Ukrainian Catholic ChurchAustralia, New Zealand and Oceania
Homily by Fr. Yuriy Tychenok on the Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost
October 7, 2023
In today’s Gospel according to John, we hear the words of the last Prayer of Jesus Christ, before His arrest, and those terrible torments that the Son of God endured. In this prayer, Jesus prays for us, people, so that we all live in unity and love with each other and with God.
One of the most famous tragic love stories is the play “Romeo and Juliet” by William Shakespeare. It tells about the sincere love of a boy named Romeo and a girl named Juliet, whose families were very much at odds with each other. These two families hated each other so much that every time they met somewhere, quarrels and fights broke out between them. However, this did not become an obstacle to true love. All that the lovers dreamed of was to be always together. And although this play ends tragically, it beautifully illuminates the fact that enmity and hatred can destroy someone’s destiny
The great drama in Christianity is the story of the Son of God, Jesus Christ. He loved people so much that he came down from heaven to be with us, and with his death on the cross he opened the door to his kingdom for us so that we could come to him.
In today’s Gospel according to John, we hear the words of the last Prayer of Jesus Christ, before His arrest, and those terrible torments that the Son of God endured. In this prayer, Jesus prays for us, people, so that we all live in unity and love with each other and with God.
Let’s think about how much we love Jesus? Are we indifferent to all that other people say against the Church and against the Lord God? Do we, despite everything, strive to be close to Jesus, in His Church, to receive His Body and Blood in the Holy Eucharist, to listen to the Word of God, and to share our feelings with the Lord?
The society in which we live consists of different people, and different families, which are often at odds with each other. The evil spirit, which is hostile to the Lord God and hates us Christians, creates various obstacles to keep us from being with Jesus. He tries with all his might to distance us from God. The devil has always made such obstacles in Christianity.
Today we also remember the victory over one of these obstacles, namely, the victory over iconoclasm. 367 Fathers of the Church arrived in Nicaea in 787 in order to prevent heretics from destroying the icons depicting the Lord God, Virgin Mary, angels, and saints, because they help us better feel God’s presence, focus on prayer, and bring us closer to God himself.
Let us also imitate those brave defenders of the true faith, so that by the example of their lives, actions, and words, we can open the love of God and our neighbors in human hearts, and not replenish the army hostile to Christianity, which destroys other people’s destinies and leads to destruction. Amen!
