Today, Christians of the East celebrate “the birth of the Christ”, about which Isaiah the Prophet prophesized that He is the “Prince of Peace”
About His birth, he said: “the virgin shall conceive and bear a Son, and shall call His name Immanuel”
The humanity had dreamt of that prince of peace born of a virgin, who would change a world filled with cruelty, conflicts and brutality, and spread His message which sets out the human life rules based on providing love and making peace.
Napoleon Bonaparte, the leader which became France ruling Emperor, said:
“Alexander, Caesar, Charlemagne, and I have founded empires. But on what did we rest the creation of our genius? Upon force. Jesus Christ founded His empire upon love; and at this hour millions of men would die for Him.”
Speaking about the happiness and peace which can never be got through power of the world, someone said: “Power leads to having dominion and control over societies at the global level. However, no matter how power got increasing and great, it does not lead to peace and internal happiness, they both are attained only through the personal relationship with God which was presented by Jesus Christ … Not through force and using it to have dominion and control over the ruled with power world.”
Thus, the two messages of Nativity sent to humanity are “love” and “peace”, through which the true happiness of people is realized. Today I would like to talk about love.
The Message of Love:
Many people think that love is a sign of weakness, as they haven’t perceived that genuine love flowing out from God, the Omni loving, is the power which never gets conquered in people’s life.
Through its philosophies and works, the world has presented various notions of power: some notions regarded power as submissive to whoever have dominion and authority! While others thought power is linked to money or possessions that man may own! A third group thought it is dominion and violence! And so was the state, until the Christ came to undermine such timeworn notions.
The Christ was born in a simple manger, of a virgin supported by an old carpenter who hardly managed to secure his life needs.
Despite this humble appearance, Heaven didn’t keep silent before such birth,
so angels chanted the immortal heavenly chant throughout ages:
“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men!”
Regarding the Christ’s life on earth; it was a chant of love towards every soul that came to know Him. Throughout His life, the Christ presented works and teachings that manifest His love and mercy towards all.
In a quick glimpse, we can see nothing but His care towards every human soul: the sinners, the weak, the children, the tormented, the rejected and all people.
We notice the Christ’s care for the sinners; the rejected people like tax collectors, He accepted everyone and has never fended anyone resorting to Him off. Through this love, the lives of many had been changed with sincere repentance, that we see “Levi the tax collector” changed into “Matthew the disciple” who followed Him
Meanwhile, the life of “Zacchaeus the tax collector” was changed from oppression and cruelty into mercy that led him to restore fourfold money to whoever he had accused by false.
A sign of the Christ’s love and care was His challenge to the objections raised against Him by the Pharisees for His acceptance of sinners and tax collectors, the disciples once were asked; “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” and His answer was: “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick”, reminding them of God’s commandment given to them through Hosea the Prophet; “I desire mercy and not sacrifice”
Then, He announced that He didn’t come for those who feel themselves righteous, but rather for those who need Him: “For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”
As the heaven was concerned with proclaiming the birth and the message of love to the simple shepherds who were awake keeping watch, and to the stranger wise Magi who came from the East, in search for the born baby king.
Throughout His life, the Christ also cared for every soul deemed weak and sought for Him, He cared for the daughter of Jairus, who came to Him asking for her healing as she was sick and on the verge of death.
He left the multitudes and cared to go with him, and when the father was told his daughter had passed away, the Christ encouraged him and continued walking with him to where the girl was laying down, He aroused her and gave her to her parents. We see the Christ’s love and compassion for that widow who lost her only son and aroused him for her, He healed the daughter of the Canaanite woman who cried for Him, so He gave her the desire of her heart, as she came back to her home to find her daughter healed.
The Christ’s teachings and percepts, as well as His entire life, were filled with works of love and absolute perfection that God desires for in man,
He said: “love your enemies, bless those who curse you, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who spitefully use you and persecute you, that you may be sons of your Father in heaven; for He makes His sun rise on the evil and on the goodand sends rain on the just and on the unjust.”
Then He announced that giving love for all is the perfection a human soul can attain: “For if you love those who love you, what reward have you?
Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you greet your brethren only, what do you do more than others? Do not even the tax collectors do so? Therefore you shall be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.”
When asked about the greatest commandment, He replied: “the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.’
This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.”
He narrated the parable of the Good Samaritan to one of His questioners, who was a lawyer following the Law of Moses circumspectly, after being asked: “who is my neighbor?”
He replied: “A Jew went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and fell among thieves, who stripped him of his clothing, wounded him, and departed, leaving him half dead. Now by chance some Jews passed by him yet they didn’t care, until a Samaritan came and bandaged his wounds, despite the severe enmity existed between the Jews and the Samaritans.
The message of the Christ was of love, and thus is the message of every Christian. Celebrating the Nativity, the message of love gets renewed with every person and becomes a life style, and here I recall that Brazilian little girl who chose her disabled brother to take part in her happiness during her graduation ceremony in the primary stage, for the school was used to hold a ceremony in which little students choose a person to celebrate their success with them, this is love that wishes to spread happiness among people for the sake of leading a life whose concepts and happiness are obtained from God’s love.
And … About “Beautiful Egypt” talk has no end …!
The General Bishop,
The President of The Coptic Orthodox Cultural Center
