Now you will understand why the Holy Apostle John hastens to rejoice those who listen to and read his Epistle, assuring them that a new life has appeared in the Saviour, Who has been born.  All the believing Jews had long been awaiting such an Envoy, or Messiah, and the wisest of the pagans had been waiting also.  They hoped that the Messiah would both make the path of virtuous life easier for each person, and also establish righteousness on the earth, so that the sinners would no longer dominate over the righteous, nor the pagans over the rightly believing Jews, but they hoped that now, on the contrary, the manifested Son of God would Himself become a righteous king-conqueror, subdue the pagans and establish righteousness and universal happiness on earth, and, in general, bring a new, blessed life to the world.

 

But in reality, He both brought new life and called Himself the Life of all.  And those who accepted His life followed in His footsteps and united themselves with Him, and have really ceased to experience that “satisfaction” with life which oppressed and still oppresses people who have not come to know Christ.  What!  Did they immediately become rich, famous, healthy, free from sinful passions?  No, brethren, they became poorer and more inglorious than all; remaining in struggles and fasting, they did not know the pleasure of bodily health, and increased the warfare with passions yet more, because they were now also struggling with such desires and thoughts as they had formerly not even counted as sins -- self-love, anger and lustful desire, for example.

 

In what way then did they become blessed?  From what afflictions did the grace of Christ deliver them, and what condition of happiness did it bring them?

 

The one condition for happiness, brethren, - willingly to refuse happiness, riches, glory, the desire for health, rest.  They turned their hearts away from everything towards which people had formerly striven, except for virtue, and came to love everything.  They were reconciled with everything that people had formerly considered to be their greatest sorrow, except sin and vice.  And when they disposed their hearts like this, sin ceased to be so alluring, virtue ceased to be so burdensome; on the contrary, they began gradually to find in it that source of joy which the pagans had found only in earthly pleasures.  This is the meaning of the Lord’s words: Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, what shall we drink? or, wherewithal shall we be clothed?  For after all these things do the nations seek...  But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness (Mt. 6:31-33).  It is not said in vain, brethren, that Christ brought new life to the earth.  We see that He turned the human soul around completely; changed its nature, as it were.  Of old people accumulated wealth, now they have started to give it away.  Of old they feared prisons and torments, now the Apostles exultantly thank God for them.  Of old they feared afflictions, now Saint James writes to the Christians: My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations (Jas 1:2).  Just as of old, on earth there is injustice, and sickness, and poverty, and all kinds of offences; and the more time passes, the more of this there will be, as the Lord predicted, as did the Holy Apostles Peter, Jude, Paul and John.  But the souls of Christians were not overwhelmed or crushed by all these afflictions.  They came to know another blessedness, one inner and spiritual, and if they grieved about anything, then it was only about their falls into sin and for the sins of their neighbours.

 

How, through what acts of His life, did our Saviour change the whole essence of our souls, or our lives?

 

First of all, by His very Nativity.  That transformation of the human soul and life which He accomplished in Himself, was reflected in all its clarity in the town of Bethlehem.  This little town in those days reflected the entire life of the whole human race.

 

The life of man is a universal struggle for comfort and earthly advantages.  The multitude of people who had gathered in Bethlehem was crowded into various dwellings on a cold night; probably the poor envied the rich in their comfort.  The rich harshly drove unwanted lodgers out of their homes, and became angry when the overcrowding forced them unwillingly to share their accommodation with others.  At least, that is how it always is when a lot of people are crowded together.