“People who believe in God and admit His power in the Sacrament of Confession are invincible” — His Beatitude Sviatoslav in Zarvanytsia
I was deeply moved by the tears of one soldier, not even very young anymore, who said with tears in his eyes: “Your Excellency, I haven’t gone to confession for six months. Please hear my confession.” And we sat down, and the first thing we did was to give them the Sacrament of Confession. Is there a nation or an army in the world that would trust God this way? Is there such an army, such warriors who first combat sin in themselves to defeat the faithless attacker? His Beatitude Sviatoslav, the Father and Head of the UGCC, spoke about this in his sermon on Sunday, July 16, during the All-Ukrainian pilgrimage to Zarvanytsia.
In today’s Gospel passage, we hear the story of a paralyzed man to whom Christ says: “Your sins are forgiven.”
The patriarch explained that the forgiveness of sins does not mean that the Lord conceals human evil, ignoring it. On the contrary, forgiving guilt means salvation, deliverance, and resurrection.
The Primate also emphasized the importance of the Sacrament of Confession. “The Sacrament of Confession is the sacrament of healing, restoration, resurrection, curing my own sinful numbness. It is the moment when I feel God’s power descending to me personally,” said His Beatitude Sviatoslav and thanked all the faithful who have approached or will approach the Sacrament of Confession in the context of the pilgrimage to Zarvanytsia.
“At the apex of the national pain, we come in faith to our Savior and ask, Lord, touch us, make us victorious over evil, destroy those empires that want to enslave Your people again,” said His Beatitude Sviatoslav. He then recalled his visits to wounded soldiers in the Kharkiv region.
“May the Word of God, the Mystery of Confession, and Holy Communion be our strength. And may these words be heard today: ‘Arise, take up your bed and go.’ The Most Holy Mother of God, our Mother of Zarvanytsia, grant victory to Ukraine,” His Beatitude Sviatoslav asked.
The UGCC Department for Information
