Nativity of the Lord
From the Monastery of St Demetrios:
Nativity
Dear Friends of St Demetrios Monastery,
The Lord bless you!
Salvation has come into the world. God sent His Son into the world, to be born of the Virgin in great obscurity, in profound humility, to recapitulate the whole creation in Himself. He became what we are, that He might make us what He is: that he would deify our nature and make us partakers of the Divine. He who is the Uncreated Image of the Father has taken on the created image, andfulfilled it. By His Cross He overcame death and raised us up in and with Himself. He has glorified our nature, exalting it to the very throne of God.
The world is also celebrating Christmas, though perhaps not with the spiritual awareness of this great mystery. At least they are commemorating the Birth of Christ. The question is, do we as Christians enter into this Mystery of our salvation that is opened to us in the celebration of the Nativity of Christ? The world celebrates on the level of the external forms, the memories and nostalgia of Christmases past, the warm family celebrations, the sweet music and beloved images. This is good, as far as it goes. We also have these wonderful memories, evoking the remembrance of those who have gone before us, and wonderful times with those we loved and who loved us. For some of us, they are tinged with grief. For some, they are bitter-sweet, or just plain bitter.
We need to rise above the emotional and nostalgic, whether pleasant and sweet, or the remembrance of things gone awry. Our celebration of the Nativity needs to be on multiple levels, the emotional, the memories, the rational and aesthetic; but especially on the spiritual level.
The spiritual reality we celebrate is not only that the Lord took flesh being born of the Virgin Mary and dwelt among us; but that He is born in us, and we in Him. He is born in our hearts, and we are united to Him, so that he shares with us His relationship, His Sonship, to the Father. He sends His Holy Spirit into our souls and sanctifies us, uniting us in Himself to the Father. He fulfills our very personhood by healing our fallen nature, corrupt unto death through sin, and bringing us to the fulfillment of the potential that is in us, so that we become like Him. When He comes again, and raises us from the dead, we will be like Him as He is, radiant with the divine glory. This is what salvation is about, and why we rejoice!
The salvation that Christ has brought to us is nothing less than union with God, in Christ by the Holy Spirit. It is a living experience of communion. We remember what has come to pass for us, His birth in a cave, being lain in a manger; but we also anticipate and hope for that which God has promised, on that glorious day of His Parousia, the revelation to all the world of His Kingship and Lordship over all creation, the coming of the New Creation, and renewal of the world.
The best way to participate in this profound spiritual reality is to celebrate the Eucharist and partake of Christ’s Holy Body and Blood. Then like the Holy Theotokos Mary we will bear Him within our very bodies, as He takes flesh of us to manifest His salvation in the world. We are sanctified and illumined by the grace of His Holy Mysteries. He will enlighten our minds and hearts, console, and exalt our spirits to the experience of living communion with God, and the perception of His Presence, the anticipation of His awesome Second Coming. He recapitulates the history of salvation in us, that we might be recapitulated in Him.
On the human level, let us enjoy the gift of God’s love for us, for all whom we love, and the memories and nostalgia for those Christmases past which live in our hearts. But let us especially give thanks to God for the salvation that He has wrought for us, has filled us with the awareness of His Presence, thus enabling us to manifest His love for the whole world.
Wishing you a joyous Nativity and Theophany, and all blessings for the New Year!
With love in Christ,
Metropolitan Jonah and Brotherhood
Update on the Monastery
We are most grateful for the love and support, spiritual and material, that you and all our friends have shown for us! May the Lord bless you abundantly!
Our brotherhood has come to a place where we are stable and work well together. It always takes time for a community to coalesce, and find the right balance of people and talents, and a community that works well and gets along together. We are a more mature community than when we started, with a broader range of ages and experience. There are eleven men in the house, just about the limit of this dwelling.
This next year, God willing, my hope is that we can address the issue of space and growth, and see how we can expand. This is both in terms of living space and work space, and if God sends us the donors, to acquire additional land and buildings. This is an expensive proposition, but it is essential for the community to grow. You’ll hear more of this in coming weeks.
Our bookstore has become very successful. The variety and number of items, books and icons but also imports from Ukraine and Georgia, and other places, had dramatically increased. Many items are hard to find in this country, and we sell a lot of these imports. We will continue to expand our stock. If you have any suggestions for this, we would be grateful. One thing that has contributed to this success is the brothers taking the bookstore to local parishes last fall. That way we not only sell books and other items, but develop our friendship with these communities.
The Monastery serves Liturgy on Tuesdays and Thursdays at 7am, and on Saturday at 10am. Saturday evening and Sunday, we are either at St Herman’s in Stafford, VA or St Anna’s in Louisa. We gladly accept visitors, expecially on Saturdays for Liturgy and a potluck.
The Monastery is inviting our friends to a Christmas open house on Friday, January 10. Vespers at 5pm, followed by a potluck. Please bring something to share. All are welcome!
May the Lord bless you with the Joy of His Presence as we celebrate His Nativity in the flesh.
— Metropolitan Jonah and Synodia