For a long time, Ukraine will still feel the pain felt by our veterans as they return from the trenches of war to civilian life. Caring for the wounded souls of the people is one of the priorities of our pastoral mission.
For a long time, Ukraine will still feel the pain felt by our veterans as they return from the trenches of war to civilian life. Caring for the wounded souls of the people is one of the priorities of our pastoral mission. The UGCC Department for Information report.
This is stated in the Letter “We are Healed by His Wounds…” addressed by the Synod of Bishops of the Kyiv-Halych Supreme Archeparchy of the UGCC to the clergy. In this letter, the bishops of the UGCC pay attention to the issues that the war-wounded soldiers encounter and need support in.
The bishops point out that the war brought a lot of suffering to our families and left more than one generation injured. In recent times, is has been multiplied by the latest COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic.
At the same time, throughout these years we have witnessed the unprecedented sacrifice and self-dedication of our people. “The unconditional willingness of Ukrainian warriors to defend their homeland confidently gave hope to millions of our compatriots and became a worldwide symbol of sacrificial love and dedicated service. The unprecedented development of the volunteer movement, which united Ukrainians not only in our country but on all continents, revealed the potential of good, hidden in the depths of the Ukrainian soul. Our priests, as military chaplains, sincerely, with love and devotion, have gone to the area of military actions in order to serve the defenders spiritually,” note the bishops.
However, they emphasize that the wounds of the war go much deeper. Many Ukrainian families are left without breadwinners, children without parental care, mothers and fathers without hope for a safe and peaceful old age.
"We must not get used to their suffering. On the contrary, our solidarity with the victims of the war must be an expression of our living faith. It must take practical form, become active love, embodied by the touch of a merciful God, responding to the needs of a particular person, and an effective cure for the wounded community,” write the members of the Synod.
It is in human pain and suffering that the priests are called to remain humble apostles of God's grace, courageous witnesses of hope.
"Our closeness to our wounded brothers and sisters, our ability to listen and hear, our willingness to reach out and offer them a helping hand and a shoulder to lean on – all this makes God Himself physically present in a human life and suffering. Our faith helps to extend the experience of the individual's suffering to the horizons of the sacrament of salvation for all humanity,” say the bishops.
The Synod of the UGCC calls on priests, seminarians and monks to make the most of the spiritual support to the victims of the war, to acquire the necessary skills, to conduct useful formative courses that would facilitate an active participation of the Church in healing the wounds of the Ukrainian people.