Video-message of His Beatitude Sviatoslav. June 20. 117 th day of the war

Today is Monday 20 June 2022. Ukraine is already going through 117 days of a great, bloody war that Russia is waging against our people and our state.
That we can be with you today, see the light of day, see the beginning of a new day, we thank the Lord God, as well as the Armed Forces of Ukraine, because for this new day, someone paid with their lives.

According to the reports we received this morning, the intensity of hostilities on the entire front line is very strong. Yesterday, the President warned that this week could be decisive and historic for Ukraine. In particular, regarding the movement of Ukraine into the European family of nations, the return of Ukraine to Europe. And this is exactly what may become another reason for the sharp escalation of hostilities. We see that the number of bombings and shellings of our courageous Kharkiv has increased sharply. Again, fierce fighting is taking place in the Luhansk region, the city of Sievierodonetsk, Lysychansk is the largest hotbed of military confrontation in Ukraine today. The difficult situation is on the whole front in Donbas. Heavy fighting is going on in Kherson and Zaporizhzhia. Also at night, the enemy fired missiles at the Odesa region, which fortunately the air defense system was able to destroy.
But Ukraine is standing. Ukraine is fighting. Ukraine is amazing the world. And Ukraine believes, believes in God, believes in the power of good and truth, and Ukraine finds the strength to resist evil and untruth.

Today, I would like to end with you the reflection on the gifts that the Holy Spirit has brought us on the day of Pentecost. And today I would like to invite you to reflect on the last and greatest possible gift of the Holy Spirit, which somewhere sums up all His other previous gifts. And this gift is called "the fear of God." In fact, in order to understand the meaning, depth, and greatness of this gift of the Holy Spirit, we must first pay attention to the fact that it is difficult for us to choose the right words to set it out. This is not about some fearful panic that inspires us with the instinct of self-defense. When a person is afraid, he is afraid of some danger to the unknown that threatens his life or existence. This is more about fear, about the reverent awe that a person naturally feels when he sees something beautiful, something great, something that transcends the horizons of man's ability to act. When a person is confronted with a reality that captures the truth, he holds his breath. That is why the Holy Scriptures, in particular the Book of Wisdom, say: "Listen, children, walk in the fear of the Lord, I will teach you." To feel that which is great, holy, and beautiful is something that needs to be learned. On the contrary, fear, fear of danger, is something that does not need to be learned, it arises spontaneously in a person, as the holy fathers teach. Again, God's Word tells us that "the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom." It is the Holy Spirit Who teaches the human person, makes him able to feel the greatness and beauty of God. And this is the beginning of wisdom. This is the beginning of this human path to the great and beautiful God, Who surpasses our imagination, our expectations. This fear of the Lord is the beginning, the beginning of a new human spirit towards God. Therefore, this gift of the Holy Spirit seems to summarize and complete all previous gifts, because it perfectly makes a person able to be sensitive to the supernatural, sensitive to God, to feel holiness. In modern culture, sometimes called "secularized culture," one actually loses a sense of holiness. Man does not feel holiness, any sacred space or time, does not feel holiness, even the same human life. One rather understands the fear of some karma, and loses the feeling of this transcendent, which transcends it.

Therefore, we ask today: O Lord, give us this sensitivity to You. Our soldiers teach us that fear of the Lord, because they say there are no atheists on the front line, on the front. There, when our sons and daughters of Ukraine face death, they feel the presence of the almighty, the great God, they feel fear, but they feel this fear of the great and holy God Who is near and learn the wisdom of life.

O God, bless Ukraine! O God, let us feel Your presence among us! Make us sensitive to the movements of the Holy Spirit that You send into our souls. Let us be able to follow You wherever You lead us. O God, save the sons and daughters of Ukraine! O God, be with us!

May the blessing of the Lord be upon you through His grace and love of humankind, always, now and ever, and for ages of ages. Amen. 

Glory to Jesus Christ!