Ukrainian Catholic ChurchAustralia, New Zealand and Oceania
The Missionary Decade. Feast of the Ascension of our Lord Jesus Christ — “Personal confirmation in faith”
May 29, 2025
On this solemn day of the feast of the Ascension of Christ, we encourage everyone to respond to the invitation of the Head of our Church, His Beatitude Sviatoslav Shevchuk, to prepare for the great feast of Pentecost, passing the Missionary Decade 2025.
During the ten days between the Ascension and Pentecost, we will reflect on the texts of the Gospel of John, which are read during the Divine Liturgy, and together we will listen to the teachings that the Lord speaks at a time when the war continues in our country for the fourth year in a row. The themes to which the evangelist John draws our attention resonate with our search for resilience and indomitability, service and leadership, and healing and treatment of wartime trauma. The source of stability and endurance for us has always been prayer, reading the Holy Scripture, and participation in the Holy Sacraments. At the same time, the Christian family, the home church, and the closest circle of communication with friends are very important places for the formation of stability, solidarity, and healing for us. The experience of meeting God in the church and at home, especially now, prompts us to attend services more often and to accept the gifts of the Holy Spirit, the fruits of which are our active volunteering and service in local parish communities, military hospitals, and centres for assistance to displaced persons and persons who are the most vulnerable in times of crisis and trials.
Thursday, May 29
A reading of the Holy Gospel according to Luke 24:36–53
“While they were still speaking about this, he stood in their midst and said to them, ‘Peace be with you.’ But they were startled and terrified and thought that they were seeing a ghost. Then he said to them, ‘Why are you troubled? And why do questions arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I myself. Touch me and see, because a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you can see I have.’ And as he said this, he showed them his hands and his feet. While they were still incredulous for joy and were amazed, he asked them, ‘Have you anything here to eat?’ They gave him a piece of baked fish;he took it and ate it in front of them. He said to them, ‘These are my words that I spoke to you while I was still with you, that everything written about me in the law of Moses and in the prophets and psalms must be fulfilled.’ Then he opened their minds to understand the scriptures. And he said to them, ‘Thus it is written that the Messiah would suffer and rise from the dead on the third day and that repentance, for the forgiveness of sins, would be preached in his name to all the nations, beginning from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things. And [behold] I am sending the promise of my Father upon you; but stay in the city until you are clothed with power from on high.’ Then he led them [out] as far as Bethany, raised his hands, and blessed them. As he blessed them he parted from them and was taken up to heaven. They did him homage and then returned to Jerusalem with great joy, and they were continually in the temple praising God.”
Reflections in time of war
This is the fourth year that we have celebrated Easter and Pentecost in the heroic resistance of the Ukrainian people against russia’s large-scale invasion of Ukraine. We remember how Christ’s disciples hid during His Passion and even after His Resurrection out of fear in the face of death. Many of us are still “frightened and full of fear,” anxious and with doubts rising in our hearts (cf. Luke 24:37–38). Sometimes we want to run away from this reality or take revenge on our enemies, or somehow express our anger and frustration at the hopelessness in which we find ourselves, and often we keep everything inside, boiling over with anger and hatred for the enemy and all the injustice that surrounds us. However, Christ, both then and now, enters our homes and communities, gives us peace, and gives us his Holy Spirit. He shows us his wounds and invites us to touch them. Although he is no longer crucified, he continues to suffer with us. Even though He has already conquered death, He continues to die with us to show us that He is near, that He understands us, and that He teaches us to appreciate every moment of our life and every person who is near us. In this way, He helps us to turn fear into peace, anxiety into endurance, and confusion into the ability to make the right decisions. He gives us His Spirit and His peace and gives us a mission to preach “repentance for the remission of sins to all nations” (Luke 24:47) so that people can prepare for His Second Coming and His reign in the Kingdom of God through effective love.
Prayer intention
Today, let’s thank God for the stability of our Ukrainian State, for every defender and their families, for volunteers, and for doctors. Let’s remember them in prayer every day!
Mission tasks:
- Personal/family level: Let us give thanks for the gift of faith that the Lord has given us and our family members, for faith is man’s greatest treasure, through which he is united with his Creator and Father.
- The parish level: Enquire about the parish’s study or prayer groups where the truths of the faith are deepened or the Holy Scriptures are read, and attend such a class. If there are no such groups, suggest to the pastor that he establish one.
- Missionary level: Ask two or three of your friends who do not go to church often why they do not attend church every Sunday. Let’s share our faith life with them and tell them what we personally gain from going to church regularly.
