The Virgin today, bears the Pre-eternal Word,
journeying to the Cave to give birth ineffably.
Rejoice, O Universe, upon hearing,
glorify Him with the Angels and the Shepherds,
the One who chose to appear,
the young Child, the pre-eternal God.
As the majestic feast approaches, beloved, or as the Holy Fathers lovingly call it, the “Metropolis of Feasts” – the Nativity of Christ – our caring mother, the Church, with the warmth and radiance of her inspired hymnography, embraces us with the love of maternal arms and invites us: prepare your hearts to receive the Divine Gift, the small Child, the pre-eternal God. In this sacred period, the liturgical services of the Church guide us into the mystery of the Incarnation of God through the words of her exalted hymns, which are not merely beautiful poetic expressions but living icons of heavenly realities.
This voice of the Church calls us to purify our minds and hearts, to lay aside the burdens of daily life, to remove the shoes of haste and turmoil, and to stand before the Bethlehem Cave with awe and joy, like the shepherds and the wise men, ready to receive the God-Child.
The Kontakion dedicated to the celebration of the Nativity of Christ is one of the finest jewels of Byzantine hymnography, having its origins in the golden era of ecclesiastical poetry. It likely emerged in Constantinople during the 6th century, a time when the Church, through her hymnographers such as Saint Romanos the Melodist and later Saint John of Damascus, unveiled the inexhaustible depths of God’s Revelation and conveyed them with profoundly inspired poetic expression. As one of the highest forms of church hymnography, the kontakion originally consisted of multiple sections (18-24 stanzas – ikos, with introductory sections – kontakia and refrains), precisely and rhythmically structured in both content and form. As a poetic and liturgical creation, the kontakion is, in essence, an icon in words, inviting both singers and listeners not only to participate in the hymn’s content but also to live its spiritual truths and heights.
Here, we will reflect on the introductory section of the kontakion for the Forefeast of Christmas, crafted as a poetic and theological window into the mystery of the Incarnation, intending to lead the faithful into spiritual preparation for the feast. In it, we perceive the power of the Holy Spirit, who, through the words of the hymnographer, enlivens the eternal joy and reality of Christ’s Nativity.
“The Virgin Today Bears the Pre-Eternal Word”. “The Virgin Today” – these words are filled with a profound and noble mystery of grace. The Virgin Mary, Most Holy and Pure, stands as the gateway through which eternity enters time, the Uncreated One enters creation, the timeless Word of God enters a temporal and sinful world. The word “Virgin” reminds us of the perpetual and ineffable purity of the Theotokos, of her complete devotion to God. The adverb “today” announces the eternal event of the Incarnation. “Today” is not merely a calendar moment; it is a cosmic “now,” a moment in which eternity intercedes in time. It teaches us to see and live the past as present and the present as eternal, for the timeless God enters our history, transforming it forever and granting it the potential for eternity.
“Journeying to the Cave to give birth ineffably” – The cave, a small, poor, humble, and dark place, becomes the throne of the King of the universe. It is not merely a geographical location or a randomly chosen site; it symbolizes the state of fallen human nature, of the world in its loneliness, coldness, darkness, impurity, and estrangement. The cave, a place for keeping animals, becomes the site of Divine Presence. God chooses to be born there, not in the magnificent palaces of earthly rulers and powers, but in poverty and humility, revealing to us His love that surpasses all earthly measures of greatness.
The birth of the Lord Christ in the cave calls us to reconsider our values and actions. While the world strives for luxury and comfort, for consumerism and hedonism, God chooses precisely what humanity despises—poverty, simplicity, humility. The cave becomes a place of transformation, where earthly suffering is illuminated by heavenly light. What was dark and unclean is now filled with the presence of Divinity.
“Ineffably” – this adverb expresses the magnitude of the mystery that our words cannot encompass. The birth of the Pre-Eternal Word within time and space is an act that surpasses all human logic. How can the Beginningless One have a beginning? How can the Almighty God appear as a helpless Child? How can the Uncreated become a creature? This is the love of God for the world—a love that does not settle for mere words or gestures of kindness but manifests as an act of ultimate, unspeakable condescension.
Thus, the cave teaches us humility. We, who often aspire to the heights of earthly glory, wealth, knowledge, and power, are called to immerse ourselves in the depths of God’s love. Just as God descended into the cave to illumine its darkness, so must we invite Him into our own “caves”—into the darkness of our hearts, into our fears, weaknesses, uncertainties, hopelessness, and sins. Through His birth in the cave, Christ establishes a profound interaction between the earthly and the heavenly, between the material and the spiritual. He comes not merely to visit His creation but to transform it completely.
