SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH

TO ITS SPIRITUAL CHILDREN ON CHRISTMAS 2024

PORPHYRIE

BY THE GRACE OF GOD, THE ORTHODOX ARCHBISHOP OF PEĆ, METROPOLITAN OF BELGRADE-KARLOVAC AND PATRIARCH OF SERBIA, WITH ALL THE HIJERS OF THE SERBIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH – THE CLERGY, THE MONASTICS AND ALL THE SONS AND DAUGHTERS OF OUR HOLY CHURCH: GRACE, MERCY AND PEACE FROM GOD THE FATHER, AND OUR LORD JESUS ​​CHRIST, AND THE HOLY SPIRIT, WITH A WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS GREETINGS:

PEACE GOD’S – CHRIST IS BORN!

Our dear spiritual children,

Today, gathered at the Holy Liturgy, we celebrate the Nativity of the Lord God and our Savior Jesus Christ, the One who “for us men and for our salvation came down from heaven, was incarnate of the Holy Spirit and the Virgin Mary and became man”. In spiritual joy we celebrate an Event that is so great that it divided the history of the human race into two parts! This Event is called by Saint Maximus the Confessor the goal of God’s creative act – the Mystery of Christ, the union of God and creation in the Person of the Son of God Who became man, – which we can understand only if we keep in mind that the created world cannot exist eternally without unity with God the Creator. Why? First of all because, according to Saint Athanasius the Great, the nature of creation is – former non-existence, that is, it is mortal. In order for created nature to overcome death and exist eternally, it must be in communion with the very Source of life, with the Triune God, the One by nature Eternal and Uncreated.

All of us humans were introduced into this communion, once and for all, when, twenty centuries ago, by the good pleasure of God the Father and the cooperation of the Holy Spirit, the Only Begotten Son of God descended into human history, into the “valley of weeping,” in order, in utter humility, to become human and be born as a Child in the small cave of Bethlehem. Having bowed the heavens to the earth, He granted us an unbreakable communion with God. The beginningless, immortal and perfect God humbles Himself and identifies Himself with us, with His creation, and by accepting what is incomparably less than Himself, He grants us what is incomparably more exalted and perfect than we. The transcendent love of God, contemplating the eternal destiny of man, by the will of the Holy Trinity willed that the created world be healed and saved in the God-man Christ. Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom of God! Eternity embraced the transient, the uncreated was inseparably united with the created, immortality healed the mortal. In a word, God became man so that man might be deified, so that he might become a God-man by grace.

Each of us, brothers and sisters, may today warm our hearts with the flame that warmed the newborn God-child, and make our homes, with the joy of family gatherings, a Bethlehem cave! At the same time, we, who celebrate in peace, must not forget those who suffer, grieve, and spend these days of joy exiled from their homes, thus repeating the fate of the Infant Christ, already in his earliest childhood an exile, who, together with His Most Holy and Pure Mother and righteous Joseph the Spouse, had to flee to Egypt from the tyrant Herod.

This same Infant Christ today, not only metaphorically but also really, being the bearer of full human nature, shares the exile, grief, and suffering of all the oppressed on the globe. We see how in many parts of the world, mothers and fathers, with their children in their arms, fleeing from the modern Herods, experience in the 21st century the fate of the children of Bethlehem at the time of the Nativity of Christ. In the regions where Christ was born, “weeping and wailing and much wailing” (Matt. 2:18) are still heard. There, as in neighboring countries, Syria and Lebanon, the number of human victims is mercilessly multiplying, while the number of children killed, which is most terrible, has many times exceeded the number of children who suffered at the hands of Herod. With prayerful cries to God to grant peace to the whole world, we also look at the terrible conflict between brothers of the same blood and faith in Ukraine and Russia, which, to the great sorrow of all of us, is already entering its fourth year. We prayerfully cry out to God to also embrace the innocent victims of the collapse of the canopy at the Novi Sad railway station. We look into our hearts, and we look at each other, praying to the Lord to grant us the strength to constantly draw from that tragic event, but also from other mentioned and unmentioned events in the country and the world, a warning lesson that we must be brothers towards each other, to be human, Christified, sincere, and essentially good.

