Patriach Pavle's Nativity Message

KiM Info Newsletter 06-01-07
Patriarch Pavle's Christmas Message
The Serbian Orthodox Churchto her spiritual children at Christmas, 2006
P A V L E
By the grace of God
Orthodox Archbishop of Pec, Metropolitan of Belgrade-Karlovci and Serbian Patriarch, with the Hierarchs of the Serbian Orthodox Church - to all the clergy, monastics, and all the sons and daughters of our Holy Church: grace, mercy and peace from God the Father, and our Lord Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit, with the joyous Christmas greeting:
PEACE FROM GOD - CHRIST IS BORN!
“Great indeed is the mystery of our religion:God is manifested in the flesh, vindicated in the Spirit,seen by angels, preached among the nations,believed on in the world, taken up in glory.”(I Tim. 3:16)
These words of the Apostle Paul, our dear spiritual children, most fully depict all the beauty of the joy of Christmas in which we truly participate in the great mystery of God descending from Heaven to earth and man’s ascending from earth to Heaven and sitting at the right hand of God the Father. This, in essence, is the divine sonship of everyone who desires it through an active faith. The Son of God came to call us into the everlasting Kingdom of God and to bring us into the reality of eternal life, being that He, our Lord, is always the Way, the Truth, and the Life (John 14:5).
The event of Christ’s birth from the Virgin Mary brings together all hopes and longings of mankind throughout the centuries preceding it, as well as the faith of all the centuries that followed it, and it will last throughout all the centuries to eternity. This is the fullness of time (Gal. 4:4), for God and man are united together in the person of Christ. God is born as a man without ceasing to be God, so that man can become “god by grace”, without ceasing to be man.
Rejoicing in eternal and indescribable joy because of the great gifts of God’s love, let us ask ourselves as believing Christians, called out and sent into the world to be “the salt and light of the earth” (Matthew 5:13-14), are we, and to what degree are we, truly responsible in our God-given freedom. It is not good to make excuses for ourselves to someone else and yet see his mistakes, for condemning is not the way of faith. Often times this is an obstacle on the road of life and too heavy a yoke for him who acts this way. This is why we turn to you, sons and daughters of Christ’s Church, “not as lords over your faith, but as helpers of your joy” (II Cor. 1:24). On bended knees we implore you: show love without hypocrisy toward one another and toward all people – “let us not grow weary in well-doing.” (Gal. 6:9) Let us work to carry out the lesson of our Holy Fathers: “Every Christian needs to be such a person that God is never ashamed of him.” We can fulfill this axiom, noble people of God, but only if we make some effort will we succeed in the good works of our noble faith.
There are many selfish people today who think that they can do everything alone. Many are the false “great” people and nations and, each thinks that he alone can change the world. That is why we need the faith of the righteous Joseph, the simplicity and hospitality of Bethlehem’s shepherds, and the wisdom of the Magi from the East who, guided by the star, brought gifts to Christ without fearing King Herod. Let us believe with the faith of the prophets and righteous from the Old Testament, and let us persevere together with the holy apostles in witnessing to the great Mystery of faith, knowing that besides Christ “there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)
This knowledge in faith does not hinder us in love toward others. On the contrary, it directs us forward and opens us up to every person, regardless of who he is, how he prays, or whether he prays. For “God shows no partiality, but in every nation any one who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.” (Act. 10:35) Our faith that Christ is the Savior of the world and mankind, equips and enables us to always serve the improvement and salvation of the world. The Son of God, for us and our salvation, became man and our servant. So each one of us is called to serve for the betterment of life and for the salvation of all and everyone. How much better and different everything would be if we Christians would actively understand the meaning of the “great ones” serving the “little ones”! Life would be more beautiful and the world would be much better. It is possible — but only if each one conquers self-will, renounces his own selfishness, abandons personal self-interest, and exchanges it for a self-sacrificing and unselfish way of life.
We were committing lawless acts – let us stop, and God will forgive. The greatest error we commit is abortion, because we will not admit that it is the sin of murdering a child, motivated by the selfishness of unworthy parents. It is most hideous murder, the refusal of God’s blessing and the denial to a new person of the right to life. The unborn child is not a nameless embryo, a fetus; it is a person – a living soul. We implore you, dear parents, not to do this any more; do not close the door of your hearts and homes to the blessing of life. There is enough room and food for all. Remember those childless parents who with tears in their eyes beseech God to bless them with children! Do not let the lack of material possessions be an excuse for abortion. Do not cut yourselves off from God’s blessing!
We know that some self-proclaimed defenders of people’s rights will say that the Church is limiting freedom and the rights of people, but let it be known that we are counseling with love, without degrading. May God forgive their sin and may He bring them into the communion of love. We will rejoice if they favorably respond. Many nations give heed to their historical existence and eternal salvation, and our Serbian people have killed, regretfully, more unborn children than all our enemies in all wars put together. We would mention that in our homeland the annual number of deaths, more than twenty five thousand, is greater than the number of new births. It is hoped that this statistic will move many to a more responsible way of thinking and to better actions.
