IV. For although the light of truth was sent for the enlightenment of the holy fathers and prophets in previous ages, as David says: "Send forth thy light and thy truth" (Psalm 42:3), and in various ways and by many signs the divinity of the Son testified to His presence, yet all these signs and all the miracles and testimonies gathered together were about the epistle of which the Apostle speaks: But when the fullness of time came, God sent His Son, Who was born of a woman, and was subject to the law (Gal. 4:4). What is true in this, if not that the Word became flesh, that the Creator of the world was born from the womb of the Virgin, that the Lord of greatness brought Himself into conformity with human principles, and since it became possible for spiritual conception that there would be no confusion or contact of the earthly seed, He took from the Mother only one nature [without sin] in order to take on true flesh?

In the coming in which God was united with man, the Son is not equal to the Father, not in what was taken from the Father, but in what was taken from man. Human nature has not damaged the equality of unshakable divinity, and the descent of the Creator to creation is also the ascent of the faithful to the eternal. And the Apostle says: "For when the world by its wisdom did not know God in the wisdom of God, it pleased God by the foolishness of preaching to save those who believe" (1 Corinthians 1:21). Consequently, for the world, that is, for the rational of this world, their wisdom has become blindness, and through it they have not been able to discern God, to the comprehension of Whom they approach only by possessing His wisdom. And since the world was proud of its false postulates and unworthy and unreasonable things were revealed in it (1 Corinthians 1:23), the Lord confirmed in this world the faith of those who are being saved, so that when all stubborn prejudices are removed, the mercy of God alone will clarify what human reason could not comprehend.

V. Let the catholic faith know its glory in the humility of the Lord, and let the Church, which is the body of Christ, rejoice in the mystery of her salvation, for if the Word of God had not become flesh and dwelt in us (John 1:14), if the Creator Himself had not descended to communion with creation, and had not called human decrepitude to a new foundation by His Nativity, then, from Adam (Romans 5:14) until the end times, death would reign and an insoluble curse would remain on all people, for the law of birth alone is sufficient to become the cause of perdition for all. And therefore, among the sons of men, only the Lord Jesus was born innocent, that He was the only one conceived without defilement by carnal lust. For the same reason He became a man of our race, so that we too might be partakers of the Divine nature (2 Peter 1:4). For the origin which He assumed in the womb of the Virgin He also placed in the fountain of Baptism, and gave to the water that which He had previously given to the Mother. And the power of the Most High and the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit (Luke 1:35), which made the Saviour born of the Virgin Mary, gave the water the power to revive the believer. What was more suitable for curing the sick, for the blind to see, for reviving the dead, than for the ulcers of pride to be healed by means of humility? Adam, disregarding the commandments of God, allowed the curse of sin, and Jesus, having submitted to the law (Galatians 4:4), restored the power of justice (1 Peter 2:16). He, following the devil even to the point of secret complicity, was worthy that all should die in him, but this one, in obedience to the Father even to the Cross (Phil. 2:8), made all in Him come to life (1 Cor. 15:22). He, striving for Divine glory, destroyed the dignity of His nature, and This, accepting our weakness, gathered those for whom He descended into the bowels of the earth, in the Heavenly abodes. Finally, it was said to him who fell through arrogance: "Dust art thou, and to dust shalt thou return" (Gen. 3:19), and to this one, exalted in humility, it was announced: "Sit at my right hand, until I make Thy enemies Thy footstool" (Psalm 109:1).

VI. And so, beloved, all that our Lord has done is useful to us, not only in the Sacrament, but also as an example to follow. And if the medicines themselves become habitual, then what is done in the Sacraments will also be useful for morals, so that we remember that we should live in humility and obedience to the Redeemer, for, as the Apostle says: "If only we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified with Him" (Romans 8:17). For we would be mistakenly called Christians if we were not imitators of Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1), Who said that He is the Way (John 14:6), so that the Teacher's way of life would become a way of life for the disciples, and so that the servant would choose that humility which the Lord, Who lives and reigns forever and ever, took upon Himself. Amen.

