Today, the light of God’s word and our faith tell us that even when we lose something, we get something new in return. This was the opinion expressed by Father and Head of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, His Beatitude Sviatoslav during a program of Radio Maria.
The Primate recalled the apostles who had experienced the loss of their Lord, and consequently lost hope.
“Remember the Easter story of two disciples traveling to Emmaus. They left Jerusalem with a sense of total collapse. They did not know where to go and what to do. At that moment, Jesus Christ was walking with them, but they were so busy with themselves and with their loss that they did not recognize him. Only at the moment of the Eucharist, when Christ took the bread, broke it, their eyes were opened,” said the Head of the Church.
According to him, we, as disciples of Christ, are now experiencing a very similar situation. We are frightened, as all our ideas or stereotypes of the way of spending Easter holidays have shattered.
We learn in our spiritual life to distinguish the essential from the secondary. We learn to distinguish religious habits and customs from the nature and content of our faith. Christ has not left us today in the midst of fear and disappointment. During a pandemic, we must find Him again, even in our homes. Christ is present in the temple, but He is also present at home, beside us,” assured the Primate of the UGCC.
In his view, it is only in the Risen Christ that we must find the strength to overcome fear and the power to turn fear into joy.
“I want to wish everyone that this Easter we use an opportunity and rediscover the living resurrected Savior next to us,” wished the Head of the UGCC.
The UGCC Department for Information