Nativity Epistle 2021: Metropolitan NICHOLAS of Cincinnati (TOCA)
Since the coming of Jesus Christ, mankind never stopped to deny Him and to mock Him, as much as He was mocked and persecuted. Many righteous fall as martyrs and confessors for His name; His divine Glorious manifestation shines and conquers over those who try to deny Him.
Many of those who have written about Our Lord Jesus Christ were not able to influence mankind as much as the Holy Apostles and the Holy Fathers of the Church did, however they are writers and philosophers. No life of Christ, ever yet written by a writer of greater genius that ever yet attempted the task could be more beautiful and more perfect than the Gospels.
However, after so much consumption of time and ingenuity, Christ is not yet ejected from the earth. Upon the walls of the churches and schools, on the summits of belfries and mountains, in the street tabernacles, at the head of beds and above the tombs, millions of crosses recall to mind the presence of our Savior in the world.
How great and divine His coming into this world when the time of prophecies of the Old Testament was fulfilled, God manifested himself to mankind in a very humble way and sent His Son into this world as a child of poverty, to which the shepherds had regarded him lovingly and lovingly offered their simple treasures.
They knew that this infant, born in poverty of poor parents, born humble amidst humble things, born of common people, among people who were common, was destined to be the Redeemer of the humble of those “men of good will,” upon whom the angels had evoked the blessing of peace, because He came to condemn revenge, to preach forgiveness to our enemies, and forgiveness of sin. No time ever was so divided from Christ as our own, and none ever needed Christ so much as the world today.
In order that the Newborn Christ may always be alive and eternally present in the lives of mankind, it is absolutely necessary to resuscitate Him from time to time — not by any means to re-dye Him in the colors of the day, but to present Him in new words and with reference to the existing conditions of His eternal truth and His unchangeable history.
Our time is the most confused regarding the feast of Nativity of Our Lord. Instead of spiritual journey, we changed in a most earthly celebration keeping Christ out of Christmas. Most of the young generations in our society may not know by name Our Lord, because the parents instead of nourishing them into Christian faith are perhaps busy with divorces and arguments, ignorance and Christ denying lifestyles, and/or mostly accepting instead of morality the self-indulgence and paganism, ignoring the most precious treasure the salvation trough Christ.
Today is a very dangerous movement, when the rulers of this world trying to undermine the unity of the true faith for their own political benefit, with infiltration among the church leaders to destroy the holiness of the Christian Faith, could reduce it into a political use, with false leaders.
Since from the great schism the Church of Rome has made all kinds of changes, they try to influence the Eastern Orthodox Church to be united with them in the time when sadly their church suffered all kind of changes and hit by immoral actions paying billions to their victims.
Christianity as a whole does not need any change; the true change is to follow the gospel and the commandments and lead the flock towards salvation. As it proves ambitious changes are not healthy in the church like in America, certain Orthodox churches who changed the calendar have suffered leaving in the hearts of their flock an open wound because the American Christmas was considered only a feast day for opening gifts, whereas the Christmas on the Julian Calendar is considered the Spiritual one as we celebrate.
As the fish can’t live without water, the tree cannot live without earth, thus man can’t live without God so mankind without Christ will walk as before the coming of Christ in the darkness. Let us refresh our commitment to the Lord and as the psalmist wrote: “God is the Lord and has revealed Himself to us. (Psalm 117:27)” acknowledging Him the real Savior of the world. Let us rejoice in His Great Nativity feast and as the Christmas Vespers songs tell to us: “Come let us greatly rejoice, the Lord Jesus was born of the holy virgin, the whole universe was filled with light.” With these humble and simple thoughts, | would like to greet all of you on this very Holy season of the Nativity of Our Lord, His Circumcision and New Year, and the Blessed Theophany of the Baptism of the Lord.
Wishing all of you a Joyous Nativity Feast, Healthy and Prosperous New Year, and Blessed
Theophany!
Prayerfully yours in the New Born Child in Bethlehem,
+Metropolitan NICHOLAS
Archbishop of Cincinnati
Metropolitan of the True Orthodox Church In America
