Christ is indeed the true and perfect Anointed One of God, yet His sign does not consist of a crown or royal garments. Rather than gold for honor and glory, it is a simple veil. He is the Lord, yet instead of a regal throne, He rests in a humble manger! He is the Saviour of humanity, though men deny Him even the smallest place among them to preserve His infant life, pushing Him away into silence. Do you still wish to hear more of what the shepherds convey about Him? He is not only a guiding figure but also the embodiment of reason and teaching. He is an infant and yet exists before all time; a child, yet the Father of the coming age; the Son of man, yet also the Son of the Virgin, always the true Son of the Virgin, and now and forever the true Son of God. Recently, He took His place among earthly beings, even as all things were created through Him in the beginning, both in heaven and on earth. Today, He lies mute among the voiceless, yet He daily speaks and sustains all creation through His powerful Word—the man Christ Jesus—who reigns alongside Him, God blessed forever! Yet, how futile it would be to fill pages with endless words attempting to encapsulate His single Word. After the declarations of Him have spread to the ends of the earth, they remain ineffable; after the glory that has been proclaimed from heaven to the depths, it stays cloaked in mystery. Blessed are those who, purifying their senses and calming their passions, can transcend mere words to hear the Word that speaks to them in the quiet of contemplation! Not daring to speak with eloquence about what the Holy Child embodies in Himself, I will return, addressing the simplest among us with an intelligible glimpse of what this Holy Child signifies for humanity. The angel announces "great joy," and the shepherds share that "the Saviour is born to you today." He is the one who, as the angel clarifies, "will save His people from their sins" (Luke 2:10-11; Matthew 1:21). How joyful and marvelous this news is! What could be more troubling than sin, the origin of all misfortunes? Sin robs the soul of peace, blinds the mind, corrupts the body, curses the earth, and deprives every creature of goodness. It begins by instilling hell within man and concludes by casting man into hell. Thus, it is indeed a great joy that He who "shall save His people from their sins" has finally come. And how does He bring salvation to sinners? He is born! From the immortal, divine realm, He enters into mortal human existence. He relinquishes glory, forsakes bliss, obscures holiness, and takes upon Himself all the burdens of sin—except for sin itself. "Unto Him that knew no sin, by us sin was made sin," as ordained by His Father, "that we might be the righteousness of God concerning Him" (2 Cor. 5:21). Because we chose not to remain blessed children of God in paradise, He now becomes a poor infant on earth; because we invested our strengths in wickedness, He is born without power or might. As our feet ran toward evil and our hands committed unrighteous acts, the feet of Him who walks upon the stormy waters, and the hands of the Almighty are wrapped in swaddling clothes. Our mouths often utter vanity, and our tongues weave deceit, blessing "the name of God and Father" while using the same tongue against humanity created "in the likeness of God" (James 3:9). Due to our reckless cursing and empty speech, the blessing Word becomes silent. As humanity, in its honor, lacks understanding and behaves like beasts devoid of comprehension (Ps. 48:21), "He who is in the image of God" not only "diminished Himself, taking the form of a servant in the likeness of men" (Phil. 2:6-7), but is also made a companion to the voiceless. Furthermore, "that we may be the truth of God concerning Him," He fulfills "all righteousness" (Matt. 3:15), complying with the entirety of God's law, breaking not even human law, yet was numbered among the lawless (Is. 53:12), so that we might be "redeemed ... from the curse of the law," which condemns our deeds to destruction. He who is forever blessed will become "a curse for us" (Galatians 3:13) so that He might raise us from ruin. Our Saviour will descend into perdition; He is born on earth, not to live—such a birth was unnecessary for His life—but to die, so He might bring the heavenly birth into the very depths of hell; ultimately, to usher forth life from death, to draw the sons of heaven from hell, and to save the lost from destruction. Thus, He will redeem "His people from their sins." Believers, how do you respond to such truths about the Christ Child, no matter who conveys them? Is it not akin to how those who heard the shepherds' words about this child responded? "And all who heard marvelled at the words spoken by the shepherds" (Luke 2:18). Truly, it would be daunting and shameful if our response to the clear and powerful proclamations of the Apostles and teachers about our Saviour were less attentive than others were to the obscure utterances of the prophets. If we engage with less fervor in the very work of our salvation than our forebears did upon receiving whispered reports. "Lord, hear Thy hearing, and be afraid: Lord, I perceive Thy works, and I am terrified. Thou hast gone forth for the salvation of Thy people," for salvation comes with Thy Christ (Habakkuk 3:1-2, 13). "Let us confess unto Thee, how fearfully Thou hast marvelled: marvelous are Thy works, and my soul knows this very well" (Ps. 138:14). "How shall we not marvel," sings the Church, "at Thy God-bearing nativity, O Most Holy One?" But let us also reflect on how deeply we are in awe of the great mystery of the incarnation of the Son of God. All who listened to the shepherds of Bethlehem were filled with astonishment at the child resting in the manger. The shepherds departed; the miracle of the child became hidden; wonder faded; and those who learned of the infant Saviour yet failed to grasp this mystery or follow the truth soon felt the devastating force of the persecutor, even leading to the destruction of their infants. Pay heed to these words, all who listen, and "watch ...how you hear" (Luke 8:18). I know your shepherds shall not abandon you; rather, they will continually pursue you with the glory of the Bethlehem child. Yet, the world will make noise to overshadow their voices, distracting you from the awe of Christ's miracles toward trivial pursuits, shallow pleasures, and unworthy actions. Beware lest Christ, known to you not only through His teachings but also through the sacramental communion with Him, should conceal Himself once more in His profound mystery, permitting the enemy to seize His Word sown in your heart and thwart the heavenly birth within you, using subtle yet potent tactics. Strive not to be mere forgetful hearers of Christ’s message, but active participants in the work of salvation. Emulate the shepherds who, upon hearing the angelic announcement, did not remain merely astonished but "came in haste, and found Mary and Joseph, and the child lying in a manger" (Luke 2:16). Imitate Mary herself, who "kept all these words, pondering them in her heart" (Luke 2:19). Embrace the voice of the child Jesus within your heart; and as she, who bore Him, walks and acts with care to nurture the life conceived within her, let each of you, as you navigate through the world among men, remain vigilant in imparting and communicating so that nothing extinguishes the sweet remembrance and love we have received from the child Jesus, along with the spirit of salvation He has awakened within us, which He will fulfill in all by His grace, indwelling our hearts through faith and residing there eternally. Amen.
THEOSIS