Congratulations from Patriarchal Exarch of Southeast Asia, Metropolitan Sergiy of Singapore and Southeast Asia to Metropolitan Pavel of Manila and Hanoi on his birthday.

Your Eminence, dear Vladyka! Kindly accept my sincere congratulations on your birthday. For many years you have been diligently and reverently serving God and His Holy Church, trying to set a good example to clergy and laity, to be attentive, responsive and sensitive towards them. Taking care of the spiritual growth of the children entrusted to you, you encourage them to watch over themselves so that they do not lose what they have worked for, but receive full reward (2 John 1, 8). I prayerfully wish you strength of mind and body, joy in the Lord and His generous help in further archpastoral labors. 

With love in Christ,

SERGIY, Metropolitan of Singapore and Southeast Asia, Patriarchal Exarch of Southeast Asia

CHRISTMAS MESSAGE from METROPOLITAN PAVEL OF MANILA AND HANOI.

TO THE GOD-LOVING FLOCK OF THE PHILIPPINE – VIETNAMESE DIOCESE.

“We magnify You, O Life-giver Christ, Who for our sake is now born in the flesh.”

Beloved pastors of the Lord, dear brothers and sisters! Another year has passed, and we are once again entering into the joy of the Christmas holiday. On the same days, we celebrate the New Year, according to custom, summing up the results of the year that has passed and thinking about the future. The Holy Church now calls us to spiritual rejoicing, remembering that great and unforgettable day when “The Great mystery of piety was realized: God appeared in the flesh” (1 Tim.3:16). St. Gregory the Theologian, in a sermon on this holiday, showing its greatness, exclaims: “I will proclaim the power of the day. The Bodiless incarnates, the Word solidifies, the Invisible becomes visible, the Intangible is touchable. The Son of God becomes the son of man.” (St. Gregory the Theologian. Creations. part 1, p. 522). The feast of the Nativity of Christ contains everything that can animate us and give us hope, but at the same time it contains everything that can awaken the careless and frighten the unworthy. Today, no one can justify himself by ignorance of God and salvation through Jesus Christ. It is not the first time that we have heard the angelic gospel that “the Savior, who is Christ the Lord, was born in the city of David” (Luke 2:11), and it is not the first year that we celebrate Christmas, and we already know the meaning of this Holy Day. And here the question arises: What does this holiday bring to our lives? Or, how do we perceive it, are we changing in our lives for the better, refraining from evil and eradicating sinful habits from our lives? Dear fathers, brothers and sisters, our life has an endless opposition: evil to good, darkness to light, sin to virtue… Our high and sacred duty as Orthodox Christians is to resist evil with good in every possible way. “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good,” the Apostle Paul urges (Romans 12:21). A religious view of life helps to draw the right conclusions from everything that happens to us. And “the fruit of spirit”, according to the Apostle Paul, is “love, joy, peace, longsuffering, goodness, mercy, faith, meekness, temperance” (Gal. 5:22-23). Do we perform these virtues in our lives? On the contrary, evil deeds, called by the same apostle the works of the flesh, literally overwhelm our society. “They are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, magic, enmity, quarrels, envy, anger, strife, disagreements, (temptations,) heresies, hatred, murders, drunkenness, outrages and so on” (Gal. 5, 19-21). A nation in which such vices flourish cannot become a welfare society. Our sorrows and our disorder are the natural result of the evil that we commit, convincing evidence of the inevitability of the consequences of violation of the moral law by man. By the grace of God, we now see that more people are beginning to see the connection that exists between the moral crisis of the individual and the tragic consequences in society. More people are turning their hearts and minds to God, seeking to find the support of their lives in Him. And if there is a spiritual rebirth of our people, then, undoubtedly, the society will be reborn in all its spiritual beauty and strength.Dear fathers, brothers and sisters! I wholeheartedly thank the clergy and laity of the Philippine–Vietnamese Diocese for their hard work for the glory of God, for the benefit of the Holy Mother Church. I believe that the Lord will help us to pass all the trials that have fallen on our time and grant us a prosperous and peaceful life. As we enter the New Year 2024, let us offer our prayers to the Lord for fraternal unity and mutual understanding, for patience and mutual respect in society, and for peace between peoples. “Your Nativity, O Christ our God, raised up the light of knowledge in the world…”, we sing in the tropar of the holiday. Indeed, the feast of Christmas is a feast of knowledge, for in Christ we are clothed with knowledge and learn the way to true happiness. In these joyful Christmas days, we sincerely wish each other to find the light of knowledge that Christ the Savior, born in Bethlehem, brought to us, so that this light illuminates the path of life ahead of us. Happy great holiday, congratulations to all of you, my dear!

