We want to reach out to mothers whose motherhood was wounded by this ruthless war: Head of the UGCC on Mother’s Day
We especially want to embrace in a human and Christian way the mothers whose motherhood has been wounded by this cruel war. Those mothers who pray for their sons and daughters who are fighting at the front ask that the Lord God, the Blessed Virgin Mary, save their children from the enemy’s murderous hand.
It was stated by the Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, during a sermon to the faithful at the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ on Sunday of the Samaritan Woman and Mother’s Day, which Ukraine traditionally celebrates on the second Sunday of May.
The Head of the UGCC noted that we continue to listen to the word of God, which is centered on the symbol of water. According to the preacher, the words about living water have a special meaning in May.
“May is a special month when everything comes to life. There is a feeling that the source of life is in full swing in the surrounding world, in nature. Our Church traditionally dedicates this month to the Blessed Virgin Mary, who fulfilled the word of God in herself, which is proclaimed to us today in the Gospel. Here is what Gabriel will say about her and to her in the Annunciation: ‘The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you.’ She was the first to believe, to receive the living water of the Holy Spirit’s grace,” said the Head of the Church.
“Every mother,” he believes, “finds a role model in the figure of the Blessed Virgin Mary, finds her heavenly mother, and the patroness of her motherhood. And we, the faithful, see the Blessed Virgin Mary as the one full of grace, from whom rivers of water of the living grace of the Holy Spirit flow to us to this day.”
The spiritual leader also noted that on this day, we celebrate a special holiday in Ukraine and the settlements — Mother’s Day: “In all our churches today, we are praying especially for every Ukrainian mother. First of all, we thank God for giving the gift of motherhood to our people. We pray for our girls who are preparing for motherhood, our spouses, and their willingness to cooperate with God in giving new life to our nation and church.”
His Beatitude Sviatoslav thanked those women who are not afraid of the challenges and burdens of their high maternal vocation.
Today we are worried together, praying with those mothers who cry day and night because their son or daughter is in captivity. “Imagine the pain of a mother who is told that her son or daughter is missing. That poor mother does not even know how to pray for her child. Either he is still among the living or already among the dead. But who can comfort a weeping mother whose child has been stolen from her by the war?” the preacher asked rhetorically.
Today, a heartfelt prayer was dedicated to the mothers of our brave soldiers.
The Primate greeted at the Liturgy, the community of mothers of fallen heroes who gathered around the Patriarchal Cathedral. “Dear mothers, today your mother Church wholeheartedly bows in respect to you,” said the spiritual leader.
Seeing the faces in the photographs, His Beatitude Sviatoslav said, we believe that your fallen children are in the hands of God at the source of eternal life.
The UGCC Department for Information
