Holy Spirit, heal the wound of the Ukrainian people inflicted by the wicked enemy: Head of the UGCC on Pentecost
Today we call on the Holy Spirit to come upon our nation, our Church, in the tragic circumstances of war. During the last post-Easter days in Kyiv, we have seen the fire of death fall from heaven on our heads. And today, we call upon the fire of life of the Bestower. Then, we saw how the enemy did everything to frighten us. And today, we feel the Holy Spirit comforts us. His Beatitude Sviatoslav, the Father and Head of the UGCC, said this during a sermon at the Liturgy in the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ on the feast of the Descent of the Holy Spirit.
During the sermon, the Head of the Church said that Pentecost is the day that the entire created universe waited for after the fall of man, waited for all of humanity throughout the Old Testament, and waited for the apostles before they went around the world to spread the good news of the resurrection of Christ.
His Beatitude Sviatoslav said that we read about the power of the Holy Spirit at the beginning of the Holy Scriptures. It is the power that calls the whole world into existence; it is the power that gives life to each of us; it is the power that makes us exist. “I breathe because the Holy Trinity breathes me in its eternal love. The power that is imparted from the resurrected Christ to man revitalizes him, warms him, and heals him. The power that reveals our God to us as Creator and Savior — God who animates everything,” said the Head of the UGCC.
On the Feast of the Descent of the Holy Spirit, His Beatitude Sviatoslav emphasized that the Holy Spirit is the breath of God’s eternal love, and therefore, those who feel this breath can assert to know God.
“Today, we feel that Christian life, Christian faith is not a theory or a collection of verities or knowledge. Instead, the Christian life is the power and work of the all-animating, all-sanctifying Spirit of God,” said the Head of the Church.
In addition, His Beatitude Sviatoslav recalled during his sermon that this day is also widely known as Green Sunday. Green is the color of hope, and when everything comes to life, the face of the earth is renewed. According to the preacher, a person can have hope only when they feel that God’s eternal love in the Holy Spirit rests on each of us.
“Today, we pray for the wisdom of our government. We pray for our diplomats to speak all the languages of the world, as the apostles once did, to speak to the heart of the world community of our time. Today we pray for healing the wounds of all those who have suffered from this war. And we see, feel, and know that the Holy Spirit comes, suffices us, and expands our horizons. The Holy Spirit makes us fully living Christians,” said His Beatitude Sviatoslav on Pentecost.
The UGCC Department for Information
