CHRISTMAS PASTORALS

Let us thank God and glorify Him

Pastoral letter of the Permanent Conference of the Ukrainian Orthodox Bishops Beyond the Borders of Ukraine on the blessed feast of the Nativity.

"Let us glorify and thank God the Father for He, in His great mercy, sent forth His Son, made of a women, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons." (Galatians 4:4-5)

Dearly Beloved Clergy and Faithful of our Holy Ukrainian Orthodox Church beyond the borders of Ukraine, and Brothers and Sisters of the Faith in Ukraine:

Christ is born! Glorify Him!

The world today, just as it was at the time of the Nativity of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is in so many ways enveloped in sorrow and gloom. This is because of the ravages of evil, the culture of death in our society, man's inhuman treatment of fellow man and the consequences of natural disasters. Just as our Lord came as the innocent child over 2,000 years ago, however, He comes to us again in modern times bringing us salvation. God takes on our humanity so that we can be elevated to the divine, so that we can have life, peace and hope. Had He not come, we would have no cause for celebration at any time.

Because He came, we can now comprehend the compassion, the concern, the love of God for all mankind and His desire to bring about our salvation. The Only-Begotten Son is the center and cornerstone of all human and divine history and we celebrate His Incarnation not only on December 25/January 7, but in all seasons, at all times and in all occasions. We celebrate it in the ways we share the love. We celebrate the Incarnation in the ways we are willing to empty ourselves of pride and vanity enabling us to abandon our judgment and condemnation of our neighbor. We celebrate the Incarnation when we become Christ in the lives of others - expressing our concern and compassion for them regardless of their life circumstances. We celebrate the Incarnation when we cease resisting the gift of His Grace.

No one has ever exceeded the evangelist John (the Beloved One) in his powerful description of the Incarnation/Nativity - the miracle of "God Eternal" (Boh Predvichnyi) who comes to us and reveals Himself to us in the Person of a tiny, vulnerable human Child. "In Him was life and the life was the Light of men" (John 1:4). John is telling us that in and through our Lord Jesus, God has made it possible for us to experience His power and love in the depths of our existence so that we may have fullness of life and the ability to share that fulness.

We should notice, however, the unexpected turn John makes in the middle of his description! Turning from this description of Grace and Light and Life, John suddenly says, "To His own He came, yet His own did not accept Him" (John 1:11). Then just as suddenly, he returns once again to the scheme of Grace, saying, "And we have seen His glory. The glory of an only Son coming from the Father, filled with enduring love" (John 1:14). John is emphasizing the miracle of the persistence of God's Grace. In spite of the rejection, in spite of the resistance, He keeps coming, He keeps returning, He keeps trying to break through to offer us His love.

And, as the Evangelist says, those who finally say "Yes," - those who receive Him - "He empowers to become the children of God" (John 1:12). No more beautiful or important Christmas story has ever been written. Nor more powerful example can be provided for our own lives.

Let us no longer resist the Grace, the Light and the Life. Let us boldy share it with an increasingly secularized society. Let us persist in our efforts to end war, in our efforts to proclaim the sanctity of all life - especially that of the innocent unborn, in our efforts to live in Christ's love. "For God so loved the world that He gave His Only-Begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God sent the Son into the world, not to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him." (John 3:16-17) Believe it!

As a result of the events that unfolded in Ukraine one year ago, this season of miracles will forever be associated with the miracle of peace and love that unfolded before the eyes of the world in the sub-freezing streets of Kyiv during the Orange Revolution. May the faithful of the Church in Ukraine - our brothers and sisters in Faith and by blood for the majority of our faithful in the diaspora - along with their leaders, political and spiritual, open themselves to the Grace that unites all and heals all. They and you are in our continued prayers.

We greet you all during this Holy, Holy Season and pray that all the love, peace and joy of the Christ-Child will fill your homes and lives throughout the coming new year.

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

Ý John
Metropolitan-Elect, Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada

Ý Antony
Archbishop, Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the U.S.A.

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

Ý Ioan
Archbishop, Ukrainian Orthodox Church in the Diaspora

Ý Yurij
Archbishop, Ukrainian Orthodox Church of Canada

Ý Jeremiah
Bishop, Ukrainian Orthodox Eparchy of South America (UOC of the U.S.A.)

Copyright © The Ukrainian Weekly, January 1, 2006, No. 1, Vol. LXXIV

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