On September 9, the feast of the Righteous Ancestors of God Joachim and Anna, Metropolitan Epifaniy of Kyiv and All Ukraine called upon the faithful to unite in a nationwide prayer for the protection and preservation of Ukrainian families.
“Joachim and Anna are an example of true faith, marital piety, and fidelity,” Metropolitan Epifaniy wrote in his message on social media. “On this day, our Church offers prayers across Ukraine for mothers, fathers, and their children, that the Lord may guard them from deadly danger, from the bullets of the Russian aggressor, from forced separation, and from irreparable losses.”
The Metropolitan stressed the immense suffering endured by families since the beginning of the full-scale Russian invasion: “For the fourth year in a row, under the massive onslaught of the Russian empire of evil, Ukrainian families in every corner of our homeland suffer from shelling, explosions, loss, sudden death, injury, illness, and forced separation. Pain, grief, tears, and constant danger accompany family life in Ukraine. This is not how it should be; it is unnatural, it is criminal, it is against God’s plan. For the family was born of God’s will — it is a small Church.”
He warned that the crimes of the aggressors would not go unanswered before God: “Every crime, every murder, every act of cruelty against someone’s husband, wife, or child will resound against our enemies. For the blood shed, the suffering and tears, the broken families and destroyed lives — each of them will personally answer before God and receive the merciless punishment promised by the Lord, prepared for the servants of the devil. For the aggressors who entered our peaceful home with the sword and shed innocent blood act against God’s commandments; they serve the devil.”
Despite the pain, Metropolitan Epifaniy called on the faithful to remain steadfast in prayer and hope: “We pray that the Lord, through the intercession of the Most Holy Theotokos and the prayers of Saints Joachim and Anna, will preserve Ukrainian families, bring closer the long-awaited victory, and usher in a time of peace and calm, safety and comfort, love and prosperity.”
He concluded with a heartfelt supplication:“We pray that the Lord our God will hear the voice of our prayer and have mercy on His servants, who walk their earthly journey together with their family — the small Church of Christ. May He fulfill their petitions, forgive all voluntary and involuntary sins, protect them from visible and invisible enemies, deliver them from every misfortune, sorrow, and illness, and grant them health with long life. We all pray: Lord, hear us and have mercy.”
