The human nature assumed by the Son of God is so rooted in the Person of Christ that [the Son of Man] could not be conceived without divinity, without divinity to be born, without divinity to grow. One and the same was both in miracles and in humiliations; crucified, dead and buried in human weakness, having risen in Divine power on the third day, ascended to Heaven, sat down at the right hand of God the Father, and, being in the nature of man, received from the Father that which, abiding in the nature of Divinity, He Himself had given.

VII. Meditating, beloved, with a pious heart on the foregoing, always remember the apostolic exhortation, as it warns all men, saying: Take heed, brethren, lest any man lead you astray with philosophy and vain deceit, according to the tradition of men, according to the elements of the world, and not according to Christ; for in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and ye have fullness in Him (Col. 2:8-10). He does not say: spiritually, but: bodily, so that we may comprehend the true essence of the flesh where there is a bodily temple of the fullness of Divinity. It also unfailingly abounds in the whole Church, which, having been established by the Head, is the body of Christ, living and reigning with the Father and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

Homily IX on the Nativity of Christ

I. And so, beloved, the [glorification] of the greatness of the divine works undoubtedly surpasses all the gift of human eloquence, but it is precisely that which makes it difficult to explain, calling us not to remain silent, that comes to our aid, for in Jesus Christ, the Son of God, we have to deal not only with the divine essence, but also with human nature, as is confirmed by the prophet: ... Who can explain His generation? (Isaiah 53:8). No word is able to explain the descent of both essences in one Person – only faith can do this. Therefore, the efforts of the one who glorifies are always not enough, and there is always a reason for glorification. Let us rejoice, then, precisely because we are not able to fully glorify this sacrament of mercy, and when we are unable to explain the height of our salvation, we consider that which is superior to us to be good. For no one comes nearer to the comprehension of the truth than one who, even though he is very successful in divine works, understands that he always lacks that which he strives for. And the one who decided that he had already achieved the goal to which he had previously striven, both did not get what he wanted, and did not turn out to be persistent enough in the search.

Let us not, therefore, be dismayed by our impotence, for we are encouraged by the voices of the Gospel and the prophets, who thus encourage and teach us that the Nativity of the Lord (by which the Word was made flesh) is honoured by us, not only when we remember the past, but also when we look upon the present. Our ears are filled with what the Angel of the Lord proclaimed to the shepherds who guard their flocks, and we are the head over the Lord's sheep because we keep in our hearts the divinely born words that are pronounced during today's celebration: "I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people: for this day is born unto you in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord" (Luke 2:10-11). The rejoicing of the innumerable number of angels only strengthens the significance of this prophecy, and from this becomes even more extraordinary the testimony of the one to whom the multitude of the heavenly host echoes, to the glory of God, by a single praise saying: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will among men! (Luke 2:14). So the glory of God begins with the infancy of Christ, Who was born of the Ever-Virgin. And the restoration of the human race can rightly be attributed to the glory of its Creator, for the Archangel Gabriel himself, sent by God to the blessed Mary, said: "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; wherefore also the Holy One who is born shall be called the Son of God (Luke 1:35). On earth, however, such peace is recognized that inspires people with good motives, and thanks to the Spirit by Whom Christ is born from the bosom of the Most-Pure Mother, a Christian is born anew from the womb of the Holy Church, for whom true peace consists in not falling away from the will of God and finding pleasure only in that which God has loved.

II. Now, beloved, when we celebrate the birthday of the Lord, which was selected from all the days of the preceding ages, all earthly events have already passed away (as was planned by the eternal Council), and all the humility of the Redeemer has been transformed into the glory of the father's greatness, so that at the name of Jesus every knee in heaven, on earth, and under the earth may bow, and every tongue may confess that the Lord Jesus Christ is to the glory of God the Father (Phil. 2:10-11). Nevertheless, we tirelessly worship this Nativity from the Most Holy Virgin, and we revere the indissoluble bond between the Word and the flesh in Him who reclines in the manger no less than in Him who sits on the throne of the Father's majesty. For the unshakable Divinity (however much it contained both splendor and power) was hidden from the eyes of man in the depths of the Newborn, so that through the extraordinary appearance of the true man the Born One would be known, Who for King David is both Lord and Son (Matt. 22:45). For David himself, being filled with the prophetic spirit, said: "The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at my right hand" (Psalm 109:1). By the same testimony, as the Gospel relates, the wickedness of the Jews was exposed. For when Jesus asked the Jews whose son they called Christ, they answered, David. Then the Lord convicts their blindness, saying: How then does David, by inspiration, call Him Lord, when He says, "The Lord said to my Lord, Sit at My right hand? (Matthew 22:43-44).

For yourselves, O Jews, you block the way to knowledge, and as long as you perceive in Him only the corporeal nature, you deprive yourselves of all the light of truth. For, expecting (according to fictitious notions) the coming of the son of David only in bodily posterity, you have established your hope in man and have overlooked God, the Son of God (Jeremiah 17:5), therefore what we recognize as miraculous cannot benefit you. After all, in response to the question: "Whose son is Christ?" we confess in apostolic words that... was born of the seed of David according to the flesh (Romans 1:3), and from the first page of the Gospel we learn by reading: The Genealogy of Jesus Christ, the Son of David (Matthew 1:1). But therefore we dissociate ourselves from your wickedness, because He Who was recognized as a man born of the line of David, we confess Him (since the Word was made flesh) to be God, co-eternal with God the Father. Therefore, O Israel, if you had followed the meaning of your name and had not missed the prophetic testimonies with a darkened heart, then Isaiah would have revealed the truth of the Gospel to you, and without being deaf, you would have heard him, saying by Divine inspiration: "Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a son, and they shall call His name Immanuel, which means, God is with us" (Matt. 1:23). And if I did not recognize Him in this capacity of the holy name, then at least from David's words I would understand for myself that it is not necessary to deny, contrary to the testimony of the New and Old Testaments, that Jesus Christ is the Son of David, since you do not recognize Him as the Lord of David.

