H.E. The message of Karekin the Second Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians St. On the occasion of the feast of the Nativity and Epiphany.
"On the shining holiday of Christmas and Epiphany of our Lord Jesus Christ, united under the arches of our holy churches, we glorify the Most High God, who, with boundless love and mercy for humanity, sent His Only Son to free mankind from sin and the bonds of death. "King of Glory, in Your humble humility you came for the salvation of mankind" - sings the hymn.
Today, the magical event of Christmas is again in front of our eyes. The King of Glory enthroned in the heavenly heights is born in a poor manger. Listening to the tidings of the angelic voice of the Savior's birth, the simple-hearted shepherds bow before the Infant God. Wise magicians worship the Savior, Who with divine care leads humanity to goodness, pleasure and harmony. The miraculous Christmas of the Mother of God is an unspeakable mystery, inaccessible to the mind, but recognizable and perceptible by faith.
The Savior humbled himself and took on flesh to raise human hearts and minds from the material to the spiritual and divine. The immortal became mortal to show mankind the way of true life and eternity according to His word;
"I am the Way and the Truth and the Life" (John 14:6). Even today, the bright star of Bethlehem points the way to the hope of salvation in a world troubled by trials. Christmas night proves that even in the darkness of troubles the light of God shines, the Sun of Justice rises, as Christ is called in hymns and prophecy (Malach. 4.2).
Going to meet Christ, living by His commandments ennobles and strengthens people and nations, makes them worthy of divine gifts and blessings. Accepting the Lord wrapped in a shroud, a person is clothed with the grace of salvation, which brings forth the source of heavenly blessings in the life of the believer.
God-denying processes, however, confront humanity with evils and destructive threats. Today, we are all witnessing the bitter reality of the world moving away from God: the worship of material, political and economic interests, an obsession to possess, to which the rights of individuals and peoples, moral principles, universal peaceful coexistence, happiness and good are sacrificed.
As a result of these catastrophes, humanity has faced catastrophic realities: wars, victims and destruction, orphaned and homeless children growing up in need and difficulties, families surviving in the harsh conditions of conflicts and becoming refugees.
Such alarming situations make the reformation of the world and the harmonious coexistence of peoples imperative, which is always heralded by the angelic hymn of the Christmas of the Child God, "peace on earth and joy to men" (Luke 2:14).
Dear friends, in the current complex geopolitical situation, our people were subjected to severe trials, Artsakh was occupied and depopulated, the sovereign territories of Armenia remain occupied, many of our children are still in captivity and missing, new demands and threats continue to be made by Azerbaijan.
Today, our country is troubled by internal problems: fraud, illegality, malice, cynicism, vicious phenomena, which cause mistrust, indifference, enmity and division in the society and lead to the weakening of the nation.
Along with all this, the distortion of Christian moral perceptions and traditional national-spiritual values distorts the face of our people's identity, weakens the national spirit, and leads us into the pitfalls of sin and despair. With the advice of Christmas, the heavenly invitation is sent to us again to follow the traditional path of love, reconciliation, and justice. This call can only be realized through a Christian way of life.
This call is feasible if we do not sacrifice our identity, the security of the people and the well-being of the motherland to personal well-being and comfort.
We cannot serve the universal good by giving in to ambition and lust for power and giving priority to our own interests. We, as a nation, whether in the homeland or in the diaspora, will succeed if we always remain faithful to Christ, His doctrine, walk according to God's Word and divine will, and get rid of misleading and divisive human cunning. Let's unite for the sake of stability and security of our state, restoration of justice to our brothers and sisters who were forcibly displaced from Artsakh, for the sake of the safe and prosperous continuation of our nation and homeland. Let us be each other's co-workers and not adversaries, let us be zealous in serving and not in abusing the position and circumstance.
Let's not become exiles from our country, let's live and create in our native cradle.
Let's strengthen our nation and homeland with the new birth of children, raising worthy children. Let each of us contribute to the progress of national life to the extent of our ability, for the brightness of our state and for the benefit of the bright future of our people.
With the joyful news of Christmas, we welcome the Thrones of the Endowed Chairs of our Holy Apostolic Church, H.E. Aram I to the Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem His Holiness Fr. Archbishop Nurhan Manukyan, Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople His Holiness Fr. Sahak Archbishop Mashalyan, to all the pilgrims of our Holy Church.
We send our greetings to our spiritual brothers in Christ, the Fathers of the Sister Churches and to their faithful flock. We bring our love and blessing to all our people in our homeland and in the diaspora. On this soulful day of Christmas, let us offer a prayer to God incarnate and ask him to be abundant may the heavenly blessings be in our national and homeland, may the faithful faith, hope and love remain constant in our lives.
Let us ask for the support of the Heavenly Lord to the Armenians of Artsakh who have suffered great losses and are deprived of their native cradle.
Let us ask the Almighty that peace and well-being be established throughout the world and in our native country. May the most caring Right of God and the life-giving gifts of Christmas always be an umbrella for all our people today and always and forever. every Christ was born and revealed, great news for you and for us", the message of the Holy Father mentions.
