Syriac Orthodox Church Of Antioch

"We are all invited to be one heart and one spirit in the house of God"
The Patriarchal Journal
Vol. 32 - March/April 1994 - No. 133/134. Page 137-141.

The house of God is the Holy Church, the Kingdom of God on earth, which the Lord Jesus established on earth when he began his economy of salvation in the flesh calling people saying, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has come near; repent and believe in the good news" (Mark 1:15). On this matter the Apostle Paul says: "urging and encouraging you and pleading that you lead a life worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory" (I Thessalonians 2:12).

So, all of us are invited to be living members in the sacramental body of Christ which is the church: obedient to the Lord Jesus who is the head of the body, in harmony with each other like the members of one whole body to be of one heart and spirit. Yes, the Lord Jesus had established his church on the basis of faith in him, that he is the Son of the living God. God announced this subject on the tongue of the chief of the apostles, Saint Peter, who said to the Lord Jesus, "You are Messiah the Son of the living God." So, he blessed him saying, "For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father in heaven. And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:17,18).

So that the church would remain steadfast and unshakable in the Lord, the Lord promised to send them the Holy Spirit to be a guide and teacher for them and to remind them of everything the Lord said to them. As a fulfillment of the promise of the Lord the Holy Spirit came down on the followers of the Lord Christ and their number was about 120 persons both men and women. They were gathering in the Upper Room in one heart and one mind in intense and continuous prayer and fasting. The atmosphere flared up to the heat of their faith. The Holy Spirit descended as tongues of flame then settled on each one of them and they started talking in different languages.

After pride had confused the tongues of the people of Babylon in the past, humility unified the tongues of the Lord's followers in the Upper Room. The mission of the Holy Spirit, the Counselor, is also to protect the disciples from idle talk and errors, to speak through them and to remind them of everything the Lord Jesus said to them. The Holy Spirit also gave them courage, wisdom, understanding and comprehension to be able to bear witness to the resurrection of Christ -- above all witnessing with superior courage seen when the Apostle Peter in one sermon drew to the faith 3,000 persons. This was how the church was born. The Holy Spirit lead it on the way of life and guided its shepherds to the truth. He is the one who chooses them as it says in the Acts of the Apostles where Luke the Evangelist said: "While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.' Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off." (Acts 13:2-3). And by the guidance of the Holy Spirit the apostles established churches of new believers and appointed priests and bishops for them and the believers devoted themselves to hearing the teaching of the Apostles, sharing and breaking of bread and prayers (Acts 2:42): "Now the whole group of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and not one claimed private ownership of any possessions, but everything they owned was held in common" (Acts 4:32).

Those churches preserved intact the faith that they received from the apostles. They maintained excellent conduct and behavior befitting the gospel of Christ and spreading the good news, and chose for themselves servants put in place by the apostles. We read in the epistles of Paul about the command of the apostle Paul to his two disciples Timothy and Titus to establish priests in every place.

The first church was characterized by steadfastness before the challenge of circumstances, presented martyrs on the altar of the love of Christ and waited for the second coming with hope and faith.

Satan, the enemy of good, opposed the Holy Church and tried to storm its steadfast castle and penetrate the rows of its bold soldiers by planting enticements and thoughts of pride and contention for power. But, the Lord protected his church and promised saying: "the gates of Hades will not prevail against it" (Matthew 16:18). So the Lord appointed pure apostles as protectors for the church. When riots broke out in Corinth, for example, the apostle Paul wrote to them saying, "Now I appeal to you brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose" (I Corinthians 1:10). This oneness of mind and opinion is the magnanimous doctrine and principle of good Christian behavior and the church continues to establishing a message of repentance all over the world.

Yes, strange opinions had emerged in the church on Christian thought. Schisms increased dangerously at the dawn of Christianity and were about to afflict the church at its beginning, but Christ protected it and "the gates of Hell did not prevail against it" because "God is in its midst of it, it won't be shaken" (Psalm 46:5). By the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and by the power that was given to them from the Lord, the apostles decided on the canonical holy scriptures. In the council of Jerusalem in the year 51 A.D. they solved the problem of the entry of the gentiles into the Christian faith. They did not need to be circumcised or become Jews first. During that council the apostles proved that they could be unified by the Holy Spirit, the One leading to the truth. They dared to write to the believers from the nations saying: "we have decided unanimously to choose representatives and send them to you, along with our beloved Barnabas and Paul. For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to impose on you no further burden than these essentials" (Acts 15:25,28).

Therefore, by the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and by impartiality and self denial, the apostles were able to solve the problems by the divine power they took from the Lord Jesus. They removed evil from among them (I Corinthians 5:13) cutting off the way of all who would be seduced by the base self that entices to evil, who would tear the sacred body of Christ and who would distort the true teachings of Christ. The Apostle Paul wrote on that matter to the believers in Corinth saying, "Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same purpose. For it has been reported to me by Chloe's people that there are quarrels among you, my brothers and sisters. What I mean is that each of you says, 'I belong to Paul,' or 'I belong to Apollos,' or 'I belong to Cephas,' or 'I belong to Christ.' Has Christ been divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?" (I Corinthians 1:10-13)

This is enough for us to take a lesson and admonitions from the apostles who protected the faith and preserved correct conduct and directed the believers to be for Christ alone. All the apostles and fathers were servants of Christ and his ambassadors on earth telling people his heavenly message and directing them to look to him to receive salvation.

Alas, the church, the house of God, has been divided against itself and without the mercy of God what the Lord said would have been fulfilled: that every kingdom divided against itself would be destroyed. (Luke 11:17) But God protected his inheritance and inspired its fathers across the age to endeavor for its recovery. Though most of those attempts met quick failure because the church was not in one heart and one spirit. But the spirit of the world entered it -- the spirit of pride and contentions for power -- and the conditions of true love were not fulfilled. Wasn't it in the name of Christ the savior of the world who promised his disciples saying, "For where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them." (Matthew 18:20) But if we got tired the whole night as Peter and his friends did catching fish, our efforts would come to nothing unless we obey the orders of the Lord and do them.

We thank God who inspired some of the pious at the beginning of this century who facilitated the holding of meetings between representatives of different Christian groups and several denominations. The World Council of Churches was established in the middle of this century. Then the Second Vatican Council was held. Informal theological discussions that began between theologians from several churches were changed into an official dialogue and there was an announcement on the unity of faith in the doctrine of incarnation and redemption. Common declarations were signed between the heads of the churches. The dialogue is continuing on several subjects to solve the problems that the schisms left behind across the ages and generations. The leaders of the churches are exchanging visits and meetings in a spirit of love and tolerance.

