Patriarch Daniel: Christmas is holiday of spiritual and material gifts

Christmas is the holiday of spiritual and material gifts, Romanian Orthodox Church Patriarch Daniel said in the sermon of the Holy Liturgy officiated at the Patriarchal Cathedral, on the occasion of the Birth of the Lord. 

"We see that these gifts which the Wise Men brought to Baby Jesus have awaken in the conscience of the Church our duty to bring gifts to God. And we do offer them to God, but through our fellows whom we help. That is why, Christmas or the Birth of the Lord is the holiday of spiritual and material gifts. The Magi or the Wise Men or the Kings from the East offered him gifts and we are called, those who bear the name of Christ, who are Christians, to offer him gifts," the Patriarch said. 

The high priest officiated the Holy Liturgy sermon together with Father Qais, Bishop of Erzurum, the delegate of the Patriarchate of Antioch to Romania, and Patriarchal Vicar Bishop Varlaam Ploiesteanul. 

"The Holy Fathers also tell us what are the permanent gifts, the most pleasant that God wants and enjoys when we offer them: the gold of true faith and good deeds, the frankincense of constant prayer - as much as we pray to God, as much our soul rises to the heavens same as frankincense. 'Let my prayer go as frankincense before you,' the Psalms say. And the myrrh means the Christian life lived in holiness, through the crucifixion of the selfish passions, through replacing the bad thoughts, the bad words and the bad deeds with pure thoughts, with beautiful words and with deeds of the merciful love. Therefore this myrrh means killing the sin and reviving and growing the virtues in our lives. Let us transform the energy of the passions in beneficent energy of virtues and namely let us give up the selfish behaviour in order to cultivate apologetic and merciful love," the Patriarch showed. 

He urged the believers to offer the gifts of mercy to those in need and suffering. "That is why, the myrrh of good deeds was seen these days especially through helping the elderly, the poor, visiting the sick. These are the permanent confessional gifts we offer to Baby Jesus and our fellows," His Beatitude Daniel added. 

At the end of the sermon, the Patriarch congratulated all those bearing the name of Cristian or Cristina. 

The orthodox, catholic and protestant Christians celebrate the Birth of the Lord on 25 December.