Christmas Address Of Patriarch Filaret of Kyiv and all Rus-Ukraine
Of Patriarch Filaret of Kyiv and all Rus-Ukraine
To reverend archpastors, God-loving pastors,
Honored monastics and all the faithful
Of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the Kyivan Patriarchate
Today, the Orthodox Church celebrates Christmas through the spiritual glorification of our Lord Jesus Christ. In our churches the words are heard again: “God is with us, understand, people, and submit, because God is with us!” These words sound hopeful in our time, when all the Christian people are experiencing the financial crisis. In Ukraine, internal problems have been added to this international calamity. In these conditions, the words of Isaiah the Prophet “God is with us” instill in us Christians the unshakeable hope and firm faith that everything in the world that happens to each nation and person occurs for the sake of our salvation, for our benefit. God not only punishes for sins, but also has mercy. And even when He punishes, He does it with love for the sake of our salvation and eternal life.
The Son of God, one of the three persons of the Holy Trinity, the Creator of the Universe for the sake of redeeming us, sinful people, from sin and death lowered Himself: being God He became a man without changing His Divine nature. God so loved the world that gave His Only Begotten Son “that whoever believes in Him shall not perish but have eternal life.” (John 3:16) Do you think that the One who suffered terribly on the cross does not love and care about us, the people of the 21st century? Or is God indifferent to our eternal life? We can be indifferent to our eternal fate but not Him. Our souls are being corrupted by sin as metal is by rust, and we, Christians, pay almost no attention to it. Our souls are filled with love for money, self-interest, untruth, fornication, envy, vanity, pride, love of power, and many other vices. We forget that this all leads us to eternal perdition. But the man-loving God with unlimited love for his creation does not want us to die; He wants “all men to be saved and to understand the truth” (1 Timothy 2:4).
Any sin is overcome through suffering. Therefore, our Savior Jesus Christ bore the suffering on the cross to purify our human soul from sin. He took on himself the sins of the whole world. He was being crucified, shamed, yelled at: “If you are the son of God, come down from the cross!” and in response He begged His Father in Heaven: “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing!” But in order to bear the suffering and overcome sin the Son of God had to have human nature, which could only be assumed through the birth from the Holy Virgin. That is the meaning of Christmas. Without suffering, there would be no redemption from sin, and there could be no suffering without embodiment, that is Christmas. Apostle Paul calls it the great mystery of godliness that God was revealed in the flesh (I Tim. 3:16).
As we, Christians, bear on us the name of Christ, we are to be likened to Him in everything, including overcoming sin by suffering both in ourselves and in the society. Therefore, when we do not fight against our own sins, the Lord sends us sicknesses, suffering, and various calamities in order for us to overcome our sins through suffering. Jesus Christ said: “By your patience possess ye your souls” (Luke 21:19).
The Church calls the faithful to patience in suffering. But the sense of earthly life is not in suffering but in righteousness and piety. What is righteousness? It is a property of life of a person who piously respects the rights of others and constantly fulfills their duties with respect to their neighbors.
Christ the Savior brought peace to the earth: peace with God, inner peace. Therefore, when He was born, the angels sang: “Glory to God in the highest and on earth peace to men on whom his favor rests” (Luke 2:14). Proceeding from this, the Church teaches that the inner peace of a Christian should be based not on riches, money, or self interest, but on love and piety. The commandments of God should be fulfilled out of love for people and this love-inspired fulfillment gives one inner peace and comfort. When a person fulfills their duties out of motivation of love that person seeks no personal benefit at the moment. If that person’s good is returned by evil, that person does not lose his/her inner peace as he/she did good out of good intentions such as love for God, for people, for piety and truth. In that case, good always remains good and its purpose is achieved even when the good is returned by evil.
Only righteousness rooted in love has moral value and can be called firm. It finds favor with the Holy Spirit. And the Holy Spirit will fill what is lacking, heal what is weak, and will give the soul peace and joy, which shall never be shaken by anything.
On this holy day, let me greet you from my heart, dear brothers and sisters and all Christians of Ukraine including the believers of the UOC [Ukrainian Orthodox Church] of the Moscow Patriarchate on the occasion of Christmas and the New Year. I also greet our fellow-countrymen, Ukrainians scattered around the world, in America and Canada, who love their motherland and care about the Ukrainian state. I also greet on the occasion of Christmas Ukraine’s President Viktor Yushchenko, the Supreme Council, the Ukrainian government, and the Armed Forces of Ukraine.
On this great festival of Christmas, let us thank God for all his mercies given to us, for joys and sorrows. We will beg Christ the Savior to bless our Ukrainian state and all the Ukrainian nation in the new year 2010, give us peace, agreement, unity, and common sense in order for us to be governed in our lives by the love for God, our neighbors and Ukraine, walk along paths of truth and not deviate. Let the radiant rays of the Christmas Star illuminate our souls and hearts with the light of truth, peace, and love!
Christ is born, glorify Him!
FILARET ,
Patriarch of Kyiv
and all Rus-Ukraine
Kyiv,
Christmas
2009/2010
