His Beatitude Sviatoslav: “To resist, not to give in, is arguably one of Ukraine’s victories—one for all of us”
On March 16, on the 2 nd Sunday of Lent, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Father and Head of the UGCC, presided over the Divine Liturgy at the Patriarchal Cathedral in Kyiv. He was concelebrated by Auxiliary Bishops of the Kyiv Archeparchy Yosyf Milan and Andriy Khimyak, as well as Bishop Gerald Vincke of the Diocese of Salina, Kansas, USA, who arrived in Ukraine with a delegation of the U.S. Bishops’ Conference.
The delegation also included: Fr. David Songy, a Capuchin, Ms. Jennifer Healy, Mr. Andrew Kirkpatrick, and Ms. Maria Lupiy.
In his sermon, His Beatitude Sviatoslav noted that today the Holy Gospel refers to Jesus Christ, speaking with his healing word, “full of power and authority.”
Interpreting the Gospel passage about Jesus Christ’s sermon in a house in Capernaum, the Head of the Church emphasized that when four friends broke through the roof and lowered a paralyzed man before the Lord, Christ began to act: “He does not even touch the man but simply says, ‘Son, your sins are forgiven.’” Remarkably, Christ not only addresses the root cause of this man’s illness but also the deeper ailment of all those listening to Him, including the scribes and Pharisees. Outraged, they ask, “Who can forgive sins?” Many may have the ability to treat or heal, but no one can forgive sins. After all, when a person sins, they are guilty before God Himself—and only He has the power and authority to forgive those who stand guilty before Him.”
“Jesus reads their hearts, even hears what they speak in their hearts, and exposes it. The Lord brings together two events: visible, and invisible. The invisible event is the healing of the sins of the human heart and soul. The visible one is the word that revives the person’s health, the corporeality,” the Hierarch explained.
He added that Christ truly heals the hearts of his listeners first: “That word: ‘Your sins are forgiven’ reveals the deity of Jesus Christ, showing that we are not just another person, but God has come to a person who is weak and relaxed. The Lord heals the soul and body and raises them up, calls them to the fullness of life.”
“It was not so much the friends opening the roof of the house as the Lord Himself tearing open the heavens and coming down to man. It seems that Christ was not merely breaking through the ceiling of that room, but expanding the very theological perception of the scribes and Pharisees. He reveals that God has come to His people. He speaks to heal, to lift up, to resurrect, and to bring new life and new hope through the power and authority of His word,” said His Beatitude Sviatoslav.
The Primate noted that the Apostle Mark describes people in three different body positions: “The one who was relaxed was lowered to his bed in a lying, horizontal position, as if to symbolize his weakness. The Pharisees are sitting — this means taking the position of a judge who judges, condemns God in His actions. And Christ is standing as the One who, by His word, raises up and calls people to be participants in His actions.”
As the preacher noted, Christ says the word “get up” (“rise”) three times, and then we see the impact of His word—he got up. This word turns into an event upon the word of Christ. Christ resurrects with His word, gives power to new life.
“To persevere, to withstand to the end, is a form of Christian feat. A sin can be defeated only when the God’s power lifts me out of my weakness, because it is the power of forgiveness,” explained His Beatitude Sviatoslav. He added that the history of Christian asceticism describes a type of spiritual feat which means to resist the attacks and temptations of the devil and to endure the struggle to the end. The history of monasticism tells us about the monks who stood on high columns in the heat, cold, and winds. And in the Kyivan tradition, there are stories of bush monks who stood in prayer in the open air for weeks and months.
“They demonstrate the ability of a person to resist not only the elements of nature, but also the attacks of evil, the devil. To resist evil, not to give in, but to endure is one of the types of Christian spiritual victory. The God’s Word calls us to such a victory today,” the Primate emphasized.
He therefore noted that this story of the resurrection, the uprising, the ability to stand with Christ is possible for us every time we come to the Sacrament of Confession. “The Holy Church today calls us to this power to resist evil during the Lenten season,” the Primate reminded.
“Not giving in, resisting—this is perhaps one of Ukraine’s victories, a victory for all of us. The enemy seeks to intimidate us, to convince us that our strength is gone, that we are no longer supported. Let us not fall for these temptations of the devil! Instead, let us take inspiration from the ascetics of Christian antiquity. We will stand firm! We will prevail! This is the fruit of God’s powerful, omnipotent word—the word of hope—that speaks to each of us today,” assured the Father and Head of the UGCC.
After the Liturgy, His Beatitude Sviatoslav expressed his gratitude to the U. S. Bishops ‘Conference represented by Bishop Gerald Vincke for their aid, visit and that “at a time when various sentiments are being sent from America to Ukraine, the Catholic Christians of America are actively supporting us.”
Bishop Gerald Vincke expressed how blessed he felt to be there: “I want you to know that Christians in America love you and care about you. We know you are walking a grueling Way of the Cross, bearing many crosses.”
“We want to walk with you and accompany you on this journey in the best way we can. We pray for you and promise to care for you because we love you. Thank you for your faith and for loving us despite everything. This means so much to our hearts,” the American bishop assured.
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