Patriarch Daniel, in Christmas sermon: Birth of Christ – God’s programme for life of the world
Gheorghe Anghel – Basilica News Agency – 28/12/16
The birth of Christ represents God’s programme for the life of the world, for salvation or its release from sin and death and its leading to the eternal life of the Kingdom of Heaven, said the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, His Beatitude Daniel, in his Christmas sermon.
“From an orthodox theological-spiritual perspective, when we are speaking of God’s programme for the life of the world, we are actually speaking of God’s plan to create the world, its salvation or its release from sin and death and its leading to the eternal life of the Kingdom of Heaven. God’s unbridled love for people, manifested in the plan to create the world and in the plan to incarnate the eternal Son of God, is in fact God’s programme for the life of the world. The purpose of Incarnating the Son of God from the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and His Birth as a human in Bethlehem is humanity’s salvation from sin and death, meaning the gaining of eternal life,” the Patriarch said.
Through and in Jesus Christ the recapitulation and union of the entire creation is achieved, the Patriarch shows.
“Through his Birth from a Virgin, He unites the realms of Heaven and Earth. Through his salvation of the crook [e.n. — Zacchaeus], Christ accomplishes the union between Heaven and Earth. Through His Ascension to Heaven, Christ blesses human nature. Through recapitulating all the created powers and all realms, Christ unites the spiritual beings with the earthly beings. Through His seating as Human at the side of God, Christ unites creation with non-creation,” Patriarch Daniel says.
The Patriarch also called for the “raising of the country’s children with love for God and for their kin”.
“Let’s help the youths of our country discover the beauties of faith and of Christian love, so that they may be hard-working and generous. Let’s use the gift of liberty to fortify the faith and to accomplish more good deeds, to become more merciful, more generous, as we are urged by Jesus Christ the Saviour: ‘Be merciful, just as your Father in Heaven is merciful!”, said the Orthodox Hierarch.
On the occasion of the holidays of Christmas, New Year and the Epiphany, Patriarch Daniel addressed “to all wishes of health and salvation, peace and joy, happiness and much help from god in all good deeds, as well as the traditional greeting: Happy New Year!’”.
Translated by Agerpres
