Video-message of His Beatitude Sviatoslav. May 18. 84th day of war

Today is Wednesday 18 May 2022 and Ukraine is resisting the Russian invasion for 84 days, which destroys our land and is waging war against our cities, our villages, our homes.

From what we can observe on the fronts, there is a strange slowdown in hostilities. Ukraine is successfully defending itself and is stopping the enemy’s attacks, and in fact the enemy has not achieved any military goal that he set himself to achieve in our lands.

Nevertheless, intense fighting continues, in particular in the Luhansk and Donetsk regions. The Dnipropetrovsk region was hit by a rocket attack today, in particular at the beginning of this day. But Ukraine stands and fights.

Today we feel more and more that Ukraine is capable and able to withstand this difficult and unequal battle. We feel that the Lord God will bless our army because we pray for it. The Lord God sustains those who know how to love, to love their homeland and their loved ones. The Lord God is there where people know how to help each other in hardship and adversity, and God’s presence makes us invincible.

Today I would like to reflect with you on another work of mercy for the soul of our neighbour which, in the conditions of war, sounds as if it is especially for us. This work of mercy says the following: “Bear wrongs patiently.” Such an act of mercy, first of all, reveals in love of neighbour the signs of God Himself, because God is long-suffering. He endures for a long time and waits until the sinner is converted and repents. If the Lord God punished every human injustice and every human sin at once, it is likely that some of us would not be alive today. But God’s long-suffering in love enables a person to realize his condition and thus change his behaviour. The Lord God is waiting, giving people the opportunity to become better.

And it is obvious that in our relations, in particular in personal relations with relatives and friends, it is so important not to rush to respond immediately to evil with evil. It is so important to be able to cope properly, even in such circumstances which we call crises of human relations. To give time to our neighbour in order to become better. And our love, especially for those around us, with our loved ones, should not change according to how the other person treats me. When I love, I share what I have within myself. I love and I share the love that the Lord God has given me. And that is why my love, which is tested in patience, becomes visible and active, it is able to change another person.

Therefore, long-suffering, the ability to really wait, to wait in love for the conversion of another, is similar to the time of recovery. Every doctor, when treating a sick patient, must wait for his recovery, because this is part of a certain process.

May the Lord God help us, especially in the circumstances of war, with our love for our neighbours to extinguish all kinds of conflicts that arise within our families, parishes, and communities. This long-suffering in love, as a manifestation of God’s long-suffering, becomes a great treasure for those who know how to love.

O God, bless Ukraine! O God, bless the Ukrainian army! O God, bless our people’s long-suffering! O God, grant us in that long-suffering to grow in Your Love, to be stronger every day in the face of injustice! O God, show Your love to Ukrainian children! May the Lord God reward a hundredfold all those who support those who are most in need today.

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

Christ is risen! Truly He is risen!