Jesus Christ is the source of the rebirth of the Ukrainian people and the ability to endure an unequal struggle with the enemy, — Head of the Church on the 196th day of the war
The experience of the underground Church during Soviet times shows that the Divine Liturgy, the Sacrament of the Eucharist, the Body, and Blood of Jesus Christ are the source of the vitality of the Church and the people. That is why we, looking for replenishment of our moral strength today, let us fast and partake of the Body and Blood of our Savior. The Father and Head of the UGCC, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, said in his daily military address on the 196th day of Russian military aggression.
The Primate began his daily military address with the summaries of the morning news. According to him, heavy battles are raging on the entire front line, but the Ukrainian army is gradually liberating Ukrainian land, both in the east and south of our Motherland.
“Plausibly, the enemy deliberately places his military equipment in schools, kindergartens, and Orthodox churches as if hiding from the just retribution behind church buildings and behind the shoulders of women and children,” said His Beatitude Sviatoslav.
He noted that today it became known about mining about 200,000 square kilometers of Ukrainian land. “So, to free this territory from Russian explosive devices will probably take years of work.
“We ask ourselves: where do we get our strength? From where does this ability to endure derive? The ‘Social Guide of the Believer’ points us to the source of replenishment of our vital national power. His third commandment says: ‘I show belonging to Jesus Christ. I embody my faith in daily work and everyday life. I participate in the Holy Liturgy and cleanse my soul with the Holy Sacrament of Repentance,’ the Head of the UGCC mentioned.
His Beatitude Sviatoslav reminded that today, September 7, is the day of commemoration of the great leader of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, Patriarch Josyf Slipyj, a confessor of faith, a prisoner of Stalinist concentration camps. He is the one who testified to the world that even in the conditions of a concentration camp and prison, our priests performed the Divine Liturgy.
The Head of the Church urged the faithful to receive the Holy Communion and the Holy Sacrament of Reconciliation. “Confession frees from sin and gives the power to free oneself from any other type of evil. The Holy Sacraments are a cure for the modern wounds of the Ukrainian people. Drawing from this source of the grace of the Holy Spirit, we will be able to free our land from the enemy today,” the Patriarch is convinced.
The UGCC Department for Information