Leaders of unity, the great heros of the faith, are offering their constructive undertakings by placing road signs along the way to unity and persisting in prayer for the sake of reaching it. They encourage the blessed people to share with them the prayers and persistently endeavor to spread love among members of the churches who are members of the one church that the Lord Jesus established and is head of. What we need now is patience and expectation as the nations expected the coming of the savior, the hope of the nations, and He came! As we await his second coming, not knowing when he will come, he has commanded us to wait and to watch because we don't know in what hour our Lord will come. (Matthew 24:42) Also, we don't know when the will of God will be fulfilled as we reach the pursued aim when the unity of the Christian churches is fulfilled.

The schisms have lasted for several centuries, more than fifteen centuries, so we should not be anxious if the time for Christian unity is delayed. As we are walking on the straight path that leads to it, God willing, the way of love, tolerance and meekness and humility and continuous ardent prayer until that day, let us take as a motto the golden rule in which the Lord Jesus summarized his law saying: "In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets" (Matthew 7:12). Let us pray that the Lord grant us to be witnesses of that day, the day of Christian unity, the day that the Lord has made, to rejoice, and be glad in it (Psalm 118:24) Amen.

"Peace with God"
A Sermon on the Glorious Resurrection
In The Harvest of Sermons, Damascus, Syria, 1984 - pages 51-59.

The apostle Paul said: "Therefore, since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ," (Romans 5:1) "who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification" (Romans 4:25).

Jesus Christ bowed his holy head on the cross and submitted his pure spirit into the hands of his heavenly father and died. He died: the one who gave life to the dead by his divine power, healed the sick, made the lepers clean, strengthened the knees of the disabled, opened the eyes of the blind, guided the lost to the straight path, brought sinners to repentance. What was written by the prophet Isaiah was fulfilled when he said: "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me for he has anointed me to preach good news to the poor, to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim release to the prisoners, recovery of sight to the blind and freedom to the oppressed" (Luke 4:18, Isaiah 61:1). He died: the one whom the crowds followed coming from everywhere to listen to his heavenly teachings, "for he taught them as one having authority, and not as their scribes" (Matthew 7:29). In his Sermon on the Mount he said to them: "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven . . . blessed are the peacemakers for they shall be called the children of God" (Matthew 5:3,9).

He was not content with this but he set forth the golden rule for how humanity is to behave with fellow humanity saying: "In everything do to others as you would have them do to you; for this is the law and the prophets" (Matthew 7:12).

When a person is freed from his selfishness, loves the Lord with all of his heart and all of his will and loves his neighbor as himself, he will be able to fulfil this commandment of the Lord and attain Christian perfection by fulfilling the commandment of the Lord that says: "Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be children of your Father in heaven" (Matthew 5:44,45). The heavenly father, "proves his love for us in that while we still were sinners Christ died for us" (Romans 5:8). This is sacrificial love that does not make demands for itself but what is for others. A love that breaks down hateful racial barriers and destroys sectarian divisions among humanity and teaches people mutual fraternity: "For God so loved the World that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life" (John 3:16).

The death of Christ on the cross was necessary for the salvation of humanity, as mentioned in the Nicean Creed where it says: "Who for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit and of the Virgin Mary, Mother of God. And he became man, and was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate, and He suffered, died and was buried and the third day He rose." The apostle Paul says on this matter: "who was handed over to death for our trespasses and was raised for our justification" (Romans 4:25).

The Lord Christ in his death was a substitute: He died instead of humanity and his death was necessary to redeem humanity from the justice of God and to reconcile between his justice and his mercy. This was done intentionally, by his own will and the will of his heavenly father. While he was the incarnate God innocent of sin, infallible, he took the place of sinful humanity and bore the suffering willingly instead of them.

He died on the cross to make peace with our heavenly father according to what the apostle Paul says: "For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God" (II Corinthians 5:21) and "Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us'" (Galatians 3:13). The apostle Peter said: "He himself bore our sins in his body on the cross, so that, free from sins, we might live for righteousness; by his wounds you have been healed" (I Peter 2:24).

Jesus could have freed himself from the hand of his enemies the Jews and the Romans. But, it had been determined that he would drink from the cup of death to save humanity. As he said, the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to sacrifice himself for the redemption of many. Yes, Christ died and the last act of the tragedy of Golgotha was finished that Friday afternoon when he submitted his spirit into the hands of his heavenly father and was pierced in the side by a spear and blood and water flowed from him. His enemies were completely sure of his death. With permission from Pilate the governor, Joseph of Aramathia and Nicodemus came and took his pure body down from the cross and anointed it with incense and perfume and wrapped it with linen. They buried it in a new tomb carved from stone. A large stone was place at the door of the tomb. By the order of Pilate, answering the request of the Jewish Chief Priests, the tomb was sealed with the seals of the Roman authority. Soldiers were placed to guard it because after his enemies killed him physically they remembered that he said: "After three days I will rise again . . . so they went with the guard and made the tomb secure by sealing the stone" (Matthew 27:63,66).

Yes, Christ died on the cross and was buried in the new tomb. He died: the one who made a whip from cords and drove out the money changers and the pigeon sellers from the temple of the Lord. The Jews said to him: "What verse do you show us that you do this?" and Jesus answered saying to them: "'Destroy this temple and in three days I will raise it up.' The Jews then said, 'This temple has been under construction for forty-six years and will you raise it up in three days?' But he was speaking of the temple of his body. After he arose from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this; and they believed the scripture and the word that Jesus had spoken" (John 2:18-22).

On Sunday at dawn, the women came to the tomb to anoint the body according to the tradition followed when they found the large stone had been rolled away from its door. They found the shroud was put in order not pointing to hurriedness, haste, fear or alarm. They saw an angel inside the tomb who said to them: "Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look there is the place they laid him" (Mark 16:6).

The redeemer rose from the dead and went out of the tomb in spite of the presence of the large stone at its door. His dazzling, divine light shone around the whole place then the angel came and rolled away the large stone from the door of the tomb so the women and the disciples could see the empty tomb. An earthquake so frightened the guards that they fell on their faces and became as if they were dead. They went to the city and informed their masters that Christ had risen. But the Jewish chief priests hardened their hearts and lost the golden opportunity to repent and return to God and believe in Jesus the awaited Messiah. They bribed the guards to close their mouths with silver so their tongues were silenced and didn't speak the truth: He who is silent with the truth is a dumb Satan (an Arabic expression). So they changed into false witnesses. Pity them on the day of judgment.

