His Beatitude Sviatoslav: Heroes of the Heavenly Hundred are for us the standard of truth, justice, and love for our neighbor

Explaining the Gospel of Matthew on the condemnation of Jesus Christ, His Beatitude Sviatoslav drew attention to the main points of condemnation. "The scholars of this biblical text suggest that it was written in Rome. Taking into account the context of the capital of the empire, which considered itself a measure of justice for the entire civilized world at that time, the sentencing method is quite telling: when condemning Christ, Pilate condemns the Judge. For Christ is the One who will finally judge the living and the dead,” said the Head of the UGCC.

The preacher also drew attention to the way justice is done: “Pilate does not seek truth, he does not consider who is right and who is guilty. He seeks solely personal political gain. That is why his righteousness turns into blatant injustice - Christ receives the condemnation of death, and the criminal is justified."

“However, the death of Christ will be the source of life. That crucified one will forever become a measure of truth, a sign of the greatest justice that lies in love,” summed up His Beatitude Sviatoslav.

In the context of this gospel passage, the Head of the UGCC mentioned the "anniversary of the sacrifice of the Heroes of Heavenly Hundred." "Today, there is a small wooden church of Ukrainian martyrs on Institutska Street. There, we store special relics of those tragic events, including a vestment which has drops of human blood on it,” said the Head of the UGCC.

“In commemoration of the heroes of the Maidan, today we pray for their eternal peace and thank the Lord God for them, Their sacrifice, their blood spilled on the cobblestone of Kyiv, has become for us Ukrainians forever the standard according to which we measure our social, social and even church life today,” emphasized the preacher.

His Beatitude Sviatoslav also spoke about the anxiety and pain of the families of the fallen Heavenly Hundred Heroes over the lack of court decisions to punish those guilty of shedding blood on the Maidan. “May the gracious Lord accept the sacrifice of our sons and daughters, and may their blood and sacrifice will be a guarantee that we will never again fall under the yoke of ungodly power that denies Ukraine's right to freedom."

Prayer worship honoring the memory of the Heavenly Hundred Heroes ended with a memorial service at the cross in the Cathedral and a memorial service with the participation of the children of St. Sophia Sunday School.

We will add that today, at 19:00, bells are ringing in the temples of the UGCC, remembering the great sacrifice of the Heroes of the Maidan in the struggle for the freedom and independence of Ukraine. Such an order was issued by His Beatitude Sviatoslav in response to requests from the families of the Heroes of Heavenly Hundred.

The Secretariat of the Head of the UGCC in Rome