Homily VI on the Nativity of Christ

I. In all days and times, beloved, the Birth of our Lord and Saviour from the Virgin Mother has sought to meet the souls of those faithful who have meditated on the Divine. At the same time, their minds, lifted up in grief for the sake of comprehending their Creator, dwelt either in the groaning of prayer, or in the exultation of glorification, or in the gift of sacrifice, most often and boldly touching with their spiritual gaze precisely the fact that God, the Son of God, begotten of the co-eternal Father, was also born as a man. And this worship of the Nativity in Heaven and on earth reaches its climax today, when our senses are granted the splendor of the wondrous Mystery that has shone with a new light in [all] the elements. The conversation of the Archangel Gabriel with Mary, frozen with fear, is resurrected not only in memory, but also in a certain way with one's own eyes, for as miraculous as the promised conception from the Holy Spirit is, so is faith in it. Today, the Creator of the world was born from the virgin womb, and He Who created all the elements became the Son of the One Whom He Himself had previously created. Today the Word of God has taken on the veil of the flesh, and that which has never been revealed to the eyes of men has become tangible (1 John 1:1). Today, from the voices of angels (Luke 2:11), the shepherds have learned about the Birth of the Savior in the essence of our flesh and soul, and for the leaders of God's nations today a [new] form of gospel has been laid, so that we, too, echoing the host of the heavenly host, may proclaim: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men! (Luke 2:14).

II. The Child, Who was not deprived of the greatness of the Son of God, was transformed in the course of years into a perfect Man, and, for the sake of us unworthy, serving the triumph of the Passion and the Resurrection, fulfilled all that was predestined for Him. In today's celebration of Jesus, born of the Virgin Mary, we turn to His Holy Nativity. At the same time, when we worship the birth of our Saviour, it turns out that we also celebrate our own birth into the world, for the birth of Christ is the beginning of the entire Christian people, and the head is also the beginning of the body that is generated. And although each has his own name, and all the sons of the Church were separated from each other, since they were born at different times, the Council of all the faithful (which began at the source of Baptism) was crucified with Christ in suffering, resurrected in the Resurrection, placed at the right hand of the Father in the Ascension, and was born together with Him in this Nativity. Thus every man of the assembly of the faithful is reborn in Christ: the chain of original sin is broken, and being born anew, this man is transformed into a new man (Col. 3:10), and no longer belongs to the offspring of the flesh, but to the offspring of Christ, who then became the Son of man, that we might be transformed into the sons of God. For if He had not descended to us in such a humiliated form, no one would have risen to Him on his own merits.

Now earthly wisdom is no longer able to dispel the darkness in the hearts of those who have been called (Romans 1:21), for the dust of earthly wisdom (whose days are numbered) cannot lift itself higher than the height of God's mercy (Psalm 1:4). At the end of the ages (1 Corinthians 10:11) it was fulfilled that which was eternally designed before all time (Titus 1:2), and today, when the time of signs full of secret meaning has ended, the law and prophecies have become the truth, and Abraham is the father of all nations (Gen. 17:4). In his seed the world was blessed (Gen. 22:18), so that this applies not only to the Israelites, who were begotten by flesh and blood, but also to all adopted children, who will become heirs of the prepared by the sons of faith (Romans 9:6). And let us not be led astray by the misinterpretations contained in absurd questions, and let not human wisdom refute the result of God's work. But we, together with Abraham, have believed God (Romans 4:3) and are not shaken by unbelief, but we know most certainly: what the Lord has promised, He is able to fulfill (Romans 4:20-21).

III. So, beloved, the Saviour is not born of the seed of the flesh, but of the Holy Spirit, so that He was not touched by the curse of original sin. The greatness of the sacrifice offered by its radiance impels us to the reverence that is due. And therefore, as the blessed Apostle teaches: we have not received the spirit of this world, but the Spirit from God, that we might know the things which have been given to us from God (1 Corinthians 2:12), Who is piously revered only if only that which He Himself asks is offered to Him. In the treasury of the Lord's abundance, what could we find so befitting the honor of this celebration, except the peace which the angels were unanimously the first to proclaim in the Nativity of the Lord? After all, this world gave birth to the sons of God (Matthew 5:9), and, moreover, is the source of love and the parent of unity (Ephesians 4:3), the rest of the blessed (Psalm 4:9) and the dwelling place of eternity. His most grace-filled manifestation is that he united with God those whom he separated from the world. That is why the Apostle urges us to such peace, saying: "Being justified by faith, we have peace with God" (Romans 5:1). This brief statement contains the essence of almost all the commandments, for where there is true reconciliation, there can be no lack of power. What, beloved, does it mean to have peace with God, except to desire what He has ordained and not to desire what He has forbidden? But how can one become a partaker of the Divine world who does not want that which God requires to love? The sons of God do not have such an inclination, and it is not at all such wisdom that the adopted ones are filled with. Let the chosen and royal generation (1 Peter 2:9) correspond to the significance of its regeneration, love the beloved of the Father, and in no way contradict its Creator, lest the Lord say again: "I have brought up and exalted sons, and they rebelled against Me." The ox knoweth his master, and the ass of his master's manger; but Israel does not know Me, My people do not understand (Isaiah 1:2-3).

