“The Great Fast has approached again. Why is it Great and holy? Because it calls all and everyone as Church to a great act – repentance. Repentance becomes eventual only in a humble, calm and quiet heart”, says bishop Yosyf Milyan, bishop-auxiliary of Kyiv Archeparchy in his video address on the Great Fast.
The archbishop paid attention to life and political intrigues boiling around: “We have already passed the sixth year anniversary of Heavenly Hundred Heroes. We are expecting justice. You need peace to repent and draw near to God”. He also mentioned that “a modern man needs something what the Divine Liturgy proclaims so oftentimes: “Peace be with you”!
“We truly cannot turn to God unless we turn to one another in peace and calmness. We will never manage to make this bigger or smaller step on our way to redemption, if we do not find it in our own heart. We will not find peace in Ukraine, unless we find it in our soul. To fight for Ukraine, particularly for grand peace in Ukraine, we had better start with conciliating our hearts. Probably then people will comprehend themselves, realize their vocation, their sin and starts their way to their own and grand repentance”.
The protosyncellus of Kyiv Archeparchy also pointed out that to repent of our sins and kneel before the Lord is spiritually natural. “But it is important to stand before the same as “I”, before the same as “you”, before a person who we have sinned against”.
To conclude, the bishop asked when was the last time we cried over our sins and that act of betrayal we performed in the face of other people.
“If we still manage to cry over our sins and transgressions, over betrayal we committed against others, it will be our step to repentance during the Great Fast, which must definitely start in our hearts. Wish everyone a blissful and blessed Great Fast! God be with all of us!”
Press service of Kyiv Archeparchy