“Our Martyr Church and Ukraine are talents the Lord God gives to each of us”: Head of the UGCC on the island of Patmos
Standing in the place where John saw the depth of God’s plan for the salvation of the world, we asked ourselves: God, where in Your plan is there a word about Ukraine as a country that is in the midst of the war now, in which we see cities and villages burned? We asked: God, what action are You taking now in the history of Ukraine?
Why are we experiencing such painful, horrifying moments? I believe we received a unique answer: an apocalypse, a revelation about the fate of Ukraine. His Beatitude Sviatoslav, the Father and Head of the UGCC, said this in his sermon during the Liturgy celebrated on the island of Patmos (Greece) on the 16th Sunday after the Descent of the Holy Spirit, September 24, 2023.
“This Sunday, we hear the word of God, in which the evangelist draws us an icon of God who bestows upon man, God who gives talents,” said the preacher.
Hence, the Father and Head of the UGCC highlighted three features of each of these gospel talents: first, the talent given to a person does not become his property but remains the property of the master; second, talents are given to multiply them; third, this gift also means responsibility.
The Primate also added that “the context of the parable shows that the master is not as concerned about his money and talents as about the development and growth of the servant to whom he gives them. Perhaps the greatest treasure of the master is the servant himself.”
“The Lord God wants us to multiply all the gifts we have received. He wants us to grow in freedom and responsibility and enter into the joy of our Lord,” said the Father and Head of the UGCC.
“We are listening today to this word of God,” says His Beatitude Sviatoslav, “this parable of the talents, in extraordinary circumstances, in a special place — on the island of Patmos, where, according to church tradition, in 95 AD the holy apostle John the Theologian, a beloved disciple of Christ, was exiled for testifying to the word of God… We have a unique opportunity, a special gift from God, to stand in the very place where he received the Revelation, which was included as the last book among the books of the New Testament.”
“John saw the meaning of all things. He saw the depth of reality in heaven and on earth. He saw where he and the Christians of that time belonged in God’s plan for the world. He saw that the end of the world, the apocalypse, is not a catastrophe, the destruction of everything that exists, but rather its accomplishment. The ultimate fulfillment of God’s plan, which acts in the history of man and the world,” said the Patriarch.
The Primate assured everyone who went to this holy mountain, to the monastery, and went down to the cave, holding a prayer for Ukraine in their hearts: “It was a special grace, a gift from God, that in this cave of the Apocalypse, we could sing the Akathist to John the Theologian, pray for the victory of Ukraine over the unjust attacker.”
“Today, here on the island of Patmos, we hear that our martyr Church, our Motherland, Ukraine, is God’s gift to the Ukrainian people, is a talent that the Lord God gives to each of us, and this talent of God belongs to the Lord Himself,” the Head of the Church stated.
“We have realized that it is precisely because we have a place in God’s plan for the universe that Ukraine has always been and will be! Our holy Church, which went through suffering, death, and resurrection, is in God’s plan for Ukraine and the world. Our duty is to build up this martyr Church, develop it, and give it back to God with great growth and prosperity, which the Lord God wishes to realize for our Church. Our Church is a special flower, a special gem in the crown of the Risen Lord, in His special plan for the world’s salvation,” the Patriarch emphasized.
But, according to him, each of us must get to work. As a Church, as a nation, the Primate believes, we must take responsibility for our future, in which we see a victory — the victory of good over evil, the victory of life over death, the victory that the risen Christ seeks to accomplish with our hands on our native Ukrainian land.
“Today, here on the island of Patmos, we hear that the Lord wants to make us free people capable of great responsibility for our Church, homeland, and people. May the Lord God give us the strength and grace of the Holy Spirit to fulfill His great plan for our Church and Ukraine,” added His Beatitude Sviatoslav.
The UGCC Department for Information