The truth of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus is as clear as the midday sun. Can we block the light of the sun with a sieve? Christ is risen, truly risen! What the prophet David said was fulfilled on his tongue: "For you will not abandon my soul to Hades, nor did his flesh experience corruption" (Psalm 16:10, Acts 2:27,31). Yes, Christ rose from the dead and appeared to the disciples often and in many places. At one of those times he appeared to more than 500 of them. They saw him with their eyes, touched him with their hands, heard him with their ears, ate and drank with him and he ate and drank with them.

On the day of his resurrection he appeared to Mary Magdalene, the women, Peter and to the two disciples who were traveling to Emmaus. On the evening of that day the disciples were gathering in the Upper Room afraid of the Jews and they locked themselves in and made sure the doors were well locked. Their hearts were anxious and restless; their souls were upset and afraid. Jesus appeared in their midst and said to them: "Peace be with you" (John 20:19) lest they would think that he was a ghost. He presented his hands to them and showed them his feet and the mark of the spear in his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Their joy increased with his expression of peace. He meant every word of it.

This peace is the best thing the Lord Christ left for his followers. It is the tranquility of heart, a restful conscience, a hope that does not fail and a joyful hope. No matter if the storms are strong and violent, the black clouds are heavy or the thunderbolts are frightening and fearful, we fly in the atmosphere of the Spirit and our souls are content for the care of God includes us and his vigilant eye looks out for us.

His divine promise gives peace to our hearts. He said: "Even the hairs of your head are all counted" (Matthew 10:30). The basis of the peace is reconciliation with God that was the utmost goal of the incarnation of the redeemer. Heavens declared this expression of peace when the angel Gabriel brought the good news to the virgin Mary concerning the pregnancy with Jesus. The angels also sang the song of peace on the day of the redeemer's birth saying, "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!" (Luke 2:14). Before his suffering the Lord comforted his disturbed disciples with expressions of peace saying: "Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives" (John 14:27). Now after his resurrection he gave peace to his disciples so their hearts rejoiced because they saw the Lord.

We are truly in need today, oh beloved, of the peace of Christ our Lord: the peace built on the foundation of his glorious resurrection from the dead. This is because the resurrection is the lasting guarantee of the promises the Lord gave to the world. His resurrection enlightened the way of life for us and proved for us the truth of his divine promise that he announced by saying: "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die" (John 11:25,26). Just as there are three types of death --moral death, natural death and eternal death--so there are three types of life in Christ--moral life, natural life and eternal life. Christ through his resurrection from the dead granted we who have been buried with him by baptism into death to be raised with him and walk in newness of life (Romans 6:4). As the apostle Paul made clear for us; this life is a moral life, a life of virtue, purity, righteousness and holiness: "But our citizenship is in heaven, and it is from there that we are expecting a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ" (Philippians 3:20). With Christ we are victorious over natural death and with him we have the right to say, "Where, O death, is your victory? Where, O death is your sting?" (I Corinthians 15:55, Hosea 13:14) The resurrection of Christ from the dead abolished the power of death and granted humanity overcoming and victory by filling our hearts with a hope that does not fail, proving that natural death is not the end of our life. There is life after death and we by natural death are transported from transitory, fleeting life to immortal, everlasting life and from suffering and misery to happiness and bliss. On this matter the apostle Paul says: "If for this life only we have hoped in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the first fruits of those who have died" (I Corinthians 15:19,20).

The first fruits that were presented to the Lord are considered as a promise of a coming harvest of good quality. The resurrection of Christ shows us what our risen bodies will be like by the power of Christ on the last day as the apostle Paul says: "He will transform the body of our humiliation that it may be conformed to the body of his glory" (Philippians 3:21, I John 3:2). This is like the form of his body when he transfigured on the mount before three of his disciples, which was the form of his body after his resurrection from the dead.

After his resurrection Christ has not died again and will never die. Rather, he is alive forever and gives life to the dead through the mediation of his holy church that is his sacramental body and is alive in him. His effect on the world over the ages proves that he is living as he promised to be--with us unto the end of the age. His church is fixed on the rock of faith in him and the gates of hell will not stand against it. Its foundation will not be shaken however cruel the ages are against it.

Christ is with every believer and had promised saying, "Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them" (Matthew 18:20) The disciples of the Lord know there is no resurrection without death and no glorious crown without the crown of thorns. Therefore, when they accept the crucified Christ as their personal savior they crucify themselves with him to live not for themselves but for Christ who lives in them, as the apostle Paul says. If they are dead in sin like Saul of Tarsus they will be granted life in Christ and they will become chosen vessels like the apostle Paul. Most of the saints in heaven were sinners and blind; they had eyes but they did not see. But, when they believed in Christ the Savior of the world, the scales that were covering their eyes fell away. Their eyes were opened and they saw the light of Christ risen from the dead and believed in him so they were granted the grace of justification and sanctification, renewal and adoption. They became the children of God by grace and inheritors of his heavenly kingdom.

Let us also rise with Christ, Oh beloved, to see him clearly saying, "Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself" (Luke 24:39). He is the Savior who loved us and he was afflicted with these wounds for our sake, so what have we presented to him?

Let us examine our hands and feet. Have our hands done the deeds of goodness and godliness? Have our feet walked on the way of righteousness and integrity?

Let us listen well and we will hear the Lord saying to us: "Peace be with you" and our hearts will be filled with love for God and for neighbors and we will be at peace with God, ourselves and neighbors.

When the hour comes to leave this vain existence our souls will be calm and our longings will be inflamed toward Christ like the apostle Paul who said: "My desire is to depart and be with Christ, for that is far better" (Philippians 1:22-24) and it is no wonder that the Lord promised his disciples saying: "I go and prepare a place for you . . . so that where I am, there you may be also" (John 14:3).

May the Lord God make us all worthy to celebrate this holy resurrection feast with joy and happiness. When the time of our departing to him comes and we walk through the valley of the shadow of death, we will fear no evil because he is with us enlightening the abyss for us with his light. So we will rest in peace because our eyes have seen his salvation like Simeon the Elder. When the hour the Lord spoke about comes, all those who are in the tombs will hear his voice and those who did the works of righteousness will go out to the resurrection of life while those who did evil works to the resurrection of judgment. May the Lord make us worthy to rise in the resurrection of life to reign with him forever so we will celebrate the feast of the resurrection whose joy will never end. By his grace. Amen.

"The Power of the Holy Cross"
The Patriarchal Journal
vol.29 - October/November 1991 - No. 108/109. Pages 463- 470.

"For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing; but to us who are being saved it is the power of God." I Corinthians. 1:18

How blessed are those who are saved by the cross of our Lord Jesus, for they have obtained a godly power to overcome Satan and sin. For them natural death has become a transition from a miserable, transitory life to a glorious, eternal life.

