Metropolitan Yuvenaly: May Lord’s birth teach us
Moscow Time
6/1/2012
Metropolitan Yuvenaly of Krutitsy and Kolomna addressed the Voice of Russia listeners with his annual Christmas message on the feast of the Nativity of Our Lord and Savior celebrated on the night of January 7th .
“Beloved brethren in the Lord, dear brothers and sisters in Christ! The Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord the Savior Jesus Christ means so much to our Russian Orthodox Church as Orthodox believers worldwide kneel in humble awe in celebration of Orthodox Christmas. Our Savior Jesus Christ was born in humility, in a dark and cold cave. On this solemn occasion, those who aspire for transient fame and outward veneer ought to learn from the humble circumstances under which Christ Our Lord revealed himself to humanity. Shepherds and wise men of the East came to bow to Christ the baby on the day he was born, the Holy Gospel says. On the day of the great feast of the Nativity the city of Bethlehem transforms into a “sky” where glory-singing angels take the place of stars and the endless “sun of the truth” shines upon us in place of the visible sun.”
Christ Our Lord was born more than 2,000 years ago. Even though it happened so far back, the feast is one of the Great Feasts of the Orthodox Church and remains sacred to believers worldwide. The Nativity of Jesus Christ reminds humanity of the holiest of values that ought to be preserved and augmented.
“A searching mind can learn a lot from the biblical account of the birth of Jesus Christ. The Lord’s immeasurable love of mankind, the motherly feat of the Virgin Mary and the fervent hearts of those who hurried to the manger in which He was born introduce us to Divine Love. But there are other examples to learn from. We ought to remember, dear brothers and sisters, that there were those who refused to accommodate St. Joseph and the Theotokos and there was the wicked Herod who sought Jesus’s death. We ought to separate the righteous behavior from the unrighteous one for we ought to model ourselves on the pious deeds and extirpate the evil. On the feast of the Nativity of Our Lord let us exercise mercy and sacrifice in the name of Our Savior, let us reveal our heartfelt willingness to follow in His footsteps, let us rejoice in effecting his Commandments. The feast of the Nativity teaches us the importance of eradicating evil and steering clear of sordid, non-Christian acts.”
Metropolitan Yuvenaly reminded Voice of Russia listeners that the year 2011 was full of obstacles to both the Russian society and the church but the clergy and laity alike spared no efforts to guarantee spiritual renewal of the society, revive Orthodox traditions, build up faith, refurbish old and build new churches and support a variety of social projects. “Let us follow the same path in 2012. Life in Christ is inseparable from the Church. On Holy Christmas, I express my profound gratitude to priests, cloisterers, and laity for their efficacious involvement in the service of God and their self-denying sacrifice in the name of the Holy Church and for the good of their close ones. May the newborn Lord bless our efforts and bestow His blessing and strength upon us along with spiritual contentment, good health, peace, happiness and prosperity. I congratulate you all on the holy and life-saving feast of Christmas and the New Year. May the All-Merciful Lord grant us aiding and saving grace at all times. Amen”. – Metropolitan Yuvenaly of Krutitsy and Kolomna said as he addressed the Voice of Russia listeners on the feast of the Nativity.
