2014 Christmas Message

With his strong will and God’s help, Simeon the Elder knew that he would not die until he saw the Savior. He lived to see the Savior. He lived to receive the Savior.

A series of miraculous events were tied to the birth of Jesus and told by the Evangelists. Beginning with the Annunciation of the Holy Virgin Mary and the virgin birth, to the appearance of the angels to the shepherds in the field, singing “Glory to God in the highest,” the visit and adoration of the Magi, and Simeon’s song of praise upon the presentation of Jesus to the Temple. These are miracles that fill the soul of true believers with the budding seeds of faith and the expectation of salvation, just like the example set by Simeon the Elder.

Jesus came to the temple as LIGHT for the heathens. Light is what is sought by those living in darkness. It is the quest of the blind. The impetus to find the light is very simply not to lose hope of forthcoming good days. The light in our mind is necessary in order to give our life meaning. The light in our soul is our journey to unite with the Savior and to be worthy of salvation.

If the miraculous events surrounding the birth of Jesus revealed the blissful condition of new life, our people were among the fortunate who made the supreme light the center of their existence, purpose and meaning and with the illumination of their souls and minds they gave their lives to God’s plan of salvation.

During these days when we celebrate the birth of Jesus, we must not turn it into a plain and ordinary celebration—with food and drink, and an occasion to exchange gifts. Jesus visits us again with love and peace, and with the same message of compassion and charity. All who continue their pious lives with the hope of a brighter life remain on the same road to salvation. But, beware. There are dark forces within our environment, driven and incited by evil that turn today’s world into a materialistic world where self-worship, greed, egoism, and immorality tend to plunge bright souls into darkness. In that darkness, in the midst of indecision, they no longer see the Savior, no longer wait for Him. God’s message and commandments are exchanged with new commandments to their own liking. It is unfortunate because many faithful followers accept the new decisions and thus provide the opportunity for the escalation of immorality. Self-worship, greed, war, destruction, and loss of human life, are all against the will of God, and we must fully understand that the forces of evil use these in order to create economic and political superpowers.

During these holy days, instead of conforming to these evil forces, we must resist and invite each other to be subject to God’s will, to see the Savior as Simeon the Elder did, receiving Him into our lives for the rest of our days. In the face of current world circumstances of chaos and danger, and especially the known situation of the people in Syria, let us beseech the Mother of God, who is Mother of all of us, to in the words of the hymnist “silence wars, end enemy attacks, and establish love and justice on earth,” so that we will see and receive the Savior with illuminated minds and souls and greater conviction, and glorify His resplendent birth.

I wish you a Happy New Year and a Blessed Nativity.

ARCHBISHOP OSHAGAN
Prelate
Eastern Prelacy of the
Armenian Apostolic Church of America

Christmas 2014