By Hannah Marion Namukasa
Archbishop Jeronymos Muzeyi has urged Orthodox Christians and all Ugandans to embrace love, humility, and peace as the true meaning of Christmas, describing the Birth of Christ as God’s ultimate gift of love to the world.
In his Christmas Message 2025, titled “The Greatest of All Is Love”, the Archbishop reflected on the mystery of the Incarnation, calling believers to celebrate Christmas not only with joy, but with spiritual realism rooted in faith, responsibility, and hope in God’s Kingdom.
“Christ is born!” the Archbishop proclaimed, reminding the faithful that the coming of Jesus Christ reveals the depth, breadth, and power of God’s love—agape—a divine, selfless, and redemptive love offered for the salvation of all humanity.
Christ, the Incarnate Love of God
Archbishop Jeronymos emphasized that the heart of the Gospel lies in God’s loving decision to send His Son into the world. Quoting Scripture and the Nicene Creed, he affirmed that Jesus Christ—Saviour, Emmanuel, and the Anointed One—came down from heaven to bring light, peace, and freedom from fear.
Through Christ, believers receive grace to become children of God and are called to live a threefold love: love of God, love for humanity, and love of neighbour. “We love because He first loved us,” the Archbishop reminded the faithful.
The Church as the Ark of Love
Highlighting the role of the Orthodox Church, Archbishop Jeronymos described the Church as the “Ark of Love” and the living Body of Christ. He reaffirmed the Orthodox Church as One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic, entrusted with the mission of revealing God’s love to the world.
Within the Church, he said, believers encounter Christ through humility, forgiveness, reconciliation, and holiness. Quoting theologian Dr. Rowan Williams, the Archbishop noted that Orthodoxy is not merely doctrine or ritual, but a wisdom that transforms both vision and action—centered on love revealed in Christ.
Love as the Hope of the World
Addressing the realities of today’s world, Archbishop Jeronymos spoke candidly about moral decay, inequality, conflict, and oppression, warning that technology and weaponry cannot heal humanity’s deepest wounds.
“The only true cure is Love,” he said—divine love lived fully in the Church and practiced daily by Christians. He called on believers to carry the Cross, love one another, help the vulnerable, show humility, and even love their enemies.
The Archbishop made a special appeal as Uganda enters a season of political campaigns, urging Christians to allow Christ’s love to guide their actions in homes, communities, political gatherings, and polling stations.
A Prayer for Uganda and the World
Concluding his message, Archbishop Jeronymos prayed that Uganda would become “a land of divine love—Agape,” and that the celebration of Christ’s Birth would renew hearts, families, and the nation.
“May our world be filled with love,” he said, “for the Child Jesus, the Son of God, the Incarnate Love of God, is born for the salvation of the world.”