The cave becomes a precursor to God’s ultimate humility on the dreadful Golgotha and the glory of the empty Tomb of Holy Pascha. What begins in the cave continues on the Cross and culminates in the Resurrection.
The cave speaks to us of a God who is unafraid of our human weakness but embraces it. His ineffable Birth is a revelation of a love that condescends to the lowest thresholds of wounded human nature to lift it up to the Heavens and make it a partaker of eternal life.
“Rejoice, O Universe, When You Hear” – Here we are called to a joy that surpasses all earthly happiness. This is not merely festive euphoria but a profound, quiet joy emanating from the realization that the Dayspring from on high has visited us. The world, weary under the burden of guilt, sin, suffering, and the fear of death, senses the renewal brought by the Birth of the Logos. The entire universe, from angels to humans, from the cave to the stars, celebrates this salvific event.
“Glorify Him with the Angels and the Shepherds” – The angels, the first heralds, proclaim the heavenly hymn on earth, inviting the shepherds, humble and simple-hearted people, to become the first witnesses of this extraordinary Birth. The shepherds teach us that only with a pure heart and an open spirit can we see God. Their glorification is the glorification of the entire Church, which gathers today around the Bethlehem Cave to greet and magnify the newborn Savior.
“The One Who Chose to Appear, the Young Child, the Pre-Eternal God” – This concluding verse encapsulates the mystery of the Nativity, revealing the paradox that transcends all human logic: the Pre-Eternal God, the Creator of the universe, the Maker of all things visible and invisible, He who is beyond time and space, becomes a Child – small, helpless, wrapped in swaddling clothes, dependent on human care. This is the unfathomable condescension of Divine love, which does not remain distant from its creation but enters into direct communion with it with boundless tenderness and humility.
“The One Who Chose to Appear” – This phrase unveils the depth of God’s freedom and His loving will. God is not compelled to come into the world; it is His choice, the fruit of His perfect love. The phrase “chose to appear” signifies that Christ’s Nativity is neither accidental nor mechanical but an act of free will and deliberate decision. This “appearing” is God’s desire to draw near to His creature—man, to save and deify him.
“The Young Child” – This image reveals God in a state of ultimate humility. A child is the epitome of innocence and goodness. As a Child, He does not rule with power and fear but with love and trust. The child symbolizes purity, innocence, and openness. A child has nothing to hide, no ulterior motives; by appearing as a Child, God shows us how we should be to receive Him: like children, unmasked, sincere, trusting, rejoicing in goodness. As a Child, Christ disarms human pride. Instead of coming as a mighty Ruler who conquers the world with a sword, He comes as the least of all, to show that the last are first in His Kingdom. His childlike nature is an icon of humility that opens the door to Heaven.
“The Pre-Eternal God” – This phrase contains the grandeur of Christ’s nature. While His human nature becomes visible and tangible as a Child, His Divine nature remains uncreated, incomprehensible, pre-eternal, invisible, and ineffable. Christ does not cease to be God when He becomes Man; on the contrary, through His Incarnation, He unites the two natures – Divine and human – into one. This union is the foundation of our salvation, as Saint Athanasius the Great proclaims: “God became Man so that man might become god by grace.”
Christ’s Manifestation in the world as Man is a gift of love that liberates, transforms, and establishes a new creation. In the young Child is revealed the deepest mystery: love as the foundation of existence. This teaches us trust and goodness, for the Child is powerless, and yet in this very powerlessness lies the greatest strength—the strength of love that has overcome the world. His birth calls us to become like Him, to return to innocence, simplicity, selflessness, and to love that does not seek its own. This is God’s path for humanity—a path that begins in the manger, continues through the Cross, and culminates in the glory of the Resurrection.
Thus, beloved, the Kontakion for the Forefeast of the Nativity is not merely a hymn but, above all, an invitation to profound spiritual transformation. Through it, the Church calls us to prepare with humility and love, with joy and gratitude, to worthily receive Him who was born for our sake. In these holy days, let us open our hearts to Christ, offering Him our worries, sorrows, fears, and joys, and let us feel the boundless love of God, who humbled Himself to exalt us into His eternal Kingdom. Amen. Blessed Nativity!
†Bishop Parthenius of Antania, Abbot of the Holy Bigorski Monastery (Excerpt from a monastic synaxis, January 29, 2024)
