Pastoral Nativity Message - 2019

"He, the Mighty One, the Creator of all, Himself prepared this body in the Virgin as a temple for Himself, and took it for His very own, as the instrument through which He was known and in which He dwelt." (St. Athanasius the Great)

Our Lord has come, taking on our flesh to elevate us with it to that place for which He created us, to be near to Him in heaven for all eternity,  The Mystery of our Lord's Incarnation is beyond our comprehension.  How is it possible that He Who is above all creation, Who holds creation in the hollow of His hand (Isa 40:12), how has He deigned to be contained within the Virgin's womb, and to be born into the body of a child.  How has He condescended to grow as each of us must, to live a life not of Kingly richness, but the meekest of human lives, to rest in the feeding trough of animals - also His creation, to be sheltered not by a palace, but in a cave, to be covered not in the richest of garments, but in the poorest of swaddling clothes?  How are we to comprehend the magnitude of His condescension, and the depths of His love for us - all of us, rich and poor, living righteous lives or as the greatest of sinners?

St. John the Theologian says, "And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory..." (John 1:14)  We beheld His glory, but as we learned on Tabor with Peter, James and John, we beheld it only as far as we could bear it.

Today, that glory is manifest in the face of a Hebrew child.  Precious as all children are, this One is so much more than precious!

Let us accompany the shepherds, who heeded the call of the angels and left all that was important on this earth (their flocks) to go and seek Him.  Let us accompany the Magi, who brought the most precious of their own possessions to give, not as gifts so much as being a means of showing worship, paying homage to the One Who announced His arrival only by signs in the heavens - the Star, and the songs of angels!

Let us run to the cave and fall on our knees before the One who has taken up human life so that He might voluntarily lay it down again, only so that He could reclaim His Resurrected Life on His terms - conquering death, slaying hell, despoiling Satan, freeing us from our sins.

And as we depart having become witnesses ourselves to His glory and His love for all of mankind, let us share the good news with those who've not heard, who've not comprehended, and who need to feel that Divine Love, by sharing with them and with all of His creation the Festal shout:

Christ is Born!!!  Glorify Him!!!

All love in our Newborn Lord,

Father Basil

Lesser Known Miracle of St. Nicholas

We came upon this one on a web site named, "New Liturgical Movement."   Of the many instances we have of miracles at the hand of St. Nicholas, this was not one in our known list, and so we offer it to you to add to your own treasures.

The account occurs after the falling asleep in the Lord of St. Nicholas, and speaks of a man who had borrowed a sum of money from a certain Jew, and who attempted to cheat his benefactor by falsely claiming that he had repaid the sum.

In the story, the Jew took the man to court to refute the man's claim.  As he was called to court, the thief took a walking staff, and hollowed it out.  Into the opening he placed small pieces of gold before sealing it.  When in court, the man handed his staff to his accuser, and swore to the court that he indeed had given the man what he owed him, and more.  This was in a technical sense true, in that the amount of gold the Jew was then holding was in fact worth more than the debt owed.

While returning from court, however, the cheat was run over by a chariot at a crossroads, and he was killed.  In the process, his staff was broken, and the gold spilled, revealing fully his fraud and treachery.

When it was suggested to the Jew that he reclaim the money that was his, he refused.  He said that he would not "unless the dead man should return to life through the intercessions of St. Nicholas," whom the Jew had come to know of.  This indeed did occur, and resulted in the Jew's accepting baptism.

Holy Father Nicholas, pray to God for us!