CHRISTMAS PASTORAL LETTERS
The good news of Bethlehem
We are filled with abundant joy
To the Venerable Clergy, the Diaconate in Christ, Monastics and Faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church entrusted to our archpastoral care:
Peace and Grace to you from the Source of all good, the Son of God and our Savior born in Bethlehem.
Christ is born! Let us glorify him!
This year's observance of the least of the Nativity of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ is replete with joy and singular for all Orthodox Christians.
It generates joy in that ''God who exists before all ages has been born unto us," and, as stated by St. Efraim the Syrian in his homily on this feast, "The day of mercy has dawned... the day of joy has arrived..." It is singular because our Church in the U.S.A. and countries of the Ukrainian Orthodox Diaspora - a Church ever faithful to the principles of Christ's Gospel and to traditions of the mother Church, traditions sanctified by our ancestors - has again assumed its rightful place in ecumenical Orthodoxy.
In considering the nature of the birth of Christ, the Only Begotten Son of God Orthodox theology far surpasses understanding of the feast as the birthday of Christ, a birthday according to the flesh, which cannot be repeated. As presented by the church calendar, the "Nativity" (of Christ) is seen as a spiritual reoccurrence, one which is to constantly be repeated in our hearts
In contemplating the words of the troparion of the First Nativity Hour, "Make ready, o Bethlehem, o manger, prepare yourself well, o cave, give welcome." We are the ones who become a spiritual Bethlehem, living mangers, and our hearts become the cave from which a new light proceeds - the light of Christ. Thus, the words of the traditional Nativity greeting, Christ is born," indicate not only an event in history, but the continual birth of Christ in us.
In accepting the newborn Son of God as our Savior, Teacher, Source of life, faith and truth, we again become renewed by Bethlehem's incomprehensible gift of life. We render our gratitude to God the Father for this event in history - one which exalted humanity, altered the course of history, an event which our God-loving people so masterfully present in their Christmas liturgical hymns and carol. Thus, "God before all ages..." reminds us and all of humanity that our God exists before all ages, and that He created all because of love, and that it is He Who confirms our possibilities as people created to His image and likeness. Another carol, "In Bethlehem, a new message is heard..," clearly shows that Jesus Christ, Son of God, Light from Light, born of the Father before all ages, became man so that the human being might become a son, a daughter of God, an heir of His kingdom and attain to blessedness By His birth, our Savior Jesus Christ desires to enter into every Ukrainian Orthodox family, to sanctify and strengthen it, by including Himself in all family events - the joyful, the painful and sad.
Thus, beloved faithful, the event that occurred in Bethlehem opened for all of us the doors to a new life. This even challenges us to be new angels - new apostles, who shine with brightness in the darkness of today's egotistical world, a people who clearly, by word and deed, make known to all the great joy of Christ's all-embracing love for all humanity. Let us, therefore, come and worship 'in spirit and in truth'' (Jn. 4:23) the newborn Christ-Child and together proclaim in song. ''Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace'' (Lk 2:14), a real peace so long awaited by us and by our world, a world discomforted as a consequence of wars and a lack of social justice.
Standing together with world Orthodoxy on the threshold of the third millennium of Christianity in our world, and on the threshold of the second millennium of Christianity in Ukraine, we emphasize the tremendous responsibility that we bear before God and history. Every individual is to include himself or herself in the process of spiritual rebirth, and strengthen his or her Christological foundation. To do this we must renew our relationship with Christ's Gospel and with the Holy Mysteries, for the time has come when we can no longer be observers, but active participants in forming the future life and mission of the Church.
By profoundly entering into the history of our past - beginning with St. Volodymyr the Great, God's instrument in the baptizing of Rus'-Ukraine - we can strengthen our understanding of that past and use the knowledge gained to reflect the life and faith of our ancestors, models of faith, who multiplied their God-given talents, devoted their life to Church and nation, and formed history.
In a relatively short time we shall enter the third millennium of the life and apostolic ministry of Christ's Church, a third millennium of "grace and truth" (Jn. 1:17).
Therefore in greeting you, our beloved spiritual children, and also the hierarchy, clergy and faithful of our Church in Ukraine, we paternally call upon you to: embrace one another with genuine Christian love; and transfigure humanity and our world with real and active compassion, and regard for those in need, especially for those whom our world so easily forgets.
