Today, man sees even the atom core and a part of the boundless outer space, but not all see God, His Eminence Metropolitan Ioan of Banat stressed in this year’s Christmas pastoral letter.
For over two millennia, the Church has been addressing all people, inviting them to fill their hearts with the love of Christ. Those who follow in the footsteps of the shepherds will not find gold or worldly riches but will find the Son of God Himself. Therefore, Metropolitan Ioan’s exhortation is to seek God in the world of the humble, the faithful, and the suffering.
“Let us follow the angel and the shepherds, but do not doubt your faith when you see that they do not lead us to an imperial palace but to the Cave at the edge of David’s city: Bethlehem. Here we will find King Christ sitting on the humblest of thrones: a manger,” conveys His Eminence Metropolian Ioan.
With the Eyes of the Heart
The Metropolitan of Banat reminds us that Christ can only be seen with the eyes of the heart. Herod was very close to Christ at the temple, yet he did not discover Him. Many things have changed since then and continue to change today, but the discovery of Christ has remained the same.
“Christ was very close to Herod, but he did not find Him. Christ did not reveal Himself to Herod, although he was near him. He came to the temple repeatedly and did not see Him. We do not see God with our eyes but with our hearts.”
Time, a Memory in Eternity
“Time, in the face of eternity, fades, breaks. Eternity is the home of God, and into it, the ephemeral, the relative, cannot enter,” wrote Metropolitan Ioan.
According to His Eminence, time compared to eternity will be just a memory, as man separates from time to find God’s eternity. A humble Virgin brings Christ into time so that He can bring man to eternity.
Let Us Bow Our Knees
In conclusion, His Eminence Metropolitan Ioan exhorts us to humbly bow our knees before the throne of God, before the manger of He who did not incarnate for angels but for humans.
“Brothers, let us bow our knees before the manger from which Christ the Lord reigns over the world.”
“Christ did not incarnate for angels but for man, to lift him from the bondage of death. Christ comes into this world as a Child, meaning He came for children and their parents, for every human in the world,” conveyed Metropolitan Ioan of Banat in his teaching word.
Photo: Metropolis of Banat
