Ukrainian Catholic ChurchAustralia, New Zealand and Oceania
Retreat for the clergy of the Melbourne Eparchy
December 10, 2023
A retreat for the clergy of the Melbourne Eparchy took place from December 4 to 8 at Pallotti College in Millgrove, Victoria. During five days, the participants of the retreat had the opportunity to be spiritually enriched by listening to the inspired teachings of Bishop Gregory Homeming.
The retreat began on Monday, December 4, with Great Vespers, during which Bishop Gregory gave his first retreat talk, in which he emphasised that this retreat will be special because he will try to help the participants find God in everyday life situations so that the Lord becomes their friend, with whom they will walk through their whole life.
During the following days, the clergy of the eparchy, led by Bishop Gregory, reflected on the topic of temptation and sin. Reading the Gospel, which tells how after baptism Christ went into the desert and, at the end of 40 days, was tempted by the devil, Bishop pondered and conveyed to the participants the idea that temptations are a manifestation of freedom, because temptations are impossible without freedom. God allows them because our spiritual life is impossible without temptation. If we don’t have temptation, then we think we are perfect. Temptations and the very sin that arises after them exist only when a person has the opportunity for that sin. If I am not able to do certain things, I cannot sin. Temptations come where we are weak and only there; that’s why we people constantly confess almost the same sins, because the devil knows where we can fall and gives us those temptations so that we, being free, make our own choices. However, as Bishop Gregory emphasised, we must remember that sin is not a negative end; it is only an opportunity to move on. Because always, after a sin, we can get up, apologise to God, and move on. God allows sin because this is how a person, first, learns to distinguish between what is good and what is evil. Thanks to this, a person also learns not to offend God as evil. And in the end, a person learns how to love God. That is why temptations and sin are a part of our lives that God allows because he loves us. Therefore, he created us with free will so that we can learn to choose him, choose good, and walk through this life with him as a friend who leads us to the heavenly kingdom.
The second day of the retreat fell on the great feast of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker, Archbishop of Myra in Lycia. The day began with the Bishop’s Liturgy, which was presided over by Bishop Mykola Bychok, Eparch of Melbourne, with the co-service of Bishop Gregory and the clergy of the Eparchy. After the Gospel, Bishop Gregory addressed all those present with an instructive speech in which he noted the importance of the presence of God in human life. Because people who are experiencing all kinds of difficulties, patience, and problems experience God much more in their lives, this makes them humble and more open to God’s grace. And Christ, in the Sermon on the Mount, calls them blessed. This is exactly the situation of the Ukrainian people, who are suffering from a hateful war. But treading the paths of truth, trusting in God, expects a just peace and victory. After the Divine Liturgy, there was a loud “Mnohaja lita!” with which everyone present congratulated their bishop on his name day and thanked God for the gift of his life, vocation, and service in Christ’s Vineyard of the Melbourne Eparchy.
Then the retreat participants reflected on how God came down to people and on man’s readiness for transformation and acceptance of God’s grace. The basis for these reflections were two texts from the Holy Scriptures, namely the Apostle Peter’s confession: “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God” (Mt. 16:16) and the event of the Lord’s transfiguration: “And after six days Jesus took with him Peter and James and John his brother and led them up a high mountain apart. And he was transfigured before them” (Mt. 17:1–2).
Referring to the teachings of St. John of the Cross and St. Teresa of Avila, in his latest teaching, Bishop Gregory emphasised the importance of prayer in human life, and especially in priestly life, since prayer is the key that opens the door to heaven. Reflecting on the multifaceted nature of prayer, the bishop drew parallels between the relationship between a husband and a wife, which begins with verbiage but eventually turns into understanding, expressions of love, and staying in silence. In the same way, a person experiences God in his life through prayer, which begins with words and moves to silence—that is, the prayer of the heart. At the end of the lecture, Bishop Gregory called on all those present to pray fervently and earnestly, to be pure of heart, and to be faithful to Christ throughout their lives.
The retreat ended on Friday, December 8, with the Divine Liturgy. Bishop Mykola thanked Bishop Gregory for his spiritual sciences and presented him with a book about the Ukrainian New Martyrs as a sign of gratitude. After the Liturgy, the participants of the retreat returned to their parishes to continue to bring Christ’s knowledge to the faithful of the Melbourne Eparchy.
