2014 Nativity Pastoral Message of His Eminence Joseph – Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of All North America

December 2014- January 2015

Come, O God-inspired faithful, arise and behold the descent of God from on high! He manifests Himself to us in Bethlehem. Let us cleanse our minds and offer Him a life of virtue instead of myrrh. Let us prepare with faith to celebrate His Nativity, storing up spiritual treasure and crying out: Glory in the highest to God in Trinity! His good pleasure is now revealed to men. In his love for mankind He sets Adam free from the ancestral curse”. (Idiomelon for the Sixth Hour of the Nativity)

We greet you with joy as we draw near to the glorious feast of the Nativity of our Lord and God and Savior Jesus Christ!

The beautiful hymn above embodies the true spirit of Christmas as we prepare to celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ. God comes down to us from on high, and chooses to be born as a babe in the most humble of settings, the cave in Bethlehem. We strive to respond to this outpouring of love from God by cleansing our minds from all carnal thoughts and passions. Whereas the Kings of the East offered Him myrrh, our appropriate offering is a life of virtue, free from all of the sinfulness that would separate us from our God.

We convey our most heartfelt love to you as we stand on the threshold of this joyous feast and we ask our loving God to bless you and grant to you a most joyous, healthful and spiritually rewarding celebration of His birth.

Christ is Born! Glorify Him!

Yours in Christ,
+ JOSEPH
Archbishop of New York and Metropolitan of All North America
Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America

Source: