The Amazing Christmas Night Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of the Transfiguration

I wish to share my joy as we participated in the Christmas Eve Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of the Transfiguration in the mid-night or rather the very early hours of Tuesday December 25, 2018.  At the Dome of the Cathedral's Byzantine architecture,  the faithful look up Mary Mother of God and her son our Lord Jesus Christ in her lap overlooking the entire creation. The mosaic is called "Our Lady of the Wide Universe" سيدة الرحاب. In the Eastern churches the Virgin Mary is never alone in images as she is always dependent on her son the God-Man. Furthermore, the Eastern churches do not have sculptures of Jesus or saints as in the Roman Catholic churches. The Universal Church built on Christ never tires from building up a civilization of love even if sometimes it is troubled by a few lost sheep. See here a quick overview of the history of Christianity.
The entire Mass was served by the Pastor Fr. Ibrahim El-Haddad, BSO; assisted by his Assistant Pastor Fr. Michel Chalhoub, and, for serving the Holy Eucharist, Fr. Youhanna Hanna, MP helped the \above-mentioned priests. In Eastern Churches, parishioners are expected to stand most of the time because when Christ rose from the dead, he raised us with Him. People genuflect but they do not kneel. See this majestic video from a church in Moscow here. Confessionals are not part of the tradition - Generally a person confesses his sins and receives absolution from the parish pastor or another priest associated with the parish (his spiritual advisor).
The renowned Homsy Choir sang the hymns for Christmas including some very beautiful ones: "All of you who have been baptized into Christ, Have put on Christ". With incense going up to the Dome as a sign of praise to the Triune-God, the Choir sings "Magnify, O my soul, the Virgin more glorious than the heavenly powers. Behold a strange and wonderful mystery: the cave is heaven, the Virgin a Cherubic throne, the manger a noble place where reposes Christ the Uncontainable God. Let us praise and magnify him!" In the second kathisma, the Choir continues thus "Mary why are you rapt in wonder? Why are you astounded in your inner self? And she answers: 'Behold: because I have given birth in time to a Son who is not bound by time. I do not even understand how I conceived: how is this possible when I knew not a man? Who ever saw a birth without human seed?' But where God wills, the laws of nature are upset. It was written: 'Christ shall be born of a virgin in Bethlehem of Juda'. (for more on the Homsy Choir hymns in the Divine Liturgy, see their hymns in the first Mass at the Cathedral on Sunday November 27, 2016 here).
After the readings from St. Paul's Epistle to the Galatians (Galatians 4: 4-7), and the Gospel according to St. Luke (Luke 2: 1-12), Fr. Ibrahim El-Haddad said an impressive homily which he based on five dimensions for us to learn:
1. In Jesus birth, heaven was brought to earth; the cave contained God so abundantly loving of every person. It is the entire humanity for which Christ was born.
2. The Virgin Mary and Joseph could not find a place in the inn for Jesus to be born. He was born in a manger - It tells us how God is so humble. We learn not to be arrogant and show-off our talents - What each of us has is a gift from God...We should also forgive those who despise us as Christ forgives us.
3. Like the Wise Men (Magi), let us follow the real wisdom of God - Jesus Christ is the "Fount of Wisdom" (See St. John Damascene "Fount of Wisdom" and his great influence on the Western Church that he was called the first scholastic - Written here in the Catholic Encyclopedia). The Choir sings "Your nativity, O Christ our God, has shed the light of knowledge upon the world. Through it, those who had been star-worshipers learned through a star to worship You, O Sun of justice, and recognize in You the One who rises from on high. O Lord, Glory to You!"
St. Athanasius of Alexandria wrote that Christ took on our human nature so that we can put on His Divine Nature" (De Incarnatione Verbi Dei) - "Theosis" is the basis of the call of humanity to God through Christ which was made a reality in the incarnation of the Word of God according to the Jesuit scholar Fr. Henri Boulad.
3. Bethlehem is a small town. Yet God chose the small and the little to be born in them. Let us not despise the poor and associate our selves with only the rich people on this earth. Let us welcome the poor in our homes and visit the sick and needy. Let us visit the imprisoned and help the unwanted. The Knights of Columbus at Jesus the King is a good starting point for helping others more in need.  (This is important when we consider the crime of abortion which is never justified and the crime of  helping to end someone's life in assisted-suicide of the distressed and highly-sick people. God is the author of life from conception in the womb to natural death. Health-care professionals and patients should be aware of the demands of conscience trained in God's laws.)
4. Let us help our children grow in a Church environment and in a morally-abiding family. Why our youths are not getting married? Rather than spending time watching games let us pray together as much as we can. The birth of Christ ushered the new civilization of love - Build your family on His love.
On some of the above notes see my lectures : Is abortion justified in case of rape? here and Why Our Youths Are Not Getting Married Today here.
Probably the best homily I have ever heard about Christmas comes from the mouth of the Jesuit scholar Fr. Henri Boulad here:
"The scandal of the Incarnation, which means that we cannot believe that God could debase himself , becomes the key and the supreme proof  that this is the truth"


"But a God in heaven well served who looks to me and says 'You suffer. Have courage. Perhaps one day you will be with me in my heaven' is not God. A God who says 'Patience. I am fine here but you over there can suffer' is not God. This is the false God that we, often, figure that he sends us prophets from time to time to console us' . NO, NO. NO. This God who looks to me with a telescope is not my God. I do not want him."

"If there is a phenomenon of atheism today in the West as well as in Egypt, it is precisely because men say we are in fact better than God. The walk that I walk to help when I see a hungry person or a thirsty one or a person without faith, can't God do it? Has he no choice regarding his honor?"

"No. He did it. This is the supreme proof of the Christian Mystery. Do not look somewhere else. 'Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down...' He descended. No more seventh heaven..."

"The only God I can believe, love and worship is the God Jesus Christ because he descended to me."

"'Oh, that you would rend the heavens and come down...' "

And the great preacher and Jesuit scholar Henri Boulad finished here his homily.

At Christmas, the surprise disclosed by heaven continues - See "Surprised!" here

It is on this occasion that I thank God for all the care that He has given me through great physicians, my parents, my spouse and her parents , my brothers and their families, and many caring relatives and friends. I wrote a little post here last April about God's love for me that extended my life. 

In closing let us listen to a Christmas hymn received from a very close brother - Here it is.