“It is not I who began the search for God, but rather God who sought me out first” — His Beatitude Sviatoslav in Lutsk
God came for me to find me. It is important to understand that someone still looks for me even when I feel lost. His Beatitude Sviatoslav, the Father and Head of the UGCC, said this in a sermon on Saturday, July 8, at the Cathedral of the Nativity of the Blessed Virgin Mary of the UGCC in Lutsk. This parish celebrates its 30th anniversary this year.
In today’s Gospel passage, we hear about the meeting between Jesus and the tax collector. “That tax collector is Matthew, who wrote the Gospel,” said His Beatitude Sviatoslav, “because he was a direct witness to the events, the words of Jesus Christ that were fulfilled in his life. The tax collector was a public sinner: he collected tax for foreigners.”
Christ tells the tax collector to follow Him, and comes to his house and eats with sinners. “To share a common meal meant sharing one’s inner, spiritual life. Back then, lawyers of that time considered that the one who eats with sinners as if infected with their sins becomes an accomplice in their crimes,” said the bishop and noted that when the Holy Lord comes to eat with a person, He is already the host and shares His holiness with the sinner.
The Patriarch explained that in the image of Christ dining with his people, we see the idea of the Divine Liturgy, a meal during which the Lord calls us, sinners, to his holiness. “He came to us and wants to share his mercy with us. So, explaining his gesture, he said: ‘It is written: I desire mercy, not sacrifice,’” said the Primate.
The preacher then addressed the faithful of the Lutsk Cathedral: “In these grueling circumstances, we can be with each other, as if Christ were calling us to each other’s homes. We feel we are not doomed, even if someone wants to condemn us to death. A pastor’s visit to his faithful in a time of war is always a moment when we feel God is with us.”
His Beatitude Sviatoslav congratulated the faithful on the 30th anniversary of the parish and emphasized our special need for God’s presence. “May this encounter strengthen us all in faith and hope. During the war, we feel wounded. When someone has experienced air raids, shelling, or other wartime tragedies at least once, they will forever carry wounds on their body and soul. Invisible spiritual wounds are the deepest and longest-lasting,” said the bishop.
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