Bishop Hlib (Lonchyna) about His Beatitude Lubomyr: He was a Man of Prayer

Friday, 01 June 2018, 11:49
The Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church commemorates the first anniversary of the departure of blessed memory His Beatitude Lubomyr.

The Heart of His Beatitude Lubomyr ceased to beat on May 31, 2017, at 18:30.

The commemoration began with the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy, which was presided by the Father and Head of the UGCC His Beatitude Sviatoslav together with the bishops and clergy of the UGCC. After the Liturgy, the Panakhyda took place in the crypt of the Patriarchal Cathedral, where the mortal remains of His Beatitude Lubomyr rest.

Bishop Hlib (Lonchyna), the Eparch of the Eparchy of the Holy Family with a seat in London, the Apostolic Visitor for the Ukrainian Greek Catholics of Ireland arrived at the memorial liturgy; Bishop Stepan (Menyok), Exarch of Donetsk; Bishop Vasyl’ (Tuchapets’), Exarch of Kharkiv; Bishop Mykhailol (Bubnіy), Exarch of Odesa; Bishop Theodor (Martyniuk), Auxhiliary Bishop of the Ternopil-Zboriv Archeparchy; Bishop Josуph (Milian), Auxhiliary Bishop of the Kуіv Archeparchy and many priests and faithful came to pray.

In the sermon to the faithful, Bishop Hlib (Lonchyna), who at one time was in a monastery with His Beatitude Lubomyr, noted that the first anniversary of the death of His Beatitude Lubomyr falls within a week between Pentecost and Sunday of Аll Saints ... "The deceased His Beatitude is for us an example of deification, which Jesus promised to His people. What does a deification look like? The deification is first of all gratitude. It is gratitude for all that God does, for everything that God gives. Because everything in life is a gift of the Lord God," said the Bishop.

He told that when someone visited His Beatitude Lubomyr, when something was told or given to him, he always said: "Thank God." "The grace of God is the gift of God. This is an undeserved gift that we receive from God. His Beatitude Lubomyr always looked at life with gratitude. He was grateful for every tiniest thing," says Bishop Hlib.

The deification, in his opinion, is also attentive. "His Beatitude," said the preacher, "was very attentive to every person. He was able to speak with the Pope, with Сardinals and with ordinary workers. Every man was his brother and sister in Christ. That is why he respected each person."

"When we were together in the monastery," recalled the Bishop, "he always asked us what we think of this or that topic. He never acted in an authoritarian way - you have to listen, because I say so. This never was the case. His Beatitude was very much attentive to every member of the community."

At the end of the deification is prayer. "Of blessed memory His Beatitude Lubomyr was a man of prayer. And especially he served with great love and care the Divine Liturgy. Never was in a hurry. And he participated in all the services in the monastery. It never happened that he said: serve the Sixth Time or the Ninth, and I will do something for myself. No. He was always with us. Always prayed with us at every Liturgy except only when he was sick. In the evenings I sometimes would go to the chapel. It was dark there, only one light shines near his place. He sits there, prays, reads, meditates. His Beatitude Lubomyr was a man of prayer. Therefore, we thank God today for the gift of earthly and eternal life of His Beatitude Lubomyr," shared the memories Bishop Hlіb.

One of his favorite phrases - "Be a Man". How did he understand that? "Not in the sense," explained the Bishop," that someone must be at the center of attention, but in the sense of being a Human Being, being a Man in God." Being deified means to be grateful. To be a Man means to be attentive. To be a Man means to be а saint. "

 

Department of Information of the UGCC


TAGS: prayer, Huzar
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