We feel a paternal need to address our conciliar voice this Christmas, first of all to our spiritual children in Kosovo and Metohija, but also to all those to whom the appeal of the Church of Saint Sava reaches. The Serbian people, in their centuries-old homeland, have been the most vulnerable and unprotected people on the European continent for a quarter of a century. Exposed to pressure, arrests, the violent seizure of municipal self-governments, the closure of local health services, the seizure of land and other private property, the demolition of cemeteries and cultural monuments, they are constantly intimidated and persecuted. We, our brothers and sisters in Kosovo and Metohija, look at you with love, respect and gratitude. We admire your faith, your heroism, your patience and forbearance. Just as we believe in the words of the Lord that “blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be filled,” we also believe that the day will dawn when the Sun of righteousness, Christ our God, will shine for you and for our entire people, and that you too will be filled with His righteousness.

The greatest blessing in the year that is beginning brings us the celebration of the 850th anniversary of the birth of the most significant figure in the history of our people – Saint Sava. On this occasion, deeply concerned about the current events in our people, we would like to point out two facts from his life, praying that the year ahead of us will pass in the sign of the lesson that springs from them.

First, by his departure to Mount Athos, young Rastko, like the young man from the Gospel story who asked Christ the most radical question: Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?, confirmed the fact that youth is hungry and thirsty for eternity, that is: fullness, truth, justice, goodness, love, beauty, and meaning in general. However, unlike the aforementioned young man, Saint Sava voluntarily and joyfully followed Christ. In his example, as in the example of many young people throughout history, we see that just a blessed hunger and thirst for meaning is not enough. What is needed is transformation, coming out of oneself, a life in virtue, a life according to the Gospel of Christ, according to His Word. What is needed is a struggle of love for God, but also for every person as one's eternal brother. And that love is in listening, understanding, embracing and accepting the other as one's neighbor; in forgiveness, compassion, mercy, sacrifice, in every Christ-like virtue. All these are works of love that Saint Sava, our Enlightener and Teacher forever, having followed Christ, transformed and sanctified by the grace of the Holy Spirit, did and manifested.

Precisely because he was transformed and enlightened by God, as a saint of God, he became a model and example for all, even for his own father. In the light of his example, we are called to listen attentively to youth, to respect, protect and strengthen them in all that is good and virtuous.

At the same time, it is our obligation, in addition to caring for the young, to testify with our whole lives, by word and deeds of love, that the fullness they seek is found in Christ the Lord, that Christ is the meaning of everything and that, if Christ is in the first place, everything will fall into place.

Another instructive fact for the year ahead is the reconciliation of the feuding brothers that Saint Sava performed over the relics of their father, Saint Simeon the Myrrh-Bearer, in 1207 in the Studenica Monastery. His prayer and his efforts alone were not enough for reconciliation, although without them it would not have happened. It was also necessary for both brothers to extend their hands to each other, to embrace and forgive each other. This was the only true, evangelical way to achieve peace among brothers, in the state and in the people. Saint Sava, inspired by the Gospel of Christ, showed us and bequeathed to us a model of the church's conciliatory behavior. The Church does not judge, does not divide, does not make distinctions between brothers, but reminds us that we all need each other and calls everyone to peace and the community of love. Let us not forget that many misfortunes, conflicts and wars begin with the dehumanization of our neighbor, with the erasure of the humanity of another human being. Therefore, it is of crucial importance that all of us, as many as there are, stop using the vocabulary in which the other is first called a stranger, then an adversary, then an enemy and, finally, an inhuman being. Let us remember the fatal consequences of such actions in the history of the human race, which, unfortunately, are numerous! Let us remember our past and the divisions from which we have not been able to recover to this day! Let us be worthy heirs of Saint Sava the peacemaker and his brothers, and not the heirs of Cain, the first fratricide, who addressed the Lord God Himself with the most terrible words: “Am I my brother’s keeper?” (Gen. 4:9).

Therefore, brothers and sisters, wherever we live, let us bridge the gaps between us, let us listen to each other, let us respect each other's views and opinions, especially when they are different from ours! Let us give up aggression and violence as a way of solving problems and disagreements! Let us build bridges of understanding, love and peace at all costs, although we know very well that bridge builders are often stoned by both sides.

In the joy of Christmas, the only true novelty under the Sun, when God has been reconciled with man forever, let us embrace Christ and each other, praising the Christmas hymn:

"Christ is born, glorify him!"

