An ecumenical prayer with the intention of Christian unity and peace in Ukraine, by the intercession of the Blessed Martha Vetska.
The prayer was attended by His Beatitude Lubomyr (Husar), Bishop Joseph (Milian), priests, seminarians of the Kyiv Three Saints Theological Seminary, nuns and the faithful of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church, the UGCC Information Department reports.
Among those present were monks and faithful of the Catholic, Orthodox and Armenian Churches.
A prayer started with a solemn procession from St. Michael's Cathedral. The clergy of various denominations, with the relics of the Blessed Martka Vetska, walked to St. Michael's Square and came up on the stage, where they held the ecumenical prayer.
Having prayed together, the bishops spoke from the stage about peace and unity in Ukraine.
His Beatitude Lubomyr focused the attention of the faithful on peace, unity and compassion. According to the Hierarch, comprehension of these three concepts will provide answers to many issues we are concerned about today. The Archbishop Emeritus said that without peace nothing could grow and develop. Speaking of unity, the Archbishop said: “No one is like an island, separated from all the rest, but quite the contrary - we can be ourselves when we are together with others.”Mercy, according to the moral leader of Ukrainian people, is the best way to open oneself to others and serve one another.
Lubomyr said in his speech: "We have gathered for a joint prayer, in order to be close to God. Either peace or true unity and especially mercy are not possible without God ... He is the one who gives us these gifts. We have been generously endowed by God, but unfortunately often forget that without him, we cannot rejoice in these gifts.”
Archbishop Emeritus also drew the attention of residents and guests to the figure of Blessed Martha, who is a good example of how to benefit from God's gifts.
“Today, being here together in prayer, we have deeply experienced the power that God tries to fill us, so that peace, unity and compassion were established through ourselves... Today we have to ask ourselves, “What can we do to make it happen?” This is a very important step that the Lord expects of us!” His Beatitude completed his speech.
Thereafter the seminarians of the Kyiv Three Saints Seminary performed prayer chants, which urged everyone to the joint worship of God.
In a commentary for the press service of Kyiv Archdiocese Bishop Joseph (Milian), auxiliary bishop of Kyiv, said: “Talking about peace, you have to create peace in your own heart first. Creating peace is creating it first in your family and in relationships with close people. Then the global peace will come! I believe that the global peace depends on the peace of man with his Creator - God. Only on this foundation we can build peace in Ukraine and all over the world,” the hierarch said.
The ecumenical prayer participants also had a good chance to hear spiritual chants performed by the choir of St. Alexander Church of the RCC, and pray for peace and unity in different languages.
At the end of the action, everybody could bow onto the relics of the Blessed Martha Vetska and ask God for the graces through her intercession.
It should be noted that the relics have been recently brought from the ATO zone and will be transported across Ukraine so that the faithful of different cities could pray for peace and unity of Ukraine.