Homily for the Nativity of Christ

Let us honor in silence the first, special Nativity of Christ, characteristic of His Divinity. Moreover, let us make it a rule not to explore or be curious about it at all with the help of our concepts. For what can the mind imagine where neither time nor age were mediators, where the image is unimaginable, where there was no spectator and where there is no one who could tell [about it]? Or how can language help understanding? But there was a Father, and the Son was born. Don't ask: when? but just leave the question itself aside. Don't explore how [it was]? Because the answer itself is impossible. After all, the question “when” refers to time, and the question “how” inevitably leads to imagining birth in a bodily way. I can present evidence from Holy Scripture that [the Son is born] as the "Radiance from the Glory" (Heb. 1:3) or as the Image from the Archetype. But since such an answer does not allow you to be curious with your thoughts, I draw your attention to the ineffability of this idea and admit that the image of the Divine Birth is incomprehensible to thought and inexpressible in human words. Do not say: “If He was born, then [before] He did not exist,” and do not add ignorant reasoning to insidious words, distorting the truth with examples relating to this world, and desecrating theology. I said: “He was born” in order to show His Beginning and the Author, and not to convict the Only Begotten of being later [in origin] than time. And let not your mind stumble, falsely supposing that it is older than the Son of the ages, which [previously] did not exist and which did not exist. For how can creations be older than the One who created them? However, I did not notice how, following the logic of reasoning, I was involuntarily distracted by what I wanted to avoid. So, let’s leave reasoning about this eternal and ineffable Birth, realizing that the mind is lower than the objects [it thinks about], and the word is not enough [to express] these thoughts. So we have to find out what part of the truth can be reflected in this reasoning, even if the mind is not able to approach the nature of the incomprehensible, and it is difficult for the word to express a nature that would correspond to what is in any way accessible to thought. God [appeared] on earth, God [lived] among people, talking to them no longer from “fire” (Exodus 3:2), not in a “[voice] of a trumpet” (Exodus 19:19), not on a “smoking mountain” (Exodus 19:18), not in “darkness” (Exodus 20:21), not in a “storm” (Hebrews 12:18), causing trembling the souls of attentive legislators, but through [His] body meekly and affectionately, [as] with relatives. God [appeared] in the flesh, no longer acting at a distance, as [it was] with the prophets, but making human nature fused and united with Himself and, thus, raising all humanity to Himself through the medium of His flesh akin to us. But can they say how it was through one source of light that came to everyone? Or how did the Godhead [appear] in the flesh? But this is how fire is in iron: without changing its place, but giving [its strength]. In fact, fire does not move to where the iron is, remaining in its original place, but imparts its own strength to it, so that it itself is not diminished by this transfer, and completely fills with itself what becomes involved in it. This is how the God of the Word at the same time did not withdraw from Himself “and dwelt among us” (John 1:14), did not undergo any change, “and the Word became flesh” (John 1:14). And the sky was not empty of the One who Contained [him], and the earth received the Heavenly One into its bosom. Do not imagine [here] some kind of fall of the Divine, for It is not in His nature to move from place to place, like bodies. And do not imagine that the Divinity has changed and turned into flesh, for that which is immortal is unchangeable. But they may ask why God the Word was not filled with bodily weakness? To this we will answer: just as fire does not perceive the properties of iron. Iron is black and cold, yet when heated it takes the form of fire, itself becoming luminous without making the fire black, becoming flaming without cooling the flame. In the same way, the human flesh of the Lord itself became involved in the Divinity, but did not communicate its weakness to the Divinity. On the other hand, it should not be assumed that the Deity acts in exactly the same way as this sensual fire. But do you imagine [some kind of] suffering in the Impassive One, which comes from human weakness, and you wonder how it is that corruptible nature remains untouched due to communion with God? Find out the Sacrament. God [appeared] in the flesh in order to kill the death nesting [in it]. For just as a saving medicine, assimilated by the body, overcomes destructive [poisons], or as the darkness reigning in a room is dispelled by the introduction of light, so the death that dominated human nature was destroyed by the presence of the Divine. And just as ice in water, all the time while it is night and shadow, subjugates the watery nature, but when the sun warms up, it melts from [its] rays, so death reigned until the coming of Christ. When “the grace of God and salvation” shone forth (Tit. 2:11), and the “Sun of righteousness” (Mal. 4:2) rose, then “death was swallowed up in victory” (1 Cor. 15:54), unable to withstand the approach of True Life. Oh, the depth of God’s goodness and love for mankind! But instead of this superior love for mankind [of God], we resist being His slaves. People investigate the reason why God [appeared] among people, although they should [first of all] worship the goodness [of the Creator]. What should we do with you, man? You did not seek God while He was on high. But even when He comes to you and talks to you through the flesh, you still do not accept