| Bulgarian Patriarchate
BELOVED IN THE LORD CHILDREN OF OUR HOLY CHURCH,
On the verge of one more year of the long succession of time, limited number of days before we greet ourselves with the New Year with a new hope for the future, we celebrate again the only truly new event in the history of the mankind – the Nativity according to the flesh of the Son of God and our Lord Jesus Christ. With deepest spiritual joy and gratitude we praise the mystery of the divine humanity, becoming witnesses of revelation of the mystery that has been kept secret through long ages (see Rom. 14:24), which Saint Paul the Apostle justly calls “great mystery of godliness”, because, you see: “God was revealed in the flesh,” (1 Tim. 3:16). God, Who “spoke to the fathers through the prophets at many times and in various ways” (Heb. 1:1), today, in the person of His Only-Begotten Son, is born as Man and lives among the people, so that He could make that renovation of our nature, only which could bring it again to its initial beauty and perfection.
The Son of God came into our world quietly and with divine humbleness, He was received not with glamour and kingly honours, but with the astonishment of the Bethlehem shepherds who were the first to be honoured to hear the angels’ Gospel message: “For there is born to you, this day, in the city of David, a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luk. 2:11). This humbleness He has been teaching us right down to the present day (see Matt. 11:29).
The Son of God came among us and was one of us to fulfill in perfect obedience the will of His Heavenly Father (see John 6:38-40). This obedience He bequeathed to us as a true guarantee for our “eternal salvation” (Heb. 5:8-9). He came among us full of “grace and truth” (John 1:14), with a burning zeal for the House and the deed of His and our Heavenly Father (see John 2:17). And although He was humble before the will of the Father, He “taught them with authority” (Matt. 7:29). This zeal and uncompromisingness in relation to God’s will and its fulfilment in the world He also bequeathed to us, so that we could be worthy and faithful “God’s children” (John 1:12), “heirs of God” and “joint-heirs with Christ” (Rom. 8:17).
Most of all, however, we must understand and appreciate the truth that our Lord was born and became man in order to testify for the infinite God’s love for man (1 John 4:9-10), because God “desires all people to be saved and to come to the full knowledge of the truth” (1 Tim. 2:4). Our Lord not only bequeathed to us this divine and God-imitating love as the rightest sign of our belonging to Him and His Church (see John 13:35), but He also ordered to us as a commandment of His to each one of us: “I give you a new commandment: that you love one another! Just as I have loved you, love also one another” (John 13:34). This is His most important commandment to us – the commandment that we must observe with greatest diligence, because its observation we achieve the highest imitation of God we are capable of.
This Christian love has most various expressions, but the only constant proof and indication of it is the fact that it is an active love – a love that is not merely in word but in deed: “…For I was hungry and you gave me food to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me drink; I was a stranger and you took me in” (Matt. 25:35). Today – on the day of the Nativity of Christ, when the Son of God comes into our world for all of us, the Church reminds namely about this with a particular insistence. Let us show this love with our deeds – not only on this blessed day, but also in all the days of our life! Let our thoughts and deeds be constantly turned to all those people around us who are in need or in danger, abandoned or cast out by society, suffering from one or another physical or spiritual distress! Only then could we truly and worthily meet the Child Christ in our hearts and with pure and bright joy celebrate this sacred holiday.
The human suffering and pain are all around us. They surround us from all sides and insistently call us for that compassion and mercy which was first shown to us by the God-Man Christ. As His disciples, members of His Church, bearing His name, we are called for by our Lord with all our might and according to our capabilities to show mercy and support to all the people who suffer and who are in need. We are also expected to be merciful, as our Heavenly Father “is also merciful” (Luke 6:35-36). Then also the Christ Child Who is born today in Bethlehem will also be in us and with us in all the days of our earthly life and will support us with His divine blessing.
The light that has risen in our world with His Nativity is also shining today. He is and remains with us always (see Matt. 28:20), as it still keeps reminding us by now that we are “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world” (Matt. 5:13-14). Let us be worthy for Him and for our high vocation! Let us not take care only for our own well-being, but let us turn our gaze to the person beside us, to their suffering, and when we see in them Christ Himself, having always in front of us the wondrous mercy of God towards us, let us imitate it to the best of our powers! Let our mercy and sacrificial, Christ-imitating love for our neighbour be also a true Gospel message not only in word, but in deed. Then the divine Christ Child as well, Whose Nativity we are celebrating today, will visit our hearts and homes, will warm us with His divine love and having loved us to the end (see John 13:1), He will dwell with us forever as in His desired „home“ (John 14:23).
We fatherly greet with the Nativity of Christ all the children of our holy Church, within the borders of our Fatherland and abroad, wishing them robust health, peace and God’s blessing!
May the love and mercy of the Child God Who is born today and the communion in the Holy Spirit be with us all!
HAPPY NATIVITY OF CHRIST!
HEAD OF THE HOLY SYNOD
† NEOPHYTE
PATRIARCH OF BULGARIA
METROPOLITAN OF SOFIA
MEMBERS OF THE HOLY SYNOD:
† METROPOLITAN IOANIKIY OF SLIVEN
† METROPOLITAN YOSIF OF USA, CANADA AND AUSTRALIA
† METROPOLITAN GRIGORIY OF VELIKO TARNOVO
† METROPOLITAN IGNATIY OF PLEVEN
† METROPOLITAN GAVRIIL OF LOVECH
† METROPOLITAN NIKOLAY OF PLOVDIV
† METROPOLITAN ANTONIY OF WESTERN AND CENTRAL EUROPE
† METROPOLITAN YOAN OF VARNA AND VELICKY PRESLAV
† METROPOLITAN SERAPHIM OF NEVROKOP
† METROPOLITAN NAUM OF ROUSSE
† METROPOLITAN CYPRIAN OF STARA ZAGORA
† METROPOLITAN GRIGORIY OF VRATSA
† METROPOLITAN DANIIL OF VIDIN
† METROPOLITAN YAKOV OF DOROSTOL
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Note: Following a decision of the Holy Synod, this Epistle is meant to be read at the church pulpit on the Feast of Nativity of Christ, 25th December 2021.
