CHRISTMAS LETTER 2024
The Nativity of Our Lord, 2024
Dearly Beloved in Christ,
Greetings of peace and joy as we celebrate the glorious Nativity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!
Christ is Born! Glorify Him!
As the carol reminds us, on that most sacred night in Bethlehem, a holy stillness enveloped the world: “Silent night, holy night, all is calm, all is bright.” In that silence, the Eternal Word became flesh, dwelling among us in humility and love. This profound mystery invites us to wonder at the unfathomable depths of God’s condescension, as St. Leo the Great so beautifully proclaimed in his Christmas homilies:
"He took the nature of a servant without the stain of sin, enlarging humanity without diminishing divinity, that He, the invisible, might be seen; that He, the Creator and Lord of all things, might be born of a virgin; that He, eternal and beyond all measure, might be embraced by human arms."
The Cappadocian Fathers further unfold this truth, reminding us that Christ’s Incarnation is not merely a historical event but the beginning of our deification, our transformative sanctification by the power of the Holy Spirit. St. Gregory Nazianzen urges us to rejoice because, in Christ, "what is assumed is healed." Our brokenness is restored, and our mortality is clothed with immortality, even in the midst of this broken, failing, dying human experience.
Amid the noise and distractions of our age, we find it challenging to grasp the quiet majesty of that first Christmas. No noise, sales, consumerism - just the heralding of the angels in a field to simple shepherds. Yet, the stillness of Bethlehem calls us to rediscover the spiritual treasure of silence - a silence that St. Isaac the Syrian describes as the "mystery of the world to come." Silence is not emptiness but a sanctuary, where the soul communes with God, hears His voice, and is renewed by His presence. We must embrace this silence and revel in the glowing beauty of the quiet moments!
Let this Christmas be a season, not only of festivity, but of holy quietness, where the light of Christ illuminates our hearts and leads us to true and lasting peace. Let us follow the shepherds in their adoration, the Magi in their worship, and the Holy Virgin in her pondering heart, contemplating the miracle of Emmanuel - God is with us!
As we gaze upon the Christ Child in the manger, in the depths of our hearts, let us also pray for His light to shine in our lives and the world around us. May this Christmas bring you health, happiness, blessing, protection, safety, love, success, fulfillment, and a proliferation of close, intimate, and Christ-centered relationships, that will help stabilize you in the midst of a fierce and stormy sea of life.
Let us pray:
Heavenly Father, we give thanks for the gift of Your Son, Jesus Christ, who entered our world in humility and love to bring us salvation. Grant that we, believing in His salvation and submitting to His lordship, now may ever rejoice in His birth as the beginning of our salvation. May we be filled with the peace that surpasses understanding. Bless our homes and loved ones with health and happiness, protect us from all harm, and guide us in Your truth. Let the light of Christ shine through us, that we may build relationships grounded in faith, hope, and love. May this holy season be a foretaste of the joy of Your eternal kingdom, through the same Jesus Christ, our Lord, Who liveth and reigneth with Thee, in the unity of the Holy Spirit, ever One God, world without end. Amen.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Yours in Christ,
+Joseph
Secretary to the Synod of the Orthodox Archdiocese of America
The Anglican Vicariate & Missionary Diocese of East and Southeast Asia
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