Him. Consider at least the reason why you became related to God. Know that God [appeared] in the flesh because it was necessary for this damned flesh to be sanctified, for the weak to gain strength, alienated from God to become related to Him, expelled from Paradise to ascend to Heaven. And what is the instrument of this House-Building? Body of the Holy Virgin (Luke 1:27). What is the reason for Birth? “The Holy Spirit” and the overshadowing “Power of the Most High” (Luke 1:35). But it’s better to listen to the Gospel words themselves: “After the betrothal of His Mother Mary to Joseph, before they were united, it turned out that She was pregnant with the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:18). So, both the Virgin and the betrothed to her husband were chosen at the same time, capable of serving this Dispensation, so that virginity would be honored and marriage would not be neglected. In fact, virginity was chosen as worthy of sanctification, and through betrothal the beginnings of marriage were received. Both together so that Joseph would be his own witness to the purity of Mary and so that, having a betrothed as a guardian of life, She would not be handed over to slanderers as having defiled her virginity. I can express another thought, no worse than the previous ones: it was then that the time came suitable for the Incarnation of the Lord, which was predetermined and predetermined long ago, even before the creation of the world, and in which it was necessary for the Holy Spirit and the Power of the Most High to form this God-bearing flesh. But since Mary's genealogy did not correspond to her [personal] purity to [make her worthy] to receive the work of the Holy Spirit, then instead, through betrothal, [Joseph's genealogy] was borrowed. [Therefore, when] the blessed Virgin was chosen, the betrothal did not harm [Her] virginity at all. In addition, one of the early [fathers] expressed another idea, that the betrothal to Joseph was arranged in order to hide Mary’s virginity from the prince of this age. In fact, the evil one in his pride paid attention only to the external form of Mary’s betrothal; after all, he had been watching the virgins for a long time, since he knew the words of the prophet: “Behold, a virgin will be with child and give birth to a Son” (Isaiah 7:14). Thus, through the betrothal, the evil-wisher of virginity was deceived. For he knew that the appearance of the Lord in the flesh would be the end of his own power. “Before they were united, she was found to be with child by the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:18). Joseph discovered both at once: both the pregnancy and [its] cause, for [it is said]: “From the Holy Spirit.” Therefore, he, afraid to be called the husband of such a wife, “wanted to secretly let Her go” (Matthew 1.19), not daring to make Her position public. Since he was righteous, he was deemed worthy to have this Sacrament revealed to him. For “when he thought this, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said: ... do not be afraid to accept Mary your wife." (Matthew 1:20). [By this he seems to be saying:] “And do not think about hiding sin with undue suspicions. After all, you have been called righteous, and it is not fitting for a righteous husband to cover up iniquity with silence.” “Do not be afraid to accept Mary your wife,” - [speaks the angel] This shows that [Joseph] was not at all indignant or filled with contempt, but he was afraid of her because she was filled with the Holy Spirit, “For that which was born in her is of the Holy Spirit” (Matthew 1:20). From this it clearly follows that the body of the Lord did not come into being according to the general natural law of the flesh. In fact, the One who was carried in the womb instantly achieved the perfect state of flesh, without undergoing gradual development over time. The [Gospel] words themselves speak about this, for it is said not “conceived,” but “born.” So, this flesh, being formed from Holiness, was worthy to be united with the Divinity of the Only Begotten. “She will give birth to a Son, and you will call His name Jesus” (Matthew 1:21). We know that names intentionally given to someone express their underlying nature, such as Abraham, Isaac, Israel. The name of each of them expresses the personal virtue they have achieved rather than physical characteristics. The same applies to the name “Jesus,” that is, “Savior of the people.” And now the mystery is already being revealed, predetermined before the ages and preached long ago by the prophets: “Behold, a virgin will be with child and give birth to a Son, and they will call His name Immanuel, which means: God is with us” (Matthew 1:23). Here the meaning of this ancient name is revealed, [containing] the whole Mystery [appearance] of God among people, for, as it is said, the name “Immanuel” means “God is with us.” And let no one be confused by the insidious tricks of the Jews, who claim that the prophet [Isaiah] says not “virgin”, but “young woman”: “Behold, the young woman will be with child.” First of all, it would be extremely unreasonable to believe that what was supposed to be a sign given from the Lord is an ordinary phenomenon consistent with the nature of things. For what does the prophet say? “And the Lord continued to speak to Ahaz, and said: Ask yourself a sign from the Lord your God: ask either in the depths or on the heights. And Ahaz said, “I will not ask, nor will I tempt the Lord” (Isa. 7:10–12). And a little further: “So the Lord Himself will give you a sign: Behold, a virgin will be with child” (Isaiah 7:14). For this reason, Ahaz did not ask for a sign either in the depths or on the heights, so that you would know that “he who descended into the lower parts of the earth, He is also the one who ascended above all the heavens” (Eph. 4:9–10), the Lord Himself gave a sign. The sign was amazing and terrible, far superior to the natural order of things: One and the same - Wife, Virgin and Mother, who preserved the sanctity of virginity and was granted the blessing of childbearing. If some translators translated the Hebrew word instead of “virgin” as “young woman,” then the meaning of this expression does not suffer from this. In fact, we often find in Holy Scripture the habit of using the word “young woman” instead of the word “maiden,” for example, in Deuteronomy: “If someone meets an unbetrothed maiden, and seizes her and lies with her, and they are caught, then the one lying with her must give the young woman’s father fifty didrachms” (Deut. 22:28-29). “And rising, ...