By the Grace of God,

METROPOLITAN OF MANILA AND HANOI

CHRISTMAS 2023/2024.

CHRISTMAS MESSAGE from metropolitan of Singapore and South-East-Asia SERGIY to the archpastors, clergy, monastics and the entire flock of the Patriarchal Exarchate of South-East Asia.

Reverend hierarchs, all-honourable fathers, beloved brothers and sisters! I extend to all of you my heartfelt felicitations on the great Feast of the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ! On these days of celebration, we look at the icon of Christmas with joy and warm affection, beholding the incarnate Saviour, the Most Pure Mother holding the Divine Infant in tender embrace, and the Righteous Joseph bending over them in loving care. The Holy Family is the model of true and sacrificial love, genuine mutual care and complete trust in the Maker. Time and again, Christmas reminds us about the great importance of family values in today’s world, for it is in them that serve as the basis of life in our society. The Young Jesus grew in faith, love and diligence. Remembrance thereof makes us aware that it is parents’ duty to give moral upbringing to their children, to be their first teachers in prayer, faith and kindness towards others. It is not only on Christmas that God comes into our life, so we should be ready to meet Him at any moment. It is up to us how we receive the Lord and what it is that He finds in us – a cattle shed, coldness and spiritual poverty or the heart full of goodness, warmth and light, capable of becoming a worthy dwelling place for God. Let us make haste to meet the Saviour with pure eyes and deeds, most joyfully worshipping His advent in the flesh (Sunday Before the Nativity of Christ, Great Vespers). On this radiant feast, I wish all of you good health and peace, as well as spiritual joy, patience, and success in your work. May Christ, Who is born in the cave, grant unto you His help in all days of your life, filling your hearts with love and blessing your good deeds.

Metropolitan of Singapore and South-East-Asia, Patriarchal Exarch of South-East Asia

Nativity of Christ 2024

to the Archpastors, Pastors, Deacons, Monastics
and All Faithful Children of the Russian Orthodox Church

Beloved in the Lord archpastors, all-honourable presbyters and deacons,
God-loving monks and nuns, dear brothers and sisters,

The unutterable love of God has gathered us today so that in the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace (Eph 4:3) we may celebrate one of the most solemn and at the same time mysterious feasts of the Church – the Nativity of our Lord Jesus Christ. Glorifying our Saviour’s coming into the world, I extend my heartfelt congratulatios to all of you, my beloved, on the joyful event which opened a new era in the relationship between God and humanity.

Looking back at that moment two thousand years ago, we every time strive to fathom the great miracle of the Divine Incarnation, and our Creator’s loving-kindness and mercy never fails to amaze us. For many centuries, humanity had been living in tense expectation, awaiting the Peacemaker (cf. Gen 49:10) promised by the Lord, which is to say a King… just and having salvation (Zech 9:9), in Whose name nations will hope (Is 42:4). Thus, in the fullness of time unto us a Child was born (Is 9:6) that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life (Jn 3:16). The love of God which passes knowledge (Eph 3:19) sent into the world not an ambassador or an angel, or the strong and mighty ruler tha people had been expecting, but God Himself Who took flesh in order to deliver humankind from the bondage of sin and evil.

