By His Eminence Metropolitan
Panteleimon of Antinoes
“Herod seeks
to kill the Child”
The events
which followed the Nativity of our Lord, as these appeared in the Holy Gospel
of St. Matthew, describe the path which the Messiah will follow in His worldly
life. The new born Infant of Bethlehem experienced, right from the beginning,
the hatred of men and that of the rulers of this world. The events which were realized by Herod the
King, confirm the truth of the above words as these are witnessed by the
historians of that period.
Christ’s
appearance in the world created new and true ways of life for man, which
directs him to the one path which offers him salvation, meeting the descending
Love of God. It is a progress which all the demonic powers are crushed and man
is able to embrace the authentic messages which the Divine Infant of Bethlehem
sends.
It might
seem that Satan’s power still rules over mankind, with all its consequences;
but, its prevalence is deceptive and temporary. And this takes place because in
history the divine work of salvation is realized and no one is able to prevent
it or cancel it. Neither, Herod’s inhumanity and aggressiveness which were
revealed with the slaughtering of the innocent infants at Bethlehem and the
surrounding region weren’t able to cancel the work of the new born Messiah Who
was under the protected Providence of God.
Within the
Divine Plan nothing is accidental. Everything has its meaning and purpose.
Everything reveals that God’s Providence
is that which guides all things in life and doesn’t allow the evil forces to
prevail upon man and to lead him to destruction and death. God’s Providence protected the
Divine Infant from the threatening madness of a worldly ruler and guides it to
a safe place and notifies it for its safe return to its country. What else is revealed, rather than the
assurance of the above. The sings of the mighty Divine Providence are great, so
that no doubts have place.
Each and
every one of us personally, from his own experience in life, must have noticed
many times the presence of the Divine Providence, which is revealed whenever
and wherever. It is that which guides our steps in life and offers us the most
secure protection. Even through events which scatter sorrows in life, the beneficial
presence of the Divine Providence consist a mighty guarantee concerning the
path which we should follow.
Beloved
brethren, the events which are described in today’s Gospel leave no doubt that
man should walk with optimism towards the future. Although evil, hatred and
madness seem to prevail in man’s history, yet, that which remains is the power
of true love. The power of love is great, because it has as its foundation the
Incarnated Son and Word of God the Father, our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
The event
that God the Word takes up all the human nature and becomes man, reveals not
only the greatness of God’s Love and Philanthropia, but also the destruction of
Satan’s evil powers.
Let us
embrace this message of salvation through the new morals which are revealed in
the Manger of Bethlehem.
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