From the Head of the UGCC on the 125th day of the war: On the faces of the defenders of Ukraine we contemplate the gentleness of Christ, who became humble until death

Wednesday, 29 June 2022, 10:54

When you communicate with our servicemen, with our soldiers, girls and boys, when you ask them who they were before the war, many of them had been teachers, scientists, doctors, artists, played sports, worked in various intellectual fields, but when war broke out, they did not consider their position in society an inviolable privilege. His Beatitude Sviatoslav, the Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church said in his daily address on the 125th day of the war.

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“Many even returned to Ukraine from abroad to protect their homeland from the enemy. They became obedient to the call of their conscience, obedient until death,” he added.

Yesterday we were all appalled by the event of unprecedented magnitude: in our Poltava region, in the city of Kremenchuk, as a result of a missile strike, a shopping mall with about a thousand people inside was destroyed. It is the largest terrorist act in Europe in decades.

The Church sympathizes and sends its prayerful closeness with the relatives and friends of the victims and all those injured as a result of this terrorist act.

Also, the Primate said, that our hearts ache for Lysychansk. “As you know, he said, the Luhansk region is a steppe zone, where it is now quite dry and hot. People were queuing for water. And this queue was shot down by the Russians. Yesterday missile strikes were fired on Kharkiv, people were also killed and many were injured. And this morning Mykolaiv was fired.”

Heavy fighting is taking place along the entire front line. But Ukraine stands. Ukraine is struggling. And we thank the Lord and the Armed Forces of Ukraine for surviving to this morning and being able to see the light of day.

On this day, the Head of the Church reflected on another fruit of the action of the Holy Spirit in a man – gentleness.

“This gentleness, he explained, has nothing to do with kindness, tenderness, meaning, some sentimental sphere. Gentleness as the fruit of the Holy Spirit is a special, specific feature of the mission and action of Jesus Christ as the Messiah and is synonymous with obedience, self-humiliation of God before a man.”

“This gentleness is a manifestation of strength, - His Beatitude Sviatoslav continues. - Because the Messiah, as the prophet Isaiah says, does not need to shout in the squares or impose his opinion, his will on someone. He just exists. He is present. He fulfills His mission.”

According to him, the reflection of Christ’s gentleness today, during the war, can be seen on the faces of many sons and daughters of Ukraine.

“We ask today: O Lord, may Your gentleness, which is reflected in the face of Ukraine, be our strength! For we know that Your humility and gentleness give a man a place and space for the grace of Your Spirit,” said the spiritual leader of Ukraine.

The UGCC Department for Information