A HOMILY ON THE NATIVITY OF CHRIST
About the Meaning of the Feast and the Gift of Christ’s Peace
Brothers and sisters!
With a joyful heart I greet you on the feast of the Nativity of our Lord, God, and Saviour Jesus Christ! Today heaven and earth, angels and men, join in hymning the wonder of God’s descent to earth. May all of you share in the peace and joy of the feast and unite your voice to that of the heavenly hosts as they praise the divine Child on the day of His birth.
Truly, the whole creation joins in glorifying the newborn God, especially the chosen race of Orthodox Christians, the new Israel, the members of the Church of Christ, which was established by none other than God come down in the flesh, and which in its teaching and life ever remains faithful to its incarnate Lord. On this day the Holy Church chants with the great theologian Gregory: “Christ is born, meet ye Him; Christ is on earth, lift up your minds and hearts to heaven. Sing unto the Lord all the earth, and sing praises in gladness, O ye people, for He hath been glorified.” It chants tenderly to Christ the newborn Saviour, and it chants with jubilation to all the Persons of the Holy Trinity, Whose preeternal counsel made possible the wondrous, all-redeeming mystery of the Incarnation.
Know, brothers and sisters, that the supreme miracle of the Incarnation of God’s Son was foreseen and decided upon by the Holy Trinity before time existed; before the angels came to be; before there was a creation or a fall; before there were heavens or an earth. As the Scriptures testify: Known unto God are all His works from the beginning of the world.[1] From the beginning the Creator foresaw the fall of many of the angels and, most tragically, the fall of the brilliant morning star, the mighty Lucifer, who hurled himself down from on high like a bolt of lightning. The Creator likewise foresaw the fall of the human race into sin, corruption, and the gloomy pit of Hades, as a result of the intrigues of the once-radiant, but now-debased chief angel. In response to this fall and its consequences, He, our Creator and Master, prepared the most effective, the most wise, the most loving, and the most God-befitting means to raise up fallen Adam, to restore man to his original dignity, or better, to recreate him so that his condition would become immeasurably superior to that in which he was originally created. The means for this were for God the Son Himself to descend to earth and to become the new Adam, in the process annulling the curse and bestowing the divine blessing afresh upon the human race. It is this descent, this redemption, this restoration, that we celebrate so festively on the day of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ.
And what does our Master, Who has dealt with us so lovingly, so kindly, so compassionately, and so wisely, ask from us in return? First and foremost, He asks that we believe in the mystery of our redemption, that we accept it with a pure heart and a humble spirit, and that we ponder it frequently with marvel. Second, He asks that, availing ourselves of its divine power through heartfelt prayer to Him, we repent, we be cleansed, we be enlightened, and that we correct our faults, accepting the indispensable assistance of His divine grace. Third, He asks that, again calling upon His help constantly in prayer and accepting His gracious succor, we strive to attain the Christian virtues: humility, meekness, obedience, self-denial, purity, simplicity, non-acquisitiveness, compassion, and love. More than any other, this last virtue shows us to be disciples of the all-loving Saviour and His co-heirs of celestial glory, as He Himself says: By this shall all men know that ye are My disciples, If ye have love one to another.[2]
On this feast we chant over and over: “Thy nativity, O Christ our God, hath shined the light of knowledge upon the world.” What, dear Christians, is this knowledge that we hymn so triumphantly? It is the knowledge of ourselves, of our nature, and of our purpose in this life and in eternity, which is revealed in the person of Jesus Christ and in Christian teaching. It is knowledge of why we were created and why we were placed here; knowledge of what awaits our souls beyond the grave; knowledge of what awaits our souls and bodies after the Dread Judgment. It is knowledge of the most important, the most profound realities of all. From our Lord’s description in the Gospel, we now know what will happen at the Judgment on the last day better than most of us know many faraway countries on the other side of the globe. Every Orthodox Christian child now knows more about the resurrection of the dead than did the elders and wise men of Old Testament times, not to say better than all the learned Platos and Aristotles of the ancient heathen. Possessing this knowledge, truly Christian people now strive more fervently for the blessings of life everlasting than for those of the present fleeting existence.
The Nativity of Christ has also shined upon us the light of knowledge with respect to our relations with one another, for Christ has taught us to love our neighbors and even our enemies selflessly. He has taught us to esteem other Orthodox Christians as His own members, and to understand that whatever we do to other people – whether it be good or bad, kind or heartless – we do to Him, to the God of all creation and the Rewarder and Punisher of all men. The Nativity of Christ has taught us longsuffering and forgiveness, by which we obtain the forgiveness of our own sins. In a word, Jesus Christ, the incarnate Logos of God, has taught us to uproot every sinful inclination from our heart. In place of the dark passions, He inaugurates the kingdom of light: the Kingdom of God within us; that is, the blessed state and realm of righteousness, holiness, gentleness, meekness, purity, chastity, and devotion to Himself. In this way Christ our Saviour brings down to earth, to the human soul, the peace of heaven, the peace of God, which passeth understanding.[3]
On this blessed day of our Lord’s appearance in the flesh, may all of you, beloved brothers and sisters, richly experience that celestial peace: the tranquility, fullness, and peace of Christ Jesus, true God of true God, born of our most pure, most blessed Lady, the Theotokos and ever-virgin Mary, the Queen of Heaven and earth. Amen.
[1] Acts 15:18
[2] John 13:35
[3] Phil. 4:7
