The New Covenant

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My Beloved Brethren,

Happy blessed and glorious Feast of the Nativity!

This feast is the heart and soul of the New Covenant between God and man. It is certainly a fulfillment of the Law, a prophecy long foretold and awaited. It is an anticipation and a dream revealed and fulfilled of the birth of a future king.

Cyprian, an early third century church father, wrote "Although from the beginning He had been the Son of God, yet He had to be begotten again according to the flesh. In the second Psalm: ‘The Lord said unto me, You are my son. This day I have begotten you. Ask of me, and I will give you the nations for your inheritance."

The Glorious Feast of the Nativity is a feast of love, a feast of endearment, and ultimately a feast in celebration of purity. Indeed "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifested in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen by angels, preached among the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up in glory" (I Timothy 3:16).

Purity, which is the subject matter of this message, is found in all the dimensions, folds and corners of the Nativity. It is traced firstly in the newborn, in St. Mary, in the manger, and in the surrounding angels, and in both the heavenly and earthly realms.

Purity is manifested in St. Mary's words to the angel, "Then Mary said, ‘Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.' And the angel departed from her" (Luke 1:38). Thus she rendered herself more precious in the eyes of the Lord.

The Feast of the Nativity deserves to be called the feast of purity and love when we contemplate the words of Lactantius in the third century, (C.304) who said that "God was the Father of Jesus' spirit, without a mother. Likewise a virgin was the mother of His body, without a father. He was therefore both God and man, being placed in the middle between God and man. From this, He is called Mediator, for he is able to lead man to God—that is to immortality."

Purity of the Nativity is immediately recognized in the chronological, linear order of events and in the people who took part in making it happen.

In the Holy Gospel of St. Luke 2:7, it is written, "And she brought forth her firstborn Son, wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manager, because there was no place in the inn." The key word in this Holy Scripture is "firstborn". It signifies superiority and priority. Not a single child was born of St. Mary, neither prior to nor after the Lord Jesus Christ. This confirms that purity occupies first place in the order of His Holy birth.

Purity is first and foremost symbolized in a virgin's womb and a child. This birth process and its readiness to flourish in the purity of the child Jesus and henceforth in any child is the essence of the Nativity.

This is clearly illustrated by Justin Martyr in the first century (c.160) who said,- "The First-Born of all creation would become incarnate by the virgin's womb, and be a child." The need for purity as a dwelling place for the Lord is stated from the beginning of times. The Old Testament writer, Ezekiel, in his vision was brought to the east gate of the Temple and the Lord said unto Him, "This gate shall be shut; it shall not be opened, and no man shall enter by it, because the Lord God of Israel has entered in by it; therefore it shall be shut" (Ezekiel 44:2). Here the prophet Ezekiel is talking about St. Mary the Mother of God who was chosen from among all earthly women, a perpetually pure virgin whose virginity was disclosed at the time of the Divine conception, and the continuity of which was prophetically confirmed. This prophecy clearly shows that God does not live in houses made by human hands.

King Solomon, depicted St. Mary's pure nature, tendencies and perpetual virginity when he prophetically said of her:

"A garden enclosed is my sister, my spouse, a spring shut up, a fountain sealed" (Song of Songs 4:12).

The purity of our Lord Jesus Christ is also well represented in and by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself. He the Lord of lords and King of kings not only did He accept to be born of the flesh, but also to fulfill the law, and succumb to the call for purification by John the Baptist "to be baptized" in the waters of the River Jordon. Tertullian said, "God suffers Himself to be conceived in a mother's womb, and awaits the time for birth. And, when born, He bears the delay of growing up...Furthermore; He is baptized by His own servant" (Tertullian c. 200).

Purity was also not missed by St. Joseph. By accepting the predestined birth, St. Joseph had manifested and represented purity of thought and mind. The Gospel of Matthew states, "And Joseph being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him, and took to him his wife, and did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Jesus" (Matthew 1:24-25).

Purity resided and presided over the manger where our Lord was born. All those who were a part of the blessed Incarnation collectively symbolized purity of heart. The angels and the Heavenly Hosts sang majestically and magnificently emphasizing the theme of purity which surrounded and saturated the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Purity preserved and reserved our Lord from all the means and ways to corruption of thought. The birth place was kept pure by being far away from any wickedness, any sinful environment, or evil friendships. The birthplace by virtue of its simplicity was pure enough to contain the One who is the epitome of purity.

The purity of the heart and soul of the Glorious Nativity is an example to all of us, making purity compulsory and indispensable for the entire human race. Purity of the heart is stronger and deeper than the law. A person with a pure heart will find it difficult to commit a sin or do wrong to his brother in words or deeds.

Perhaps that is why in the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord Jesus Christ plainly states, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God" (Matthew 5:8).

Purity is thus a virtue that must impact our lives all the time. We must continually purify ourselves as the Holy and inspirational birth of our Lord Jesus plainly illustrates and compels us to do so. We must stay far away from sin and never approach it, expelling it from our hearts and minds. With fasting, prayer and daily Holy Bible readings, we fix our hearts and minds upon the Lord our God. While celebrating the birth of our Lord, we must commit ourselves to purity and rededicate our lives to it. One way of keeping your life pure is to actively engage in useful things and avoid wasting time by involving yourself in fruitful services either in your church or the community participating in activities with your church members in order to strengthen your spiritual life and keep each other's spirituality steadfast.

Keep foremost in your heart the ancient words of St. Clement of Alexandria c. 195, "the loving Lord became man for us."

Tertullian of the second century wrote, "It is the Son of God who has been seen, heard, and encountered. He is the Witness and Servant of the Father, uniting in Himself man and God. In mighty deeds He is God. In weak ones, He is man. This is so that He can give to man as much as He takes from God." (Tertullian c. 207). This is a great love for man and a purity of heart no mortal man can match...

During this blessed season of the glorious feast of the Nativity, let us remember the purity of the event, its inspirations and what caused and surrounded its holy conception. Let us all carefully guard the purity of our hearts because they truly do belong to God the Father. As we do so, God will definitely abide in us.

May the purity of the Holy Conception inspire us with pure thoughts! May the blessed Nativity give birth to a new life within us and instigate in us a wake-up call to live a pure life and to want to serve the Master in a way that is pleasing to Him.

God bless you,

Bishop Youssef
Bishop, Coptic Orthodox Diocese of the Southern United States