Head of the UGCC on the First Sunday of Lent: “Jesus Christ Himself Is the Plan for the Salvation of Our Homeland”
“In God’s message today we hear that the Lord God has a plan to save Ukraine. God’s word has already reached us. This plan for the salvation of our homeland and people is not a thing, but a Person. This Savior is our Lord God Jesus Christ Himself.” His Beatitude Sviatoslav, the Father and Head of the UGCC, said this during a sermon at the Patriarchal Cathedral in Kyiv on March 9, the first Sunday of Lent.
During the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy on the first Sunday of Lent and the Sunday of Orthodoxy, Bishop Yosyf Milan, Protosyncellus of the Kyiv Archeparchy, and Bishop Andriy Khimyak, Auxiliary Bishop of the Kyiv Archeparchy, concelebrated with the Father and Head of the Church.
During the service, His Beatitude Sviatoslav emphasized that Lent is a time of rebirth — “the rebirth of man, our spiritual life, the rebirth of all good things in the life of everyone who believes.” He called on the faithful not only to focus on what they have to do during this period, but also to reflect on what the Lord wants to do for them.
The Primate noted that Christ finds Philip and Nathanael in the same fashion as God called Moses through the burning bush. “The Lord God is the first to approach,” explained the hierarch.
He also emphasized that vocation always begins with interest: “The Lord does not impose, does not force, but attracts… He says to Nathanael: ‘Come and see’ (John 1:46).”
His Beatitude Sviatoslav also noted that today’s word of God comes at a very turbulent time for Ukraine and the whole world. “We see attempts to bargain with our lives and force us into a false truce,” said the Patriarch, “but the Lord God speaks today of what He wants to do for us now. He has a plan to save our homeland. And the Lord Jesus Christ Himself is that savior.”
“Today, the Lord calls each of us to heed His message, sending His Word to us, saying: you are not forgotten by God, but you are His beloved. God hears your cries, your suffering,” added the Head of the UGCC.
At the end of the homily, His Beatitude Sviatoslav encouraged the faithful to pray deeply and recognize the presence of God in our lives: “True prayer, according to St. John Chrysostom, is longing for God. Let’s ask ourselves: how much do I want God in my life today?” And then, as the Primate assures us, the Lord God will answer us: “You will see the heavens opened and the angels of God ascending and descending on the Son of Man. Come and see.”
The UGCC Department for Information
