Christmas Message
Holy Council of Bishops
St. Paul Autocephalous Autocephalous Orthodox Church
To the venerable clergy, monks and nuns,
Believers, youth and children
Christ is born!
Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy
which shall be given to all the people, behold, this day in the city.
David, unto thee is born a Savior, which is Christ the Lord
(Luke 2:10-11).
With these words of "joyful, great" news on the night of the Nativity of Christ, the Angel of the Lord addressed the shepherds who were guarding their flock in Bethlehem to hurry with it to the place of Christ's birth. The shepherds went and saw Him and returned, praising and glorifying God for all they had heard and seen, as they had been told (Lk. 2:20).
Brothers and sisters! The coming of the Savior into the world has pleased the shepherds and rejoices mankind.
and each of us living in the 21st century. The eternal God the Word becomes man in order to unite us to Himself and take us to heaven. In this way He unites heaven with earth, angels with men. The Savior brought peace to those who were far away and those who were near. Through Him we have access to the Father in one Spirit (Eph. 2:15, 17-18) and the ability to enlighten those in darkness and those sitting in the shadow of death (Lk. 1:79). By being born this way, Christ has made us His children and heirs of the eternal kingdom. By His Incarnation, the Son of God revealed to the world a great humility and love such as the world had never known before. The Incarnation of Christ is the work of God the Father's infinite love for fallen man. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:6).
Brothers and sisters! With the birth of Christ, the course of history changed. A new era of human life began, a new moral order that had been disrupted by the sinfulness of the first man could be built. Mankind at the "edge of time" had reached total chaos. God, by His Incarnation, enabled man to unite with Himself and made him capable of accomplishing good. Christ the Savior remains forever and ever .... yesterday, today, and forever (Heb. 13:8) King of Glory, Truth, and Life (Matt. 4:16).
Great is the spiritual significance of the Revelation of the Son of God in the universe. We Orthodox Christians, faithful to the Savior, keep the mystery of His Incarnation and solemnly celebrate Christmas every year. "With one mouth and one heart we glorify the Savior who was born and Mary, the Theotokos, who co-served this great mystery of the Incarnation." We express this truth in liturgical texts and songs called carols. This is our treasure that strengthens our spiritual life, our religiosity and helps us preserve what our ancestors left us.
Brothers and sisters! Let us continue the practice of singing Christmas hymns in our homes. Let us visit our loved ones, let us sing in the streets. In this way we enter into spiritual-church fellowship with all Orthodox Christians who do the same as we do. All this will strengthen us in our faith and we will be accompanied by the gifts of God: love, joy, peace of mind, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, mercy, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22). These gifts will help us to bear one another's burdens (Gal. 6:2) and to keep the peace, because those who make peace will be called sons of God (Matt. 5:9).
Unfortunately, these gifts are missing in the modern world. Modern man forgets about God and is guided by the desire to possess earthly goods. This contributes to the loss of faith, hope and often the meaning of life. This is what modern pathology is all about. Secularization is putting a strain on everything divine. The world is still sinking into the abyss of sin, the concept of goodness is disappearing. Man forgets about "one need" (Lk. 10:42). And this is the reason for the disintegration of society, family and world peace. War is on our borders in Ukraine, the Middle East, Asia, Africa, etc.
Brothers and sisters! Only fidelity to the Gospel ideal can strengthen nations, youth, children and each of us in a worthy witness to Orthodoxy. Today, preserving the teachings of the Gospel and the Church requires courage and awareness.
and perseverance. Let us not be afraid of these efforts. Let us be faithful, persevere and preserve the spiritual wealth of Orthodoxy. This is a saving effort for all: the strong, the weak and the doubting. Orthodoxy is our treasure.
Brothers and sisters! As we close the year 2023, we thank God for all the gifts He has given to our Church and to each of us in 2023. We would like to give special thanks for the new temple in the capital city of Warsaw: St. Sophia - Divine Wisdom, which we consecrated in May 2023.
