“God sends us His Beatitude Lubomyr into our reality. God awakens us, draws attention to something important, significant, valuable,” said Bishop Bohdan Dziurakh, Secretary of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC, in the crypt of the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ on February 26, 2020.
In his speech Bishop Bohdan noted: “In ancient times the Romans called the cemetery a necropolis, the city of the dead. We are now in the crypt under the Patriarchal Cathedral. However, it is not the city of the dead, it is the city of the living. Today we have an evening of living memory of our father, our shepherd, the great man who teaches us to be human, to be honest citizens of our country,” said the bishop.
The bishop explained that this memory lives throughout the year through the activities of the small community “Lubomyr’s Generation”, which has the obligation of daily prayer “for” and “to” His Beatitude Lubomyr. Community members cherish the memory of the Bishop.
The secretary of the Synod of Bishops of the UGCC said that in the village of Knyazychi, in the house where His Beatitude Lubomyr Husar lived for a long time, they plan to equip his memory room. According to the preacher, “After crossing the threshold of that house, many people notice that the spirit of His Beatitude Lubomyr is felt in those rooms. The memory of him is alive.”
Reflecting on the life of Lubomyr Husar, Bishop Bohdan noted that the greatest deed performed by His Beatitude was the ascetic, enduring, monastic prayer. “Prayer for our people, our Church and for those who asked him for prayer,” he stressed.
Then the bishop remembered some of his phrases concerning death. “In an interview, His Beatitude said, ‘I’m not a hero, but I’m not afraid of death.’ He was not afraid to die because he knew that after death he would be in the hands of Jesus.”
In concluding his speech, Bishop Bohdan added: “He is now enveloping each of us with his parental gaze. He loves us, he hears us, and most importantly, he prays for us. May each of us be able to sense his presence and respond with his life to his teaching, so that we will maintain God’s memory of him, of His Beatitude Lubomyr.”
Press Service of Kyiv Archeparchy