By doing this we will grow in a fuller comprehension of the good news of Bethlehem and that news' significance in our personal, familial, parochial and Church life.
Embracing all of you in the all-encompassing love of the incarnate Son of God and assuring you of our love and prayers, we call upon all of you the blessing of the All-Holy Trinity, the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit.
Your servants in the Lord,
Ý Constantine, Metropolitan
Ý Anatolij, Metropolitan
Ý Antony, Archbishop
Ý Paisij, Bishop
Ý Ioan, Bishop
Ý Jeremiah Bishop
Issued on the feast of the Nativity of Our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ on the 7th day of January in the year of Our Lord 1996 in St. Andrew the First-Called Apostle Ukrainian Orthodox Center, South Bound Brook, N.J.
We are filled with abundant joy
To the Venerable Clergy and all the Faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada:
"And they came into the house and saw the Child and Mary, His mother; and they fell down and worshipped Him; and opening their treasures they presented Him gifts of gold and frankincense and myrrh" (Matthew 2:1 1).
Christ is Born!
Dear in Christ Reverend Fathers, Godloving faithful, youth and children!
Again the Merciful Lord has allowed us to celebrate this joyful Feast of Nativity.
The Feast of Nativity is the feast that calls mankind to be full of joy and express peace and tranquillity in the newborn Christ-Child.
Filled with the Holy Spirit, let us focus our thoughts on Bethlehem, where the birth of our Christ and Savior took place, and with the angels let us sing: "Glory to the God in the Highest and peace on Earth and good will among people."
We greet the Christ-Child together with the shepherds of Bethlehem with our Nativity services and carols, praising Him together with the shepherds and wise men, with gifts of deep faith and fervent love.
The Feast of the Nativity is a feast that calls us and all people to joyfulness, love and God's mercy and peace.
We are filled with abundant joyfulness as we encounter this Nativity feast following the XIX Sobor of our Holy Church, which gave us the direction toward great immersion of spirituality and dedication toward our mother Church.
We thank the Lord that in His mercy He kept the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in pureness of faith and, thus, the Church sustained the pathway of truth that He brought from heaven to earth.
The shepherds and the wise men, kneeling, worshipped Him and revealed their gifts brought to Him.
And wishing to increase our spirituality and deepen our theosis, let us go along the footsteps of the participants of the first Nativity of Christ, bringing Him our deep faith, complemented by our earthly good deeds and faithful Christian living. This will bear witness that Christ is born and lives within our hearts.
Christ, the Son of God, came from heaven to earth, so that we would become affiliated with God; so that we would become children of God.
To you, Dear Parents, our archpastoral epistle is directed: be that example to your children, so that they become knowledgeable not only by your word but through your example, your participation in prayer, confession and communion, and good works toward the Church and people.
In the spirit of Christian love, educate yourselves and our youth in the spirituality of the Church and the people, because the Church - our spiritual Mother - teaches and directs us toward the Kingdom of God.
We find ourselves on the eve of the 2,000th anniversary of the Nativity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, that will be upon us in five years. This will be a blessed and most important anniversary for us and all Christendom.
Before us is a momentous task: to prepare spiritually to meet this historical and religious event.
We appeal to and direct our clergy, professors of St. Andrew's College, editor of Visnyk, teachers of Sunday and Ukrainian schools, our institutes - to proceed with intensive works toward spiritual awareness and charity amongst ourselves and our youth.
Prepare to celebrate the 2,000th anniversary of the Nativity of the Son of God renewed and immersed in His Divine teaching.
With these thoughts, we extend greetings to all faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church. We pray and wish that the newly born Lord bless and reward all the Ukrainian people with His heavenly gifts.
We pray that Christ's love may fill our hearts and encourage us to faithful service toward God, His Holy Church and our neighbors.
Christ is Born! Glorify Him!
Ý Wasyly, Archbishop of Winnipeg and the Central Diocese, Metropolitan
of all Canada
Ý John Archbishop, Bishop of Edmonton and the Western Diocese
Ý Yurij, Bishop of Toronto and the Eastern Dioces
Issued on the Nativity of Christ, January 7, 1996. Metropolitan Cathedral of the Holy Trinity, Winnipeg.
Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, January 7, 1996, No. 1, Vol. LXIV
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