The following is a rough, unofficial translation provided by Nicholas Petroff of the ROCiE Laity List via Father Andrew Kencis:
Russian Orthodox Church In Exile
Nativity Epistle
Beloved in Christ brothers and sisters!
I congratulate you on a joyful Feast of the Nativity of Our Lord, the Holiday of Peace and Love, a holiday of mercy and amnesty.
This Holiday is still referred to by Our Church also as "Three-day Pascha", this indicates that, the Nativity of Our Lord on its dogmatic meaning has the same importance and significance as the Holiday of Pascha - Sunday of Christ's Resurrection. "If there was no Nativity, there would also be no Pascha" - says Saint John Zlatoust. And as in Pascha "the heavens merrily cheer, the earth rejoices", and "we celebrate the world, all the visible and the invisible"; and likewise in the Nativity of Our Lord "exalt the angels in heaven, and rejoice here the people, playful are all the animals born in Bethlehem because of Christ Jesus" (Sticheras during Litia).
On this night of salvation was born the God-child Jesus Christ, God the Infant, "God is strength, Master, Creator of the World" - Eternal God. The Lord descended from heaven onto earth on Divine love towards us, to reconcile mankind with God, to return to us paradise, which we have lost, and, having expiated us through a Christian death, to grant us the Kingdom of Heaven, joy, goodwill and His blessed peace.
Already more than two thousand years have passed, as this world has been announced by Angels, and it would seem that all people living on the earth should "with one voice, with one heart" glorify and sing "honorable and majestic name" of the Creator and of our Deliverer in the Holy Trinity be glorified. But meanwhile there is no peace in this world, only everywhere accrue moodiness, contentions, wars, various disasters and sufferings. Even among those, who call themselves orthodox christians, who should be an example for the rest of the world, not only are not belittled, but, especially recently, with every passing year increase schisms, moodiness, contentions, mutual hatred, intrigues, slander and condemnation, and destroy love for one another. So that even many un-firm in faith come to confusion and despondency, as though seeing contradiction between God's Word and life itself.
Church of Christ is the kingdom of peace. What high example of love, spirit of unity and peace we see in the society of the first Christians. "And the multitude of them that believed", - speaks the writer of the Acts, eyewitness Apostle and Evangelist Luke, - "were of one heart and of one soul" (Acts 4, 32). "Sanctified in Christ Jesus", "called to be saints" (1 Corinthians 1, 2), - as Holy Apostle Paul names his contemporary Christians, - in truth stayed the brothers in spirit, sincerely helping each other in matters of eternal salvation, "with all lowliness and meekness, with long-suffering, forbearing one another in love: endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Ephesians 4, 2-3).
But the disturber and enemy of the human race did not leave in peace the earthly Kingdom of Christ. With all his evil might, with the purpose to shake and destroy it, he has inspired the pagan world to erect a whole row of severe persecutions against the believers in Christ.
Disappeared from the face of the earth whole empires and people, but the Church of Christ on the blood of Holy Martyrs only gotten stronger, grew and prospered, in accordance with the words of the Savior on, that "gates of Hell" will never overcome the Holy Church.
Christ's Church, as the true kingdom of peace, gives this peace personally to each Christian, who keeps their Holy Orthodox faith, fulfills God's Commandments and participates in the saving Sacraments of the Church. Our very Lord Jesus Christ told of his followers: "God's Heaven is inside you" (Luke 17, 21).
This Blessed Kingdom, this all encompassing peace stays in the hearts of truly believing people, living in God and staying with Christ, which live with Christ and die in Christ. From the history of Our Holy Church we know, that God's holy saints were even joyful in their sufferings and praising in their sorrows, in cells and dungeons, in deserts and dens, before all visible deprivations, were so complacent and quiet, as, perhaps, people would never feel themselves, living in external content and visible well-being. Death is not scary to people of God, they complacently meet it and with peace depart to God - to their Founder and Savior.
For such people are not terrible any troubles and misfortunes, contentions and internalization. Though, God's holy saints, during their lives were witnesses of various schisms and divisions, seeing how Christ's Unsewn Chiton tore apart, always grieved and endured, wrote even sorrowful letters and Epistles, but even in this heavy temptation they never lost in their souls the peace and love of Christ. As how Holy Apostle Paul speaks: "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?". "For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, or powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Romans 8, 35, 38-39).
The same in their life and death professed the Holy New Martyrs and Confessors of Russia, undergoing awful persecutions and tortures, but, keeping their internal freedom and internal peace, they did not put up with god haters and turncoats, keeping their Orthodox faith undefiled.
Certainly, to us it is far to Apostle Paul, to the Holy Saints and Holy New Martyrs; but though we are sinful, weak and of little faith, on such a Great Holiday of the Nativity of Jesus Christ God does not leave also us his rich mercies, and sends us peace and sparks our hearts, especially granting pleasure after participating in the Holy and Life-giving Sacraments of Christ.
This blessed peace, not the one that gives peace, this peace, as reconciliation with God, is necessary for us for our salvation. For God it is not necessary from us not so much earthly gifts, how much our heart and our salvation, which is made not without our free will. And therefore we shall try to direct our will on the path of salvation, we shall try at least to do something for this purpose, pray for it more assiduously, to struggle with our passions, to avoid sins, contentions, disputes, to overcome insults, afflictions, vanity and warn others, admonish, dissuade them from spite and quarrels - by the word of our Savior: "Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called the children of God", "Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy". Only then our prayers and our works will be pleasant to God. Only then will the Lord be instilled in our hearts, executing blessed peace and spiritual pleasure.
I sincerely wish, that our Lord Jesus Christ grants all of us this joy and blessed peace and permits us not only in this temporary, but also in the eternal life pre announced by the Holy Angels of God's benevolence. Amen.
- Bishop Vladimir
Nativity of Our Lord, 2006