Again this year God blessed us as we celebrated one of the greatest events which has changed the world. The spirit of Christmas could be felt at every corner in Berat, the city with a history of tradition. The decorations, the traditional meals, the different youth groups with bright stars in their hands created an exulting Christmas atmosphere. The celebration reached its peak at dawn on the 25th of December with the Divine Liturgy at Saint Spiridon.
Many faithful were present during the Liturgy of Christmas which was lead by the Metropolitan of Berat, Vlora, Kanina and all the Myzeqe, His Grace Ignatios. Through communion, the congregation joined Christ who was born for us in a cave in Bethlehem. Metropolitan Ignatios, as he always does for such occasions, delivered his message to the faithful. He said, “The greatest event in the history of mankind is the incarnation of Jesus Christ which happened in a very peaceful way. Eight hundred years ago, prophet Isaiah, inspired by God, proclaimed the Savior who was to be born was ‘the powerful God, the Emperor, the Prince of Peace”.
“When the Theotokos gave birth to a Son who was born for us, an army of angels unceasingly sang hymns for the divine event. They came down immediately and sat at the horizon of Bethlehem to make it known to all. One of them appeared to the shepherds announcing ‘A Savior is born today and He is Christ Himself’. With an angelic melodies and joyful tunes the armies of angels presented the babe as ‘the Prince of the Earth’, the one who was sent by His Father in heaven to bring peace on earth”.
“Christ came into the world so peace would dominate among people. But instead of accomplishing the goal of His arrival, we are involved in wars, revolts, quarrels, evil, selfishness, pride etc. Have we ever asked ourselves about the cause of these things? Such a question will always remain unanswered for with those who try to find peace outside the person of Jesus Christ who is in fact ‘our peace’ (Eph. 2:14). Or for those who search peace outside themselves which they must relieve from sin because sin makes the person a foe to God and to his relative. Peace starts with repentance and the conversion of our heart. It is a spiritual condition and a fruit of the Holy Spirit. It is a condition of coexistence and cooperation between all simple men, as it is also stated in Acts 2:46 and it grows and it is cultivated by God’s love”. “But for man to reach the state of peace, he should calm his passions and make continuous effort to be peaceful and become Christ-like”.
Bishop Ignatios continued, “A harsh spiritual struggle is needed to sweep away the hatred, the antipathy and revenge from our hearts. Only in this way can we fill our hearts with the peace God desires for His people. No human mind can ever understand the values of peace (Philip 4:7). Peace cannot exist in the world unless there is an existent source which is the ‘incarnated God’, ‘the one who lowered down the heavens and came down on earth Himself’, the holy child of Bethlehem. All the phenomena we come across in our daily life, like unsuccessful human relationships, conflicts in the workplace, indifference to our neighbors, brothers and sons, the racial differences, and quarrels between people proceed because we stray from God and His commandments”.
His Grace concluded by saying, “My dear brothers in Christ, may our thanks be very warm to our Peacemaker, to our Lord Jesus Christ who became a man for the sake of our salvation. Let us try to reach our own salvation and become thus ‘children of God’. For those who experience relief through repentance and confession, a feeling of great joy is not unachievable, but a reality which everyone can receive. It is in fact a personal experience. We truly admire the extreme humbleness of our Lord. Do we need anything more? Our humbleness, the condition of peace and simpleness is the way which will lead us to God. Only in this way can we truly feel the beauty and the grandeur of Christmas. May it be done!”After such an inspiring message and Christmas blessings shared with one another, the faithful left the church to continue the celebration of the feast in their homes and to visit to their relatives.
Joan Qako
Translated by Juliana Kodheli
Edited by Melanie Linderman
