Venerable fathers, dear brothers and sisters!

With heartfelt joy I greet all of you and wholeheartedly congratulate you on the radiant feast of the Nativity of our Lord God and Savior Jesus Christ!

Today the Holy Church of Christ once again proclaims to the world great joy and the ineffable mystery of Christian piety, surpassing all understanding: “God was manifested in the flesh” (1 Tim. 3:16).

In the stillness of the cave of Bethlehem, the greatest miracle of divine love is accomplished: “A mystery! Strange and wonderful I see! Heaven is a cave on earth! The cherubic throne is the Virgin! The God Whom cannot be contained is placed in the manger, a noble place, O Christ our God. Him do we praise and magnify!” (irmos of the canon of the Nativity of Christ).

The pre-eternal Son of God humbly takes upon Himself human nature in order to restore fallen humanity and to grant mankind the path to salvation and eternal life.

On this blessed Christmas night, contemplating the Christ Child, the God-Infant lying in the manger, we reverently bow before the Mystery of the Incarnation and, together with the Heavenly Hosts, sing the angelic doxology: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will among men!” (Luke 2:14).

The Nativity of Christ reveals to us the truth about God, who does not remain distant from human sorrows, but enters into the very depths of our lives, sharing with us our labors, sufferings, and weaknesses. The Incarnate Lord calls us to follow His example—to be bearers of peace, mercy, and forgiveness, witnessing to Christ not only by word, but above all by deeds of love.

In our difficult times, it is especially important to preserve in our hearts this Christmas joy and hope in God, remembering that God is Light and that the darkness cannot overcome it (John 1:5).

May the feast of the Nativity of Christ strengthen each of us in faith, console us in sorrows, and inspire us to serve our neighbors, to care for one another, and to preserve Christian unity.

My dear ones, prayerfully sharing with you the joy of this great feast, I wholeheartedly wish you spiritual and bodily health, peace and well-being, and God’s help in all good labors and undertakings. May the feast of the Nativity of Christ become for each of us a source of spiritual renewal, and may the coming New Year be a time of blessed labors and good fruits.

I call down upon all of you the blessing of God.

With love in Christ Who is Born,

+MATTHEW
Bishop of Sourozh
Interim Administrator of the Patriarchal Parishes
in the USA and Canada
Nativity of Christ, 2025/2026