Thank You for Not Forgetting Your Heritage Here,’ Says His Beatitude Sviatoslav during Liturgy in Tallinn
To be a Christian today means to allow God’s active Word to work within me, to be empowered by Him, to be a disciple and a Christian apostle of the third millennium. This was emphasized by His Beatitude Sviatoslav, the Father and Head of the UGCC, during a sermon delivered at the Cathedral of the Holy Apostles Peter and Paul in Tallinn, Estonia.
Bishop Philippe Jourdan, Apostolic Administrator of Catholics in Estonia, and Bishop Stepan Sus, Head of the Pastoral Migration Department of the Patriarchal Curia of the UGCC concelebrated with the Head of the UGCC.
Ukrainians from Lithuania, Latvia, and Finland came to Estonia to participate in the Divine Liturgy, which was also attended by the Ambassador of Ukraine to Estonia, Mr. Maksym Kononenko.
In his address to the faithful, the Patriarch noted that “our people come here to listen to the word of God, and this word becomes an event in the life of our community, our people and our Church.”
While explaining the passage of the Holy Scripture about the faith of the Apostle Peter, who casts a net to catch fish at the word of Christ (Luke 5:1–11), the Primate noted that “being a Christian today implies saying the same words as Peter said.” It should be noted that the text was read on the 18th Sunday after the Pentecost, according to the Gregorian Paschal calendar.
The preacher explained that we hear a curious phrase from Peter: “At your word I will cast my nets.” In fact, this does not refer merely to what was said but to its impact and results. In the Greek text, the word “ρήμα” is used which literally means “verb”. Thus, Peter is saying, “I will cast my nets according to your active word.”
“Today, you view this opportunity for us to be together not as an ordinary human encounter, but as a profound spiritual event. Yesterday and today I have seen our people go to confession and experience this communal prayer as a pilgrimage, a gateway to an extraordinary action of God — God’s living Word, which gathers us, resurrects us, and opens new perspectives for our existence. On this Sunday, the Lord speaks to us from the boat of our Mother Church from Ukraine, renewing our hope for our strength and victory, showing that our heritage is not lost, and that our native Ukraine awaits us. How amazing it is that the Gospel Word is being fulfilled before our very eyes!” said His Beatitude Sviatoslav.
He quoted the prophet Ezekiel, who received a mystifying command from the Lord God to go and prophesy to dead bones. “A strange thing, isn’t it? How can one speak to dry bones? Yet, God tells to do this inexplicable thing, because the Word becomes action! The prophet speaks God’s Word to the people, saying, ‘Our bones are dried up, our hope is gone, the end has come for us!’ And the prophet’s proclamation yields an astonishing result! The prophet describes his astonishment at what he saw as follows: ‘So I prophesied as he commanded me; and the breath came into them, and they lived and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great army,’ the preacher quoted.
It turns out that the prophet proclaims the hope of resurrection and gathering of the scattered people! The Lord promises to reunite his people, divided and dispersed, and return them home to the promised land.
“We witness how in today’s Gospel, everything the prophet Ezekiel foretold to people in captivity, far from their homeland, fulfilled by Lord God today, in the calling of the first disciples! That is why the people were so eager to hear Christ’s Word—because when he spoke, those dead bones, those people without hope, heard God, breathing the spirit of resurrection in His people!” explained the Head of the UGCC.
Addressing the Ukrainians gathered for the Liturgy, His Beatitude Sviatoslav conveyed “words of gratitude from your homeland—the long-suffering people of Ukraine.”
“We thank you for fighting for the freedom and independence of your people from the depths where the Lord has placed you. We thank you for not forgetting your heritage here, for uniting in our congregations, communities, and parishes,” he expressed his gratitude.
“I urge you to safeguard the greatest treasure our Church and our people possess—the treasure of faith. For only a believer can receive God’s Word and transform it into reality,” His Beatitude Sviatoslav concluded.
The UGCC Department for InformationPhoto by Veronika Kalmuk
