Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia addresses an epistle to all the faithful children of the Church

On January 6, on the eve of the Nativity of Christ, His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia addressed an epistle to all the faithful children of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Giving praise to the glorified God in the Trinity and sharing with all of you the joy of this celebration, I appeal to you, the Orthodox children of our Church, who live both in Russia and in other countries under the pastoral responsibility of the Moscow Patriarchate, and heartily congratulate you on the feast of the Nativity of Christ, the feast of the incarnate love of the Creator for His creation, the feast of the fulfillment of the promise of the coming of the Son of God to earth—a holiday of hope for salvation and eternal life.

A great and most glorious miracle has been accomplished today: the Virgin gives birth, the womb does not decay, the Word is incarnate, and the Father is not separated. The angels with the shepherds praise, and we cry out with them: Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace. With these words, the Church of Christ bears witness to a mysterious event that occurred more than two thousand years ago in the Bethlehem Cave and changed the entire subsequent course of world history. With amazement and awe, we bend the knee of our hearts before this mystery of God’s plan for salvation, incomprehensible to the human mind. With thanksgiving, accepting this sacrificial gift of the Creator and Provider, Who has so willed for us, we confess grace, preach mercy, and do not conceal good deeds (the prayer of the great hagiasma).