Christmas pastoral letter 2013
Dear faithful,
on 7 January 2014 we want not only to commemorate but to experience spiritually the mystery of the birth of the Son of God in a humble stable in Bethlehem. Our soul is like this Bethlehem stable. “As many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God.” Everyone who receives Jesus becomes a child of God, an adoptive son of God, a daughter of God, an heir to the glory of God. If we received Him and if we do the will of the Heavenly Father, the words of Jesus are true about us too: “Whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.” The will of the Heavenly Father and the will of Jesus is to receive His Mother: “Behold, your Mother!” To become Jesus’ mother in spiritual terms means that we should bring Jesus to others just as the Blessed Virgin brought Him to us. The mystery of the birth of Christ in our souls and our new birth is expressed in the words “Christ is born!” He is indeed born anew in the human souls. Christ comes through our repentance and living faith. The angels over Bethlehem bore witness to the shepherds: “To you is born this day the Saviour, who is Christ the Lord!” And these words refer to You as well.
Saint John the Baptist said about Jesus: “There stands One among you whom you do not know.” And in the Letter to the Ephesians we read: “…that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith.” May Christ really dwell in our hearts! Let us make a place for Him. He has already prepared a place for us in heaven as a reward. We only need to receive Him and forsake Him never more but persevere with Him until the end of our life journey. May the Blessed Virgin obtain this perseverance for us, and especially for the hour of our death.
On 8 January 2014, we will celebrate the first anniversary of the consecration of Kievan Rus to the Most Holy Mother of God in Kiev. The whole jubilee year was a year of faith and spiritual fight. Many of You made a pilgrimage to Kiev where You renewed Your baptism. Perun was symbolically thrown into the Dnieper and the symbols of euro Sodom were burnt in Kiev. May Ukraine be saved from spiritual and physical autogenocide. Thanks are due to all of You for all Your manifestations of courage, testimony and bravery as well as for all Your suffering which You offered for the sake of God’s laws and for Your nation. Let the peace of Christ rule not only in Your hearts but in Your families also. May Christ be born this Christmas in many a soul in our nation!
Christ is born!
Let us glorify Him!
Your bishops and priests of the UO GCC
Download: Christmas pastoral letter 2013
