From His Beatitude Sviatoslav in Vyshhorod: We came to the Mother, who was a prisoner herself and whose eyes are now weeping over the sons and daughters of Ukraine

This was stated by His Beatitude Sviatoslav, the Father and Head of the UGCC on the Sunday of the Blind Man in Vyshhorod during the Hierarchal Divine Liturgy within the framework of the 16th pilgrimage to the Vyshhorod Icon of the Mother of God.

In his homily, the Primate explained the depth and content of the Gospel passage, which tells a story of the healing of a blind man. First of all, the preacher drew attention to the fact of giving the gift of physical sight.

According to him, these are two ways of living, knowledge, activity and building relationships between people, which Christ calls living in darkness and walking in light.

“A man born blind is the image of every person born to a life in this world in the state of original sin, the image of a person who is wounded in his ability to distinguish between good and evil, and thus to choose good between good and evil”, said the bishop and noted that when the blind man walked in the dark, everyone considered him as “one of them”, and after Christ gave him the gift of sight, everyone began to doubt, and even parents were afraid to call him their son.

“When God speaks to them, when he works a miracle, they don't see it, they don't know it, and don't feel it. Because, even reading God-inspired texts, they live in darkness and do not know, do not have the light that comes from the word of God”, said the Head of the Church.

His Beatitude Sviatoslav than explained the importance of faith in human life. According to him, faith is the moment of a person’s transition from life in the dark to walking in the light, the moment of new birth, when a person, on the hand, is the same but, on the other – begins to live a completely different life.

“Therefore, faith is like enlightenment. Person’s faith, which opens her inner spiritual eyes, makes her a new creation. And this faith, which enables personal communion with God, necessarily leads to Baptism”, the Archbishop said.

“Baptism is the moment when a person begins to see himself, the world in a new way and experiences in a new way the presence of the living God, who became visible, came into the world and enlightens and sanctifies each person. He calls us out of the darkness of sin, gives us Himself and the opportunity to communicate with Him, to know Him, to see Him and feel that He is present in our lives”, said the Father and Head of the UGCC.

His Beatitude Sviatoslav noted that the words about life and walking in the light, about enlightenment, the gift of being a new person, new people of God are especially experienced in Vyshhorod, as this place was the first pilgrimage center of Kyivan Rus-Ukraine. “Here, in Vyshhorod, in the ancient princely estate of Saint Princess Olga, the relics of the first Kyiv saints Borys and Glib rested, and here our people honored and honor the icon of the Mother of God”, said the Archbishop, recalling the history of this place.

“Today we came before the eyes of the one, who is the first teacher of the Christian faith. We came before the sighted eyes of the one whom the word of God calls the first to believe – our Immaculate Virgin Mary, our Mother”, said the Head of the UGCC.

Today we are standing before the eyes of the one, the Archbishop continues, who had seen a lot throughout the history of Kyiv Christianity. She saw the sad year of 1155, when Prince Andrey Bogolyubsky burned Kyiv and pillaged Vyshhorod. She saw then how the towns and villages of the Kyiv State were burning from the so-called “god-loving” one. Her eyes were crying as she became a prisoner of war, was taken captive by the northern enemy, who stolen her real, proper name.

“Her eyes are still crying over the sons and daughters of Ukraine. Today she is crying over those who are forced to flee their homes, their land. Again, She is going today with those whom the Russian invader is forcibly taking to Russia. We know that there are already over a million of such prisoners who have been forcibly removed from Ukrainian land and then returned and given weapons, ordering to kill Ukrainian citizens by “mobilizing” in the occupied territories. Today, our Mother, who sees the truth, whose eyes are crying today together with Ukrainian mothers, sons and daughters of Ukraine, is with us”, he assured.

His Beatitude Sviatoslav pointed out that, by marvelous providence, today the northern Kyiv region is the place where many people in the world begin to see clearly. According to various witnesses, from this place they return being completely different people.

“How strongly we need today, especially in the context of this pilgrimage, to return home with hope, faith, with the feeling that the Lord is with us”, he stressed.

“Today we ask the Blessed Virgin Mary – the first sighted, the first who was not subject to original sin – to help modern humanity to see, see not only the crimes of the Russian enemy, but also the heroism, strength and steadfastness of Ukraine, and all of us – to see victory”, said the Father and Head of the UGCC.

“Lord, bless your children today! Make us faithful people who live and walk in the light, who not only know about You, but also know You, because You are alive here among the believing Christians of Ukraine”, the spiritual leader of Ukrainians added.

The UGCC Department for Information