Nativity of Jesus A message of Love – Veto – 7/1/2015

   From the bottom of my heart I congratulate you on the glorious feast of Nativity. I beseech God to fill your life with happiness, serenity and peace on Jesus Birthday, my brethrens; I would like to tell you about Jesus’ message of love. He humbly came to exalt the modest and declare His love to each soul: the sinners, weak, weary and children.

He loved and cared for the sinners

   Jesus embraced the sinners. He never rejected any one who came to him. Sinners and tax collectors felt his love that changed their life completely. Matthew became His disciple and Zacchaeus distributed all his money to the people he mistreated and misjudged.

“And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to His disciples, “Why does your Teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”” Jesus answered them: “Those who are well have no need of a physician, but those who are sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy and not sacrifice.’[a] For I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.”

He sought the weak

   Jesus did not come to serve the powerful or righteous people; he rather sought the weak and the needy. There is the father who knelt down at his feet asking Him to heal his child who was tortured and demon-possessed and at last his wish had come true and Jesus healed his son. Also, the Canaanite woman who beseeched him to save her daughter was granted her wish and was blessed for her deep faith that was not found in all Israel.

   Jesus was keen on teaching people. They followed Him to listen to His teachings. “Many knew Him and ran there on foot from all the cities. They arrived before them and came together to Him and Jesus, when He came out, saw a great multitude and was moved with compassion for them, because they were like sheep not having a shepherd. So He began to teach them many things.”

He did not reject the children

   Jesus loved the children so greatly that when the disciples rebuked the children who tried to come closer from Him, He told them, “Let the little children come to Me, and do not forbid them; for of such is the kingdom of God”.                                      

   Jesus message was His love for us which has become the message of each Christian as well. I once read a symbolic story about Christmas that I liked so much.

   A pigeon came asking the trees to let her build a nest on one of them. The trees refused as the nest would be heavy and their branches would not be able to hold it. Other trees rejected because Christmas is near and they want to keep their branches clean so that people buy and adorn them for Christmas. No tree welcomed the pigeon save a small one that felt compassion for the pigeon and allowed her to build its nest. In the chilly winter, she bent her branches to warm the pigeon and its eggs till they hatched. The baby pigeons grew up and learned how to fly, yet the tree could not stand again and was called by her fellows the hunchback.

   Christmas came and merchants began to buy the trees, cut their branches to sell them. The small tree remained alone as many refused her for her hunch back. The tree began to wonder if she was wrong when she let the pigeon inhabit its branches. However, the answer echoed in her mind that the love she offered was the reason of joy to the Child in manger.

   After some days, a man bought the small tree and implanted her at the door of his house. He also adorned her with Christmas ornaments. The tree rejoiced and by the passing days she grew up again, while all the branches of other trees were dried.

   This is the kind of unfailing love the Child in manger taught us.

Many Happy Returns!

General Bishop

Head of the Coptic Orthodox Cultural Center