Ukrainian Catholic ChurchAustralia, New Zealand and Oceania
Homily by Fr. Taras Gorpynyak on the Seventh Sunday after Easter
May 31, 2025
The source of knowledge about God is Jesus Christ Himself. He left us His Church, where we can draw on our spiritual needs and be shown the way to Almighty God. Here, in the Church, we have protection from all enemies of our salvation; here, in the Church, we find peace of mind and answers to our questions. Here, in the Church, we have the best nourishment for our souls, which is accomplished in the Divine Liturgy — Holy Communion.
Today, the Church commemorates the holy Fathers of the First Ecumenical Council, which took place in Nicaea in 325 (now Iznik in Turkey). The Council was convened by Emperor Constantine the Great. It was the first council in the history of Christianity, lasting from the end of May to the end of August. The Council was attended by 318 bishops from around the world, including St. Nicholas the Wonderworker.
The Council condemned the heresy of Arius and affirmed the dogma: the Son of God is true God, born of God the Father before all ages and as eternal as God the Father; He is born, not created, and consubstantial with God the Father. On 19 June, the main decision of the Council was adopted — the Symbol of Faith — a clear and concise statement of the true doctrine of faith in seven points.
At that time, some issues of the internal life of the Church were finally resolved, including the establishment of the date of Easter. It was decided that Easter would be celebrated on the first Sunday after the full moon following the spring equinox. The Council of Nicaea adopted 20 canons of church life, which became a reliable foundation for the further development of the Church.
Today’s Gospel is part of the prayer that Jesus Christ prayed on Holy Thursday before His passion. In this prayer, the Saviour of the world asks, “Father, the hour has come; glorify thy Son that the Son may glorify thee, 2 since thou hast given him power over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom thou hast given him. 3 And this is eternal life, that they know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent” (John 17:1–3).
With these words, our Lord Jesus Christ testified that eternal life depends on knowing the true God the Father and His only begotten Son, Jesus Christ.
The source of knowledge about God is Jesus Christ Himself, who came to this earth and left us His teaching in the Holy Gospel. He left us His Church, where we can draw on our spiritual needs and be shown the way to Almighty God. Here, in the Church, we have protection from all enemies of our salvation; here, in the Church, we find peace of mind and answers to our questions. Here, in the Church, we have the best nourishment for our souls, which is accomplished in the Divine Liturgy — Holy Communion — as well as other blessings that the Lord gives us through the reception of the Holy Mysteries.
Our path to the Kingdom of God, to eternal life, passes through our Saviour Jesus Christ and His Holy Church.