How miserable are those who are perishing for they do not know the holy sacraments, they have lost their power, and the sacraments have become nonexistent to them. Didn't the writer of the Psalms speak about people like them, "Fools say in their hearts, There is no God. They are corrupt, they do abominable deeds; there is no one who does good" (Psalm 14:1). For the one who wallows in a pit of corruption and sin and does not comprehend the heavenly lessons is considered foolish because he has disregarded God, just as the idolaters were far away from the true God, worshiping the created and not the Creator. They are ignorant of the power of the cross, for they do not believe in God's plan of salvation for humanity, they do not understand the secret of the work of redemption, they do not believe in the beloved Redeemer. And, concerning the Jews "if they had understood they would not have crucified the Lord of glory " (I Corinthians 2:8). For to those who were entrusted to keep the prophets, the law and the law codes, the cross became a stumbling block because they didn't want to study the prophets to understand the secret of redemption. Therefore, they lost the power of the cross which is called the power of God by Saint Paul.

The cross derives its power from the merit of Christ's death on it and His resurrection from the dead which announced the Father's acceptance of the atonement of the crucified One and His redemption of humanity. As the apostle Peter expressed to the chief priests of the Jews about the Lord Jesus, "The God of our ancestors raised up Jesus, whom you had killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as Leader and Savior that He might give repentance to Israel and forgiveness of sins" (Acts 5:30,31). For millions of people were crucified before Christ was crucified and after, but not one of them was raised from the dead but their names were wiped out and their souls went away and they left nothing but a memory behind. But only the Lord Jesus, who was crucified and died on the cross and was buried in a new tomb and rose from the dead on the third day, has raised us with Him and has seated us with Him in heaven. Since He was crucified for our sake and redeemed us from the curse of the law He became a curse for us as it is written, "Cursed is anyone who hangs on a tree" (Galatians 3:13 and Deuteronomy 21:23). So, Christ exchanged the curse of the cross for a spring of heavenly blessings and spiritual graces and the cross has become the banner of the Christian church, its symbol and the subject of its boasting. After it was a sign of weakness and humiliation it became a sign of the power of God and the glory of His church. This godly power is taken by everyone who believes to obtain salvation by the blood of Jesus Christ that was shed on the cross; that the blood of Christ is truly synonymous with the cross for it is the blood of the incarnate God, as the apostle Paul says to the priests of Ephesus: "Keep watch over yourselves and over all the flock of which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd the church of God that he obtained with his own blood" (Acts 20:28).

Preached during the liturgy on the commemoration of the 11th anniversary of His Holiness's enthronement. Translated together with Anwar Mosa Matta.

The cross is also analogous to the whole gospel as the apostle Paul said to the Corinthians; "For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified" (I Corinthians 2:2). For there is no gospel of salvation without Christ's crucifixion on the cross and resurrection from the dead. Christ through the cross gave us the sacrament of reconciliation with his heavenly Father. He also gave us the two graces of justification and sanctification, besides the grace of adoption, making us eligible to stand before the heavenly Father not as slaves but as children by grace to call to Him with the boldness of children saying; "Our Father who is in heaven." He has given birth to us from above not from the will of the flesh or the will of a man but of God (John 1:13): for the cross with all of its merit made us heirs to the kingdom of heaven, for the power of the cross is the reconciliation of heaven with earth. The earth obtains life from heaven after believing in the Lord of heaven and earth and accepting his plan for salvation.

This power is the victory over Satan so that whoever draws the sign of the cross on his forehead with faith terrorizes Satan and demons all together run away from a young Christian child who draws the sign of the cross. For, the crucified Holy One gives one spiritual power to become a spiritual champion and a little Christ. The child deserves the victory that Christ gives us by grace through his victory over Satan by vanquishing him on the cross and by giving us the cross as a sharp spiritual weapon. This godly power hidden in the holy cross was the origin of inspiration for the apostle Paul to announce before the people saying: "May I never boast of anything except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ by which the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world" (Galatians 6:14), "and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me" (Galatians 2:20).

Yes, faith in the crucified Jesus, the redeemer of humanity, requires of believers both death and life, which is the complete sharing with Christ in his passion and death on the cross so that believers die to the world and their sin. Also required is life through Jesus who rose from the dead: a life that is spiritual resurrection in unity with Christ who said: "I am the resurrection and the life. Those who believe in me, even though they die, will live, and everyone who lives and believes in me will never die" (John 11:25-26). So, as the apostle Paul crucified himself with Christ, he gained life in Christ and discovered the secret power of the cross of Christ. Previously the cross had been a stumbling block to him and a hindrance to faith in Christ the Savior, it then became a smooth path for him to Christ. Moreover it became for him life and boasting (Galatians 6:14).

Yes, the knowledge of Jesus Christ crucified truly is a revelation of the two sacraments of incarnation and redemption. It is also a confession that Christ has truly taken on our flesh and was tempted like us in everything except that he did not sin though he died in the flesh on the cross atoning for our sins. Therefore when we make the sign of the cross on our faces we say, "In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, one God, Amen" and we proclaim our faith in the sacrament of the Holy Trinity of the one God and the equality of the three persons of the Trinity in essence as we confess in the two sacraments of the incarnation and redemption and the work of atonement on the cross. Therefore, Christians have taken the cross as their symbol from the beginning of Christianity and they know it as the banner of the Church.

>From this sound Christian understanding the Christian Queen Helena, mother of the Emperor Constantine in the fourth century A.D., pledged to search for the cross if her son the Emperor Constantine came to believe in Jesus Christ as the redeemer of humanity. She prayed continuously day and night, accompanying it with fasting, and gave alms so that the Lord would answer her plea. God willed that and showed Constantine the sign of the cross in the sky in the middle of the day and with it wrote the saying, "In this sign you will conquer." So Constantine took the sign of the cross as a banner for his army and conquered his enemies. He became Christian and his mother fulfilled her pledge in the year 326 A.D. and went to the Holy City, searched for the cross and found it. She was assured by a miracle that it was the real cross that the Lord Jesus hung on at Golgotha when the cross was placed on the body of a dead young man, immediately when it touched the body life returned to that young man and he was resurrected and the bishop of the city blessed the people with the holy cross of Christ.

