CHRISTMAS MESSAGE

ARCHBISHOP OF CETINJE AND

METROPOLITAN OF MONTENEGRO AND THE LITTLES

MR. JOANIKIJ

"Today everything is filled with joy, Christ was born of the Virgin,
today everything is filled with joy, Christ was born in Bethlehem"

This is how the Church of Christ has sung for centuries, dear brothers and sisters, testifying to the joy of today's Feast in which both heaven and earth, God and man and all visible and invisible creation participate. God came, not for one man, one nation or one generation, but to transform, heal and call all people into the unity of Eternal Truth, Justice, Love and Joy. This is the day in which truth and mercy, justice and love met. This Heavenly Mystery that happened in history, is continuously happening, and from then until today and until the end of the world and the age will never cease, remaining ever present as a call and an appeal to every person who comes into the world. Celebrating Christmas, we do not just commemorate the memory of something that happened a long time ago, but by the power of God's grace we always get the opportunity to participate in the event of the Nativity of Christ. Christmas fasting, prayer, confession, repentance, forgiveness, regular attendance at church services, Holy Communion... all this prepares Christians for this Feast. By purifying his mind, his heart and soul, man begins to look at the world around him, other people and himself in a new, Christ-like and God-like way, feeling that he was not created just as a number, as an individual, who should thunder through time and disappear, disappear. The birth of Christ instills a feeling of immortality into our hearts, filling every pore of our being because what God promised has come true, what the prophets announced and generations awaited, that God would send his Only Begotten Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Every time a child is born in a home, say the Holy Fathers, God shows his trust in man and the world that are the works of his hands. Birth has always been considered a symbol of the victory of life, of duration through the continuation of the human race, but only with the birth of Christ does every birth on earth gain its full meaning, not only in time, but also in eternity. Created in the image of God, cast into the dust of death, no matter how and how long he lived, man was a slave to his fallen nature, and therefore to sin, death and transience. Until the coming of Christ, according to the words of the immortal Njegoš, happiness was unknown to man,

true happiness, after which he eternally runs;
he knows neither its measures nor limits:
the higher he climbs to the peak of glory,
the higher the enemy of happiness.
Our country, the mother of millions,
cannot marry one son to happiness.

Into the valley of death and weeping comes He – the Son of God who becomes the son of the Virgin, becoming one of us. Taking on human nature, He becomes like us in all things, except in sin. “He, the eternal God, appeared on earth and lived with men, and being incarnate of the Holy Virgin, humbled Himself, taking the form of a servant and becoming like the body of our humility, that He might make us conform to the image of His glory.” He voluntarily bears our weaknesses. He is sick, grieves, suffers, and suffers with us. He himself is subjected to the Law, in order to free us from all condemnation, sin, and death, in order to grant us the freedom of the glory of the children of God. This holiday fills everyone with joy, because He is truly the beginning of our salvation.

It is not surprising that no other holiday is as present in folk customs and traditions as Christmas. There is almost no nation on Earth that does not have its own special expression and way of celebrating Christmas. Our folk tradition has preserved for centuries wonderful and blessed customs that fill these Holy Days with joy and beauty. The Christmas tree that we bless, the fire around which we gather, the blessing, the procession, the chalice, toasts, gifts and all these actions together help us to experience the all-encompassing mystery of the Bethlehem Cave. The customs that we have received should be cherished and preserved, but also be careful that they do not become an end in themselves, losing their essential, religious meaning.

In the light of this Holiday, we also see our glorious ancestors, who were inspired by the mystery of the Nativity of Christ, and preserved the Holy Orthodox Faith for centuries, handing it over to us, their descendants, as the most precious gift. They often sacrificed everything for it, even their lives. Unfortunately, the 20th century brought terrible suffering to our people, in which we forgot about the Christ Child, the Star of Bethlehem and the Wise Men, and in which the bloodthirsty King Herod became the measure of our mutual relations. The wound of brotherly hatred is still bleeding and we are all obliged, according to our powers, to make it heal as soon as possible.