Great, beloved, is the mystery of this sacrifice, and this gift surpasses all other gifts, for God declares man to be a son, and man calls God Father. By naming it in this way, we feel and know the One Who elevates love to an unattainable height. For if it happens that in the fleshly offspring and the earthly branch, the vices of an unworthy life darken even those born of glorious parents, and the glory of the ancestors is a reproach for unworthy offspring, then what will be the fate of those who, having loved the world, did not fear to renounce the race of Christ?! If it is praiseworthy for people that the glory of the fathers should be reflected in the descendants, then how much more glorious is it for those born in God to shine in the image of their Creator and to manifest in themselves the One Who begat them, as the Lord says: "Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven" (Matt. 5:16).

We know from the words of the Apostle John that the whole world lies in evil (1 John 5:19), and when the devil and his servants plot against each other, the world is so tormented by innumerable temptations that a person who aspires to the heights is either oppressed by failures or led into temptation by successes. But the Greater One is He who is with us than He who is against us (1 John 4:4), and if we have peace with God and always say with all our heart to the Father, "Thy will be done," we will not be able to prevail in any battle with us, or harm us in a clash. Scourging ourselves in our confessions and not allowing the soul to conspire with carnal lusts, we stir up against us the enmity of the father of sin and strengthen an indestructible peace with God, being debtors of His mercy, so that we not only vow obedience to our King, but also receive [in return] support. For if there is anything He wills, it is us, and what He rejects, then we too, then He Himself fights all the battles for us and helps us to fulfill our desires (Phil. 2:13), so that we may become co-workers with His works (1 Corinthians 3:9), and with the exultation of faith we may prophetically say: "The Lord is my light and my salvation: whom shall I fear? The Lord is the strength of my life: whom shall I fear? (Psalm 26:1).

V. Therefore those who were born, neither of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God (John 1:13), show to the Father the unanimity of reconciled sons, and in Him who was born before all creation (Romans 8:29; Col. 1:15; Galatians 6:15), Who came not to do His own will, but Him who sent (John 6:38), all those who are adopted come together, for the merciful Father has received heirs who are not torn apart by contradictions or differences, but those who think one thing, and love one thing (Phil. 2:2). Those who are regenerated in one way must have a similar soul. And the Nativity of the Lord is the birth of peace, as the Apostle says: "For He is our peace, Who made one out of both" (Ephesians 2:14). Both Jews and Gentiles, through Him, both have access to the Father, in one Spirit (Ephesians 2:18). [Jesus], before the day of the passion, chosen by voluntary decision, instructed His disciples, saying: "Peace I leave with you, My peace I give unto you" (John 14:27). And without hiding the essence of His world under a general name, He added: "Not as the world giveth I give unto you" (John 14:27). He says that the world loves its own (John 15:19) and many are mired in shameful love for it. These souls became related through vice, and similar desires gave rise to the same actions. And even if they do not want to return to an ugly and shameful [state] and exclude from the contract of their love inadmissible articles, but at the same time remain either Jews, or heretics, or pagans, it is still not from love for God, but from love for the world. He (the world that is coming from above and brings sorrow), to whom the ecclesiastical spiritual [people] are directed, does not want us to unite in any way with those who love this world, but, on the contrary, that, on the contrary, we should resist all misfortunes and soar from ruinous pleasures to true joys, as the Lord says: "For where your treasure is, there will your heart also be" (Matt. 6:21). If you love that which is below, then you descend down, and if you revere the Things above, then you also attain the highest, therefore we (who desire one thing, who think of one thing, and who are of one accord in faith, whether in hope or in love) are led by the Spirit of the world. And all who are led by the Spirit of God are the sons of God (Romans 8:14), Who reigns with the Son and the Holy Spirit forever and ever. Amen.

Homily VII on the Nativity of Christ

I. The true partaker and pious worshipper of today's celebration, beloved, is he who does not think unseemly of the Incarnation of the Lord, and unworthy of divinity, for it is equally dangerous to deny the truth of our nature, as it is to deny the equality of his fatherly glory. Therefore, when we strive to comprehend the Mystery of the Nativity of Christ (whose birth we owe to the Virgin Mother), let the darkness of earthly speculations dissolve before the enlightened eyes of faith and the fog of worldly wisdom dissipate (Ephesians 1:18), for just as the Divine authority to which we entrust ourselves, so is the teaching that we follow.