Patriarch Lubomyr leads a New Year’s thanksgiving prayer

"When we think about the New Year, we should ask the Lord for the gifts which he grants us be accepted with an open heart," the head of the UGCC Patriarch Lubomyr said on December 31 at a thanksgiving prayer in the Annunciation of the Mother of God Church in Kyiv. "Everything that happened last year was the will of God,” the patriarch said as he explained to the faithful why there is so much emphasis on gratitude. “If we used God's gifts, we must thank the Lord for giving us strength to use this good in favor of God." The head of the church said we can evaluate what is happening in the public, but only we know what’s going on in our hearts: "When we want to make a summary of the year, each of us has to do it on our own. We have to ask ourselves how we used it. We have to thank God and when necessary apologize to Him," said the head of the UGCC.

"On the eve the New Year, we ask ourselves how the New Year will be,” continued His Beatitude Lubomyr. “The Lord does nothing to our detriment, because he is the Good Father.”

The patriarch called the faithful to refrain from activity that would waste the great gift which God gives to us.

The patriarch concluded his speech with a wish for everyone to learn to thank God for everything He gives us.

Information Department of the UGCC