Christ is born, glorify Him!
Christ comes from heaven, meet Him!
Rejoice, ye righteous; be glad, ye heavens; leap for joy, ye mountains: Christ is now born of the Virgin.
He Who was begotten of the Father before all ages, and Who created heaven and earth, is born on earth. The Unoriginate takes a beginning. The Creator comes to His creation and Himself becomes a creature. He Who made man in His own image today takes on the form of man. The incarnate Son of God remains God, in no way diminished in His Divinity. He becomes man as well, taking on all that is human. What He was, He remained: true God. What He was not, He became: man, out of love for man. He remains without beginning from the Father, and today He is born of the Virgin Mother. Today God is born as man in order to save man. Man, who had fallen away from God, is now most closely united with God. Christ unites in His Person divinity and humanity, having become the God-Man. In His one body He reconciles men and God. Through Him all of us are brought to the Father. The God of peace, the Father of compassion, sent Him as the Angel of His Great Counsel to grant us peace. He proclaims peace to us, to those far off and to those near. We are no longer enemies of God or strangers to Him, but sons of God received anew by Him. Man fell away from God, but today God comes to men. Man sinned before God, and God sends to him the great Messenger of peace. The Son of God comes down to earth to fallen man in order to raise man up to heaven. O the riches of the goodness and mercy of God!
What, then, can we render to Him? How shall we meet and glorify the Angel of Peace Who comes from heaven?
"Let us pursue the things which make for peace and the things by which one may edify another" (Rom. 14:19). Let us beware of those who cause divisions and offenses, and avoid them. Let us cleanse our hearts of malice and wicked thoughts. Today He Who is our Peace is born! He is the King of Peace and the Savior of our souls. He breathes heavenly peace into our souls, granting the Holy Spirit. He fills with deep peace those who have a pure heart and a good conscience. The Magi from the east now come to Him. The guileless shepherds proclaim the wonder. And let us, with one mouth and one heart, offer praise to Him: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!
