The Savior shows us that there is not only life after death, but He also leads us in the real life for which we were created: “The Holy Apostle Peter, one of the first witnesses of the Resurrection, said that when Jesus Christ arose from the tomb, this moment indicates human rebirth.”
This was emphasized by the Father and the Head of the UGCC, His Beatitude Sviatoslav during his sermon for the believers on Bright Monday, April 29, 2019, in the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ in Kyiv.
“Christ is our Pascha,” says the Apostle Paul. So today, on Bright Monday, let’s contemplate it together in the light of Christ’s Resurrection! For this event of the Resurrection affects not only one person – Jesus Christ. After all, the Resurrection shook the foundations of the universe, the cosmos … What does this event mean for a person, especially for a modern person, especially for us, who celebrate this greatest Christian holiday? It can be said that in His Resurrection, the Son of God revealed to us the truth about man as such, and also revealed all the secrets of human life,” the Head of our Church addressed the present people.
And later he added: “Early Christians celebrated Easter as the Savior’s death and resurrection. And now we have the Holy Week – a period to meditate on the Passion of Christ, and then we are experiencing the Paschal period to realize the significance of the resurrection for the world. However, early Christians understood, perhaps, better than us that when suffering, Jesus Christ touched all the painful points of human life. He voluntarily wanted to suffer, touch and personally enter into the suffering of each person. While dying on the cross, the Son of God enters the death of every human being in order to destroy it and become a death for our death. Even more, to give us a way out of it.”
His Beatitude Sviatoslav noted, history has shown us that it is impossible to destroy the Church, because it unites people. Indeed, in the Church there is the Lord Who is the source of life and hope.
In addition, the Head of the UGCC, on the occasion of the temple feast (praznyk) of the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection, thanked all donors (known and unknown) who contributed to its building and development, and especially those who kept faith in God and in the Church during the most difficult moments and trials.
“We recall the most important builder of this temple – His Beatitude Lubomyr Husar, who rests in the crypt of this cathedral as its cornerstone. His Beatitude Lubomyr not only laid and built it, but he “lay down his bones” (as he loved to speak) into the foundation of this cathedral. Therefore, not only a visible building, but above all a community and a church that grows, develops, and shines in the light of the resurrection in Ukraine and in the world, is under construction,” said the spiritual leader of the Greek Catholics.
At the end of his sermon, he thanked parishioners and “virtual parishioners” (with the support of Live TV) for the fact that they are creating a community and grouping, as well as their pastors, because they care for every soul.
In addition, His Beatitude Sviatoslav expressed his gratitude to all the Bishops of the UGCC, especially Bishop Yosyf Milian, Assistant Bishop of the Kyiv Archdiocese of the UGCC for the support, assistance and development of the Patriarchal Cathedral.
Department of Information of the UGCC