On July 23, 2023, in Stauropegium of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Ukraine, St. Andrew’s Church, the exarch of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Ukraine, Bishop Michael of Koman, celebrated the Divine Liturgy, co-served by the inhabitant of the Athos monastery of Kutlumus, Archdeacon Chrysostom Khadzinikolau.
During the service, the archpastor prayed for the soldiers who defend Ukraine, all the fallen fighters who gave their lives for it, and the civilians slain by the invaders, reports the Stauropegium of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in Ukraine.
In his sermon, Bishop Michael discussed the importance of dialogue between God and man from the examples of the Holy Scriptures. Taking the example of the blind men from the Gospel, who turned to Jesus with a request for healing, he explained the meaning of such a dialogue that takes place between two interlocutors who mutually respect each other.
The Bishop of Koman noted that God incarnate – Jesus Christ – not only preaches the Gospel to people, but also enters into dialogue with them, asks and answers questions in order to lead people to the truth.
The bishop also emphasized that dialogue with God occurs not only through prayers, but also through the circumstances of our lives, events, meetings, and communication with other people. The Lord always provides answers to our appeals, although these answers can take different shapes and manifest in different ways.
The Exarch warned against treating the Holy Scriptures as simply a historical work, stressing that it is a dialogue of God with each individual person, which reveals something new in our soul.