In doing good works, in forgiving and in prayer, we need to persist and endure to the end, for “when reviled, we bless; when persecuted, we endure; when slandered, we try to conciliate…” (I Cor. 4:12-13), knowing that “the victory that overcomes the world – (is) our faith.” (I John 5:4) Orthodox Serbs in Kosovo and Metohija experience and know this very well, along with all those who have been left homeless, driven by persecution from their homesteads. They bear the wounds of Christ on their bodies and are victorious over their persecutors. Many, because of their self-absorption and fear, do not understand them. They, like the early Christian martyrs and confessors, are victorious over those who think that they can reach their goal by defeating others. We deeply believe that the time will come when the aggressors will be put to shame. We pray for our enemies, that they may see that doing evil cannot bring good results to anyone. May it be known to them that after all debacles which they are inflicting upon others, in the end, they themselves will be defeated with hopelessness. And for them we pray that they may overcome “self” in order to become partakers of the peace which Christ gives.
Dear spiritual children, our holy Serbian Orthodox Church has survived all historical Golgothas and crucifixions by the joy of Bethlehem’s shepherds and by the wisdom of the Magi from East, and it will continue to survive forever, in conciliar unity with all the local Orthodox Churches which together comprise One Holy Church. In her fullness (sabornost) she gathers the entire Serbian population, on all continents and in all countries, and is open to all people of good will. She has gathered her faithful children throughout the centuries, walking the narrow path and building bridges of peace and love among people and nations.
We know well our downfalls, schisms and divisions. We pray to God that they cease, forever asking all of you to be one in our Lord, so that we may show others the pure faith and holy unity, all the beauty of faith in God and faith in the man of God. It will happen when we stop creating divisions among ourselves, mostly for foolish reasons. Let us strive, in the joy of the Christmas celebration, to reconcile ourselves and let us gather around the crib of the Divine Infant, overcoming all our senseless divisions!
Of course, it is necessary to think through everything, to encounter different opinions and to discuss things, but this cannot be a reason for hatred either among ourselves or towards anyone. The rule must remain in force which states: “he who would be first, should be servant to all”. Christ with His life showed all this, and we Christians have a sacred duty to affirm this life of service. Today is the most appropriate day to reexamine and correct ourselves and others so that our joy can be complete and lasting.
Every one of us needs to see in every other person the image of God, the image of our brother and of our eternal friend. Then will our hearts truly be Bethlehem’s cave in which Christ is continually being born anew. And the more hearts there are like this, the better everything will be and the better we will all be.
PEACE FROM GOD - CHRIST IS BORN!
Given at the Serbian Patriarchate in Belgrade, at Christmas, 2006. (Julian Calendar)
Your intercessors before the divine Christ-Child:
Archbishop of Pec, Metropolitan of Belgrade-Karlovci and Serbian Patriarch PAVLE
Metropolitan of Zagreb and Ljubljana JOVAN Metropolitan of Montenegro and the Coastlands AMPHILOHIJE Metropolitan of Midwestern America CHRISTOPHER Metropolitan of Dabro-Bosna NIKOLAJ
Bishop of Sabac-Valjevo LAVRENTIJE Bishop of Nis IRINEJ Bishop of Zvornik-Tuzla VASILIJE Bishop of Srem VASILIJE Bishop of Banja Luka JEFREM Bishop of Budim LUKIJAN Bishop of Canada GEORGIJE Bishop of Banat NIKANOR Bishop for America and Canada (New Gracanica Metropolitanate) LONGIN Bishop of Eastern America MITROPHAN Bishop of Zica CHRYSOSTOM Bishop of Backa IRINEJ Bishop of Great Britain and Scandinavia DOSITEJ Bishop of Ras and Prizren ARTEMIJE Retired Bishop of Zahumlje and Hercegovina ATANASIJE Bishop of Bihac and Petrovac CHRYSOSTOM Bishop of Osijek and Baranja LUKIJAN Bishop of Central Europe CONSTANTINE Bishop of Western Europe LUKA Bishop of Timok JUSTIN Bishop of Vranje PAHOMIJE Bishop of Sumadija JOVAN Bishop of Slavonia SAVA Bishop of Branicevo IGNATIJE Bishop of Milesevo FILARET Bishop of Dalmatia FOTIJE Bishop of Budimlje and Niksic JOANIKIJE Bishop of Zahumlje and Hercegovina GRIGORIJE Bishop of Valjevo MILUTINBishop of Western America MAXIM Bishop of Gornji Karlovci GERASIMBishop of Australia and New Zealand IRINEJ Vicar Bishop of Hvostno ATANASIJE Vicar Bishop of Jegar PORFIRIJE Vicar Bishop of Lipljan TEODOSIJE Vicar Bishop of Dioclea JOVAN Vicar Bishop of Moravica ANTONIJE
THE ORTHODOX ARCHDIOCESE OF OCHRID
Archbishop of Ochrid and Metropolitan of Skoplje JOVAN Bishop of Polos and Kumanovo JOAKIM Bishop of Bregal and locum tenens of the Diocese of Bitolj MARKO
[Path of Orthodoxy translation]