Christmas is About God’s Descent to Man and Man’s Ascent to God

by Fr. Pimen Vlad –
Christmas is approaching, and with it comes a special kind of peace that people feel, but don’t always know how to preserve. It is not the silence of quietness, but the stillness of the heart, which begins to settle slowly, after a year of rushing, worrying, and wasted effort. Christmas does not come with noise, haste, or demands. It comes humbly, just as Christ came into the world, in a poor manger, where no one was waiting for Him, but where He was needed.

These days, man is called to stop for a little while. To look inside himself and ask not what he still needs to buy, but what needs to be corrected. Not what meal he will prepare, but what space he makes in his soul. Because the Lord does not seek fully-laden tables, but pure hearts. He does not seek streets full of lights, but a light shining inside man, one that comes from repentance, forgiveness, and love.

Christmas is about God coming down to man, but also about man ascending to God. It is about letting go of pride, letting go of judgment, letting go of coldness toward our neighbor. It is about saying a kind word, about extending a hand to someone in need, about forgiving where we have become accustomed to remembering evil. Christ is not born to call us to account, but to teach us anew what true love means.

Let us not allow Christmas to just pass through the calendar, through meals, and through fatigue. Let Christmas pass through our hearts. Because when Christ is born in the heart of man, even for a short time, the world becomes gentler, and the soul finds rest. And this is, in fact, the greatest feast.

—————————————————
English translation of Father Pimen Vlad’s (from Mount Athos) Romanian writings done by Chris Banescu. Organizational adjustments and minor edits done to insure a faithful and accurate translation that preserved the Orthodox Christian ethos and the original meaning intended by Father Pimen.