“May Easter joy come to all those weeping today”: Head of the UGCC in his Easter greeting
The Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, congratulated all the faithful and people of goodwill on the bright feast of the Resurrection of Christ.
“I warmly congratulate all of you on this great bright holiday, which we call the feast of all feasts and the triumph of all triumphs. In the light of the risen Savior, we are now beginning to realize our pains, sufferings, and hardships,” the spiritual leader said in a video greeting.
The mystery of Christ’s Pascha encompasses three steps: his suffering, death on the cross and burial, and glorious resurrection on the third day.
“Today, we feel,” said His Beatitude Sviatoslav, “that our people are on the first step in the growing pains of this war — we are being killed, mocked, crucified. Every day we bury our fallen heroes, sowing the Ukrainian land with their bodies as if with a life-giving grain — the grain that falls into the ground to rise, stand up, bear fruit tenfold.”
The Resurrection of Christ is not only about Him. It is also about us. “Today, His victory over sin and death is the source of our hope that we will win the victory, for He has won, for Christ is risen! We will heal our wounds because we see His glorified wounds because Christ is risen! We will rebuild the cities and villages that the enemy has trampled on because Christ has risen!” His Beatitude Sviatoslav emphasized.
“May the risen Christ be the secret of the resilience of the Ukrainian people! May Easter joy come to all those who are weeping today. May the victorious Christ come to those in Russian dungeons in the occupied territories. May He come with His light to the places where the blood of our defenders is flowing. May He wipe away the tears of our mothers, women, and children — all those forced to leave their homes and found themselves far from their homeland,” the spiritual leader of Ukrainians wished.
The UGCC Department for Information
