The Nativity of Christ, detail (source)
The very incarnation of the Son of God
and His coming into the world strongly encourages sinners to
repentance. For whose sake did Christ come into the world? For the
sake of sinners. To what end? For the sake of their salvation. O how
dear to God was our salvation! He Himself came into the world, O
sinners, for the sake of our salvation.
Listen, sinners, and understand! God
Himself came into the world for the sake of our salvation, and He
came in our image. O truly great is the mystery of piety! God
appeared in the flesh. "Lord, what is man, that Thou art made
known unto him? Or the son of man, that Thou takest account of him?"
(LXX-Ps. 143:3 [KJV-Ps. 144:3]).
Truly wonderful is the grace of God
toward man, wonderful also is this work of His. Foreseeing this the
prophet cried out to Him with fear and terror, "Lord, I have
heard Thy report, and I was afraid; O Lord, I considered Thy works,
and I was amazed" (Abbac. 3:1-2). Sinners, let us call to mind
this great work of God, which He wrought for our sake, and let us
repent. Let us remember how for our sake He was born of a Virgin and
became a child, and was nourished on His mother's milk. The Invisible
became manifest, and He that was without beginning had a beginning,
and He that was intangible became tangible and was wrapped as an
infant in swaddling bands: "And the Word was made flesh"
(Jn. 1:14).
Let us recall how while yet a child He
fled from the murderers of Herod the King. Let us recall how He lived
on earth and was a stranger, how He went from place to place, and
labored for the sake of our salvation. Let us recall how He Who is
unapproachable to the Cherubim and Seraphim kept company with
sinners; How He who has Heaven as His throne and the earth as the
footstool of His feet and Who abides in light unapproachable, had
nowhere to lay His head; How He who was rich became poor, that by His
poverty we may become rich.
Let us recall how He who clothes
Himself with light as with a garment, put on the garment of
corruption. How He Who gives food to all flesh ate earthly bread. How
the Almighty became weak, and He that gives strength to all did
labor.
Let us recall how He Who is above all
honor and glory, was blasphemed, cursed, and mocked by the lips of
transgressors.
Let us recall how He ailed, suffered,
sorrowed, wept, and was filled with horror. Let us recall how He was
sold and betrayed by an ungrateful disciple and was forsaken by the
rest of the disciples; how He was bound and brought to trial; how He
was judged by transgressors. He was reviled. He was scourged. He was
clad in the robe of mockery, He was mockingly hailed as King, "Hail,
King of the Jews!" (Jn. 19:3). He was crowned with a crown of
thorns, beaten on the head with a reed, He heard from His lawless
people, "Away with Him, away with Him, crucify Him" (Jn.
19:15). He was led to crucifixion between two evildoers and died on
the Cross.
All these things the Son of God did for
the sake of our salvation. O sinners, in Adam we lost our salvation
and all our blessedness, but Christ, the Son of God, by the good will
of His Heavenly Father, has brought it all back to us. Let us, then,
consider, O sinners, whether the very Blood of Christ, shed for the
sake of our salvation, and all His Suffering do not cry out to us.
Let us repent and so let us not be deprived of eternal salvation, for
without repentance there is no salvation for anyone, but nevertheless
the wretched sinner still does not understand.
God loves man so much that He revealed
His wonderful providence for him that he should repent and so be
saved, but the sinner still does not understand.
Christ the Son of God shows him His
coming into the world for his sake, in the Gospel. He presents to him
His willing self-emptying, His willing poverty, His willing and deep
humility, His labors, pains, tribulations, sorrows, sufferings and
death, and even a death on the Cross. And He says to him, "Man,
I took all this on Myself and endured it for your sake and for your
salvation. But you neglect your salvation, and take no thought that
you should repent and cease from your sins, to make use of My Blood
and live."
But the sinner, even though he hears
this so plaintive and sweet voice of Christ in the Gospel,
nevertheless still does not understand. Christ promises not to
remember his sins and transgressions when he turns to Him, but the
sinner still does not understand. Christ calls him to Himself and
promises him rest, but the sinner does not understand. He remains
uncorrected as he was and transgresses as he transgressed before. He
commits evil deeds, as he did before; he loves darkness as he loved
it before; he hates the light as he hated it before; and for this
reason he does not come to the Light, but remains with the devil, the
prince of darkness.
O poor sinner, awaken and come to your
senses. If you do not, the very Blood of Christ shed for your sake
will cry out against you for retribution. Listen to what the prophet
of God sings to you in the person of God, "I will reprove thee,
and bring thy sins before thy face" (LXX-Ps. 49:21 [KJV-Ps.
50:21]); that is, all your evil deeds, words, thoughts, intentions
and undertakings will follow you into the next world and will appear
at the universal Judgment of Christ, and you shall receive your just
reward for them. You do not wish now to repent to your benefit, and
so be saved by the grace of Christ; then you shall repent, but too
late and in vain. "Awake thou that sleepest, and arise from the
dead, and Christ shall give thee light" (Eph. 5:14). Blessed be
God above all forever.
Set your salvation on nothing else but
on Christ Jesus alone, the Saviour of the world. If you truly believe
that He suffered and died for you and is your Saviour, then love him
with all your heart, obey Him and please Him, as your Saviour, and
lay and confirm all your hope of salvation on Him alone. We must
unfailingly do good works as Christians, but we must ask and await
salvation from Christ alone.
from: Journey to Heaven Counsels On the
Particular Duties of Every Christian Our Father Among the Saints,
Tikhon of Zadonsk, Bishop of Voronezh and Elets Jordanville, NY: Holy
Trinity Monastery, 2004. (source)
Through the prayers of our Holy Fathers, Lord Jesus Christ our God, have mercy on us and save us! Amen!