[Joseph] ... received his wife” (Matthew 1:24). He took his wife with affection, love, and every zealous concern for the marriage, but refrained from fulfilling his marital duties. For it is said: “And he knew her not until she gave birth to her firstborn Son” (Matthew 1:25). These words may give [someone] reason to believe that after Mary served with Her purity the birth of the Lord, which took place thanks to the Holy Spirit, She did not refuse to perform ordinary marital duties. Although [from such an understanding] this pious reasoning cannot be defiled, we still will not offend the ears of Christ-loving listeners with statements that the Mother of God once ceased to be a Virgin, and we will consider that the following evidence is sufficient. Regarding the words: “And he knew her not until she gave birth to her Son,” it should be said that the expression “until”? can often denote some limited period of time, but actually indicates infinity. For example, this is what the Lord meant when he said: “And behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age” (Matthew 28:20). Indeed, the Lord did not at all intend to be separated from the saints after this age, but the proclamation of the present points to continuity, and not to cessation in the future. And we say that the expression “until” should be understood in exactly the same way in this place. Regarding the expression “firstborn,” it should be said that it is not always in connection with subsequent offspring, but the firstborn is the one who first opens the falsehood. In addition, the fact that Mary remained a Virgin to the end is clear from the story of Zechariah. A tradition has reached us that Zechariah was killed by the Jews between the Church and the altar because he placed Mary among the virgins after She gave birth to the Lord, and was accused by the crowd for thus pointing out this wonderful and praiseworthy sign: A virgin gives birth and virginity is not damaged. “When Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea in the days of King Herod, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem and said: Where is he who has been born King of the Jews?” (Matt. 2:1–2). Magi are a Persian people skilled in predictions, spells and some natural antidotes. In addition, they were engaged in observations of celestial phenomena. Balaam, sent by Balak to curse Israel with the help of some kind of sorcery, may have made similar predictions. In his fourth parable he speaks of the Lord: “A man who sees, who hears the words of God, who has knowledge... of the Most High, who sees a vision from God in a dream, his eyes are open. I will indicate Him, but not yet; I will please Him, but He is not yet close. A star rises from Jacob, and a man arises from Israel” (Num. 24:15–17). Therefore, [the Magi], remembering the ancient prophecy, began to look for a place in Judea and came to find out where the born King of the Jews was. It is also possible that thanks to the appearance of the Lord, the opposing forces were finally weakened, and the Magi, feeling that their power was abolished, came to testify to the great Power of the Born. So they found the Child and brought Him gifts. The Magi, this people distant from God and alien to the Testaments, were the first to come to worship, because the testimonies given by enemies are more worthy of trust. For if the Jews had bowed first, it would have been considered that they honored [the Lord] because of their kinship [with Him]. Now those who had no reason to do so worship [Him] as God in order to condemn their fellow tribesmen who crucified Him whom the foreigners worshiped. Since they were engaged in observing the movements of celestial bodies, it was not in vain that they contemplated this amazing celestial phenomenon - a new and unusual star that rose during the birth of the Lord. And let no one associate the rise of this star with astrological pseudoscience. For those who connect the birth [of man] with the originally existing stars, believe that a certain arrangement of the stars is the cause of all life circumstances for each [man]. For this reason, none of the already existing stars could indicate this royal Christmas. This was an unusual star. Indeed, those [stars] that were created from the beginning are either completely motionless or constantly moving. And this [star] that appeared seemed to possess both of these characteristics at the same time: it both moved and stopped. And from among the already existing [stars], those that are fixed in one place never move, and the planets never stop moving. Since this [star] had both properties: both movement and rest, it is clear that it does not belong to these two [types of stars]. In fact, she moved from the east to Bethlehem and “stood over the place where the Child was” (Matthew 2:9). Therefore, the Magi, following the star, moved from the east and, arriving in Jerusalem, alarmed the entire city with their appearance, so that fear fell on the Jewish king. When they found the One Whom they were looking for, they honored Him “with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh” (Matthew 