The patronal feast was celebrated in St. Anna Convent in the city of Vashkivtsi, Chernivtsi region, Ukraine, on August 14, 2022, the 9th Sunday after Pentecost, the feast day of the Holy Martyrs of Maccabees. His Beatitude Onuphry, Metropolitan of Kiev and All Ukraine, officiated the Divine Liturgy at the convent in the lower church of the central cathedral, which is consecrated in honor of the Maccabee martyrs, reports the Information and Education Department of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
Photo: news.church.ua
After reading the Gospel, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry delivered a sermon on the lives of the holy martyrs of Maccabees, “who remained faithful to the Divine laws, the laws of love.”
The archpastor urged believers to follow the path of God, despite the temptations that arise, because “when a person lives according to the Divine law, while suffering, but does not deviate from the intended path, he is to a certain extent becomes like the holy martyrs.”
“When a person suffers for God, this is how he shows his love for the Lord. God fills such a person with His wondrous divine grace, which comforts in sorrows and illnesses, and helps us live with dignity on earth,” said His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry.
During the service, solemn petitions and prayers were lifted up for peace in Ukraine.
Photo: news.church.ua
After the Liturgy, the metropolitan consecrated honey and herbs. At the end of the festivities, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry congratulated those present on the feast and bestowed an archpastoral blessing on everyone.
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