“Although you lost everything, you did not lose the most important treasure — your faith in God,” UGCC Head to the Ukrainian community in Romania
Our community, our Church in the Maramureș region, is well aware of what is most important and valuable in the life of every person. Our vicariate of Ukrainian Greek Catholics in the Maramureș region passed through a very rough history. It was created in 1931 as part of the newly organized Maramureș diocese and existed for only 20 years. In 1948, it was subjected to terrible and brutal repression by the communist authorities. Although you lost everything, you did not lose your most important treasure—your faith in God.
His Beatitude Sviatoslav, the Father and Head of the UGCC, said this during a sermon to the Ukrainian community in Romania in the Church of the Holy Trinity (Crăciunești, Romania) on September 15, 2024.
Bishop Stepan Sus, head of the UGCC Pastoral and Migration Department, and the priests of the vicariate concelebrated with the Head of the Church.
“A new page in the history of the Ukrainian Church and the Ukrainian people is being written before our eyes. Perhaps for the first time in history, the Lord God has granted me, as a successor of the ancient Kyivan metropolitans of the undivided Christianity of the first millennium, the privilege of coming here from the holy Kyivan mountains to visit you, the Greek Catholics of the glorious Maramureș region. We witness some new wondrous deeds of God revealed before our eyes,” said the Head of the UGCC.
“I thank the Lord God for being here today, for being able to see you, pray with you, and exchange the gifts that the Lord God has bestowed upon us. That is why we are so happy today and this joy envelops us. I see the tears of joy in your eyes. Truly, the emotions of this day cannot be contained,” said the Patriarch.
In his sermon, the Head of the UGCC, explaining the Gospel passage from Matthew 19:16–26 about the rich young man, emphasizes that the Lord offers eternal life to every person today.
The preacher assures us that in this dialogue between the young man and Christ, the Lord reveals Himself as the source of life and the ultimate wealth of every person, worth sacrificing everything to gain eternal life.
“The young man does not realize that eternal life itself has come to him. He only needs to believe and accept it, live and grow in that wealth, and share it. This is what it takes to follow Christ and be His disciple,” he said.
“All we are capable of doing is to reach the depth of the vessel in which the Lord God puts the treasure… But what is in that vessel? If there is no treasure, which is Christ Himself, no eternal life, then everything a person holds is empty,” the head of the UGCC is convinced.
” An attempt to live but not to die is the fundamental need of a young person. To develop and increase the life that we feel in ourselves. That is why the young man asks Christ for eternal life,” added the Head of the Church.
The Father and Head of the UGCC stated that the Ukrainian community, the Church in Maramureș, is well aware of what is most important and valuable in the life of every person and in the life of the community. “Although you lost everything, you did not lose the most important treasure—your faith in God. The most important treasure of the Ukrainian people, which was passed on to you by your parents and predecessors,” he said.
“You have Christ, the greatest treasure of mankind, who has eternal life. You have it already! This living Christ is among you. You only need to guard this treasure and not lose it amid all the concerns and demands of earthly life,” the bishop emphasized and cautioned people against the danger: if you do not pass on faith in God to your children, their home will remain empty, and the children will soon squander everything and be lost to both the Church and the people. Most importantly, they could lose the treasure in heaven—eternal life.”
In the end, the Head of the UGCC thanked the Ukrainian community and their priests, as well as all Ukrainians who nurture the treasure of their parents.
“I was happy to learn how many Ukrainian schools there are in Romania, or even classes with Ukrainian language instruction! I was very pleased to see the little girls who welcomed me with bread and salt. The treasure of their parents’ faith and culture shines through their eyes,” said the Patriarch.
“Today a new page of our community is opening in Romania. A lot of Ukrainians are coming to you today. Even in Bucharest, a new Ukrainian community has sent me a letter requesting a priest. The brutal circumstances of the war create new opportunities and new perspectives. We must respond to them together adeptly. Thank you to all of you who accept your brothers and sisters from Ukraine. I thank the Romanian authorities, our social and cultural centers. I thank the Lord God, because what is ‘impossible with men is possible with God,’ the spiritual leader of Ukrainians added.
The UGCC Department for Information
Photo by Sorin Santa
