His Beatitude Sviatoslav: "At the trial, Christ will not ask which cars we were driving, but will ask what we did for the least of His"

The Primate of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, His Beatitude Sviatoslav (Shevchuk), on the 10^th of March, on the Meat-Fare Sunday, undertook a pastoral visit to the Parish of Saint Ann, which is Vyshneve city, in Kiev region. "Today I felt an obligation to visit you and to present you my respect, my remembrance of you, so as to make you feel yourselves as the loved sons and daughters of your Church," - said the Head of the UGCC to his faithful.

The Divine Liturgy, which was headed by His Beatitude Sviatoslav, took place at the local Civil Registry Office, where during the past six months, the community gathers for prayer, while the issue of a land for the future church is being solved.

In the sermon during the Liturgy, based on the Gospel “The Final Judgment”, the Head of the UGCC urged to remember that Christ comes to us every day "in the face of the most needy person ... And when we serve him, then we serve to the God himself”.

His Beatitude Sviatoslav reminded that in one week time the Lent begins. "And today, in this Sunday, which is called" Meat-Fare Sunday", we hear the Gospel, which tells us of the Final Judgment. However, in order to understand that word of God properly, which God speaks to us today, we must, first of all, see Good News in the Gospel"- the preacher invited laymen to think.

The Good News consists, according to him, in the Lord, in compliance with our faith, to be the omnipresent God. God communicates His word through people like we are; however, "into full mode" He will come when the history of this world will come to an end. Then, the Lord will put in front of Him all the people from the beginning to the end of the world. "Christ will not ask us in which flats we were living, in which churches we were praying, which cars were we driving, but will ask what we did for the least of His," - accentuated the Head of the Church.

The Meat-Fare Sunday was proclaimed by the UGCC as the Day of social service and urges all faithful to take care of the people who need help most.

"Today I wanted to honor you - he addressed the parishioners of Vyshneve, - because it is, maybe, one of the most needy communities of our Kiev archdiocese. I want to show you that you are the sons and the daughters of the Great God, to whom he comes every day".

"I wish you all that you have your spiritual eyes widely open and saw the God who approaches you. I want to wish you also to be rich in actions of mercy, because then you will become those whom God will call right to Himself ", - concluded the Primate of the Church.

At the end of the Liturgy, Fr. Volodymyr Malchyn, the administrator of the Parish of Saint Ann, expressed his gratitude to the Head of the UGCC for his visit to Vyshneve and for the support of the local community. "Your presence today among us is a clear evidence that your pastoral care does not ignore even the small communities of our Church, which are under development," - said Fr. Volodymyr.

After the Liturgy, all the faithful moved into the premises of an English school, where every Sunday the catechesis of children and adults is taking place. His Beatitude Sviatoslav talked with the children of the parish and thanked Sister Antonia Kulyk, SSMI, for her faithful catechetical ministry for the youngest. Then, in another room, adult parishioners had the opportunity to talk with the Head of the UGCC.

Photo report

UGCC Department of Information