His Beatitude Sviatoslav on Palm Sunday: “Let us ask ourselves who our king is”

On Palm Sunday His Beatitude Sviatoslav, the Head of the UGCC, called on all of us to get to know the Lord in everyday life. To know Him when everybody else despises Him or substitutes Him with idols or well known people. On this feast, one of the most important ones in the liturgical year, a Pontifical Divine Liturgy was celebrated in the Patriarchal Cathedral of Resurrection of Christ. Joining in celebration with the Head of the UGCC were Most Rev. Bohdan (Dzyurakh) – Secretary of Synod of Bishops, Most Rev. Josyf (Milian) – Auxiliary Bishop of Kyiv Archeparchy and some clergy of the Archeparchy. “The Church calls on today to recognize God as the only master and king of ones own life. For He is the only One Who gives life – present and future. Only in Him is my salvation” – pointed out His Beatitude Sviatoslav in his sermon. Addressing the faithful, the Head of the UGCC said: “Christ is entering Jerusalem today as the King. Today we are celebrating a triumphant entrance of Jesus Christ into the capital-city of Jerusalem. It is a real triumph of the King.” His Beatitude explicates that this triumph consists in victory over death, i.e. in the fact that Christ resurrects his friend Lazarus who has been dead for 4 days. “That is why the Jewish youth and children greet Him with palm branches as the redeemer and saviour of Israel”. “Let us ask ourselves today, we Christians of the new times who are celebrating this feast; Who is my king? Who, in my opinion, does my present and future life depends on? Who can ensure me a certain social and cultural development? Who can be the only master of my own life? And even more than that: who can I entrust today for my deliverance from all uncertainties and perplexities of the present? Who can I sing today ‘Hosanna’ – which means ‘save me?’” - His Beatitude Sviatoslav advised everyone to reflect upon these questions. He called on them to follow after the youth of Jerusalem at the time of Christ – “those strangers who before Christ spontaneously are taking off their clothes which is a symbol of worldly life and of our social position” – stressed out the Head of the Church.  “When today we are laying simple twigs under the feet of the King who is entering triumphantly into our life.  These twigs are the symbolic fruit of our struggle with sin and of the awakening of our soul under the rays of God’s grace.  In this way we are signifying victory, victory of our winner-Christ over the sin and death” – summed up His Beatitude Sviatoslav. At the end of the solemn Pontifical Divine Liturgy in the Patriarchal Cathedral of Resurrection of Christ in Kyiv, the Head of the UGCC His Beatitude Sviatoslav blessed the willow twigs.  

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