Jesus the Samaritan, Make Us Your Church: Enveloping Our People in the Power of God’s Love: His Beatitude Sviatoslav
O Lord, lean over us today. Come to us and heal the wounds of the Ukrainian people. Jesus the Samaritan, You who seek out people where they lay by the roadside, set our captives free, heal the wounded, find those who are missing, gather the scattered, and restore what has been destroyed. Transform Your Church into a real military field hospital, tasked today with administering the sacrament of healing wounds to our people, enveloping them in the power of God’s love. The Father and Head of the UGCC, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, stated during a sermon at the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ on the 25th Sunday after the Pentecost.
“Listening to the words of the parable of the merciful Samaritan, which is the gem of the Gospel of Luke, we, the disciples of Christ, with our spiritual eyes behold God, who leans over wounded and dying humanity to heal and save it. We behold God, who has mercy on man, on the wounds of humanity, which wound and hurt man at all times. We behold God who serves man, giving him new life. We see a wonderful icon of the Divine service, the Divine Liturgy, which the Lord administers to each of us,” said the Primate.
Having emphasized the two commandments of love, which we hear about in this parable and which are of great relevance to human beings, the Patriarch noted that the parable also describes four spiritual qualities of a person.
The preacher also highlighted the the expert in the law’s question about who his neighbor is. “A neighbor knows how to approach with his heart, soul, strength, thought… The Lord God takes on the image of a Samaritan who draws near and becomes closer than a native,” he emphasized.
The Primate also explained the symbolism of the wondrous inn with a host and two denarii. “What is this peculiar inn where the Lord God gathers the wounded? The early Church Fathers said that this house of healing is nothing but the Church of Christ,” the archbishop explained.
“Here, in the Church, He takes care of us. Today we have gathered for the Divine Liturgy because here the Lord God wants to heal us, serve us, and pour out the healing balm of His Holy Sacraments on our wounds,” said the Head of the UGCC.
Referring to the moment of giving two denarii, the preacher remarked that it is a unique gift. Two denarii, presumably, mean care for the inner and outer self of an individual. “It is about the life force that inspires a person, leading him or her to the Kingdom of Heaven,” he said.
“The Lord takes care of us, He assures us of the immensity of His love! How important it is for us, the Ukrainian people, wounded by old and new wounds, to feel, believe, and see our God, who is bending over the wounds of Ukraine today,” said the Father and Head of the UGCC.
The Patriarch recalled the 90th anniversary of the great famine in Ukraine, the genocide of our people, which still hurts us today. “It feels like a national trauma passed down from generation to generation. Today, we see how our Lord is leaning over Ukraine, which in mourning commemorates millions of innocent Ukrainians killed by famine. Today, we hear that more than 80 % of Ukrainians have already received a new trauma from this terrible war. The eternal northern robbers are once again depriving us of our money, stealing from us, wanting to cast us off the road of life to the margins of history, and steal our future. But even today, a wondrous, mystical, eternal merciful Samaritan constantly bends over us,” said the Head of the Church.
“It was in His Church that He left the Sacraments of healing: Baptism, Anointing of the Sick, Eucharist, Penance-Confession, and the Sacrament that is especially intended for healing the sick — the Anointing of the Sick,” the Primate emphasized.
“The Lord God left us those two wonderful denarii with which He wants to heal everyone today. But let us learn to be closer to each other: not only to tolerate the wounds and emotions of our neighbor but to be able to pour on them the balm, the healing gift of the Holy Spirit’s love, which we, Christians, receive in the Church,” His Beatitude Sviatoslav urged.
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