“Surrender to the Will of Your Creator!” His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shares the Source of His Optimism During the War’s Darkest Moments
If you are facing death and there is nothing more you can do, surrender to the will of your Creator, as St. Basil the Great taught. Because the Creator who gave you life is your master and lord, and He will take care of you. There were times when I said: Lord, I surrender to Your will! His Beatitude Sviatoslav, the Father and Head of the UGCC, said this in a conversation with host Vadym Karpiak on the live broadcast of Radio Kultura on June 14, 2024, while talking about the war and the Church in the context of the release of the book of daily addresses of the Head of the UGCC, “Ukraine Stands! Ukraine Fights! Ukraine Prays!”.
The Father and Head of the UGCC shared where he gained the optimism evident in his video messages, especially in the first days of Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine. He said that at the time of greatest despair and hopelessness, he felt it was his duty to be a preacher of Christian hope.
“On the first day of this war, when I issued a text that was read in all our churches, I said that Ukraine would win. But this victory will be a victory of God’s power over human indignity. The experience of the world wars of the twentieth century proves that all those who started world wars lost them. This faith and optimism stems from our faith in God,” said the Head of the Church.
His Beatitude Sviatoslav and Vadym Karpiak, host of Radio Kultura
“There were moments when I would say: Lord, I surrender to Your will,” His Beatitude Sviatoslav emphasized.
The Primate explained that these words are not about simply surrendering. They are about a personal trust of a man in his God.
“In Your mercy I see my future. Optimism stemmed from this attitude. We surrendered to the mercy of God, because obviously we did not want to surrender to the mercy of the occupier. It was a deep trust in my God, the Creator, and Savior, which granted me the opportunity to think, act, and seek guidance. In the midst of the darkness, this light was kindling. I just wanted to spread this light and project it in my addresses,” said the Head of the Church.
Responding to the host’s question about the role of priests in the war, apart from the obvious mission of a chaplain, the Head of the UGCC mentioned his meeting at the beginning of the war with Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko, who asked for a word of hope.
The priest gives hope. “The word of hope is more important than food and clothing. The word that sets guidelines helps to find the sense of struggle, the sense of pain and suffering. It is more important than bread and clothing during the war. Certainly, we performed all the other things as well. But the word of hope is something that has even encouraged me to continue these daily messages,” added the spiritual leader of Ukrainians.
You can listen to the interview at the link below.
The UGCC Department for Information
