The puzzle of the twice-born Jesus

Snow has covered the fields and forests of much of Ukraine. When the sun reigns in the sky, its rays gild the scene. All my previous winters, all previous Christmas celebrations, were peaceful, and the snow, if it came, emphasised this calmness. Snow and cold preserve the life of the grass until spring, until the first warm weather. The snow seems to require everyone to rest, to avoid unnecessary movement, unnecessary noise. The acoustic properties of snow make joyful children’s voices louder – or is that just an aural illusion? No, snow definitely changes the sound of nature. It keeps the sounds above the ground as if He does not want them to disturb the hibernating moles and other inhabitants of the rich Ukrainian soil. Christmas 2022 is not only special because it seems to be war-scared. This year, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has given Ukrainians a choice: they can celebrate Christmas according to the Gregorian calendar – that is, with all of Europe – or they can celebrate it according to the Julian calendar, as they did before, with Russia and the Orthodox Church of the Moscow Patriarchate.

Last year, my village Lazarivka, which is located 50 miles from Kyiv, celebrated Christmas on 6-7 January, together with Russia. Last year, Father Alexander officiated at the Christmas night Mass in our village church. A rather portly man, Alexander often wore a dissatisfied expression on his face. His wife and children had left him, and he remained alone in his village house. He complained that he did not have enough money to live on and that, as a result, he had to get involved in the secondhand car market and spent all his spare time in Kyiv earning extra money as a taxi driver.

Now Father Alexander has also left the village and the church is closed.