Truly the Christian church venerates the holy cross as it also venerates the sign of the cross, just as citizens honor the flag of their country, in this way they honor their nation and country. Whoever honors his country honors his flag which is a symbol of his dignity. We honor the cross worshiping the One who was crucified on it, died and rose from the dead triumphing over death, Satan and sin and through it he gave us victory over these three enemies. In the cross we see the sacrament of salvation just as the people of the Old Testament in the wilderness, where the tormenting deadly snakes bit them, lifted up their eyes in faith to see the copper snake suspended on the staff in the midst of the area to gain salvation from death. We the Syriac people do not put a statue of Jesus on the cross because He who died on the cross was taken down from the cross and buried in a new tomb and was gloriously resurrected on the third day. So, He is not on the cross any more. The cross is free of Him. As we honor the cross we worship the One who was crucified on it. We do not worship a statue and that's no wonder as a result when the children of Israel worshiped the copper snake at the time of King Hezekiah, this faithful king destroyed that copper snake and threw it in the fire with the rest of the idols because it had become a reason for the perishing of the people after it had been a source of their salvation.

So in our honoring of the sign of the holy cross, we however worship the Lord Jesus who was crucified for our sakes and for our salvation. We worship his cross because it is His and His holy church's banner and through it all of her sacraments are made holy. We honor the wood of the cross because it touched the body of our Lord Jesus Christ, and his pure and precious blood was shed on it for the cloth that touched the body of Saint Paul had extraordinary heavenly power so that when it was placed on the sick they were healed. So how much more believable that the wood the Lord Jesus was crucified on and touched his holy body has conferred holy power to grant healing to souls of believers and their bodies?!

The blessed church fathers say: "If the tree of life that was planted in the middle of paradise symbolized the wood that the Messiah was hung on, and if the first parents had been prevented from eating of its fruit after they sinned so as not to be granted eternal life in a state of sin, then their offspring would have had the right to eat the fruit of salvation that comes from the crucifixion of Christ on the wood after these offspring were granted redemption through the heavenly crucified One and the believers were made righteous through his atonement and they were made holy and are entitled to life forever in the crucified Christ.

The wood of the cross and its sign symbolizes the blood of the Passover lamb that was smeared on the door posts and the lintel of the door of each house of the people of the old covenant in Egypt. And when the angel of death saw the blood of the Passover it did not destroy the first born of that house. So, the sign of the cross saved the first born of the people of the old order.

Yes, my beloved: for we who are saved the word of the cross is the power of God and the sign of the cross is the sign of our holy Messiah who willed that this would be the sign for all who truly become his disciples, for He, glory be to Him, said: "Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple" (Luke 14:27). And he also said to the people and his disciples together: "If any want to become my followers, let them deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me. For those who want to save their life will lose it, and those who lose their life for my sake, and for the sake of the gospel, will save it" (Mark 8:34-35). For it is not possible to become disciples of the Messiah unless we first deny ourselves. Denying self means that the believer confesses his own weakness, the power of God Almighty and the need of the believer for God whose might is not equaled in the universe, Holy be His Name. But carrying the cross is the ultimate surrender, and the disciples of Christ have buried their selfishness with Christ so they no longer look out for themselves but for the salvation of others.

The cross is a recognition of the right to salvation for perishing sinners from among our brothers in humanity for whose sake and for their salvation and our salvation Christ carried his cross and was hung on the cross. So the disciples of Christ should strive for the salvation of people to partake of redemption and to become children of God by this grace. Discipleship to our Lord Jesus Christ, self denial and carrying the holy cross: all these holy things remind us in these moments of the glorious historical day when we sat on the Apostolic See of Antioch by grace not by worthiness. And we today by the grace of God have placed our foot on the threshold of the 12th year of our Patriarchate. We begin this year as we began our service in the Patriarchate with sure faith and self denial and sacrifice by carrying the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ following his footsteps on the way to Golgotha with the patience, endurance and forbearance. Bearing the cross is a proof of our confession of its divine power and our confession of our weakness and the full reliance on him, to him be glory, for he is the one who says to us as he said to the apostle Paul: "My grace is sufficient for you for my power is made perfect in weakness" (2 Corinthians 12:9). By the grace of God on high we have been chosen for the service of his church and he called us to share in carrying the cross and seeking for the salvation of souls. And there is no doubt about that for we have seen him on the way to Golgotha exhausted from his sufferings; as he is walking his blood is dripping from his wounded body, the effect of the severe beatings and strong punches. After they had tortured him with wild whipping and when he did not seem able to bear the cross, Simon the Cyrene was conscripted to carry the cross instead of him. In this we learn that the Lord Jesus permits humanity to carry his cross, to carry with him responsibility for the salvation of humanity and sharing with him in the work of redeeming humanity. For the responsibility of salvation by the cross has been given to us by way of the holy church, the sacramental body of Christ, which was worthy to receive the merits of redemption by the cross and to preserve them as we guard our own eyes, and to distribute these merits to its children the believers that they would become disciples of Christ, its Lord and its bride and its head.

God on High has prepared us since we were children to be a disciple of Christ as he prepared us to sit on the throne of Antioch by grace not by worthiness. For that reason we raise to his majesty thanks for what he has granted us during these years, these past eleven years in which we have carried the burdens of the Patriarchate. Thanks to the members of the Holy Synod, the respected metropolitans who by godly inspiration elected us Patriarch to carry the banner before them in service to the church of God purchased for her by his blood to glorify his holy name for the salvation of the children of God.

Also, Oh beloved, we thank the respected metropolitans participation with us in this prayer on this day. May God give them success in their apostolic service and may God be with us all in the coming days as he was with us in the past years for without Him (glory be to him) we are not able to do anything as he said in the holy gospel (John 15:5). We thank you all, clergy and people, asking God to bless you by his holy cross and preserve you and your children and prepare you for the day when the sign of the cross appears in the sky announcing the second coming of the Lord Jesus that you would be among the number of those marked by the cross, saved by the cross and gaining resurrection with the righteous (John 5:29), who will be in the day of judgment with the sheep on his right hearing his sweet voice saying to them, "Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world"; (Matthew 25:34) and inherit with him his heavenly kingdom: the position that I wish for me and for you. By His grace. Amen.

"The Baptism of the Lord Jesus"
The Patriarchal Journal
Vol. 32 - January/February 1994 - No. 131/132. Pages 2-7.

The Lord Jesus, after his amazing birth in the flesh, lived like all his contemporaries in the city of Nazareth. He distinguished himself from them by his integrity, the purity of his conduct and clarity of his conscience. Until he reached the age of thirty he was known as the carpenter, son of Joseph. The holy gospels were silent about his daily activities during that period. They did not mention anything except his visit to the temple when he reached the age of twelve, the age at which the Jewish boy was called "son of the law." He had to memorize the law and the religious duties, and had to visit the temple to appear before the Lord. The holy gospel mentions that the virgin Mary and Joseph her fiancée lost the boy Jesus after finishing their visit to Jerusalem since they thought he was among his companions.

