His Beatitude Sviatoslav during the Liturgy at the Tomb of Josaphat in the Vatican: “Let us not delay the Sacrament of Confession”
In times of terrible war, let us ask the Lord God for the Sacraments of Mercy and Love for our people. Let us not delay the Sacrament of Confession because every time we confess our sins, we defeat sin and evil in our hearts and become carriers of Christ’s victory around us. His Beatitude Sviatoslav, the Father and Head of the UGCC, called for this during the Divine Liturgy celebrated on Saturday, October 7, at the tomb of St. Josaphat in St. Peter’s Basilica on the occasion of the beginning of the academic year at the universities of Rome.
In his sermon, the Head of the Church blessed the students at the beginning of the school year, explained the two miracles of today’s Gospel, encouraging them to take the Sacrament of Confession, and called to pray for the victims of the Russian terrorist attack in the village of Groza and for the UGCC parish community in Beryslav in Kherson region, which needs special support these days.
His Beatitude Sviatoslav thanked the Ukrainian community in Rome for constantly offering prayers of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church at the relics of St. Josaphat during the 400th anniversary of his martyrdom in the Vatican: “Here we pray not only to him but also with him for our people, our Church. This prayer is a source of resilience and strength for our people amidst the terrible circumstances of war.”
The Head of the Church also noted that the Liturgy, which he celebrated today in St. Peter’s Basilica, is a blessing for Ukrainian students at the beginning of the new academic year at the Pontifical Universities of the Eternal City. “We ask the Lord God, through the intercession of St. Josaphat, for the grace of the enlightenment of the Holy Spirit for our students, so that the time of study will be a time of growth for them not only in years and human wisdom but also in the grace of the Holy Spirit,” said the Primate.
The Head of the UGCC noted that the Gospel about the Paralyzed reveals one of the features of the feat of service of St. Josaphat — he was a “soul catcher” because he was a zealot for the Holy Sacrament of Confession. Josaphat could leave everything behind, stop in the middle of a journey, stand at the edge of the road, listen to a person’s Confession, and administer the Sacrament of God’s Forgiveness.
“Unfortunately,” said the Primate, “today in the secularized world, the Holy Sacrament of Confession is almost dead. Few people today understand and realize the power of God’s miracle, which the Lord God wishes to continue performing in the life of a modern Christian. Today, we all discuss the Synodal Way — when we must ‘walk together.’ But how can a paralyzed person walk? Only the one who has experienced the Sacrament of Divine Mercy, to whom the Lord God personally said: ‘Your sins are forgiven,’ can stand up and, together with the whole Church, move towards the fullness of growth in Christ,” the Head of the UGCC convinces.
His Beatitude Sviatoslav shared that yesterday, October 6, he spoke with Father Oleksandr Bilskyi from Beryslav in the Kherson region. The priest said that their church and the parish kitchen, which provided food for the people, were damaged, and people do not know how to live.
“Let us pray today for our brothers and sisters in the south of Ukraine, our parishioners who maintain the humanitarian front there. Sadly, many of them have lost their lives in recent weeks. We also remember in our prayers those who Russian criminals killed in the village of Groza, Kupiansk district, Kharkiv region,” said the Primate, referring to an article in the Vatican’s central publication L’Osservatore Romano titled “Senza pietà” (“Without Mercy”), which recounts the tragedy in the Kharkiv region.
The Head of the UGCC concluded his sermon: “St. Josaphat, Ukraine is bleeding. You, who shed your blood for the holy cause of the unity of the Churches, beg our Savior to anoint and heal the wounds of our people with His divine blood. St. Josaphat, pray to God for us!”
The UGCC Department for Information
