TO
ALL CLERGY, PEOPLE OF GOD IN THE ORTHODOX
CATHOLIC CHURCH AND FRIENDS OF THE CHURCH
I GREET
YOU IN HIM WHO IS THE LIGHT OF THE
WORLD AND THE LOVE OF OUR HEARTS.
When
Jesus opened his eyes to this world,
he became part of a society not unlike
our own today. Oppression was heavy
upon the people, excessive taxes were
a burden, people were prey to clever
money-making schemes and the multitude
of the defenseless were victims of crime
in every form. Political systems were
built to dominate the general population.
Truthfully, it was not a pretty world
and it did not improve as Jesus grew into
adulthood.
Is it
any wonder then, that the Apostles just
assumed that Jesus came to fix this world
completely or, at least, repair it until
it could become a kinder, gentler world?
After all, wasn’t he called a savior? It
required a lifetime for Jesus to convince
his small band of followers that the
answer did not lie in combating the outer
world, as much as it lay in striking
at the real cause which was buried deep
in the hearts and the psyche of humankind.
His life work was to teach us how to
live an active inner life where love
would feed the actions of our outer life. Then,
and then only, would the world become
a kinder, gentler world because our actions
would be born of love.
From
the moment of conception, Jesus lived
a life within. The whole process
of his growth takes place within, where
silently and far from the eyes of the
world, the infant form took shape. Molecule
by molecule, this tiny potential human
being became whole until that moment
when it declared itself ready to greet
the world.
The inner
life was a familiar friend to Jesus. From
his earliest moments of awareness, he
lived in that place of high consciousness
where he would often go to commune with
his Father-God. In times of stress,
of frustration, of weariness, he would
go off to a clearing, or a garden or
a lonely stretch of road to talk with
his Father, the source of his direction,
his fire and his power to create a deeper
permeation of his message within his
followers.
All of
us have that place of high consciousness.
Symbolically, we may think of it as a
garden, or a walk along a seashore or
a clearing in the middle of a forest
where we can go in the midst of our daily
work to seek direction, to open ourselves
to divine thought or to find the
solution to a situation. In that
instant of communing, the Light Energy
within burns brightest and we know the
vibration of the Christ. In this
oneness, our interaction with others
becomes a birthing of the Christ, a true
Christmas to each person, a sending of
the Light so that the outer world of
our workplace becomes changed. If
this doesn’t happen immediately,
do not be concerned. We have implanted
the Christ Light. Remember, it
takes time for a spark to become a torch,
so be patient.
The life
within, at the very center of the Presence,
is a highly active life that always needs
nourishment. Therefore, it is essential
to have a habit of regular meditation
and prayer and a deep love for the Eucharist,
where we find the spiritual food and
drink for our journey.
One of
the greatest spiritual guides that God
has given us to foster the inner life
is Mother Mary. She is sometimes forgotten
in the Christmas story because her Son
is so prominent. In a real sense, a true
Eucharist took place on that starlit
night in Bethlehem. With the coming
of her son, Mary became the first priest
to birth Jesus upon the altar of the
omniverse, body and blood, soul and divinity
so that all may come to know and love
him, especially, through Eucharist. She
shows us how to live the Eucharistic
life which feeds our inner being with
wondrous food. Mary tells us that
we can turn every thought, every word
and every action into an eternal miracle,
simply by making each choice the choice
that Christ would make. But Mary
goes beyond that. She prompts us to bring
those choices to Eucharist and to place
them on the paten and in the chalice
where they will soon become the bread
and wine for the sacred meal of remembrance. There,
it is our privilege to offer ourselves
with all the choices and promises we
have made. That gift of bread and
wine represents everything we are as
spirit beings. We are Light-bearers who
walk the human journey of permitting
love to lead and to free us from all
that stands in the way of a rich, productive
spiritual life. It is an enviable life
that allows us to give the Christ with
abandon to all our sisters and brothers,
without distinction. The Child
came in love to give Love. We, also,
came in love to give Love. Can
you think of a better way to live out
the meaning of Christmas? The Christ
in us has no other desire than to give
himself to others through us, whose mission
it is to reveal our inner Christ.
During
the coming year, believe in the best
of who you are, for you are the Christ
just as surely as it was the Christ who
was born in Bethlehem. As you look
in the mirror many times every day, say
to that reflection, “I AM THE CHRIST. I
am the Extension of God upon this earth.” Is
it possible to have a greater vision
of yourself than that? Let us birth
this Christ to others with a divine generosity. Then,
our lives will be one continuous Christmas.
On every
day of the New Year, I hope that you
feel the special Christmas blessing that
I send you with this letter. May
you live each day of 2008 with a passion
for life and a fire in your heart.
Lovingly
in Christ,
Most
Rev. Marilyn L. Sieg
Most Rev. Marilyn L. Sieg
Presiding Bishop
The Orthodox Catholic Church
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