Head of Ukraine Catholic Church says "Today we say: God, forgive me my sins...God's victory is always the victory of good over evil, truth over untruth, peace over war"
"Lent is a time of repentance in which we learn to overcome" - His Beatitude Sviatoslav on Sunday of Forgiveness
Sunday, March 06, 2022,
Today we say: God, forgive me my sins. May Your victory dwell in my heart. And God's victory is always the victory of good over evil, truth over untruth, peace over war. Entering the time of repentance, we begin to learn to overcome. It is so important for us to know the secret of victory and to have a power over which our enemy is powerless. His Beatitude Sviatoslav, Father and Head of the UGCC, said this during a sermon to the faithful on Syrup Sunday.
"Forgiveness is the secret of victory. We ask God for forgiveness for all the sins of our people ", - The Head of the UGCC on the eleventh day of the war
Today's Gospel (Matt. 6: 14-21) introduces us to Lent. From the spiritual point of view, says the Primate of the UGCC, we can say that Lent is a struggle, even a war. "This is a struggle between good and evil for what is real and does not end. The field of struggle, the battle during Lent is the inner world of man, in particular his thoughts, plans, intentions and his relationship to God, himself and the outside world. At the end of the passage, we hear that the inner battlefield itself is decisive, ”the preacher explained.
"What does it take to win a war?" What does it take to destroy the enemy? To defeat evil? ” - the Head of the Church asks and answers: “The Lord gives us weapons that can surprise us. God says that the secret of victory is forgiveness.
His Beatitude Sviatoslav points out that it is strange to think of forgiveness during war, so he emphasizes that today's Gospel tells us not so much about man's forgiveness as the key to victory over the devil, but about God's forgiveness. According to him, this means that we can defeat the devil, war and all evil only if we allow God to forgive us.
"Therefore, the time of Lent is a time of repentance, in which we open our hearts to God's mercy," the preacher emphasizes.
According to him, the very desire to forgive everyone who owed us is the attitude of the winner. Today, the most important treasure we need as a nation is the treasure of the victory of good over evil. That must be our greatest wealth, which will be in our hearts.
"Today we ask: Lord, give us the weapon with which we can defeat the devil and all his angels. Give us the weapon with which we can win not only in the war, but we can defeat the war itself and all those who caused it and brought it to the land of Ukraine. Today we especially pray for our army. For those who truly defeated the enemy on the battlefield of their own hearts. It is out of love for their homeland that they defeat those who attack us, ”said the Father and Head of the UGCC.
"Gather your treasures in heaven" is a great appeal to all of us. Because war is always the destruction, depletion and waste of resources ", - His Beatitude Sviatoslav emphasized and added at the end:" God, give us victory! Grant us victory over our enemy! Give peace to our Motherland. And most importantly - give us victory over sin and death in our hearts, so that with You and in You was our treasure.
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