The Christmas holidays are the best opportunity for us, illuminated by the eternal love of the Infant Christ, to all gather around his cradle, to overcome our malicious divisions with his grace, to embrace and make peace as good Christians and brothers in the Holy Spirit. We are convinced that all the inhabitants of this country who mean well to Montenegro and their descendants want the ancient fraternal hatreds from the Second World War, which still burden us, to be humanly overcome and sent into the past. In this regard, the sure and well-tested truth can help us the most, as our Lord and Savior said, "Know the truth and the truth will set you free" (John 8:32). Therefore, we once again call on the competent state institutions to establish an institute for the study of all crimes that occurred in Montenegro during World War II and after it, regardless of who committed them and in whose name. Facing the truth about the aforementioned crimes will be painful but even more healing and beneficial. And it will show our readiness to build our future on truth, reconciliation and brotherly love, and not on hatred and mutual divisions.
And this Christmas, we send our prayers to the God of peace and love, that in the year ahead of us he may grant peace to all the homes where our crucified Serbian people live in Kosovo and Metohija, that the persecution, looting and mistreatment of our brothers and sisters may cease, and that conditions may finally be created on this holy and covenantal Serbian land for a life in peace with all, worthy of a human being.
For us Orthodox Christians, Christmas has always been a symbol and protector of the Orthodox family and marriage. The way of life, the system of values ​​and the challenges facing modern man make marriage the most vulnerable institution. The result is an increasing number of divorced marriages and broken families. Obviously, the weakening of faith, turning to oneself and the desire for pleasure lead a person to a feeling of egocentrism and self-sufficiency. The evangelical virtues, sacrifice, love, endurance, patience are increasingly becoming foreign to modern man. Fatherhood and motherhood as a gift and calling from God are no longer the greatest ideal and value worth living for. The husband is less and less the defender of his wife and children, and the wife is less and less the pillar and support of the home. Children deprived of the warmth and blessings of the family home seek meaning in the vices and disasters that are offered to them at every turn. By returning to Christmas, we bring back the warmth of faith and love to our homes. By imitating the Most Holy Mother of God, we learn obedience and humble service that makes us true sons and daughters of God.
We must not remain silent before the fact that we live in a time in which technological progress, artificial intelligence and other technical achievements are largely creating a new environment in which man lives. On the one hand, it facilitates practical life, shortens the time needed to access information, but much more brings dangers and uncertainties, threatening to endanger human dignity. Man often deceives himself by the fact that the technology that surrounds him is all he needs. We have replaced a living relationship with our neighbors, looking into the face of our brother, with the constant staring at impersonal screens. We have replaced socializing and fraternal conversations with virtual communities that make people more and more lonely and alienated. If a person completely surrenders to such a way of life, it is a path that leads to despair and meaninglessness. The result is an increasing number of young, wounded souls who suffer and suffer from permanent depression and various psychosomatic illnesses.
In the joy of Christmas, we encourage all young people to improve themselves in knowledge, to progress in faith, to educate themselves and get schooled, trying to live a moral and virtuous life. Only in this way will they multiply the gifts and talents that God has given them, be able to form their families in a timely manner and realize the full meaning of their lives.
May the feast of the Nativity of Christ be an invitation to all of us to set out to meet God. For to the extent that our hearts are filled with the joy of that Divine encounter, to that extent we will also feel the joy of meeting our neighbors. To that extent we will also experience the fullness of the joy of life. May the light of the Bethlehem cave, dear spiritual children, fill each of your homes, so that, illuminated by Christ, you may grow stronger in faith, love, and the truth that God is with us, and that He comes to heal our infirmities, heal our illnesses, lift up the fallen, comfort the sad, feed the poor, and may He be everything to everyone, protecting us and leading us to eternal life.
Filled with the joy of today's feast, singing the angelic song, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men," we greet all of you, dear brothers and sisters, with the most joyful greeting:
Peace of God, Christ is born!
He is truly born!