Patriarch's pastoral letter cites importance of powerful faith (12/25/83)

Patriarch's pastoral letter cites importance of powerful faith

ROME - The 1983 Christmas pastoral letter of Patriarch Josyf Slipyj and the hierarchs of the "Pomisna" (Particular) Ukrainian Catholic Church, reaffirms the importance of strong, tranquil faith.

The patriarch begins his letter by saying: "On this joyous feast of Jesus's birth, we bishops, shepherds of the Ukrainian flock in Christ's Church, greet you in this pastoral with the traditional Ukrainian 'Khrystos Rozhdayetsia.'"

The Ukrainian-language letter goes on to say that every one of us is conscious of the fact that the feast of Christ's birth does not consist only of the Christmas Eve supper, the singing of carols and Christmas services in church, all of which create the festive mood in our hearts. The Nativity of Christ is a long chain of revelations of vital and deep faith.

The patriarch writes that in the mystery of the birth of the Son of God in Bethlehem, we see a quiet, deep faith which helps us better understand not only the incarnation of Christ, but also His life on earth, His preaching, His death and resurrection.

"Faith is the foundation of religion and the first step to the salvation of the soul, because it makes us the beloved of God (Hebrews 11:6); and when faith is applied of life, it is the mighty power of individuals and entire nations. Thousands of us were witness to this during the last world war. Faith made us strong, held our spirit steadfast during difficult times; faith helped us ask God for His mercy, it led us through the worst danger and helped us stand on our own two feet in the free world," the letter states.

It describes the Ukrainian people as being deeply religious, a people that believes in God and in the Gospels, attends liturgy, partakes of the holy sacraments and tries to keep the commandments. "Even though we have never seen God, nor heard His voice, we know God through the prophets, through His Son and the apostles, and through the Church."

Faith is a miraculous virtue, because we believe in it not because we naturally understand God's mysteries, which not even the heavenly angels can understand, but we believe and accept them as the truth from supernatural forces. Thus, we believe because it was God's revelation," writes the patriarch.

The patriarch also states that bound together with faith is the great Christian virtue of love, which was heralded along with the good tidings of Jesus's birth. "For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life. (John 3:16). Thus, we may call Christmas the feast of faith and love," states the pastoral.

It continues with examples of faith in our own Ukrainian history, examples of true, steadfast, heroic faith and love, which at times, has been a wonder to the entire Christian world. The patriarch states that during the war, tens of Ukrainian Catholic bishops chose prison and labor camps rather than place their signatures on a piece of paper which would betray their Church. He writes the fact that over 800 Ukrainian Catholic priests, monks and nuns left their villages, their churches and monasteries, trading them for the cold and hunger of Siberia rather than give up their faith. "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends" (John 15:13).

Today, in Ukraine, there are thousands of peasants, workers and intellectuals who heroically keep their faith, the faith of their parents and the Church as founded by St. Peter. They are the living history of the martyrology of the Ukrainian Catholic Church, states the letter.

"Today, when the entire Ukrainian community in the free world prepares itself for celebrations of the millennium of Christianity in Ukraine, we, your bishops, turn to you with this Christmas pastoral, we encourage every Ukrainian heart to renew and bring to life this sacred faith."

"May this awareness awaken every one of us to faith in God and in His Church, may it be an example and serve as encouragement to everyone you meet, so that we can be the evangelical salt of the earth and light of the world, and that they may see our good works and glorify our Father which is in heaven" (Matthew 5:13-16).

The letter states that the power of this faith will strengthen our brothers and sisters in Ukraine in their struggle for God's Truth and His kingdom on this earth, and the faith will bless us, our youth and call on us to serve the Lord.

The letter expresses the hope that as we all sit down to the Christmas Eve meal, we will feel the mystery of the miracle; the birth of God's only Son, the testimony of His love.

In closing, the hierarchs extend their heartfelt wishes for all good things, especially the gifts which emanate out of God's love to man.

"We wish you much Christmas joy, much familial love, and we wish for this love to prevail our entire Ukrainian community." They also wish their faithful a strong and vibrant faith in the victory of the teachings of Jesus Christ over all materialistic and godless ideas, the victory of truth and justice over lies and godless untruths, the victory of Christian active love over neopaganism.

"On this joyous feast of Christ's Nativity it is our pleasure to extend our best wishes to our brothers, the hierarchs of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, their clergy and their laity in Ukraine and the free world, and we express the wish that the millennium of Christianity in Ukraine be celebrated together in body and soul, united in one heart and one voice."

"May Christmas strengthen our faith in Christ's Kingdom on earth, embodied in the Church...We wish our Church development, growth and zealous apostles-followers so that it, with its patriarchate and synodal rights, may be united into one 'pomisna' Church in all the lands of the world and so that it may prepare itself to glorify the Lord our Savior on the jubilee of the baptism of Ukraine in the waters on the Dnieper which took place almost a thousand years ago," the pastoral concludes.

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