In times of fear and anxiety seek for affection of Heavenly Father, - His Beatitude Sviatoslav on Sunday of the Prodigal Son

Tuesday, 22 February 2022, 00:56

Today, when we need to feel so safe, let us embrace Heavenly Father. Let us remember who we are for God. We are His children. Let us remember who the Lord is for us. He is a merciful father. Let us give our Father the opportunity to embrace and kiss us. When does it happen? It happens during the Holy Sacrament of Confession. His Beatitude Sviatoslav, the Father and Head of the UGCC, asked for this during a homily to the faithful in the Patriarchal Cathedral of the Resurrection of Christ on the Sunday of the Prodigal Son.

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“The word of the Gospel that we have just read undoubtedly belongs to the golden treasury of human wisdom and God-inspired creativity. This parable, which has various names (of a merciful father, of a prodigal son) has been a light of hope for those who have lost it in all times of Christ's Church, a call to repentance for those who thought they were cursed forever. This parable reveals to us the true face of our God, "said the Head of the UGCC.

The preacher drew attention to two important traits of God: patience and mercy.

According to His Beatitude Sviatoslav, the parable of the merciful father or prodigal son reveals to us the face of a patient and merciful God as a father to each of us.

Explaining the meaning of the parable, the Head of the Church noted that today we see how the prodigal son remembers what his father has and understands who his father is. "Fatherhood on the one hand and sonship on the other could not be lost. This is the greatest treasure that saves us from the worst trouble. Reminiscences of him being his son leads him back home. And the father is patient: by giving his son the opportunity to leave, denying his own existence, he shows this divine patience ”says the Father and Head of the UGCC.

"The father sees in his mercy the resurrection of his son," the preacher emphasizes.

“Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, - says His Beatitude Sviatoslav, - now we are living in a moment of great fear and anxiety. Probably, it is Christian patience that gives us strength not to panic in times of anxiety. Here we testify our resilience to the various fears that our enemy wants to impose on us”.

“Perhaps, today's road of the fall and return of the prodigal son will be a clue to us whenever we feel in circumstances that are stronger than our strength and beyond our capabilities. At this point, we are subconsciously seeking parental embraces”.

“May the merciful Lord, who shares today the joy of finding his son, fill our hearts with the joy of God's affinity. May the merciful Lord embrace us, make us feel safe in His hands. May He endure in Christian patience, so with His help we survive in this difficult time in the history of our Motherland,” the spiritual leader of Ukrainians wished.

The UGCC Department for Information