Ukrainian Catholic Eparchy of Toronto and Eastern Canada Українська Католицька Єпархія Торонта й Східної Канади Éparchie Catholique Ukrainienne de Toronto et de l‘Ést du Canada

Greetings on the Occasion of The Nativity of Our Lord 2025

To the Venerable Clergy, Monastics, Seminarians, and All the Faithful of the Eparchy of Toronto and Eastern Canada: Christ is Born! Let Us Glorify Him!

As the darkness of long winter nights deepen, the eyes of our hearts gaze toward Bethlehem, where the deep mystery of our faith is revealed. There, we enter into that mystery of the Infinite God accepting the limits of human flesh in perfect humility!

We are invited to enter into the mysteries and paradoxes before us, as we contemplate the power of the Holy Spirit and the fruit of the “yes” from the Theotokos. The Eternal God is born. The Creator takes flesh from the created. The Invisible One is made visible. The Unapproachable One is embraced. Divinity and humanity now fully participate in each other - God dwells in us and we dwell in God like never before. The King of Kings is born in a manger not a mansion. God, as Infinite Love, chooses to dwell with us especially amid our brokenness and fear. This resounds during the Year of Jubilee as we celebrate the Hope that never lets us down. The angels sing “Gloria” as we learn that the womb of the Mother of God is paradise. Her human “yes” provides passage to eternal life, uniting human will to the Divine will, eternally participating in the Divine life.

The Light of God, symbolized by the Bethlehem star, shines in the center of continued struggle and suffering. We know that many children remain displaced, scattered far from their ancestral homes and separated from loved ones with no place to call home. Homes remain damaged, hearts remain heavy with loss, and the cry for justice and peace echoes across the plains of Ukraine and in the hearts of every person on earth affected by the tragedy of war and natural disaster.

Yet, this dark night cannot extinguish the light of Christ. Indeed, a single candle shows its greatest strength amid the greatest darkness. Let us hold fast to the hope that the Nativity brings: a hope rooted in the conviction that God has the final word over war, injustice, and death. As St. Paul says in his letter to the Romans, this is the grace in which we now stand. Rm 5:2. I invite all of us to be living witnesses to The Christ who is born among us:

• Be a Refuge for others: Open your hearts and homes to the displaced, the lonely, and the struggling. In every act of charity, we serve the Christ Child Himself.

• Be a Voice for Peace: Never tire of praying for a just peace and the healing of wounds that are physical, spiritual, emotional, individual or communal.

• Be Steadfast in Faith: Cherish your faith expressed in precious traditions. Pass on the greeting of Christ’s birth. May gatherings, meals and the beauty of our traditions deepen our faith. Endurance grows as faith is shared.

May the Person of Peace permeate you. May grace come upon your families, your communities, Ukraine and people of every land. May the newborn Christ grant you strength, resilience, humility before God and every heavenly blessing.

As your unworthy servant, I join the Holy Theotokos interceding for all of you: CHRIST IS BORN! GLORIFY HIM!

Bryan Bayda, CSsR
Eparch of to Toronto and Eastern Canada