They had traveled a day on the way back to Nazareth. When they asked for him and did not find him among the relatives and those they knew, they went back to Jerusalem to look for him. " After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, "Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety." He said to them, 'Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father's house?'" (Luke 2:46-49) With this explanation the Lord Jesus announced the truth of his son-ship to God the Father. This is the doctrine that the heavenly Father expressed with a voice coming from heaven, saying to the Lord Jesus, " You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased " (Mark 1:11). A crowd of people heard that heavenly voice on the bank of the river Jordan.

At that time Jesus was at the age of thirty and came from Nazareth of Galilee to be baptized by him (Matthew 3:13). The distance between Nazareth of Galilee and the Jordan river was a full day's travel. The Lord Jesus walked it and when he met John he asked him to be baptized, but John declined saying to him. " 'I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me? ' But Jesus answered, 'Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.' Then he consented " (Matthew 3:14-15). This righteousness that Jesus wanted to fulfil was the righteousness of humility that began in him through his incarnation. When Jesus chose the poor, pitiful, orphaned, virgin, girl Mary as a mother for him because of her holiness, her purity, and her chastity, he was born from her in the village of Bethlehem of Ephrata in a simple cave. There his mother wrapped him and laid him in a manger and because of his humility the heavens honored him and sent the angels to give the good news to the simple shepherds and to sing their immortal song "Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors " (Luke 2:14). As for his baptism by John, his righteousness was completed when he presented to us the greatest example of humility by going to John the Baptist and asking to be baptized by him like any other sinner. He is the only one to have been born and been free from sin. The sinners had confessed their personal sins and received forgiveness through repentance at the hand of John who baptized them with the baptism of repentance.

The Lord Jesus confessed before John the sins of humanity that were placed on his shoulders by his will. For that reason John later called Him the Lamb of God who was lifted up for the sins of the world. (John 1:29) Through his baptism the Lord made the water holy when it touched his pure body. John was made complete in righteousness through his submission and obedience to Christ by baptizing him. Then the Father honored his only Son for his humility. As he was praying after he went out of the water the heavens opened and the Holy Spirit alighted on him in a bodily form like a dove and suddenly there was a voice from heaven that everyone present heard saying to Jesus "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased" (Mark 1:11). As the heavens were closed to the face of humanity's sin after its fall into the depths of sin, so they were opened in front of the Lamb of God the Savior who later offered himself to his heavenly Father as an atoning sacrifice for the world so through him the reconciliation between God and humanity was fulfilled (II Corinthians 5:19).

The Spirit that descended on him was also for John to recognize the one about whom he would say later, "I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water said to me, 'He on whom you see the Spirit descend and remain is the one who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.' And I myself have seen and have testified that this is the Son of God" (John 1:33-34). The Messiah was not in need of the Holy Spirit to descend upon him, for he was full of grace and truth, as John the apostle said about him. But he is the one who became flesh by the Holy Spirit and from the virgin Mary. But the appearance of the Holy Spirit in a bodily form like a dove during the baptism was to distinguish him from the crowd and to remind us of who had come in the book of Genesis that says, "... while the Spirit of God swept over the face of the waters " (Genesis 1:2).

Yes, the Holy Trinity had appeared for the first time in history before the crowds at the event of the baptism of the Lord Jesus. This is why we call this feast the feast of "DENH" (Syriac) which means "the appearance, the illumination, the light, the splendor, the magnificence, and the brilliance." For the Son came out of the water after he had been baptized by John and the Spirit alighted on him from heaven in the form of a dove and the Father called out saying to the Son from heaven, "You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased ." By his baptism the Lord established the sacrament of baptism as a door to enter the Kingdom of God on earth and the baptized believers receive the grace of righteousness, holiness and adoption. In their becoming children by grace in Christ they are the heirs of his heavenly kingdom.

Baptism is usually performed in the name of the Holy Trinity. As the Lord Jesus himself ordained it to be when he commanded his disciples saying: "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything that I have commanded you" (Matthew 28:19-20). At the beginning of the baptismal rite the believers profess their faith by confessing in the Holy Trinity, the One God, and the divine revelation that was announced to us from the beginning that God is One. That revelation itself announced to us that this One essence is three equal persons in essence, and that Christ is the second person of the Holy Trinity and is called the Son of God.

Yes, God sent John the Baptist to prepare the way before the Lord Jesus, the only Son of God, and Isaiah prophesied about John saying "The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.' " (Matthew 3:3) John was preaching in the wilderness of Judea saying: "Repent for the Kingdom of God is near." On that day the angel Gabriel brought the good news to his father Zachariah that his wife Elizabeth would bear him a son and he would be called John. He had made clear his message saying, "because he will be great before the Lord" (Luke 1:10-17). John carried out his mission well and prepared the people for repentance and a return to God to be ready for baptism with the Holy Spirit and fire at the hand of the long awaited Messiah Jesus the Christ whom John called "Son of God" (John 1:37). The angel Gabriel announced this divine truth to the Virgin Mary the day he brought the good news of the heavenly pregnancy by saying, "And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. The angel said to her, 'The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore, the child to be born will be holy; he will be called the Son of God' " (Luke 1:31,35).

The pure apostles and the righteous disciples clearly discerned the meaning of this heavenly doctrine when they believed in the son-ship of Christ to God the Father. The chief of the apostles, Peter, said to the Lord Jesus, "You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God." (Matthew 16:16) and Mark the Evangelist, the disciple of Peter began the gospel he wrote by saying, "The beginning of the gospel of Jesus Christ, Son of God" (Mark 1:1). The apostle John, after he began his gospel by calling Christ "the Word" was from the beginning saying: "the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen the glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth" (John 1:14). At the end of his gospel he says: "But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that through believing you may have life in his name" (John 20:31). So, we do not acknowledge any group to be a Christian church unless its followers confess that the Messiah is the Son of God, or according to the expression of the Nicean creed (335 A.D.) "Christ is born of the Father before all ages and he is light from light, true God from true God, and is equal to the Father in essence."

Christ the Son of the eternal God had given us to become the children of God by grace after we are born of the baptismal fount as a second birth from heaven; the matter that the Lord Jesus clarified to Nicodemus by saying: "Very truly, I tell you no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above...Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit" (John 3:3,5). Because of that the Lord commanded his disciples saying: "Go into all the world and proclaim the good news to the whole creation. The one who believes and is baptized will be saved; but the one who does not believe will be condemned" (Mark 16:15,16). So, the sacrament of baptism is necessary for salvation. This is the reason why the church has received from the pure apostles and the ancient righteous fathers the baptism of children fearing that death may take them in their childhood and they would lose the kingdom of God. On this subject John the Apostle says: "But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God, who were born, not of blood or of the will of the flesh or of the will of man, but of the Spirit" (John 1:12-13).

