|
Organizations
Life of Jesus
Bible
|
Home
He Came To Us So That We Might Go Back to HimDecember,24 2019ܡܫܝܚܐ ܐܬܝܠܕ ܒܪܝܟ ܡܘܠܕܗ ܕܡܪܢ
Dearly beloved in Christ, Christ is born, glorify Him.
When we say Christmas! We look forward to gifts, the family gathering, and all the joys of the day and the season. And rightly so! But it was very different for Mary and Joseph. Mary was about to give birth to her first and only child, and she did not even have the normal joy of giving birth at home, surrounded by friends and neighbors who would help her. Her last days of pregnancy were spent on the road, due to an edict of the far-away Emperor who wanted to increase taxes on his conquered lands. To comply with this edict, everyone had to go to their ancestral place to register, regardless of cost or trouble.
Because of this, Bethlehem was crowded, with all the noise, hassle, and fuss which ensued. The very sight of a woman ready to give birth was enough to make the innkeepers say there was no room. Who needed a birth moreover? Mary and Joseph passed over and over again. There were no hearts in Bethlehem ready for the coming of the Son of God to become the Son of David.
The serenity of Mary in this event is something we should contemplate. It must have been Joseph’s one consolation! His anxiety and distress are something we do not consider at all; in fact, he is almost forgotten at Christmas, as if he had no part in this mighty event that changed world history. Mary’s silent trust in God the Father to take good care of His Son was total, so when the only thing left in Bethlehem was stable, Mary accepted – partly because time was not in her favor! The birth was to take place here, now, ready or not! This was God’s Kairos; time for the birth of the Son of God, son of Mary, son of Abraham, son of David and adopted son of Joseph, who was in the direct line of descent from King David according to Matthew chapter 1).
The humility of God revealed in the humility of the birth of His Beloved Son, who needed none of the trappings of power or earthly glory to reveal His importance. The contrast with the Emperor in Rome is great. Caesar had all the trappings of earthly power and glory, but by comparison with this Child of Mary was only a puff of wind! He passed out of history leaving little trace, whereas Mary’s Child changed history forever, and He is known, loved or hated throughout the world for all time. Everyone must say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to the New-Born of Mary, with eternal consequences.
Jesus’ greatness was proclaimed from the heavens, where He was recognized, loved, and glorified. The angel of the Lord appeared to some shepherds in the fields of Bethlehem announcing ‘news of great joy’ to the world. Why did the messenger from God the Father bypass the Sanhedrin the high council of the Jews, for this announcement? They were, by all appearances, God’s official representatives on earth. Why did He bypass Caesar and all others who thought they were vital to history, politics or religion? The prophet Isaiah explains: ‘For My thoughts are not your thoughts, My ways are not your ways – it is the Lord who speaks. Yes, the heavens are as high above the earth as My ways are above your ways, My thoughts above your thoughts’ (Is 55:8-9).
The announcement of the birth was given in the kind of formal language that Caesar would use for the birth of his son. He would go out onto the balcony of his palace and announce that a son had been born to the ‘divine’ Caesar and that everyone should rejoice. God’s announcement was very specific: ‘Today, in the town of David, a Savior has been born to you: He is Christ [Messiah] and Lord’ (Lk 2:11). The enormity of this announcement would make one wonder where one could find such a person; the next shock is that He is freely available to anyone who wants Him! He is in a stable with animals. But lest His humility be misunderstood, the angelic hosts, choir, begin the Christmas celebrations with the Gloria: ‘Glory to God in the highest heaven, and peace and goodwill to men.’
We began this reflection by looking to our own preparations, but now the angels tell us to look to the heavens where the real and eternal celebrations take place!
In a world where darkness, the shadow of the death is overwhelming, Christ the Son of God is born to be a light of the world and give him a life, "I am the light of the world" (John 8:12). Christ said, the Light, is the eternal Truth, who came to overturn the system of human-centered values. The Light is the fire of divine love that came to extinguish the flame of hate from the man's life. The Son of God is the heavenly salvation that was given to the human being as a divine gift. The Light is the eternal life that conquered the death, which extended its dominion over the man.
Yes, dear believers, in the dark world, Bethlehem became the place leading humankind to the true and everlasting Light. With the light of Bethlehem, the faithful struggled against all sorts of the darkness imposed by history. By the light of Bethlehem, the faithful church has become a resurrected nation and by that same light, we have paved the way for our immortality.
The new-born baby Christ is born; let us glorify Him in our lives, in our bodies, and in our spirits, which all belong to Him.
May the Heavenly Child Who is born to us, make the feast of His Nativity and the New Year, happy, blessed and joyful, bringing them back to our Patriarch, Moran Mor Ignatius Ephram II, the Supreme Head of Our Universal Syriac Orthodox Church, and all metropolitans of the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch, and to our beloved Priests, Deacons, and Faithful of our Western Archdiocese, and to the entire Syriac world, wish you all a very Merry Christmas and the happiest and blessed New Year, asking Almighty God to keep you in good health and prolong your life.
Have a blessed and wonderful Christmas
-1577220154.png) |
|
|
The Western Archdiocese of the Syriac Orthodox Church of Antioch,
providing spiritual guidance and leadership to the Syriac Orthodox
community, is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit, tax-exempt organization
comprised of 18 churches and parishes in 17 western states. It was
established in 1952 as the Archdiocese of the Syrian Orthodox Church
encompassing the entire United States and Canada. In November 1995 by
the Holy Synod, the Western Archdiocese was formed to exclusively
serve the 17 states of the western half United States.
417 E. Fairmount Rd., Burbank, CA 91501
Tel: (818) 845-5089 Fax: (818) 953-7203
E-mail: bishopric@soc-wus.org
|
|
