“O Bethlehem, prepare, Eden is opened unto all. And be ready, Ephrata, for the Tree of life has in the grotto blossomed forth from the Virgin. Indeed her womb is shown to be spiritually a Paradise, in which is found the God-planted Tree. And if we eat from it we shall live, and shall not die, as did Adam of old. Christ is born, so that He might raise up the formerly fallen image!”
It’s troparia like this that drew me to Orthodoxy in the first place. If this is the theology of the Faith, I’ve finally discovered the purpose of the whole human race: To have the formerly fallen image raised up and healed.
From all of us at Faith Encouraged Ministries, we wish you and your family a blessed Feast of the Nativity and a blessed, Christ-filled, New Year!
We are grateful to God for the opportunity to serve you in drawing your attention to the fullness of the Faith and encouraging you to embrace this fullness so that you will become by grace, what Christ is by nature!
Your servant,
Fr. Barnabas
