“Mother of God, we entrust our hope in your hands today”: Head of the UGCC before the icon “Hope of the Hopeless”
How many generations of Ukrainians have prayed before this icon? In these lands, we have never had powerful patrons of this world. But we had hope! The Virgin Mary gave us, who were bereft of hope from the human perspective, hope from the perspective of God. The Blessed Virgin Mary was the first to believe in this hope, taking it into her womb, and to this day, she passes it on to everyone who believes, as it was stated by the Father and Head of the UGCC, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, during a Moleben before the icon of the Holy Virgin, “Hope of the Hopeless,” in Chernivtsi.
He celebrated it together with the bishops of the Permanent Synod in the Cathedral of the Assumption of the Holy Virgin on Thursday, December 14. The Moleben was followed by a meeting with the clergy of the Chernivtsi Eparchy.
Moleben in the Cathedral
Our hope is not something, but Someone
“We are living a special moment. Standing in front of the shrine of our Church and our people, which is kept here, in the heart of the ancient cathedral in Chernivtsi, we gaze into Christian hope,” the Patriarch affirmed.
“Praying before the icon of the Blessed Virgin Mary ‘Hope of the Hopeless,’” the Head of the UGCC emphasized, “we specifically feel that our hope is not something, but Someone.”
“The Mother of God holds in her arms the Son of God, who in his Nativity became a man, became the fulfillment of all human hopes, the hope that is manifested for us so clearly and explicitly in this miraculous image,” the Head of the Church emphasized.
Ukraine’s resilience is in Christian hope
The Father and Head of the UGCC is convinced that it is very important for us to have hope now, especially during this challenging and tragic moment in history. He said that since 2014 and to the present day, many people around the world have wondered where Ukrainians get their resilience and what they hope for.
“We have hope because we are Christians. How important it is for us to see and feel our hope amidst the darkness of this world, amidst the horrors of war!” the preacher emphasized.
The world supports us like never before in history
According to His Beatitude Sviatoslav, the presence of our bishops is the last hope for our Church and our people.
“When we are led to believe that someone is turning away from us, that everyone is tired of us, the bishops of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church from the United States, Germany, Scandinavia, and Poland testify to the opposite: the world supports us as never before in the history of our country,” said His Beatitude Sviatoslav.
Pre-Christmas fasting is the path of Christian hope
His Beatitude Sviatoslav is convinced that we have no right to lose sight of the One who is our hope.
“We are approaching Christmas hoping that joy will come to Ukraine not from people but from God. The Son of God once again wants to be born in the body and blood of Ukraine to be strength, invincibility, light, the fulfillment of our hopes, and to tell us that our God is with us!” assured the Father and Head of the UGCC.
At the feet of the Blessed Virgin Mary, the Primate offered a special prayer for the Ukrainian army. “They remind us that prayer saves! Christian joy assures us that we can realize our Christian hope,” he emphasized.
“Mother of God, the hope of the hopeless, save us! When we find ourselves on the verge of human strength, with no one else to turn, we come to You. We place our hope in Your hands. O Mother of God, the hope of the hopeless, embrace and warm us; grant us the one you hold in your arms, in whom the entire earth and all humanity place their hopes. Most Holy Mother of God, the hope of the hopeless, save us!” His Beatitude Sviatoslav addressed the Mother of God.
Meeting with the clergy
After the Moleben, which was attended by the clergy of the Chernivtsi Eparchy with their families, the bishops of the Permanent Synod met with the priests in the media hall of the catechetical center of St. Peter the Apostle, which operates at the cathedral.
photo by the press service of the Chernivtsi Eparchy of the UGCC
