Advent -- A Light to those who sit in darkness and the
shadow of death...

His Beatitude, Metropolitan Jonah
December 3,
2008

Beloved in Christ,
Christ is in our midst!

As we prepare for the celebration of the First Coming in the
Flesh of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, we must fast and pray, and especially
give alms, to be able to enter into the joy and grace of the Feast. By prayer
and fasting, we empty ourselves of the chaos of our passions and the
distractions of the world, so that we might have peace in our souls and silence
in our hearts. By this, we identify ourselves with the silence and peace of the
Mother of God, who accepted the Divine Presence within her self, so that the
Word might become flesh and dwell among us. Let us also let the Word become
incarnate in our hearts and souls and bodies, our thoughts and actions, that we
might become instruments of His Will, being recreated in Christ for good
works.

We give alms as a way of overcoming our selfishness, of
detaching ourselves from grasping for possessions and money, so that the
generosity of God who gave His Son for us may shine forth from us. We give alms
to those in need, as a way of honoring Christ, who identified Himself with the
poor, the suffering, the persecuted and the oppressed. Whoever is poor, whoever
is suffering, whoever is rejected and oppressed, is Christ; let us minister to
Him in them. Let us open our minds and hearts, our homes and our wallets, to
those suffering from loneliness and despair, those who have lost their jobs and
fear to lose their dignity, the orphans and widows-the fatherless and divorced,
elderly, abandoned and alone. It is good to write checks to organizations. But
the spiritual riches come from consoling Christ by serving those in need,
personally, with warm affection.

Ours is a time of great uncertainty, fear and war. The
economy is teetering, unemployment is mushrooming. Tens of thousands of our
children, brothers and sisters are in peril at war in distant lands. Of those
who have returned, how many are broken and in despair, not knowing where to turn
from the unending nightmares in their memories and their minds. We must
especially reach out to them and their families, Orthodox or not, to comfort and
console and give them our help, as individuals and as Christian
communities.

The Coming of Christ is a message of hope, the banishment of
despair. True spiritual striving is the means by which we cast out the works and
thoughts of darkness, and let the Holy Spirit heal and console our souls. Let us
cleanse our souls through confession, accepting Christ's forgiveness, forgiving
everyone who has offended or hurt us, and forgiving ourselves. By repentance we
must cast out all resentments and anger, bitterness and self-loathing,
selfishness and carnality, self-serving desires for revenge and retribution, all
that entombs us in guilt.

Then with a pure mind and a broken heart enkindled by love,
overflowing with compassion for those suffering and in need, we might give birth
to Christ in our lives, that we might behold His Glory, the Glory of the
Only-begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.

Wishing you joy and peace, as we prepare together to receive
Christ Come in the Flesh, in the Holy Mysteries, in prayer, and in the service
of the needy, I remain faithfully yours,

With love in Christ,
+ Jonah

Archbishop of Washington and New York

Metropolitan of All America and Canada