III. Wherefore, beloved, by the ineffable mercy of God, the Church of the faithful nations has acquired that which the synagogue of the carnal Jews never deserved, as David says: "The Lord hath shewed His salvation, hath made His righteousness known before the eyes of the nations" (Psalm 97:2), and Isaiah likewise prophesies: "The people that walk in darkness shall see a great light; on those who dwell in the land of the shadow of death the light shall shine (Isaiah 9:2), and again: Behold, thou shalt call a people whom thou hast not known, and the nations that have not known thee shall hasten unto thee... (Isaiah 55:5). So let us rejoice in the day of our salvation, and, being in the New Testament, we are received into the fellowship of Him to Whom through the Father the prophet says: Thou art My Son; I have begotten thee this day; ask of me, and I will give the nations for thy inheritance, and the ends of the earth for thy possession (Psalm 2:7-8), let us appreciate the mercy of the Ascender, for as the Apostle says: ... you have not received the spirit of bondage to live again in fear, but have received the Spirit of adoption, by whom we cry out, "Abba, Father!" (Romans 8:15). Therefore, the adopted should do the will of the Father, who testifies that those who share in the humility of Christ will become joint heirs of the future glory, as the Apostle says: ... if only we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified with Him" (Romans 8:17).

So let the Lord be glorified in His infancy, and let bodily birth and growth do not harm the Divinity, for our nature can neither add to nor subtract anything from the unchanging essence, and He Who in the likeness of sinful flesh (Romans 8:3) was vouchsafed to become like men, at the same time in the unity of Divinity remains equal to the Father, and with Him and with the Holy Spirit He lives and reigns forever and ever. Amen.

Homily X on the Nativity of Christ

I. Quite often, beloved, as you know, we expound a good sermon for you about today's glorious celebration, and without hesitation we draw the attention of your souls to the radiant majesty of Divine mercy, so that what is inspired by your faith may also be assimilated by reason. But the birth of our Lord and Saviour (not only in divinity from the Father, but also in the flesh from the Mother) is so far beyond the power of human eloquence, that it is true of both [births] that it is said: Who shall explain His generation? (Isaiah 53:8). And that which cannot be properly interpreted, still gives an abundance of reason for reasoning, and not at all because one can assume what one wants, but because any speech is not enough for a worthy subject. After all, the greatness of the Sacrament (conceived before eternal times for the salvation of the human race and revealed at the end of the ages) always remains unchanged, not losing its own and not accepting what is not ours. But some, wishing rather to impose their opinion than to learn themselves, according to the Apostle, have been shipwrecked in the faith (1 Timothy 1:19), and I would like today to at least briefly refute their perverse and intricate fabrications, in order to separate the darkness of error from the light of truth, piously glorify the Divine blessings and skillfully parry human fiction.

II. The outward signs of the nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ (which revealed Him to be the true Son of Man) have assured, for some, only that He is the Son of Man, without indicating that His divinity is to be ascribed to Him, for His infancy, and bodily manhood, and the time of the Passion, even to the Cross and death, proved that He is like other mortals. Others, justly delighted with the splendor of the accomplishments, have reflected the Nativity of the fountain and the efficacy of what has been said and done, and have attributed it to the divine essence, deciding that there is nothing inherent in our nature, and that everything that had a bodily form and action was a manifestation either of matter of supreme origin, or had only an apparent likeness of flesh, 'so that [it appears] that the senses of those who see and touch have been mishytized. In other errors, however, there was the opinion that something of the essence of the Word was made flesh, and that Jesus, born of the Virgin Mary, received nothing of the nature of the Mother, but that which was God and that which is man, are related only to the Word. So it turns out that in Christ, thanks to the dissimilarity of natures, there was a false humanity, and due to the decrease due to changeability, a false Divinity.

III. And so, beloved, the catholic faith, of which God is both Teacher and Helper, has already overthrown both of them, inspired by the devil's instigation of impiety, poured out of the vessel of perdition to the detriment of many. We are encouraged and strengthened by the Holy Spirit by the testimony of the law, by the predictions of the prophets, by the trumpet of the Gospel, and by the apostolic teaching, so that we may unfailingly and meaningfully believe that, according to the words of Blessed John, the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us (John 1:14). Surely with us, whom the divinity of the Word has made partakers of itself, and we are His flesh taken from the womb of the Virgin. And if the flesh were not ours (that is, not truly human), then the Word made flesh would not dwell with us. But it dwelt in us, for He made the nature of our flesh His own, founding for Himself the house of Wisdom (Proverbs 9:1), not of any other matter, but of that which is inherent in us. And its reception was witnessed [just at the moment] when it was said, "The Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us" (John 1:14).

The same sacred saying is echoed by the teaching of the blessed Apostle Paul, who says: "Take heed, brethren, that no one lead you astray with philosophy and vain deception, according to the tradition of men, according to the elements of the world, and not according to Christ; for in Him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily, and ye have fullness in Him (Col. 2:8-10). So that all divinity pervades all flesh, and as there is nothing lacking in the majesty of Him whose abiding is filled with the dwelling, so there is nothing lacking in the body which is not filled by its own possessor. And what has been said: ... you have fullness in Him, testified just our nature. A similar fullness does not apply to those for whom the Word of God has not united with Himself both the soul and the body proper to our race.