Sin does not allow us to function fully. Therefore, it is so important for us to receive God’s mercy. The Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, His Beatitude Sviatoslav, during the sermon to the faithful on the second Sunday of the Lent in the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ, asks to deliberate over this.
On the second Sunday of the Great Fast, the Word of God tells us about Jesus Christ who comes to man and proclaims the Word of the Gospel in a private home … The Gospel emphasizes the desperate act of several people who begin to disassemble the roof and put down to the teacher a relaxed man …
The preacher remarked that in the modern world people sometimes lose understanding. “We often think that sin is something like psychological distress. And we are looking for different ways to calm ourselves. A person often looks for something that would help her simply not to see the evil,” said the Bishop.
Even more, continued His Beatitude Sviatoslav, the modern man thinks that the cause of such negativism, such anxiety are God’s commandments, and therefore tries to ignore them. He does this in order to seem to be free from everything that can create psychological or psychological discomfort for him.
The spiritual leader emphasized the importance of forgiveness in the life of man. The word “forgiveness” turns into a miracle of healing. “Forgive – means to eliminate all that makes a person broken,” says the Primate.
Today’s event, emphasizes the preacher, tells us the truth. “For sin is a paralysis of a person. This relaxed man has all the members of his body healthy, but he is weak, because he lacks the inner strength that would tie his whole being into a single, complete body. That’s what sin does. He paralyzes us. It does not allow us to fully operate. Therefore, it is so important for us to receive God’s mercy,” emphasizes the spiritual leader.
“When God gives me forgiveness, He heals me. His forgiveness means: “Arise and walk.” In today’s God’s Word, we see that God’s forgiveness signifies a new creation of man.
But the Gospel also says, the Primate added, that a relaxed sinner can not come to Christ alone. He needs a community of believers who, by the power of their faith, would bring him to the Savior. We are with you today in the temple, because someone once brought us to God.
Department of Information of the UGCC