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 “Today Bethlehem resembles heaven, hearing from the stars the singing of angelic voices and, in place of the sun, witnessing the rising of the Sun of Justice!”
–St. John Chrysostom, Homily on the Nativity of Christ
As we enter into the Nativity of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, it occurs to me every year that we, somehow, seem to lose more and more of the spiritual dimension of this most joyous feast. I am rather new to the Bethlehem area, but people here are not much different than they are in most of our wonderful country. Each one a caring person who loves his or her family, works industriously at their tasks, worships God as they choose, and tries to the best of their ability to “do unto others”, as Christianity teaches.
However, what seems to be lost is the true comprehension of the Christmas Spirit, which is itself a unique expression of God’s love for us. To the followers of other major religions, even the very idea that God could take on human form is repulsive. Their God is a “completely other”, so infinite, so beyond our world as to hardly be comprehensible to us. But in the Orthodox Church at Christmas we joyously proclaim that “God is with us”, as was foretold by the Holy Prophet Isaiah [7:14] and spoken by St. Matthew in his Holy Gospel [1:23]. For this is truly what separates Christianity from the other major religions of the world, our God is both infinite and intimately united to us through our human nature. If we could but grasp this concept in its full meaning, our love for God would increase, as would our love and concern for our fellow men and women.
This year, let us truly make Bethlehem resemble heaven by our words and deeds. Let us show the world that truly we live in a place where the “Sun of Justice” shines down on every one. On behalf of our St. Nicholas Parish, I wish you and yours a most spiritually rewarding Christmas and a healthy and prosperous New Year. God’s blessing be upon you all.
Your servant in Christ,
Father David Mahaffey
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Orthodoxy in America
