Saturday, January 10, 2015
Nativity Epistle of the Right Reverend Andronik
Archbishop of Syracuse and St. Nicholas, Ottawa and Canada
(John 1:14)
Greetings on the Nativity of Christ and the coming New Year of 2015!
Dear in Christ pastors, clergy and faithful of the Russian Orthodox Church Abroad, greetings to all on the occasion of the great feast of the Nativity of the Incarnate Lord our Jesus Christ!
By God’s infinite love of mankind and to adopt mankind for Himself, the Son of God descended from heaven twenty centuries ago and was born in Judaic Bethlehem from the Ever-Virgin Mary. Though this glorious event took place among us so many years ago, each one of us from year to year still experiences it in his or her heart.
The best gift that we could bring to the newborn Christ child is our faithfulness to the Church and love of one another and to those who by imprudence find themselves over the side of the lifesaving vessel of the Church Abroad. Let us pray, brothers and sisters that we may not only in name, but in spirit become children of God, so that none of us may perish, but inherit eternal life.
In our time, when heresies and schisms befall the Church of Christ with such force, only our faithfulness to God, obedience to the Church and love of one another will help us overcome all our troubles.
At this time, when our hearts are overflowing with love, and our gratitude to God reverberates in our souls for His eternal grace to us, our lips cannot stay shut, but cry out,
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men!”
Greetings on the feast!
+ANDRONIK
Archbishop of Syracuse and St. Nicholas, Ottawa and Canada
