The Feast of the Circumcision of Our Lord Jesus Christ, January 1st (OS) / 14th (NS)
St. Peter Chrysologus on the Nativity of Our Lord
January 8, 2016A Statement by His Beatitude, Metropolitan John, on the Question of Race, Politics, and the Church
April 21, 2016
“And when eight days were acomplished for the circumcising of the child, His Name was called Jesus, which was so name of the Angel before He was conceived in the Womb.” (Lk. 2:21)
An Homily by St. Ambrose, Archbishop of Milan
So the Child was circumcised. Who is This Child? Who but He of Whom it was said: “Unto us a Son is given.” “Made under the law to redeem them that were under the law.” To present Him to the Lord I would discuss the meaning of this presenting Him to the Lord in Jerusalem, had I not already done so in my commentary on Isaias. He that is circumcised from his sins is, in the Lord’s eyes, deemed honourable, for the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous.
Ye may observe that every rite under the Old Law is a type to be fulfilled in the New; thus circumcision signifies the cleansing of sins. By reason of a certain proneness and tendency to sin, our frail human minds and bodies are emeshed in wrongdoing, and so by the eight day of circumcision, the future cleansing of all our sins in the time of the Resurrection is prefigured. Here is the meaning of, “Every male that openeth the womb shall be called holy to the Lord;” by these words from the Law, the Child-Bearing of the Virgin was promised. And truly He Who opened her womb was Holy, for He was Spotless.
Finally, the Angel repeats these same words that declare that this is the Child designated by the law: “That Holy Thing Which shall be Born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” Of all that were born of women, the Lord Jesus Alone was Holy. His Unique Stainless Birth could not have known the contagion of earthly corruption, and in His Divine Majesty He would have expelled it.
Now if we take this saying literally, how can every male be said to be holy, when clearly some have been very wicked? Surely Ahab was not holy, nor the false prophets who were consumed by avenging fire from heaven at Elias’ prayer? But these devout precepts of the Divine Law figuratively denote the Mystery that is to be: that HE is the Holy One Who Alone may open the closed womb of Stainless Fecundity of the Holy Virgin the Church, so that She may give birth to God’s people.
