His Beatitude Sviatoslav: He who radically cuts off evil and unrighteousness from his heart, becomes a new man

This was emphasized by the Father and Head of the UGCC, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, during his sermon to the faithful on Tuesday, January 14, 2020, during the Divine Liturgy at St. Basil the Great Church in Kyiv. Bishop Stepan Sus, the newly ordained bishop of the Curia of the Supreme Archbishop, con-celebrated  the Liturgy with the Head of the UGCC.

Initially, the Primate greeted everyone with a Happy New Year on the Julian calendar.

"Today is a special day when we feel that the Lord is calling us to some new period not only on the calendar, but also in our spiritual and liturgical life. He is calling us to a new time for communication," said the preacher. - "In the Gospel, St. Luke tells us that on the eighth day after the birth of our Savior, Jesus was circumcised as was prescribed by the Old Testament. We see that the Legislator himself is subordinate to the law."

According to the Head of the UGCC, the circumcision means a radical cut off from all evil in order to live according to the law of God and belong to God alone.

"But did the Israeli people fulfill this agreement? The prophet Jeremiah says no ... So the prophets began to proclaim the New Testament, began to talk about the old and new covenants between God and man," said the Archbishop.

So we see that renewal comes when one radically renounces evil. Christ tells us not to desire anything evil, but to do good and truth, only then the renewal will come.

"Today we celebrate the feast of St. Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea of ​​Cappadocia. He, in his life, made a radical choice for the good, the truth of God, and carried out true reform and renewal of monastics. He said that a monk is none other than a perfect Christian. Perhaps St. Basil the Great today tells us that the renewal in every monastic environment will come when the monastic rules are written not only in some good book that the monk will keep in his library, but when they will be written in his heart; when he is without compulsion, without external pressure will follow them at his own will," emphasized the Head of the UGCC.

He added: "He who radically cuts off his heart from all evil and unrighteousness, becomes a new man. Therefore, St. Basil the Great is the one in whom the Holy Spirit truly rests. Today we proclaim him as the great teacher of the Church."

His Beatitude Sviatoslav stated that it is extremely important now (especially in Ukrainian society) for lawmakers themselves to comply with the laws they adopt. After all, in society it is necessary to cherish not blind law-abiding, but above all reverence of the law with the desire of the common good for our state.

The UGCC Department for Information