The Nativity of Christ

The Great Mystery of Piety

Bishop Alexander (Mileant) Translated by Seraphim Larin and Daniel Olson

In the history of mankind, there is no event greater and more joyful than the incarnation and coming of the Son of God into the world. It is an act of the endless love of God the Father, Who so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

The incarnation of the Son of God from the Virgin Mary changed the world for the better in a radical way: It gave men a new way of thinking, ennobled their morals and directed world events along a new course. It brought men power to struggle against sin, reconciled men to God, brought about the adoption of men by the Father, and regenerated their whole nature. It poured a stream of divine life into the corrupted human organism and thereby brought eternal life to men. For these reasons, the incarnation of the Son of God proved to be at the very center of world events, and chronology is reckoned relative to it — before and after the Nativity of Christ. The celebration of the Nativity of Christ became a most joyous festival of believing humanity.