All of us are one family born from one mother, baptism, which the Lord Jesus established the day he was baptized by John as some of our Syriac fathers contemplated. Baptism symbolized the death of Christ, his burial and his resurrection and the apostle Paul says about this matter: "Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life" (Romans 6:4).

That is why we Syrian Orthodox baptize the believers by immersing them in the baptismal fount three times. The verb baptize "AMAD" (in Syriac) means sink, dip, wash, baptize, dye, seclude and hide. This symbolizes the burial of the dead in the tombs as the baptized are buried with Christ to rise up with him in the new life.

We believe what happened at the river Jordan when the Lord Jesus was baptized is happening in an unseen and unheard way to every believer when they are baptized in the name of the Holy Trinity by the hand of a legal priest, even to the children who are baptized according to the faith of their parents and god parents.

This faith is the confession of the doctrine of the Holy Trinity. Though this doctrine transcends the power of our human minds, it is an established truth. God willed to reveal its secret to us in a tangible way admitting no doubt at the baptism of Jesus Christ when heaven witnessed the truth of his natural son-ship to God on the day of his baptism. Also, heaven repeated its confirmation during the transfiguration of the Lord Jesus on the mountain in front of three of his disciples when the voice of the Father came saying: "This is my Son, the Beloved; with whom I am well pleased; listen to him!" (Matthew 17:5). So, we have to add faith to good works, by hearing which means obeying the Lord Jesus, Son of the living God. After we have been dead and buried with him, we will be raised with him into new life. In another expression Saint Paul commands us saying: "seeing that you have stripped off the old self with its practices and have clothed yourselves with the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge according to the image of its creator..." (Colossians 3:9, 10). As he also says: "As many of you as were baptized into Christ have clothed yourselves with Christ. There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:27,28). Christ has made us one in the spiritual family when we all were born of one mother that is baptism and he granted us to be living members in his holy sacramental body, the Church.

So, let us behave like the children of heaven, as ambassadors of heaven. Let our words be the language of heaven and our deeds the deeds of heaven to deserve as children of grace inheritance in the kingdom of heaven: the condition I wish for myself and for you. In the grace of God. Amen.

"Is There A Place for Jesus in Your Home?"
The Patriarchal Journal
Vol. 31 - January/February 1993 - No. 121/122. Pages 2-8.
Christmas Sermon - December 1992

"And she gave birth to her first born son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn." Luke 2:7

God on high chose from among all the women of the world the virgin Mary filled with grace. The Holy Spirit came upon her, purified her and made her holy. She was made worthy for the Word of God to take up residence in her and to take from her a complete body. The apostle John described this saying . . . "In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God . . . And the Word became flesh and lived among us and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father's only son, full of grace and truth" (John 1:1,14). The apostle Paul expressed this amazing matter saying: "Without any doubt, the mystery of our religion is great: He was revealed in the flesh." (I Timothy 3:16).

It is the miracle of miracles how the virgin Mary endured the greatness of the miracle of God's incarnation that happened to her, with her and before her! She was just a simple girl whose age was not more than fourteen years! For she was a virgin before she gave birth, during birth and after birth. She was a mother while nursing with her pure milk her holy Son swaddled and laying in a manger. She gave birth to him in the stall of an inn in Bethlehem because there was no place for them in the inn! The day the angel brought her the good news of the holy pregnancy he said to her: "Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus, He will be great, and he will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end. Mary said to the angel, "How can this be, since I am a virgin?" The angel said to her, "The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called the Son of God " (Luke 1:30-35).

So, where is the greatness of Jesus, oh angel Gabriel? Where is his kingdom? Where is his throne? Yes, his kingdom is not of this world. So, even though the priests and rulers of this earth ignored his existence, the heavens gave him glory and the angel brought the good news of his birth to the simple shepherds saying to them, "'Do not be afraid; for see--I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is the Messiah, the Lord. This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.' And, suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host, praising God and saying, 'Glory to God in the highest heaven, and on earth peace among those whom he favors!'" (Luke 2:10-14).

When the shepherds went quickly to the place where the king messiah was born, they found him but also found that his kingdom was an animal stall and his throne a manger. So, they worshiped him and they returned telling the good news of his birth. Thus, they were the first to receive the good news and the first to preach the good news of the Savior Messiah. But the chief priests, the scribes, and pharisees and others who were entrusted with keeping the prophets did not know at the time what they missed, even when the Magi came from the east to Jerusalem and asked about the one born the king of the Jews. King Herod inquired of the chief priests about the Messiah's place of birth. The priests told him that the prophet Micah had prophesied that the Messiah would be born in Bethlehem Ephrata, but they did not trouble themselves to research it. So, it was fulfilled in them what the prophet Isaiah had prophesied about them eight centuries before the birth saying, "The ox knows its owner, and the donkey its master's crib" (Isaiah 1:2-5).

Therefore, it is not surprising that when the virgin Mary and her fiance did not find a place in the inn they took refuge in the stall of an ox and a donkey to give birth to the Messiah. There his mother wrapped and laid him in a manger. Because of his birth the manger was changed into a holy place and became a focus of attention for all Christians so to him the kings of the earth and its great leaders would come and take off their crowns, bow their heads and even worship the one born in a manger. Yes, the manger was a suitable place for the child Jesus the Savior to be placed who on the contrary came down from heaven to teach humility. His humility would be a beneficial medicine for the healing of humanity from the illness of pride and submitting even to death, the death of the cross, to take away the shame of the disobedience of humanity against the commands of their Lord in paradise: "IFor God so loved the world that he gave his only son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life" (John 3:16).

So, the manger was the suitable place for the one who came to serve and not to be served, to sacrifice himself for the redemption of many. He began his divine economy of salvation in the body laid in a simple manger which became on the other side of his life the cross of shame he carried on his shoulder before the malicious crowd shouting "Crucify him! Crucify him!" He hence would be hung on it and, furthermore, after his death in the flesh he would be laid in a new tomb he did not own. Did he own any worldly possessions? He is the one the scribes asked saying "'Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.' And Jesus said to him, 'Foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head'" (Matthew 8:19, 20).

Yes, the believer who contemplates the events of the birth of the redeemer would give glory to God on high for His holy plan and the delivery of godly truth to the minds of humanity. The prophesies that had been announced on the tongues of the true prophets had been fulfilled to the letter.

