"Behold, I Am With You", acrylic on gesso board, Bishop Maxim, 2026

This is my first painting of 2026. Upon a surface that had already lived many lives—layers of color, crossings of chance and intention—Christ emerges in a Byzantine voice. He is not placed there by force; He arrives. He appears suddenly, almost quietly, as one recognizes a familiar face in a crowded street. This Christ greets the year before us. He stands within an age bruised by human suffering, scarred by cruelty, and unhealed memory. The wounds of the world are not concealed beneath fresh pigment; they remain, bearing witness. Yet from within that wounded ground, His presence rises— as an invitation and not as accusation. Here, Christ does not dominate history; He interrupts despair. He comes as hope that does not shout, as comfort that does not erase pain, as a promise that refuses to be extinguished. In the old Byzantine manner—timeless, frontal, unwavering—He looks at us and waits. This is a greeting for 2026: not naïve, not triumphant, but faithful. A reminder that even now, especially now, hope can still appear—unexpectedly, gently, and for everyone.