“In the Hands of the Blessed Virgin Mary, Who Transcends from Earth to Heaven, We Place a Prayer for the Victory of Ukraine”: Head of the UGCC on the Assumption Day
We put prayer into the hands of the Mother of God for all of us so that we may learn to love God and our neighbor to the extent of complete self-sacrifice. Today, we ask: Most Holy Virgin Mary, be with us! Guide us through the difficult circumstances of life! Let us see the preciousness of the struggle for the freedom of Ukraine from the standpoint of eternity!
His Beatitude Sviatoslav, the Father and Head of the UGCC, said during a sermon at the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary in Stryi on the Feast of the Assumption on August 28, 2023. According to the Julian calendar, this is the last major holiday that the UGCC celebrates. On September 1, the Church will switch to a new style for fixed holidays.
In his sermon, His Beatitude Sviatoslav recalled the meaning and significance of the Feast of the Assumption, which is also considered the second Easter, congratulated the residents of Stryi on the feast day, and then gave the Mother of God a prayer for the victory of Ukraine and the Ukrainian people, dedicating them to Her maternal care.
“Looking at the moment of the end of the earthly life of the Blessed Virgin Mary in today’s feast, we discover a deep truth about every believer. Today, a person can perceive the mystery of their own life and death,” the preacher said.
The Patriarch claimed that at the moment of death, a person will remember not what they took from life, even from God or other people, but what they gave themselves. The righteous Metropolitan Andrey Sheptytsky used to say: “At the hour of death, the only thing you will have left of all your possessions is what you gave to the poor!”
Congratulating the cathedral on its patronal feast, His Beatitude Sviatoslav noted that entire generations of Stryi residents were raised in this church, delving into their own lives, their challenges, pains, and suffering from the standpoint of eternity.
“The city of Stryi gave birth to so many great people, heroes of Christian life and national liberation movements, and gave them to the Church and the nation! When the world said that Ukraine did not exist and would never exist, the Ukrainian Military Organization was born here in our Stryi gymnasium. Out of the bosom of our Church were born eternal ideas which neither the grave nor death had any power or authority,” the Head of the UGCC emphasized.
The Patriarch also stated that by celebrating the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary this year, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church completes the period of the history of the Church’s life according to the Julian calendar: “On September 1, we are switching to a new style for fixed holidays. We will begin a new period in the history of the Church. A period that we will begin and lead by looking into eternity revealed to us through Christian life in the present.”
Today, as we celebrate the Feast of the Assumption, we cannot but keep in our hearts, minds, and prayers hundreds of our heroes who gave their lives for the Motherland because now is the moment of the gravest pain of our people, the moment of blood, tears, and suffering. The patriarch is convinced that neither the grave nor death can contain our love for the Motherland, faith in God, true patriotism, and love for our people in these circumstances.
“Most Holy Virgin Mary, today we entrust to You our Church, our people, our army, our youth, our children. Today, O Mother of God, we ask you to show us the conquerors of life over death. On this joyful and profound holiday, we pray with one heart and one voice: Holy Mother of God, save us,” the Father and Head of the UGCC added.
The Patriarch thanked the bishops and clergy of the Stryi Eparchy for the invitation and communal prayer, as well as for their zealous pastoral ministry, especially to the Ukrainian army.
His Beatitude Sviatoslav noted that he is heading to Rome from Stryi, as the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC will begin there on September 3. The Synod will also meet with the Holy Father, Pope Francis.
The UGCC Department for Information
