Archbishop Andronik’s Nativity Epistle

The Nativity Epistle of Archbishop Andronik:

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

The Holy Church daily repeats these words of the Angelic greeting to the human race, announcing the opening of the Paradise gates to the fallen Adam, in the Divine service chants.

Why does the fallen Adam, at the gates of Paradise closed before him, not enter Paradise? Why do we not see in our time peace on earth and the benevolence of man? Why does the world lying in evil use all its knowledge, energies, time and material wealth for evil, to the detriment of itself and all the most beautiful creation of God?

Why did the Son of God, the Reconciler, who came to earth to reconcile man with God, say: “Do you think that I have come to give peace to the earth? No, I say to you, but divisions, for from now five in one house will be divided, three against two and two against three: the father will be against the son, and the son against the father; mother against daughter, and daughter against mother; mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.” (Luke 12: 51-53) Does this mean that the Son of God, the Reconciler, came to earth to bring about division? In no way. For He also said; “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you.” (John 14:27)

There is the Peace of God; and there is the peace of man. The Peace of God, like God Himself, is absolute and unchanging, for it is based on Truth. The human world is mundane, subject to various influences. The wise Solomon wrote: “But, behold, this have I found, that God made man upright; but they have sought out many [thoughts].” (Eccl 7:29 LXX). Instead of a single thought of what is right, the thought of one does not agree with the thought of the other, the desire of one contradicts the desire of the other, the attraction of one intersects with the inclination of the other: hence the enmity, quarrels and tricks, resentment and oppression, deepened by the same ‘like-mindedness of cunning.”

Hence, a characteristic feature of the human world, the mundane is the desire to establish peace—not on the unshakable foundation of Truth—but on a compromise, which, being essentially a mutual deviation from the Truth, leads them astray. Like the Holy Apostle John the Theologian, in his book Apocalypse he calls her a harlot church. May the Light of Divine Reason shine in our hearts and thoughts from the Bethlehem cave and may He confirm us in the knowledge of Truth, so that this knowledge of Truth would make us free from the consequences of many human thoughts.

I congratulate the God-loving flock of the New York and North-American and Ottawa and Canadian diocese, co-ministers at the Throne of God, sacred and Church servants of God, wardens of our parishes, those who work and sing in the Churches of God, the workers of funds for assistance, as well as the fund of St. Blessed Xenia and all teachers and students at the Theological School of St. John of Shanghai and St. Philaret of New York and at the school of St. Sergius of Radonezh to Valley Cottage with the High-ranking Great Feast of the Nativity of Christ, and I wish you all great and rich mercies from the God-Infant Christ Born in Bethlehem.

“Peace be to the brethren, and love with faith, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with all them that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity. Amen.” (Ephesians 6:23-24)

+ Andronik

+ Archbishop of New York and North America

+ Archbishop of Ottawa and Canada