January 2025 Letter

Dear Brethren,
On the occasion of Nativity Feast, we learn from an article by the departed Pope Shenouda about “The Unity of the Nature of Christ”:
Who did the Virgin give birth to? Did she just give birth to a God? Or just a human? Or did she give birth to God and man? Or gave birth to God the incarnate?
It is impossible for her to have given birth to a god only because she gave birth to a child that everyone saw. She could not have given birth to a human being only, because this is the heresy of Nestorius! Then what is the meaning of the words of the Bible: “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God” (Luke 1: 35)? What is the meaning of her son being called “Emmanuel, which is translated, God with us” (Matthew 1: 23)? What is the meaning of the words of the Prophet Isaiah, “For unto us a Child is born, Unto us a Son is given; And the government will be upon His shoulder. And His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace” (Isaiah 9: 6). Therefore, He was not just a human being, but He was the Son of God, Emmanuel, and an Almighty God.
The Virgin also did not give birth to a human and a god, otherwise she would have had two sons: one is god and the other is a human. All what remained was that she gave birth to God the incarnate. Christ is not two sons, one of whom is the worshiped Son of God, and the other is not worshipped.
We do not separate Jesus Christ divinity from His humanity. As explained by St. Athanasius the Apostolic: “He is not two natures: we prostrate to one and we do not prostrate to the other. Rather, there is one nature, which is the incarnated Word, whom we prostrate to Him with His body in one prostration. Therefore, the rituals of worship are not presented to the divinity alone without humanity, as there is no separation. Rather, worship is for this incarnate God.
The Lord Christ is the Only Son, born of the same essence of the Father before all ages, and He is the same Son of Man who became the firstborn among many brothers (Romans 8: 29). As one of the fathers said about him: “He was born of the Father before all ages without a mother, and he was born of the Virgin in the fullness of time without a father”.
St. Paul said: “But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law” (Galatians 4: 4). Therefore, He who was born of a virgin is the Son of God, and at the same time he is the Son of Man, as He said about himself.
The Son (the Logos) dwelt in the womb of the blessed Virgin, and took His humanity from her, and then she gave birth to Him. It is not what Nestorius said that the Virgin gave birth to an ordinary human being, whom God dwelt in, or resided in him, or became a bearer of God without a natural, hypostatic union.
We offer worship to this newborn and say: “Holy God, Holy mighty, Holy immortal, who was born of the Virgin, have mercy on us,” as the angel said: “Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God” (Luke 1: 35).
In Christ, the divine nature was united with the human nature in the womb of the Virgin. Therefore, Elizabeth said to the Virgin: “why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?” (Luke 1: 43). Mary was pregnant and had not yet given birth, and she was called the mother of God.
May the blessings of St. Mary & St. Mercurius be with us all.
Belleville, January 1, 2025

رسالة شهر يناير ٢٠٢٥