The Most Reverend
Robert Rabbat, DD
by the Mercy of God
Melkite Greek-Catholic Eparch of Australia, New Zealand and All Oceania
to
the Clergy, the Religious and All the Faithful of our Holy Eparchy
which is most beloved of Christ.
A Pastoral Letter for the Feast of the Blessed Nativity of our Lord, God and Saviour, Jesus Christ, 2024 and for the Feast of the Glorious Theophany, 2025.
As the Feast of the Blessed Nativity of our Lord knocks on our doors and hearts, one cannot but wonder: Could it be that we are so familiar with the Gospel accounts of the Divine Nativity – the Christmas story – that with time we have lost sight of certain features of the narrative that would otherwise enrich our understanding and appreciation of the sacred text.
Much of our diminished scriptural awareness arises from a societal and cultural apathy which has generally resulted in a Christ-less secular calendar. Whatever may be the limitations of her scholarship, Methodist author, Margaret Baker, (1944-) properly notes, “The great festivals of the Church have been almost taken over by supermarkets and sporting events. Easter is a time for bonnets and bunnies and chocolate eggs; and Christmas which starts at the end of October, is for reindeer and mistletoe and mince pies.”
And for many of our contemporaries, it all ends with a Christmas without Christ; a season without a reason.
The difficult but necessary question must be: To what extent we have collaborated in the deconstruction of Christmas. After all, the department stores and the supermarkets only sell what we are willing to buy. St John Chrysostom (5th century) urges us, “Take your children by the hand and lead them into church”; how often do we lead them to the toy shops?
And lest anyone think that the commercialisation of Christmas is the fault of others, just keep in mind the Latin maxim, “Qui tacet consentire videtur – the one who remains silent, seems to consent.” And I would suggest that this applies to any of the Church festivals that have been hijacked by “big commerce”.
In the iconography of the Nativity, in both East and West, Catholic and Orthodox, there are two groups shown as present at the stable cave in Bethlehem – first, the shepherds who had come from Beit Sahour “to see this thing that has happened, which the Lord told us.” (Matthew 2:15) and second, the magi, the wise men, who had come from the East, probably Babylon or perhaps even further. (Matthew 2:1)
The first thing to note is that both the shepherds and the magi had to journey to welcome the Divine Child. For the shepherds this was but a short distance, perhaps not more than an hour’s walk. However, for the magi it was a journey from beyond the far eastern boundaries of the Roman Empire; and it was a journey fraught with dangers. In a world of comparatively safe and easy travel, not to mention almost instantaneous communications, we have forgotten the perils of travel up to even recent times.
How long the magi were on the road, we cannot be certain. Estimates vary from several weeks to several months; and to coincide with the orders of the murderous Herod, some have suggested up to two years (Matthew 2:16-18).
When the magi had resumed their journey after meeting with Herod, he called the scribes and scholars to determine where the Child was to be born. The scribes searched the Scriptures, informed him of their findings and rolled up the scrolls and kept their silence. Are we like the scribes? Do we read the Gospel texts, listen to the homily, follow the liturgical hymns and prayers of the Feast, then roll it all up like a scroll and put it away for another year?
As we “read” the traditional icons of the Nativity, and we note the presence of the shepherds and the magi at the stable-cave, we sometimes forget that their journey began with a call. For the shepherds the call came from the angels who appeared to them at Beit Sahour; the magi, astronomers, received their call whilst scanning the heavens at an observatory in the East. For us the call most usually comes in the midst of our workplace – the factory or shop, the school, college or university, in so many places; and for a mother, often in that especially sacred place, the family home.
It is in these two groups, the shepherds and the magi, that Christians have traditionally found the origins of gift-giving on Christmas Day, and often at Epiphany, 6 January. It is good to remember that the shepherds did not do any Christmas shopping. Then what was their gift; it was the gift of themselves, of their worship and devotion.
The three gifts brought by the magi were certainly more upmarket; gifts that were far too precious to have been just ordinary birthday presents; so much so that a symbolic significance was attached to them as early as the 2nd century (Origen, Contra Celsum). And note, the earliest depictions of the magi “at the place where the Child was” come to us from the 4th century.
What of our gifts for the new-born Saviour. First, we must be prepared to undertake a journey, and that must be a journey of the heart. We must be prepared to leave all behind us; and note, I have said “we must be prepared…”, that is “be willing”. Very few of us are called to leave all and go to the far-off missions, but all of us are called to a discipleship in the here and now.
Second, in the “here and now” we must offer the Child, the gift of our hearts and minds without a watered-down compromise. As St Peter urges the faithful, “..even if you should suffer for what is right, you are blessed. Do not fear what they fear; do not be shaken. But in your hearts worship Christ as Lord.” (1Peter 3:15).
My Dear Sisters and Brothers,
As we approach the mystical stable-cave at Bethlehem, we do so as pilgrims, our life-long journey. As we kneel before the Divine Child, that is the gift which he truly desires, that we should offer him our very selves, heart speaks to heart.
The motto Pope St John Paul II chose for his papacy was Totus Tuus – Totally Yours. What of us if we cannot say to the new-born Saviour, I am totally yours. If we cannot, Christmas becomes a secular charade; and our hope of re-forming the world in Christ evaporates before our very eyes. We can forget peace in the Middle East; forget Lebanon; forget Syria; forget the Holy Land; forget Sudan; forget Ukraine. However, if we can give ourselves to the Prince of Peace with all our hearts; now there is a beginning, there is hope.
Very Dear Friends, Beloved Sons and Daughters of our Holy Eparchy,
May this Blessed Feast of the Divine Nativity be for each of you, and those dear to you, a time of Peace and Great Joy.
With my paternal blessing and with prayers assured,
Christ is born! Glorify Him! Χριστός γεννάται! Δοξάσατε! المسـيحُ وُلِد، فَمَـجِّدُوه
✠ Robert Rabbat, DD
From our Eparchy at Greenacre, New South Wales
19 December 2024.
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