CHRISTMAS PASTORAL LETTER: We are one holy family of God (01/04/98)

CHRISTMAS PASTORAL LETTER

We are one holy family of God

To the Distinguished Pastors, Deacons in Christ, Venerable Monastics and Christ-loving faithful of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the U.S.A., Canada and diaspora:

May the peace of the Lord, born in Bethlehem, be with all of you!

Christ is born!

Let us glorify Him!

Beloved spiritual children in Christ:

Christmas is a celebration of the birth of the Son of God. Motivated by love for all of humanity which He fashioned, our Heavenly Father sent His Only begotten Son so that whosoever believes in Him might not perish, but have life everlasting. Through the instrumentality of the star of Bethlehem, the Heavenly Father, through an angel, announced to the world, the birth of His beloved Son: "And this shall be a sign unto you; You will find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, laying in a manger" (Lk. 2, 12).

The Infant Who was born in Bethlehem - the city of David seemed, to the shepherds, Magi and those who beheld Him, like any other infant. Tiny and weak, the Infant required assistance and was totally dependent upon His parents. Mary, the Most pure one, nourishes Him, bathes and clothes Him and, like any other mother, tends to His every need. St. Joseph, like every devoted husband and father, conscientiously provides for the family entrusted to his care. In reflecting on this mystery of the incarnation of the Son of God, St. Paul, writing to the believers of his time, says of Christ, that "(He) in all things was similar to us, except sin" (Hebrews 4, 15).

The Infant born in Bethlehem was truly God, the One promised by the Heavenly Father, the very fulfillment of the Law and the prophets. His external condition was not an indication of internal frailty. The Infant born in Bethlehem was the very power, the life and the force of God the Heavenly Father. Centuries before the birth of Christ Jesus, God's servant, the prophet Isaiah, inspired by the Holy Spirit, proclaimed that this Child would be "the Prince of Peace, a Marvelous Counselor, the Mighty God" (Isaiah 9, 6).

It is interesting to point out that when God appeared to the people of Old Testament times, they were struck with fear when they encountered His manifestations. In reading the books of the Old Testament we see how the theophanies of God the Father elicited fear and trepidation. However, the opposite occurred when "grace came and the shadow of the law faded" (Vesper Dogmatikon, Tone 2). The innate divinity of the Infant in the manger does not strike fear in our hearts, His hidden wisdom does not put us to shame. Shrouded is His righteousness. Let us gaze upon the traditional icon of Christ's Nativity. The countenance of the Divine Infant radiates love, confidence and meekness. Having encountered this, the shepherds, as recorded by Holy Writ, "returned, glorifying and praising God for all that they had seen and heard" (Luke 2, 20).

Dearly beloved in Christ! The Divine Infant lives among us in this feast of Nativity. He is with us in our nativity worship services, in our devout customs, in the words of the Gospel and in the Holy Eucharist. The Divine Infant, born in Bethlehem, lives among us when we, via charitable and compassionate deeds, make Him a reality and accessible to those who even today are overwhelmed by the spiritual darkness that has enveloped contemporary humanity.

Our meditations on the Divine Infant give rise to spiritual reflection and encourage us to holiness and to oneness with the Son of God, Who is our Way, Truth and Life. Using that night in Bethlehem as a starting point in our lives, we all can count ourselves among those "who received Him, and to whom He gave the power to be children of God, to them who have believed in His name."

For all of us this feast is a joyful celebration, for it draws attention to God's love for us, and encourages us to make love for fellow man a reality in our daily life. In the presence of the children of Bethlehem, we sense a nearness to our Heavenly Father, and perceive that we are indeed partakers of His immeasurable love for all people. We also sense the reality of the invitation given by Christ Jesus the Son of God, an invitation to be perfect, to be holy and to be one.

As we celebrate the Birth of Christ, we Orthodox Ukrainians in Ukraine and beyond her borders are prepared to transform ourselves into one holy family of God, Who calls us to mutual love and unity in the Church which He heads.

We, beloved in the Lord, have at last come to this great feast, a feast filled with love - the feast of the Nativity of the Son of God. As we celebrate this feast, we embrace in Christ's divine love which overcomes all, the archpastors, pastors and all of our faithful - our brothers and sisters in free and independent Ukraine. Together with us, they, at the Nativity Liturgy, proclaim the brief but powerful credo: "One is Holy, One is Lord, Jesus Christ."

It is our prayerful wish for you, the spiritual children, whom the Lord has entrusted to our archpastoral care, that the days of Christ's Nativity and Holy Theophany be joyous and blessed. May these days, filled with the spirit of love and holiness, be for all of us a source of sanctification and days of personal renewal in the Lord.

May the Infant of Bethlehem, Who, except for the manger, had no place to lay His head, find a place of rest in our hearts. May the star of Bethlehem, lead us as it did the Magi, to Him Who is above all of us - to our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ, so that in joyful song we might be able to proclaim: "God is with us!"

Christ is born! Let us glorify Him with all of our being!

Ý Wasyly
Metropolitan of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada

Ý Constantine
Metropolitan of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the U.S.A. and Diaspora

Ý Ivan
Archbishop of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada

Ý Antony
Archbishop of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the U.S.A.; Ruling Archbishop of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Australia and New Zealand

Ý Vsevolod
Archbishop of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the U.S.A.

Ý Paisij
Bishop of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the U.S.A.

Ý Yurij
Bishop of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada

Ý Ioan
Bishop of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the Diaspora

Ý Jeremiah
Bishop of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in Latin America

Issued on the 1,998th commemoration of the Nativity according to the flesh of our Lord, God and Savior Jesus Christ.