It is astounding that the greatest milestone event in human history, heralded by the Old Testament prophets and foreknown by prominent thinkers of antiquity, came to pass so quietly, seemingly unnoticeable. Bethlehem lay sleeping. Jerusalem lay sleeping. The whole of Judaea lay sleeping. Neither to the powerful sound of the trumpet (Ps 150:3), nor to worldwide jubilation, but humbly and meekly did the Almighty Lord – the King of kings and the Lord and Creator of all things – reveal Himself to the world in the nightly silence of a poor cave, glorified by the angelic hosts and a small number of shepherds who came to see this thing that has come to pass (Lk 2:15).

It is as if at the very start of His earthly journey the Lord desires total humiliation [to become] the measure of His Goodness, St John Chrysostom writes. Only love which is perfect can act with such nobleness, for it does not seek its own (1 Cor 13:4-5), nor does it parade itself or demand honour and glory. Perfect love endures all things, every hardship and affliction for the sake of others. For this He assumed my body, John Chrysostom continues, that I may become capable of His Word; taking my flesh, He gives me His spirit; and so He bestowing and I receiving, He prepares for me the treasure of Life (The Nativity Sermon). God’s abundant love for us was revealed in that we received the true treasure of Life – the Lord Himself, for of Him and through Him and to Him are all things (Rom 11:36).

Love is the real reason and driving force behind God’s actions. He brought the world into being and created the human person, giving him gifts in plenty. And out of love He came to save the human person when he had fallen away from communion with his Maker. Our Creator ordained that the purpose of our life is to love one another (Jn 13:34). But how can we achieve this when the world around us is so full of evil and hatred? To do so, we need to open our heart and offer it to God. He alone can transform it and make our heart, weak and constrained as it is, capable of embracing all those who are near or far off, all those who do us good or wrong. We are called to love them all, as Christ’s commandment teaches us, and be perfect, just as our Father in heaven is perfect (Mt 5:48).

As we kneel in prayer before the Newborn Divine Infant, let us ponder on what gifts we can offer to the Lord and Creator of all things. Is there anything worthy of and commensurate with the greatness of the Pre-Eternal Maker? Yes, there is such a precious gift which is most desirable in God’s eyes – it is our humble, loving and merciful heart. So let us magnify the Incarnate Christ not only with beautiful hymns and words of congratulation but above all with our good works. Let us share the radiant Christmas joy with those in need, comfort our neighbours by our loving care, visit the sick and afflicted. Let us console and support people who have lost heart and shield with our prayer all those in turmoil and grief.

By its great salvific power love heals all indifference and malice, heals enmity and grievance. It assuages the hard-hearted and makes straight the many things that have gone awry in social relations. By doing so we will indeed fulfil our lofty vocation as Christians, for in effusion of love we resemble God (Isaac of Nineveh, Mystic Treatises, Chapter 74).

The mystery of the Divine Incarnation is the mystery of God’s real presence in the world. The Apostle and Evangelist John the Theologian bears the following witness to the life of the world to come when the Lord abides forever with humankind: He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people. God Himself will be with them and be their God (Rev 21:3). However, the ineffable mystery of the Divine presence is revealed here, on earth, for with the Nativity of the Saviour the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand (Mk 1:15). We become a visible part of this reality, making up the One Holy Church of Christ, through which we all, my beloved, serve as messengers and envoys of this Higher Kingdom of love. In some mysterious and profound way, we experience that God is with us, and this experience constitutes the very essence of the hidden mystical life of the Church.

Let us always remember that inasmuch as the Almighty God Himself – the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End, the First and the Last (Rev 22:13) – embraced the history of humanity and promised to be with us even unto the end of the world (Mt 28:20), we have nothing to fear eve though we live in anxious times. In responding to the great love of our Saviour, let us learn to entrust our whole self to the Lord and His good Providence, so that unto the second glorious coming of Christ we may bear bold and joyful witness even to those from far countries (Is 8:9) that

God is with us!

+KIRILL
PATRIARCH OF MOSCOW AND ALL RUS’

Christmas
2023/2024
Moscow