Archbishop Andronik’s Nativity Epistle
Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace,
good will toward men!
Today there is joy!
God’s good will toward mankind, lost through the fall of Adam by disobedience, is restored. Today the Intercessor for us is born, the Reconciler of man with God, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world, of the entire human race. Probably there is no place on earth where Christ is not known and His Nativity is not celebrated.
And on earth—peace.
“My peace I give to you; not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (John 14:27). “In Me you may have peace” (John 16:33) and rest, says the Lord, and not in anything else, so that no one may reproach us, saying that our peace is the peace of sinners.
Joy!
How delightful it is to encounter you in anyone at all! You are a heavenly guest in earthly life, which is full of sorrows, sufferings, cares, and grief. And yet the Apostle commands: “Rejoice always in the Lord; again I say, rejoice. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:4). This commandment is binding only for those who have received the pledge of joy in the Holy Spirit. But who among the sons and daughters of the Church is a stranger to the grace of the Holy Spirit? No one, for we know: “Those who seek Me shall find grace.” Therefore, everyone has this source of joy: “If anyone thirsts, let him come to Me and drink.” How many who hear these words, living on little islands of Truth in a sea of falsehood, languish with thirst and yet do not go to the all-satisfying Source. This Source is free; it is given to us by our Mother, the Church, in all her Mysteries.
“Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest” (Matthew 11:28). Come, all who are burdened with cares, sorrows, and sins; come, that I may forgive your sins. Come not because I need glory from you, but because I NEED your salvation!
I congratulate all of you, beloved in the Lord—pastors, monastics, and all brothers and sisters—on the great and joyful feast of the Nativity of Christ!
May the Lord bestow upon you His great and abundant mercies in the new year.
† Andronik
Archbishop of New York and North America
Nativity of Christ, 2025/2026