2:11). Perhaps in this too they followed the prophecy of Balaam, who said about Christ: “He has bowed down, he lies like a lion and like a lion’s cub, who will lift him up? Those who bless You are blessed, and those who curse You are cursed” (Num. 24:9). For the word “lion” refers to royal dignity, the word “worship” to suffering, and the “power of blessing” to the Divine. Therefore, the Magi, following the prophecy, brought gold to [Christ] as a king, myrrh as a mortal man, and incense as a God. But we cannot agree with those who, with excessive curiosity, examine the circumstances of Christmas and argue that this star was like comets, which, as is commonly believed, appear in the sky precisely to indicate the change of kings. After all, they are mostly motionless, representing an ignition contained in a certain place. For comets come in different forms, [for example], in the form of a log or in the form of a hole?, and have names corresponding to them. The origin of them all is this. When excess air near the earth accumulates and flows into the ethereal region, its dense and turbid layers, evaporating from here, become like matter for fire and take on the obvious appearance of a star. But that [star] that appeared in the east and prompted the Magi to go in search of the Born One, soon disappeared from sight and appeared a second time in Judea, when the Magi were in bewilderment. From this [we can conclude] that she obeyed someone's [orders], served someone and appeared for someone. In fact, she “came and stood over the place where the Child was” (Matthew 2:9). Therefore, the Magi, “seeing her, rejoiced with very great joy” (Matthew 2:10). Let us also accept this great joy into our hearts. It is this “joy that the angels preach” (Luke 2:10) to the shepherds. So, come, let us worship together with the Magi, let us give glory together with the shepherds, and let us rejoice together with the Angels. “For today is born to you... a Savior, who is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:11). “God the Lord also appeared to us” (Ps. 117:27), not in the “Image of God,” so as not to make the weak [human nature] tremble, but in “the form of a servant” (Phil. 2:6–7), in order to free this enslaved [nature]. Who is so slow in soul, who is so ungrateful, as not to rejoice, rejoice and rejoice because of these events? This is a common holiday of all creation, which gives the world that which surpasses the world, sends Archangels to Zechariah and Mary, reveals the angelic faces exclaiming: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men” (Luke 2:14). The stars descend from heaven, the wise men emerge from [the midst of] pagan peoples, the earth accepts itself in a cave. And let no one avoid [this], let there be no ungrateful people. Let us also express our rejoicing in words; Let's call our holiday Epiphany. Let us celebrate the salvation of the world and the birthday of [new] humanity. Now the condemnation of Adam has been canceled. It is no longer [the Divine sentence that has force]: “You are dust, and to dust you will return” (Gen. 3:19), but [man] through union with the Heavenly (1 Cor. 15:48) is ascended to Heaven. Another Divine sentence does not [have force]: “in sickness you will bear children” (Gen. 3:16), for “blessed is [the womb] that bore Emmanuel, and the breasts that nourished [Him]” (Luke 11:27). “For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given; His government is upon His shoulder” (Isa. 9:6). My heart blossoms, my thoughts are in full swing, but my tongue is unskillful, and there are not enough words to express such great joy. So, imagine the incarnation of the Lord in a manner befitting God. Consider the Deity pure and undefiled, even if [God] is united with material nature. The passionate [nature] is corrected, but the Divinity remains dispassionate. Don't you see that such a glorious Sun appears in the mud, but remains unsullied, shines defiled, but does not smell. On the contrary, those with whom He remains in communion for a sufficient time, He delivers them from decay. Why are you afraid to admit that the dispassionate and pure Nature does not perceive any defilement from us? He was born in order to purify you through a nature related [to you]. He grows in order to make you family through close communication. Oh, the depth of God’s goodness and love for mankind! Instead of this superior bounty, we do not trust the Benefactor; Instead of the great love of the Master, we resist being His slaves. Oh, this inappropriate and crafty folly! Magi worship and Christians explore the reason why God [appeared] in the flesh? in what flesh? Was human nature perceived in its entirety, or only partially? May all unnecessary questions be silenced in the Church of God. Let us praise what we have already believed in. Let us not show excessive curiosity about what we should remain silent about. So, join those who joyfully wait for the Lord from heaven. Imagine wise shepherds, prophesying priests, rejoicing women when Gabriel taught Mary to rejoice (Luke 1:28), when “[baby] John leapt in Elizabeth’s womb” (Luke 1:44). “Anna [the prophetess] preached the gospel” (Luke 2:36–38), “Simeon [the God-Receiver] took him in his arms” (Luke 2:28) - all of them in the small Infant worshiped the Great God, not paying attention to the visible, but praising the greatness of His Divinity. For the Divine Power, like light through a transparent medium, shone through the human body, enlightening those whose eyes are pure in heart, among whom it would be good for us to be, with an open face reflecting the Glory of the Lord, so that we too might be transformed from “glory to glory” (2 Cor. 3:18) by the grace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ, to whom be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. You might be interested in: