To priests of the UGCC

                                        Easter pastoral letter

Dear fathers,

at Easter we commemorate Christ’s death and celebrate His glorious resurrection, which is the foundation of our faith. The Word of God reminds us that we were immersed through baptism in Christ’s death and likewise through baptism we received a new life, the life of the risen Christ. We also live this mystery spiritually in the Divine Liturgy.

We believe in spiritual resurrection of our Church and of all Ukraine. That which is impossible may be realized by God: “For with God nothing will be impossible.” (Lk 1:37) How can this be? The Holy Spirit will do it!

Every Divine Liturgy, which You celebrate daily, is a miracle of the Holy Spirit. The centre of the Eastern liturgy is the so-called Epiclesis, or intensive invocation to the Holy Spirit. It begins when the priest prays silently: “Again we offer to You this spiritual and unbloody sacrifice, and we implore and pray and entreat You, send down Your Holy Spirit upon us and upon these gifts here present.” It is very useful here for the priest to make at least a minute pause, that the Holy Spirit may descend not only on bread and wine but through faith on him too. Likewise, it is desirable that he should consciously and with faith utter the words: “And make this bread the precious Body of Your Christ. Amen. And that which is in this chalice, the precious Blood of Your Christ. Amen.” Epiclesis is a pleading invocation to the Holy Spirit. The priest expresses it especially in the words: “make” and “changing”. Meanwhile, the faithful chant: “We praise You...”.

During the Epiclesis in a certain Orthodox monastery in Ukraine a hieromonk lied down before the altar, his forehead touching the ground, and the choir chanted repeatedly for about three minutes: “We praise You...”. Another priest elsewhere knelt down instead of prostration.

We do not mean to innovate the liturgy; we are seeking only one thing – a more profound celebration of the mystery of the Divine Liturgy. One need only utter those words consciously and with faith. One-minute silence is sufficient to help the priest concentrate.

The faith of the Mother of God was the condition for the Holy Spirit to cause the coming of God into the world and His incarnation. The priest does the same in the Eucharist. The Son of God descends on the altar.

It is necessary for the priest to be conscious of his dignity and power which was given to him by God through holy orders. This power is concentrated in the Epiclesis, when he utters the words: “Changing them by Your Holy Spirit.” Uttering these words, the priest may lay his hands over the paten and chalice, without interfering in the liturgical observances. At that moment he should realize that he himself has wholly opened up to the Holy Spirit and that now God’s Spirit, especially through his hands, is working a miracle: bread is changed into the Body of Christ and wine into His Blood. The fact that the appearances of bread and wine remain does not alter this truth.

The priest should not protract the liturgy on grounds of a profound celebration of the mystery; however, on the other hand, he should also not just casually recite the words prescribed. When he has laid hands over the chalice and paten, he may realize the power of the Holy Spirit which is now working through him. He can quietly repeat the word: “changing” three times with faith and perceive God’s power. At that moment God’s power penetrates the bread through his hands, his left one in particular. He slowly repeats the word “changing” three times with faith and perceives how God’s power, particularly through his right hand, works on the wine in the chalice. Thereafter he makes the sign of the cross over both and utters in a low voice the whole prescribed sentence: “Changing them by Your Holy Spirit.” Then he makes the sign of the cross upon himself, quietly uttering the words: “Amen, amen, amen.” Here present before him is now the Body and Blood of Christ! It is a mystery, and reality at the same time.

The Apostle emphasizes that men should pray lifting up holy hands to God! The more so should the priest have holy hands, because he lays them on the sick and likewise with these hands he bestows God’s blessing on the faithful. How great dignity of the priest! Let us not forget it!

                                                            Christ is risen! He is risen indeed!

                                                            May the risen Saviour bless You!

                             On behalf of all the bishops of the orthodox Catholic Synod of the UGCC

                                                                      + Markian OSBM

                                                          Secretary of Synod of the UGCC

                                                                                                                                                 Pidhirtsi, 15th April 2009

Address: Pidhirtsi 19, Brody dist., Lvov reg., 80660, Ukraine

www.community.org.ua; e-mail address: pidhirci. community@gmail.com