CHRISTMAS PASTORAL LETTER

Join us in giving thanks for Christmas and the gift of the Christ Child

Dearly Beloved in Christ,

The story about the birth of Christ is familiar to all of us. We can read about it from the different perspectives of the Evangelists Matthew and Luke. We can read of the conception by the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary at Nazareth, His birth in the stable at Bethlehem and the adoration of the Baby by the Wise Men. And in that wondrous narrative lies the beginning of our life eternal.

It is curious that the Baby from the very beginning of His life on earth was a mystery - not only to us who attempt to fathom the enormity of God's love for us by His sharing in our humanity, but even to those who knew Him most intimately: Mary and Joseph.

The question is as immediate today as it was when He first asked: "Who do you say that I am?" The answer each one of us gives literally makes all the difference in the world. Since human beings are endowed with immortal souls, our response to the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ determines what kind of immortality that shall be. Our answer, "the Son of God," reflects the gift that is Christmas.

We are drawn to the Holy Family during this Christmas Season. It's a miraculous time of year, when the mood of the nation is elevated. At Christmas we become better people. We're kinder. We're more patient. We're more generous and loving. We're more gracious and forgiving. Everything that is good in human nature somehow blossoms.

What is the reason for this change? Each year, Christmas reintroduces the spirit of the Baby Jesus back into our lives. That wondrous spirit enters into our lives and surrounds us everywhere.

It is a spirit that is uniquely magnanimous and full of love - deep and expensive, warm and patient, understanding and miraculously forgiving. It is a time when we appreciate more our family and realize that the only things that really matter are those who are near and dear to us. It is a time when we forget about receiving and enjoy the satisfaction that comes from giving. It is a time when we draw our families together in the image of that family of long ago: the one first gathered around the Crib.

For the gift of the Christ Child, for the wonder of this joyous time of the year, Christmas, we give thanks. As we receive, let us be motivated to share. May we experience in our own hearts the joy and wonder of God's coming among us and the only true peace, which is the peace of Christ. Let us all receive the new lease on life that is the Lord whose birth we celebrate this Christmas, the life-giving Lord and Savor - our Food and Drink in the Eucharist - knocking at the door of our souls. Let us invite Him in.

With my warmest greetings and the assurance of my prayers in this holy season. I remain,

Sincerely yours in Christ,
Most Reverend Basil H. Losten, D.D.
Eparch of Stamford
(New York and New England)
Given in St. Vladimir Cathedral
Feast of the Conception of St. Ann

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, January 4, 2004, No. 1, Vol. LXXII

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