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06-01-2015 CHRISTMAS MESSAGE OF EL I S EY
ARCHBISHOP OF SOUROZH
TO THE PASTORS AND ALL FAITHFUL CHILDREN
OF THE DIOCESE OF SOUROZH
OF THE RUSSIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH
Dearly beloved in the Lord, honourable pastors
and God-loving laypeople,
dear brothers and sisters!
I greet you most warmly with the great feast of the Nativity of Christ, the triumph of the uniting of Heaven and earth through the mysterious birth into the world of the God-child!
The birth of a human being into the world is an amazing mystery. For us to meet a newborn child is to draw near to the divine action in the world. Each time such a meeting takes place it gives us the joy of experiencing an inward happiness.
Now we draw near to the joy given us by God - we partake of the mystery of the birth into the world of a Man Who reveals God to the world, in Himself, in His life, in His death and in His Resurrection. The Word was made flesh (Jn 1:14), as the Scripture tells us, and this means that the spiritual and material worlds are united in one, without confusion but also without being separated one from another. The invisible God becomes perceptible, tangible joy.
We no longer enter into eternity through the tragedy of death but rather thanks to the divine gift of the Son of God Who has become a man and dwelt among us. He is one of us. He became the first of us to enter into eternal life, granting us His Resurrection. He is the One to Whom our souls are drawn, beginning to see their happiness and their communion in God. He is the One Who gives us His love, washing away the wall of sinful division from our hearts by the well-spring of life.
This present night, says St Ephraim the Syrian, brings peace and tranquility to the whole world. This is the night of the Meek One, therefore let everyone lay aside anger and severity; it is the night of the Humble One, let everyone curb his pride and humble his arrogance. The day of mercy has now shone forth, let no-one seek revenge for the offences he has suffered; the day of joy has come, let no-one be the cause of sorrow or grief for another. This is the day of goodwill, on which God came down to sinners...
Thus let our souls sing at this blessed time, glorifying the Infant Who is born, and shining with the uncreated light that transfigures us within and without, for the Lord has become incarnate.
Christ is born! Glorify Him!
Let us thank God for His actions in our world. Let us be grateful for joy and for pain, for the times when life is easy and for the times of heavy trials. Let us render thanks to our heavenly Father for His Son, Who has been sent to us, and for this world, the excellent beauty of which we recognise when we come closer to God, when Christ is born in us.
Dear compatriots, who are close to us, with whom we are spiritually related in Christ Who is incarnate among us!
Rejoicing together with you in our common celebration, I congratulate all of you with the great feast of the Nativity of Christ, prayerfully wishing that each of you be made worthy of the visitation of Christ Who is born for us, and that this encounter will be a blessed foretaste of happiness and eternal life with God.
+ ELISEY
ARCHISHOP OF SOUROZH
The Nativity of Christ 2014/15 London