UGCC Head on the Transfiguration: Amid Darkness and Weakness, Ukraine Finds Light and Strength
Today, we pray for the transfiguration of Ukraine and ourselves. We seek the ability to see God’s glory through our suffering and weaknesses. We desperately need to find meaning in the tragic events affecting us. Yet, we confidently advance toward His glory in the light of the transfigured Christ. As His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Father and Head of the UGCC, noted in his sermon on the Feast of the Transfiguration of the Lord, August 6, 2024, “It is good for us to be here with Christ, just as it was for Peter, James, and John; for it is good for man to be where God is.”
“Every time we celebrate this feast, we discover something new and profound in the light that shone on Mount Tabor, captivating all who hear God’s word,” the preacher said. He highlighted two key elements of this feast embodied by the transfigured Christ: the manifestation of God’s glory and the essence of the conversation.
“We witness the revelation of the Triune God on Mount Tabor: The Father speaking, the Son transfigured, and the cloud of the Holy Spirit enveloping all present,” he explained. “We also see a convergence of the past, present, and future. Not only do the three disciples, who will witness Christ’s Passion, witness this event, but also great figures from the Old Testament: Moses, representing the Old Testament Law, and the prophet Elijah, embodying all the Old Testament prophets sent by the Lord through the Holy Spirit,” he added.
The Primate pointed out that Moses and Elijah spoke with Jesus about His impending suffering in Jerusalem. “Mount Tabor reveals the meaning of Christian suffering: resurrection,” the Patriarch affirmed.
“On Mount Tabor, we experience a foretaste of the resurrection’s glory. The body of Jesus Christ, transfigured before the disciples, will later be seen in its glorified form with the wounds of the cross, the body with which Christ will appear to them in His resurrection,” said the Head of the UGCC. He believes this feast offers great hope for every Ukrainian searching for meaning in their suffering.
“Today, we understand that God’s glory is manifested in man. St. Pope John Paul II said that man is the way of the Church, and Jesus declared, ‘I am the way, the truth, and the life!’ This is the path Jesus calls us to follow: through all our trials and sufferings, we will ultimately reveal the light within the believer. Christ, present in every human suffering, transforms it, leading us to resurrection,” the Head of the UGCC concluded.
“May this sense of God’s closeness guide us through these current hardships in Ukraine! May the light of Christ’s Transfiguration enlighten the face of every sorrowful, suffering Ukrainian!” the spiritual leader of Ukrainians wished.
The UGCC Department for Information
