In the name of the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, One God, Amen.
Happy New Year and glorious Nativity Feast. I congratulate you, my beloved, everywhere in our Coptic Churches. I congratulate you on the New Year 2025. And on the glorious Nativity Feast, The first of the blessed feasts in the Gregorian year. I congratulate all the fathers: metropolitans and bishops. All the fathers, the priests: hegumens, and presbyters, and the deacons. I congratulate the church boards and all Coptic families, All the youth and children across the world, On the glorious Nativity Feast, in which we welcome Christ as a little Child.
When God wished to enter the world, He chose the childhood way. And through this little Child, great works were accomplished. Indeed, when we study the events of the Nativity, we discover a very important fact. That all small things, when placed in the hand of God, become great. I will give examples of this.
In the story of the Nativity, we encounter the small village of Bethlehem, an obscure and unknown village. There are thousands of villages in many parts of the world, but when this village welcomed the holy Virgin Mary and St. Joseph the Carpenter, the result of the Birth of the Lord Christ was this village became the most famous village in the entire world. It was the village of Bethlehem. What is small in God’s hands becomes very great.
It was not just the village but also the young girl, our mother, the Virgin Mary. She was a young girl, of limited years, but God filled her with grace. And the angel said to her: The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; Therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God (Luke 1:35). This very young and humble girl, who lived in the temple, became later the most renowned saint in Christian life. We now call her “The pride of our race,” The entire human race, men and women everywhere. As I mentioned: A small girl, when she interacts with God, and is filled with grace, becomes this magnificent.
A third example is the star (Matthew 2: 2). A small star appeared in the sky. It was moving in a perhaps unusual manner in consideration of astronomy. It guided the Magi coming from the East. These Magi, while on their journey, had this star as their only guide and leader. This star moved as they moved and stopped as they stopped. It became a miracle. The sky is filled with countless stars. But this star, the star of the Nativity, became a miracle, famous and renowned. When we depict Nativity icons, we must draw this star in all types of icons.
There are many examples: the small in Christ’s hands becomes great. The little in Christ’s hands becomes abundant. Not only these examples but also another one. The hymn. The hymn sung by the angels at the Nativity. A very short hymn. But it became the title of our Christianity. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men” (Luke 2:14). A hymn with few words but immense impact. It became the expressive title of our Christianity. Why? Because this hymn encompasses heaven, earth, and humanity. Therefore, it became a comprehensive hymn. Heaven: Glory to God in the highest. Earth: And on earth peace. Humanity: And goodwill toward men. It became a threefold, complete, and comprehensive hymn. It became a title for the work of Christ and the mission of Christianity. It is like a plan and program for human life. There are countless examples. However, the important point is this: When you place the little in God’s hands, it becomes great. In our language, we say: “It is blessed,” though it is little.
Beyond the Nativity story, I can give you other examples. For instance, the small boy who had five loaves and two fish, amid crowds of thousands. When Christ asked His disciples to feed the crowds, they said: We have nothing but a small boy with five loaves and two fish (John 6: 9). Perhaps this was the boy’s meal. But the Disciples took this very little food, placed it in Christ’s hands, and it became abundant, feeding five thousand men, not counting women and children. And there were still twelve baskets full of leftovers. What an overflow! What a great blessing!
Another example: Peter the Apostle, before his apostleship, was a fisherman. He was a fisherman. He went out fishing. And as fishermen say, “His livelihood depends on God.” One day, there is provision; another day, there is none. It was a night of unsuccessful fishing. They toiled all night to catch fish, but they failed. Christ appeared at dawn and said to them: “… let down your nets” (Luke 5:4). Peter said his famous words: Master, we have toiled all night and caught nothing; nevertheless, at Your word I will let down the net (Luke 5:5). The Scripture says: “… they caught a great number of fish, and their net was breaking” (Luke 5:6). The nets were breaking, filled, and overflowing at Christ’s word. “At Your word I will let down the net” (Luke 5:5).
Another beautiful example: The woman who gave two mites (Mark 12: 42). These two mites were of very little value in the Lord Christ’s time. But she gave them out of her poverty and need. The result was that God praised her and pointed her out, And the woman with the two mites became famous in the New Testament. While there were others who gave much. And the coins at that time were metal. And the box for offerings was also metal. When coins were placed in the box, they made a sound. Large coins made a louder sound. Small coins made less sound. These two mites most likely made no sound at all. But Christ praised her, blessed her, and pointed her out. She became a model for us.
Even in the stories of choosing Christ’s servants. As in the selection of David the Prophet (1 Samuel 16:11). He was a young boy, the youngest among his brothers, weak in build. A similar story can be seen in Saint Bishoy. David was young, yet when God chose him as a servant, the elders objected, saying, “Choose someone older.” But God chose the young and made him a great and holy man. He made David the Prophet with all his life and his psalms, including the well-known Psalm of Repentance.
This beautiful image reminds us, as we celebrate the Nativity of Christ, that whatever little we offer to God becomes very great. It is not just about the little in money, but also the little in time. When you dedicate a very limited time of your day to God, in prayer, reading the Bible, solitude, or contemplation, you will find these little moments you offer to God, blesses your entire day, week, and month. When you offer effort, service, thoughts, innovation, or creativity, no matter how little you give, it will become
great.
This is the Nativity message I present to you today, beloved ones: Do not underestimate anything, regardless of its size or form. Our little children will become great in the future. The effort you offer, your time, your money, your thoughts, your labor, and your tears, all will become great in God’s hands if offered for His sake.
I congratulate you all. I congratulate all the Coptic dioceses across the world, in Africa, Asia, Europe, North America, South America, and Australia, also, the Holy Land See in the great city of our God, Jerusalem. I congratulate you all from Cairo, from Egypt. I congratulate you and convey the greetings of the entire Coptic Church in Egypt. I wish you a happy New Year, I wish you a blessed Nativity Feast, and the joy of the Nativity in your lives. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, goodwill toward men” (Luke 2:14).
— His Holiness Pope Tawadros II
Pope of Alexandria & Patriarch of the See of St. Mark
The Holy Feast of Nativity
January 2025
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