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Nativity epistle of Hilarion, Metropolitan of New York and Eastern America, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia
Archpastors and brethren, most honorable fathers,
Each year the feast of the Nativity of Christ enters into
our hearts with ineffable spiritual joy—the joy that
came to earth when the angel of the Lord announced the
birth of Christ the Savior to the simple shepherds of
Bethlehem. The feast of the Nativity also fills us with
radiant joy through the profound content of its divine
services, which illumine our souls: the deeply edifying
and divinely inspired hymnody of the Nativity and the
readings taken from the prophecies. Hieromartyr Hilarion (Troitsky) wrote thus of the miracle of the birth of the divine Infant: "The heavens proclaimed the birth of God on earth, yet this proclamation was magnificent and silent, because the stars were the heavens' mouth. This event, which the whole Christian world now celebrates, at the time passed almost completely unnoticed." And this was probably because everything that is great takes place in stillness and mystery.
In the night of the Nativity, near the city of Bethlehem,
in a humble cave which shepherds used for penning their
flocks, was born Him Whose name has become close to
millions of people in our land. For Jesus, the divine
Infant, Who was born of the Virgin Mary, came to proclaim
to us the glad tidings of our salvation—the Gospel
of joy and light, the good news of new life." The Son
of God became man so that man might become the son of
God," the Holy Hieromartyr Irenaeus of Lyon wrote of
Christ the Savior. In the divine Infant our salvation
became visible. In God, Who for our sake became man, we
all sense ourselves beloved and cherished in the eyes of
the creator.
Rejoicing with the angelic hosts that unceasingly glorify
God in the heavens, with them we sing the wondrous hymn of
the angels: "Glory to God in the highest, and on
earth peace, goodwill among men!" This joy is
transmitted to all men, from age to age, from generation
to generation. During the difficult 20th century this joy
gave to our people the strength to endure persecution at
the hands of their neighbors and kin, wars, invasion by
foreign foes, estrangements.
And today, when things are still unsettled in the world,
when we are threatened by the economic disorders to which
the unrestrained striving for wealth and profits, and the
abandonment of moral principles have brought us, let us
not be daunted by the stormy waves of the sea of life, for
we are not alone in this world. In the hymnody of the
Nativity of Christ we sing: "God is with us!
Understand, ye nations, and submit yourselves, for God is
with us!" If with all our mind, all our heart, all
our life we will strive to be with God, then no difficulty
or trial will discourage us. And no one will be able to
deprive us of the joy that comes to us from on high, and
which the Gospel tells us no one can take from us (John.
16:22).
This past year there took place in the life of the
reunited Russian Orthodox Church an event long awaited by
the faithful in the homeland: the all-pure Mother of God,
in her miraculous image—the Kursk-Root Icon of the
Sign—visited Russia and its native precincts in the
Kursk-Root Hermitage. It was a joyful thing to behold the
faith and zeal of the tens of thousands of believers who
came to venerate the Directress of the Russian Diaspora.
One may rightly say that this event brought them together
spiritually and united them. All of this gives one hope
that, with God's help, in the year 2010 also the good
traditions of that spiritual life of prayer, the
beginnings of which were laid by the ever-memorable
Patriarch Alexy and Metropolitan Laurus, will develop
further and become the surety of the spiritual unity of
our Holy Church.
The year 2010 will mark the 90th anniversary of the
formation of the Russian Church Abroad. Thus, we would
like to thank the hierarchs and pastors who carry out
their tasks with diligence and zeal, the staff members of
the departments of the Synod, the Church-affiliated social
organizations, the parish schools, the sisterhoods, and
all who help strengthen the Church throughout the Russian
Diaspora, and to call upon them to work toward the
fulfillment of the goals which lie before our Church in
the field of spiritual, educational and missionary
service.
With "Christ is born! Glorify Him!" the Holy
Church addresses us during these radiant festal days. Let
us follow this summons and glorify Him in our prayers,
acts, words and thoughts.
The day of the Nativity of Christ is a feast of peace,
hope and the love of God. Let each of us strive to
translate this day into deeds pleasing to God—let us
give alms and help our neighbors, treat each person with
goodness and love, become better and, most important,
closer to God. With all my soul I wish that you will greet
and celebrate the radiant feast of the Nativity of Christ
in the joy of the Lord Who came into the world "for
our sake and for our salvation." Let the joy of the
radiant Nativity of Christ enter into each home, each
family, and warm our hearts with the fervor of divine
Love.
May your souls be filled with splendor and joy, like the
cave of Bethlehem, where the divine Infant, the Savior of
the world, was born. May God bless our homes and families
with peace, happiness and prosperity during the coming
year and all the days of our life. May the star of
Bethlehem guide you on the path to salvation.
The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, Who has now been born
of the Ever-virgin Mary, remain with all of
you.
+Hilarion, 08 / 01 / 2010
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Also here you can read:
Tireless Specialist Reposes in the Lord Epistle of the Council of Bishops to the Clergy, Monastics, Laity and All the Faithful Children of the Russian Orthodox Church A Hidden Camera in the Soul His Eminence the Novice. Part 2 The Gift of “No” His Eminence the Novice. Part 1 The Right to Live Epiphany celebrations in Russia History Personified: Part 2— Stolypin's Last Days History Personified: Petr Stolypin. Part I—The Statesman How Might the World be Different if Sundays Were Still Church Days? A Christmas Present from the Patriarch 
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Nativity epistle of Hilarion, Metropolitan of New York and Eastern America, First Hierarch of the Russian Orthodox Church Outside of Russia
