"I do everything as if I were serving the Lord"
After leaving a church on Sunday, a Christian does not stop being a believer. If all those lighting candles for the good health of their loved ones remember Christian values at their workplace and try to put at least some of them into practice daily, society will change for the better.
The vice-rector of the Ukrainian Catholic University, Myroslav Marynovych, opened the meeting with a speech. The well-known public figure, publicist, and prisoner of the Soviet camps noted that one cannot start something new and good without effort and sacrifice. And evil that is not resisted pervades all. "Only a nation whose members support each other in solidarity can be moral," stated Myroslav Marynovych, recalling the consequences of rivalry in ancient times and recent history: princely feuds, Cossack confrontations, the Huliaipole warlordism, the Bandera-Melnyk conflict, the inter-church strife, and the "orange" enmity.
Ex-head of the Ukrainian Greek-Catholic Church, His Beatitude Lubomyr (Husar), shared his thoughts on changing the situation in Ukraine. "It takes courage to change society starting with yourself. In general, for our society to begin to change, we need an army of true Christians rather than changing the existing legislative framework," the cardinal noted. He said he was once advised to hire a mechanic to fix an old car. The mechanic did his job well and replied to the words of gratitude: "I do everything as if I were serving the Lord." "This is Christianity put into practice," says His Beatitude Lubomyr. As for politics, according to the ex-head of the UGCC, this is one of the best ways to serve one's neighbor. "Irresponsible, selfish people sully politics. Therefore, we should not distance ourselves from politics, but behave like Christians," the spiritual leader is convinced.
Other renowned experts addressed the participants. Among them were the world-famous economist and philanthropist Bohdan Hawrylyshyn, Orthodox publicist and philosopher Yurii Chornomorets, church representatives, experts and public figures. Also, master classes in medicine, journalism, law, and psychology were held as part of the Summit. The Alliance of Christian Professionals organized the event to facilitate the development of a civil society based on Christian principles. The Alliance unites religious professionals of various denominations and professions (lawyers, entrepreneurs, journalists, doctors, educators, artists) to grow professionally and serve God and people through their vocation.
According to Rostyslav Semikov, the Chairman of the Board of the Alliance, about one and a half thousand professionals currently belong to the various associations of the Alliance. Representatives of the Medical Association organize trips to villages without medical centers, distribute medicines and conduct examinations, while lawyers provide free consultations. In 2012, the Association of Christian Lawyers, in cooperation with the Anti-Corruption Center, suspended tender purchases that were carried out with gross violations of the law. "I believe that in the near future, there will be a large network of Christians in Ukraine - experts in the most important professional fields capable of changing the rules of the game in their profession and spreading such values throughout society," Semikov notes.
