 neer are never 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 bow before 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 prevents 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 MYSTERIA (SACRAMENTS).
FORTH. When a believer 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/HER HEART, AND MORE GENERALLY IN HIS WHOLE BEING. Then he/she does not perceive events OUTWARDLY, BUT INWARDLY. Sasint Symeon the New Theologian says that when a person PURIFIES HIS/HER HEART AND IS ILLUMINATED, THE HE/SHE RECEIVES CHRIST WITHIN HIMSELF/HERSELF 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 LOVING ALL THESE EVENTS IN HIS BEING. Then he/she does not perceive outwardly, but inwardly. To be sure, IT IS ONLY CHRIST THAT THE DIVINE WAS UNITED WITH THE HUMAN NATURE HYPOSTATICALLY. But the DEIFIED PERSON also receives God’s energy in his nature and BECOMES A MEMBER OF THE BODY OF CHRIST. Thus he/she comprehends how the Grace of God works in his/her 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 OF HUMAN NATURE. However, the hypostasis of each one of us must also be deified. If we do not anticipate deification (theosis), then for us it is as if Christ had not become man. [Resources: The Feasts of the Lord. An Introduction to the Twelve Feasts and Orthodox Christology]
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"Glory Be To GOD
For
All Things!"
+ Saint John Chrysostomos
+ + +
With sincere agape in His Divine and Glorious Birth,
The sinner and unworthy servant of God
+ Father George
The Eastern Orthodox Christian Ethos 