President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky congratulated the Western rite Christians in our country on Christmas and spoke about the necessity of endurance and bringing one's work to completion despite everything.

"Dear people!

These days, millions of people in Ukraine and around the world are celebrating Christmas. The appearance of God's Son on Earth brought hope for salvation, faith in the victory of good and mercy to humanity.

Unfortunately, this year all our holidays have a bitter taste. And we may feel the traditional spirit of Christmas differently. A dinner at the family table may not be as tasty or warm. There might be empty chairs around it. Our settlements and streets may not be as bright. And Christmas bells may not ring as loudly and inspiringly — through sirens of air raid alerts or, worse still, gunfire. All this together can pose a great threat. This is disbelief. In higher powers and their might, in good and justice in the world. Loss of hope. Loss of love. Loss of oneself...

But isn't this exactly what evil and darkness want, which stand against us?

We have been fighting them for over 300 days and eight years now. And will we allow them to achieve their goal?

In this battle, we still have one powerful and effective weapon. The hammer and sword of our spirit and consciousness. God's wisdom. Courage and bravery. Honesty that compels us to do good and defeat evil.

The main act of courage is endurance and bringing one's work to completion despite everything. Our path is illuminated by truth. We know it. We defend it. Our truth is the fight for freedom. Freedom has a high price. But slavery — an even higher one.

Faith and patience light our way. Patience and faith. These twin forces. As was said, "He who masters himself is better than he who conquers a city." To endure does not mean to reconcile with circumstances. Endurance ensures that no doubt or fear enters our consciousness. It's faith in one's own strength.

Evil has no weapon stronger than the armor given to us by God. Evil breaks against this armor like a rock wall. We have seen it many times. We endured at the beginning of the war, endured attacks, threats, nuclear blackmail, terror, rocket strikes. We will endure this winter too. For we know what we are fighting for.

We move forward through thorns to stars, knowing what awaits us at the end of our path. God is a just judge who rewards good and punishes evil. Which side we are on — is clear. Who is who in this battle — is clear too. There are at least seven proofs of this — they are known: "... proud eyes, lying tongue, hands that shed innocent blood, mind that devises wicked plans, feet swift to run into mischief, deeds that sow discord, heart full of hatred." We stand against all of these. And we set an example for others. The faithful, those who truly believe, should be a light to the rest of the world. For more than 300 days Ukrainians have been striving for this, proving it, serving as an example for others. We are not saints or righteous people, but we certainly fight for good and battle for light. With faith in biblical prophecy: "Let every valley be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; let the rough ground become level, the rugged places a plain. And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For this is what the Lord says—He who created the heavens has stretched them out like a tent canopy over the earth. He who holds back the clouds and keeps the rain from falling, who brings out the stars in their constellations. 'To you, O Israel, I will reveal my glory.'"

We believe that tears will turn to joy, despair will give way to hope, and death will be overcome by life.

Dear Ukrainian people!

Today's day and all upcoming winter holidays we are meeting in difficult circumstances. Some will see the first star in the sky above Bakhmut, Rubizhne, Kramatorsk. Along thousands of kilometers of front lines. Someone — on a road, en route from the Ukrainian-Polish border to Kherson or Zaporizhzhia. Someone will see it through holes in their roof damaged by bullets in their settlement. Someone will celebrate in foreign homes but not among strangers — Ukrainians who have given shelter to Ukrainians. In Zakarpattia, Bukovina, Lviv region, Ivano-Frankivsk and many other regions. Someone will hear "Shchedryk" in another language — in Warsaw, Berlin, London, New York, Toronto and many other cities and countries. And someone will celebrate Christmas in captivity but remember that we are coming for our people too, we will return freedom to all Ukrainians.

No matter where we are, we will be together today. And look up at the evening sky together. And recall the morning of February 24th. Recall how far we've come. Recall Azovstal, Irpin, Bucha, Kramatorsk, Zmiiv, Chernobayivka, Izium, Kherson. We will make a wish. One for all. And feel joy. One for all. And understand the truth. One for all. That no kamikaze drones can extinguish the Christmas star's light. We will see its glow even underground in bomb shelters. We will fill our hearts with warmth and light. Nothing can wound them — not any "Kinzhal" missiles. They will break against our steel spirit. And our fight will continue without pause. It is not threatened by planned or emergency power cuts. And we will never feel a shortage of bravery and unbreakability.

We have endured many bitter news and will rightfully look forward to good tidings. We will sing carols more joyfully than ever — so that they ring louder than the sound of generators. We will hear the voices and greetings of loved ones — in our hearts, even if there is no connection or internet. And even in utter darkness we will find each other to tightly embrace one another. And if there's no warmth, we'll hug longer to warm each other up.

We will celebrate our holidays! As always. We will smile and be joyful. As always. The difference is that we won't wait for miracles, for we create them ourselves.

Christ is born! Glory to Him!"