Holy Council of Bishops
St. Paul Autocephalous Autocephalous Orthodox Church
To the venerable clergy, monks and nuns,
Believers, youth and children
Christ is born!
Fear not, for behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy
which shall be given to all the people, behold, this day in the city.
David, unto thee is born a Savior, which is Christ the Lord
(Luke 2:10-11).
With these words of "joyful, great" news on the night of the Nativity of Christ, the Angel of the Lord addressed the shepherds who were guarding their flock in Bethlehem to hurry with it to the place of Christ's birth. The shepherds went and saw Him and returned, praising and glorifying God for all they had heard and seen, as they had been told (Lk. 2:20).
Brothers and sisters! The coming of the Savior into the world has pleased the shepherds and rejoices mankind.
and each of us living in the 21st century. The eternal God the Word becomes man in order to unite us to Himself and take us to heaven. In this way He unites heaven with earth, angels with men. The Savior brought peace to those who were far away and those who were near. Through Him we have access to the Father in one Spirit (Eph. 2:15, 17-18) and the ability to enlighten those in darkness and those sitting in the shadow of death (Lk. 1:79). By being born this way, Christ has made us His children and heirs of the eternal kingdom. By His Incarnation, the Son of God revealed to the world a great humility and love such as the world had never known before. The Incarnation of Christ is the work of God the Father's infinite love for fallen man. God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life (John 3:6).
Brothers and sisters! With the birth of Christ, the course of history changed. A new era of human life began, a new moral order that had been disrupted by the sinfulness of the first man could be built. Mankind at the "edge of time" had reached total chaos. God, by His Incarnation, enabled man to unite with Himself and made him capable of accomplishing good. Christ the Savior remains forever and ever .... yesterday, today, and forever (Heb. 13:8) King of Glory, Truth, and Life (Matt. 4:16).
Great is the spiritual significance of the Revelation of the Son of God in the universe. We Orthodox Christians, faithful to the Savior, keep the mystery of His Incarnation and solemnly celebrate Christmas every year. "With one mouth and one heart we glorify the Savior who was born and Mary, the Theotokos, who co-served this great mystery of the Incarnation." We express this truth in liturgical texts and songs called carols. This is our treasure that strengthens our spiritual life, our religiosity and helps us preserve what our ancestors left us.
Brothers and sisters! Let us continue the practice of singing Christmas hymns in our homes. Let us visit our loved ones, let us sing in the streets. In this way we enter into spiritual-church fellowship with all Orthodox Christians who do the same as we do. All this will strengthen us in our faith and we will be accompanied by the gifts of God: love, joy, peace of mind, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, mercy, gentleness, self-control (Galatians 5:22). These gifts will help us to bear one another's burdens (Gal. 6:2) and to keep the peace, because those who make peace will be called sons of God (Matt. 5:9).
Unfortunately, these gifts are missing in the modern world. Modern man forgets about God and is guided by the desire to possess earthly goods. This contributes to the loss of faith, hope and often the meaning of life. This is what modern pathology is all about. Secularization is putting a strain on everything divine. The world is still sinking into the abyss of sin, the concept of goodness is disappearing. Man forgets about "one need" (Lk. 10:42). And this is the reason for the disintegration of society, family and world peace. War is on our borders in Ukraine, the Middle East, Asia, Africa, etc.
Brothers and sisters! Only fidelity to the Gospel ideal can strengthen nations, youth, children and each of us in a worthy witness to Orthodoxy. Today, preserving the teachings of the Gospel and the Church requires courage and awareness.
and perseverance. Let us not be afraid of these efforts. Let us be faithful, persevere and preserve the spiritual wealth of Orthodoxy. This is a saving effort for all: the strong, the weak and the doubting. Orthodoxy is our treasure.
Brothers and sisters! As we close the year 2023, we thank God for all the gifts He has given to our Church and to each of us in 2023. We would like to give special thanks for the new temple in the capital city of Warsaw: St. Sophia - Divine Wisdom, which we consecrated in May 2023.
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