Metropolitan Borys Gudziak: The Lord Enters the World’s “Predicament”

December 27, 2025

On the second day of the Christmas feast, the Synaxis of the Most Holy Theotokos, December 26, Metropolitan Borys Gudziak presided over the Divine Liturgy at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Philadelphia. He explained the Church tradition according to which, on the day following a great feast, the Church honors the synaxis of the principal person of the preceding celebration: after Christmas—the Synaxis of the Theotokos; after Theophany—the Synaxis of Saint John the Baptist.

In his homily, while reflecting on the icon of the Nativity, the Metropolitan focused on the difficult circumstances in which the Lord chose to enter the world.

In the icon of the Nativity, all the figures are filled with anxiety; their state is aptly captured by the word “predicament.” The Mother of God gives birth in a poor stable because there was no room at the inn, and soon wandering begins—Joseph does not know what to do next.

“It is precisely into this darkness that the Lord—the Light of the world—comes. For some reason, the Lord willed to enter this predicament of the world and to experience homelessness, occupation, rejection, and persecution,” the archpastor noted.

The Metropolitan connected the condition of the figures in the Nativity story with what Ukrainians are experiencing today, as they celebrate Christmas for the fourth time amid a brutal and horrific war. “We want this war to end—and that is good and natural. But it is important that we understand: salvation and God’s love are present in the world regardless of what is happening in this brutal reality.”

“Let us not give in to the whispers of the tempter that all is lost, and like Joseph, let us listen to the voice of the angel. Let us not succumb to despair and disappointment, but look to the light, seeing the history of salvation, realizing that God’s truth always ultimately prevails, and nurturing in our hearts a warm and safe place where the Lord dwells—the One who desires our salvation, our peace, and our quiet joy.”