Jordan blessing of the Father and Head of the UGCC His Beatitude Sviatoslav

Friday, 19 January 2018, 20:01
This home and all who live in it are blessed with the sprinkling of this holy water, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

My Dearly Beloved Brothers and Sisters in Christ!

Today, your parish priest has come to your hospitable home with the Jordan water. On this occasion allow me to also pay you a visit and impart on you this traditional Jordan blessing with all its graces.

These annual pastoral visits bring us much joy. A priest has come into our home! His presence with the Jordan water reminds us that our house is also a holy place and a home for our Lord. Christians who have God in their hearts live here. As we enter the New Year, my hope and request is that you always remember that God is with you, and that you foster a holiness of life in word, thought, action in prayer and the joy of the children of God.

Jordan blessing of the His Beatitude Sviatoslav

In our “Vibrant Parish” program we speak of Liturgy and Prayer as one of the most important elements of a Christian community. A parish is vibrant when its members are people of deep prayer. For the soul, prayer is like air for our body. Without prayer, our soul does not breathe. Let us take advantage of the prayers provided by the Church (daily prayers, the Psalms, the Jesus Prayer, etc.). Let us pray together as a family, before and after sleep, meals, work, travel, and study. Let us begin and end every good initiative with prayer. Let us remember that for our children the family, as domestic Church, is the first and primary school of prayer. Before God let us not only speak, but also listen, for God frequently speaks to the quiet, silent heart. And when we gather in church for the Divine Liturgy, let us actively participate in the great Mystery of God’s presence in our midst.

This home and all who live in it are blessed with the sprinkling of this holy water, in the Name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

With my fatherly love to You,

+ SVIATOSLAV

 

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