His Holiness Bulgarian Patriarch Daniil delivered a televised address on the occasion of the Nativity of Christ:
Christ is born! Let us glorify Him!
Brothers and sisters beloved in the Nativity of the God-Child,
With reverence and amazement we stand before the great mystery of the Incarnation of the Son of God. “Today a wonderful and glorious mystery is being accomplished: nature is being renewed, and God becomes man” (December 26, Solemn, ch. 8).
The invisible God assumes a human form. The Infinite One is wrapped in swaddling clothes. He Whose throne is heaven is laid in a manger. The sinless One clothes himself in human nature, damaged by sin, in order to sanctify it and restore it to its paradisiacal purity.
God came and found us – us, lost in the abyss of unbelief and vanity, despair, weakness, enmity, destruction! God became man and healed man. He showed us who we are – Christ’s people, God’s children, heavenly men! He also showed us the path that alone leads to Him, so that we may be His children – the path of humble, sincere and sacrificial love: “A new commandment I give you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another” (John 13:34).
Christ is the essential need for man. Christ is the meaning of our life. Christ is the criterion of all criteria. Christ is the hope of the hopeless, a guide for the lost, a light in the darkness, comfort for the inconsolable, justice for the wronged, unity of the divided, the only saving future of humanity. Christ is our closest Brother, Who is closer to us than all our relatives. Christ is closer to our hearts than we are ourselves (St. Nicholas of Cavassila). From His immediate proximity and condescension to us, He calls us: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls (Matt. 11:28, 29).
In the days of anxiety and uncertainty, enmities, wars and disunity in which we live, let us always strive to discover the image of Christ in the face of our brothers and sisters, because Christ God is with us! Let us love them with the love of Christ, because He gave us such an example. Let us forgive them, as Christ forgives our countless transgressions. Let us show mercy, as He shows His infinite generosity towards us. Let us acquire the peaceful spirit of Christ for our salvation and thus serve for the salvation of many!
May the Lord bless the New Year 2026 of His Birth in the flesh with His goodness, to give reconciliation to the warring, healing to the suffering, goodwill among men! By the example and prayers of the saints whom we celebrate on every day of the year, may the Lord keep our minds and hearts directed to Him, so that we may have His blessing in all our deeds! Let us be bearers, witnesses and spreaders of Christ’s peace!
Peaceful, healthy and saving New Year 2026!
To many and blessed years!
