Metropolitan Epifaniy of Kyiv and All Ukraine celebrated the Divine Liturgy on Sunday, September 13, at St. Volodymyr Patriarchal Cathedral in Kyiv.
The service was celebrated on the Sunday before the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and the 15th Sunday after Pentecost.
Concelebrating with the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine were Metropolitan Klyment of Simferopol and Crimea, Bishop Theodosius of Irpin, Bishop Raphael of Makariv, cathedral rector Archpriest Borys Tabachek and other clergy.
Following the Gospel reading, Metropolitan Epifaniy delivered a homily and offered a special prayer for Ukraine as the country continues to face “severe trials and danger.”
At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, a memorial service was held at the grave of the late Patriarch Filaret.
Metropolitan Epifaniy also posthumously awarded the medal “For Sacrifice and Love for Ukraine” to Oleksii Yukov, founder of the Platsdarm search unit. Other defenders of Ukraine also received Church awards.
Metropolitan Epifaniy: Christ came to grant eternal life to every person
Metropolitan Epifaniy of Kyiv and All Ukraine stressed that Christ came to renew the entire world and offer salvation to every person, regardless of national, cultural or social background.
In his sermon on Sunday, September 13, ahead of the Feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, the Primate of the Orthodox Church of Ukraine reflected on the words of the Apostle Paul: “God forbid that I should boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Metropolitan Epifaniy explained that the Old Testament law had served to prepare people for faith in Christ, while the coming of the Messiah established a New Covenant open to all who believe in the Son of God and accept the Gospel.
“The Savior came to renew the whole world, to open the gates of Paradise and to grant eternal blessed life to every person, not only to those belonging to one particular nation, culture or social group,” he said.
According to Metropolitan Epifaniy, with the coming of Christ, previous cultural and social divisions lose their significance.
Referring to Saint Paul’s teaching that in Christ “there is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free,” he stressed the universal character of the New Covenant.
Concluding his sermon, he called on the faithful, as they prepare for the Feast of the Exaltation, to renew their understanding of the Cross as a symbol of faith and a reminder of Christ’s sacrifice.
