“The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly.” (John 10:10)
What did the Lord Jesus Christ bring to us when He came to Earth 2,000 years ago? Was it to fulfill the promise of the Prophets and Righteous ones that lived before Him? Yes, but more! Was it to heal the great illness of disobedience and death wrought by Adam and Eve our Fore-parents? Yes, but more! Was it to open again the gates of Paradise to make Heaven and all of its blessings available to the human race now? Yes, and more! The Lord brought far more than fulfilling promises, healing, and making blessings more available. He brought Life which is more, far more, than all of life as we know here or can even imagine in our limited human experience.
He brought Life which is more, far more, than life in our breath, in our minds, and in our hearts. He brought Life which is more, far more, than our relatives and friends, our work and efforts, and our civilization and progress in all the things of this world. He brought Life filled with the abundance of a Heavenly heart, with eyes that can see clearly what is Truth and what is Love, with a resurrected mind that yearns to be united to Him and the entire Holy Trinity, coming close, so close, that our earthly thoughts turn back. This Life, impossible for men to just find and hold, is freely given to all those who reach out in their poverty and humility and ask for the greatest gift of this Nativity Season. This Life is God Himself come inside of us to transform us from earthly men and women into Heavenly ones. May we open our hearts to receive this Life and Love today. Amen.
The Monastics at St. Isaac of Syria Skete
and at the Convent of St. Silouan
and the Faithful at St. Nicholas Church
and the Staff at Orthodox Byzantine Icons and St. Isaac’s Bookstore