Behold, Christ from heaven – go out to meet him!”

Our dear spiritual children, Orthodox Christians, children of the Serbian Orthodox Church, in the homeland and in the Diaspora, we, your spiritual shepherds, pray that the God-Infant Christ may dwell in the hearts of all and that, having peace with Him, we may reconcile and “make peace” among ourselves, so that, in peace and love, together with the angels, with one mouth and one heart, we may rejoice and sing:

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will among men!”

THE PEACE OF GOD – CHRIST IS BORN!

Given in the Serbian Patriarchate in Belgrade, on Christmas Day 2024.

Your prayer books before the Infant Christ:

Archbishop of Pec, Metropolitan of Belgrade-Karlovica and Patriarch of Serbia PORPHYRIJE

Archbishop of Sarajevo and Metropolitan of Dabro-Bosnia CHRISTOM

Archbishop of Cetinje and Metropolitan of Montenegro-Lithuania JOANIKIJE

Archbishop of Sirmium and Metropolitan of Srem VASILIJE

Archbishop and Metropolitan of Banja Luka EPHREM

Archbishop and Metropolitan of Buda LUKIAN

Archbishop of Vrsac and Metropolitan of Banat NIKANOR

Archbishop of Novo Gračanica-Chicago and Metropolitan of Midwestern America LONGIN

Archbishop of Toronto and Metropolitan of Canada MITROFAN

Archbishop of Novi Sad and Metropolitan of Bačka IRINEJ

Archbishop of Stockholm and Metropolitan of Scandinavia DOSITHEJ

Archbishop and Metropolitan of Žička JUSTIN

Archbishop and Metropolitan of Vranje PAHOMIJE

Archbishop of Kragujevac and Metropolitan of Šumadija JOVAN

Archbishop of Požarevac and Metropolitan of Braničevo IGNATIJE

Archbishop and Metropolitan of Zvornik-Tuzla PHOTIJE

Archbishop and Metropolitan of Milesevo ATHANASIJE

Archbishop of Düsseldorf-Berlin and Metropolitan of Germany GRIGORIJE

Archbishop and Metropolitan of Raska-Prizren THEODOSIJE

Archbishop and Metropolitan of Kruševac DAVID

Archbishop of Romuliana-Zaječar and Metropolitan of Timočka HILARION

Archbishop and Metropolitan of Niš ARSENIJE

Archbishop of Sydney-Wellington and Metropolitan of Australia-New Zealand SILUAN

Archbishop of Zadar-Šibenik and Metropolitan of Dalmatia NIKODIM

Archbishop of Mostar-Trebinje and Metropolitan of Zahumlje-Herzegovina and Ston-Littoral DIMITRIJE

Archbishop of Los Angeles and Western America MAXIM

Archbishop of Gornja Karlovac GERASIJE

Bishop of Washington-New York and Eastern America IRINEJE

Bishop of Pakrac and Slavonia JOVAN

Bishop of Switzerland ANDREJE

Bishop of Bihać-Petrovica SERGIJE

Bishop of Buenos Aires and South-Central America KIRILO

Bishop of Osijek-Poland and Baranja HERUVIM

Bishop of Valjevo HISEHIJE

Bishop METHODIJE of Budimlje-Niksic

Bishop of Šabac JEROTHEJ

Bishop of Paris and Western Europe JUSTIN

Bishop of London and Great Britain and Ireland NEKTARIJE

Bishop retired of Zvornik-Tuzla VASILIJE

Bishop retired of Canada GEORGIJE

Bishop retired of Central Europe KONSTANTIN

Bishop retired of Slavonia SAVA

Bishop retired of Milesevo FILARET

Bishop retired of Niš JOVAN

Vicar Bishop of Remesian STEPHAN

Vicar Bishop of Mohacs DAMASKIN

Vicar Bishop of Marčana SAVA

Vicar Bishop of Hum JOVAN

Vicar Bishop of Hvostan ALEXJE

Vicar Bishop of Novo Brdo HILARION

Vicar Bishop of Lipljan DOSITHEJ

Vicar Bishop PETAR of Toplički

Vicar Bishop of Jenopolj NIKON

Vicar Bishop of Moravičia TYKHON

Vicar Bishop of Diocletian PAISIUS

Vicar Bishop of Kostajnica SERAPHIM