Yes, the wisdom of God in managing the universe cannot be grasped by the mind of humanity. The virgin Mary was in Nazareth in the house of her fiance Joseph where the angel Gabriel had told her the good news of her divine pregnancy. When the end of her days of pregnancy came near she was about to give birth to her oldest son, though if she had been given the choice she would have stayed in the house of her fiance Joseph in Nazareth. But, God had ordained from the beginning that the Savior would be born in Bethlehem of Ephrata and the godly inspiration that announced this was on the tongue of the prophet Micah in the 8th century before the birth (Micah 5:2). That his birth was in Bethlehem the city of David assures us that He is from the descendants of David. That Jesus Christ the Savior had been registered on the registry of the tax rolls of the Roman Empire is an irrefutable proof that he had truly come in the flesh from the line of David. Lordly desires enticed Caesar Augustus to issue a decree that the whole inhabited world should be registered, he meant by the whole world those people under control of the Roman nation. God on high ordained that Caesar Augustus' order would be to register the Jews according to their custom that every one would go to the city of his ancestors to be registered there so as not to make confusion of the descendants and origins.

Yes, the believer will always be amazed and surprised when he reads the story of the birth of the Redeemer for the simplicity of its expression and the easiness of the way of writing so even a child would understand it's sentences in detail. While at the same time great philosophers are not able to fathom the depth of its meaning and understand its divine secrets. This is what the Lord Jesus meant in his prayer to his Father in the saying about the divine administration in the flesh. "I praise you Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the intelligent and have revealed it to infants." (Matthew 11:25). God has hidden his secrets from those who are wise in their own eyes to put to shame the wisdom of this world. Therefore Jesus didn't have a place in their houses and was not born of a daughter of the rich or of the great philosophers or scientists, but he was born of a poor, orphan, virgin girl, Mary. Yet she was from the lineage of kings and priests and prophets. He was not lain on a bed made of gold and ivory, neither was his pure body wrapped in soft silk. Rather, he was swaddled in linen and placed in a manger in the stall of an inn in Bethlehem, a humble city, but everyone who would look for him would find him.

He came for all humanity, especially for those who toil, those who are tired and those who are oppressed. I imagine him now, when he was a small child laying in a manger having spread his arms calling people to him as he called them later saying "Come to me, all you who are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Matthew 11: 28-30).

This is his practical, heavenly message: that we learn meekness and humility from him to lift from our shoulders the heaviness of arrogance, snobbery and pride so we find peace with God and ourselves and with all people; that we learn from him the love made visible in the holy cross that he calls his simple yoke and light burden. He has ordered us to carry it every day and to follow him on the path of Golgotha, the way of suffering, the way of sacrifice and self denial. The manger is the beginning of the way to the cross. The cross is love in two dimensions. The first dimension is the vertical that points toward heaven drawing love from God who first loved us so that we love him from all of our heart, all of our mind and all of our will. The second dimension is the horizontal, which cuts the vertical dimension. Here our love of God is reflected unto all people so we can work by the commandment of God through loving them and sacrificing to lighten their pain in that manner following the Good Samaritan. For he aided the one who fell among the thieves in the parable that the Lord Jesus gave us as an example to teach us mercy that is the fruit of love.

The message of Christmas is the message of love. The child Jesus was born on this very day in a cattle pen and wrapped and laid in a manger because there was no room for him in the inn. We see him today in millions of children who have no place of refuge, who with their mothers and fathers are starving while we are satiated in the luxury of many good things and appear like the rich man in the parable of the rich Lazarus that the Lord Jesus gave us as an example. The rich man did not show concern for the poor Lazarus who was cast in front of the door of his house and was dying of hunger. Both died and the rich man was taken to hell but the angels carried Lazarus' spirit to the lap of Abraham. So, all those in need, all the poor and all the needy orphans and poor widows are the little brothers of Jesus. Moreover, they represent the poor child Jesus who did not have a place in the inn so he was lain in the manger of an inn's barn in Bethlehem of Ephrata. So why don't we adopt the teachings of the Lord Jesus who will judge humanity on the last day on the basis of the good deeds they did along side of their faith in Him. Why don't we yearn to stand on his right side with those who will hear His beautiful voice saying to them, "'Come, you that are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world; for I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink I was a stranger and you welcomed me I was naked and you gave me clothing, I was sick and you took care of me, I was in prison and you visited me...'Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family you did it to me'" (Matthew 25:34-40).

Today while we are celebrating the occasion of the birth of the Lord Jesus. I wonder if we have prepared a place for him to be born in our hearts. Have we told our children about his amazing birth in the flesh? Have we told them about his mother the poor, orphaned, virgin Mary, descendent of kings and priests and prophets and the pure saint who said about herself: "from now on all generations will call me blessed for the Almighty has done great things for me?" Have we told them about her: How she was pondering in her heart all of the words that she heard from heaven and from the sons of the earth, and how she was devoted to the law of the Lord day and night? Or, have we changed the feast of the Birth into a worldly affair that is not connected to the feast spiritually? Have we told them about the love of God for us and his sending his only Son for our salvation and the placing of the Son in the manger in a barn to teach us humility and meekness because he did not have a place in the inn? Does he have a place in our homes and our hearts? Or, are our hearts full of love for things other than God as were the hearts of the scribes and the pharisees and the priests of the Jews who ignored the prophets and were preoccupied with worldly affairs?

I wonder if, as we are celebrating our religious liturgies on this happy occasion, we feel that Christ is with us and among us sharing with us the joy of the feast; or are we strangers to him and he is far from us? He was called Emmanuel, which means God with us (Matt. 1:23) and his name was called Jesus because he saves his people from their sins (Matthew 1:21). Have we accepted him as our savior and believed in the mystery of the incarnation and redemption? Or do we celebrate this liturgy of his feast as a routine duty that has the appearance of piety but has lost its power? Have the spiritual traditions become converted into mere social customs that are not connected to the Spirit. Do we take advantage of the opportunity of the holiday to spend them enjoying illicit physical pleasures through intoxication, noisy contentiousness, adultery and gambling? These distance Christ from us and distance us from Christ, for he then has no place in our homes and our hearts, and he will not be with us on these occasions because they are far from the spirit of piety, the fear of God, meekness and humility.

Let us prepare a place for Christ in our homes, our hearts and our souls so that it is not we who live but Christ in us (Galatians 2:20). Let us emulate the virgin who kept in her heart what she had heard from the angels, the Magi, and the shepherds and what she had seen of the dazzling miracles and the good news that she had been told. Let's heed the saying of the Lord Jesus while he was answering the woman who raised her voice from among the crowd and said to him, "'Blessed is the womb that bore you and the breasts that nursed you.' But he said,'Blessed rather are those who hear the word of God and obey it!'" (Luke 11:27,28). Let us listen to the Word of God, memorize it and do it to deserve the blessing that the virgin Mary had gotten in giving birth to the Lord Christ in the flesh. May this feast be a blessing to you. Amen.

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