In June 2014, His Holiness Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill blessed Orthodox Christians to pray for peace and prosperity in a fraternal state. Four years have passed since then, much has changed, but the parting words of the Patriarch are still relevant. The civil strife in Ukraine is not over, the ATO troops still bring destruction and sorrow to the civilians of Donbass.
To all this, another misfortune was added - a split. President Petro Poroshenko asked the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew to provide the country with a tomos about autocephaly of the Ukrainian church. Vladyka of Constantinople did not refuse, appointing two exarchs.
Patriarch Bartholomew is under the influence of the United States, and this is a well-known fact. In recent years, Americans are getting closer to Russian borders, scenarios of color revolutions are constantly being written, and NATO military bases are being built in the countries of the former Union. People become a bargaining chip in big political games, a propaganda machine works for this.
Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill addressed the flock with a heartfelt speech about this event, urging him not to spare energy for a prayer for peace in Ukraine. Terrible events taking place in the former Soviet granary are comparable to the persecution of the Orthodox Church in Soviet Russia:
“They are trying to draw the Ukrainian church into a deep conflict that divides society and make it hostage to this conflict ... Violent seizures of churches are taking place, court decisions are being ignored, an information campaign against the church is being slanderous, bills are being proposed in the Ukrainian parliament, the purpose of which is to discriminate and put in the most difficult religious community of the country ... our Church will never leave its brothers in trouble in Ukraine and will not abandon them. We will never agree to a change in the sacred canonical borders of our Church, for Kiev is the spiritual cradle of holy Russia, like Mtskheta for Georgia or Kosovo for Serbia. ”
The primate also asked the Orthodox to read the following prayer for an agreement on peace in Ukraine:
Lord Jesus Christ, our God, look with thy merciful eye on the sorrow and crippling cry of Your children, in the land of the Ukrainian Ukrainians.
Deliver Thy people from civil strife, quench the bloodshed, and ward off the misfortune. Bring homeless shelter into homes, hungry drink, weeping comforts, divided communities.
Do not leave your flock, from your kindred in the bitterness of the living, belittle, but soon reconcile as a generous grant. Fierce hearts are softened and turned to Your knowledge. Pray for the peace of Your Church and its faithful children, and with one heart and one mouth glorify You, our Lord and Savior, forever and ever.
Amen.
Address of the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church
More than two years ago, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufry initiated the All-Ukrainian Religious Procession in the name of love and peace. He also called for a special prayer for peace in Ukraine. Its text is as follows:
O Lord Almighty, Lord, the most merciful, accept our knee-deep prayers and our humble tears, brought before the Holy Altar of Yours during this time of misfortune and sorrow of Your people, receive the intercession of all our holy relatives, whom we now call for help and intercession, so that Your Light may be blessed Thy cross, enlightened every man suffering in this world, in the darkness of enmity and iniquity.
Accept the petition of holy and blessed Prince Vladimir, the baptist and enlightener of our land; accept the prayer of the martyrs Saints Boris and Gleb, who teach you not to raise your hand against your brother; accept the intercession of Thy saints Anthony and Theodosius and with them all the reverend husbands and wives, who, with tears of repentance of their souls, have become whiter than snow; accept the exploits of the new martyrs and confessors, who have saved our faith in you through our suffering; accept the petition of all the saints to Thy Church, who have sanctified our land with their labors. Please accept the Prayer of Protection of the Most Holy Mater of Yours, Our Lady of Our Lady and Ever-Virgin Mary, Her unprecedented intercession Your people are many times free from any hostility and internecine warfare.
Hear us, O God, our Savior, and have mercy, have mercy on the Lord to all those who are suffering and burdened, and leave us our debts, teaching us to leave insults to our debtor, and incline Your wrath at Your mercy, pacifying all sedition and disorder in our state , as if you are the only good and philanthropic God of God, and we glorify the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and ever and ever.
Amen.
Prayer to the Lord Jesus Christ
Also, the Patriarch always calls to pray to Jesus Christ, since he is always ready to come to the aid of people. Prayer text:
Vladyka the Humane King of the Ages and the Bearer of the Good, who has destroyed the enmities of the mediastinum and has given the world to the human race, give Thy servant now peace, establish your fear in them and affirm love for each other: quench all strife, wean all discord and temptation. For thou art our peace, and we glorify you, the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, now and ever and forever and ever.
Amen.
To the Blessed Lady
The Blessed Virgin Mary has never refused to help people, she can be addressed with these words:
Soften our evil hearts, Mother of God, and quench the troubles of those who hate us, and allow all the crampedness of our souls. They look at Your holy image, We are touched by us with your suffering and mercy, and we kiss Your wounds, but we terrify our arrows, which torment you. Do not let us, Mother of mercy, perish in our cruelty and cruelty of our neighbors, Thou art truly evil hearts Softening.
Prayer for peace in Ukraine to the holy martyrs Boris and Gleb:
Oh, sacred twin, beautiful brethren, the virtues of the sufferers Boris and Gleb, from youth Christ served by faith, purity and love, and with their blood, as it was scarlet, adorned, and now reigning with Christ! Do not forget us who live on the earth, but like the warmth of an intercessor, with your strong intercession before Christ God, keep the young in holy faith and purity intact from any pretext of unbelief and uncleanness, protect us all from all sorrow, bitterness and unnecessary death, tame all hostility and malice, raised by the action of the devil from neighbors and strangers. We pray to you, Christ-loving passion-bearers, ask Velikodarovitago Vladyka to all of us forgiveness of our sins, unanimity and health, deliverance from invasion of foreigners, internecine abuse, ulcers and gladness. Equip your intercession (listed: country, city) and all who honor your holy memory, forever and ever.
Amen.
Why do we need this?
The Orthodox Church is a single organism. When a person injures his finger, he tries to heal the wound, consults a doctor, takes medications and painkillers. When it hurts, all the usual things fade into the background.
Also in the Church. Now in Ukraine, more and more persecutions of Orthodox people occur. Burn temples, destroy shrines, declare clergy outlawed. Our "body" is cut off the "arm". Therefore, Orthodox Christians around the world who are in the "body" of the Church cannot stand aside and do not get tired of saying a prayer for peace in Ukraine
Prayer of Rev. Ephraim the Syrian for the return of peaceful times:
Where am I running from you, our Lord? In which country will I hide from Thy face? Heaven is Your Throne, the earth is Your foot, in the sea is Your way, in the underworld is Your dominion. If the end of the world is near, then not without thy bounty may it be.
You know, Lord, that our untruths are great. And we know that Your bounties are great. If your bounties do not appease you, we perished for our iniquities. Do not leave us, Lord, Lord, because we have partaken of Your Flesh and Blood.
When everyone’s affairs are tested before You, Lord of all, at this last time, Lord, do not turn Your face away from those who profess Your holy name. Holy Father, Son and Soul, Holy Comforter! Save us and save our souls!
We implore Your goodness, Lord, forgive us our guilt, despise our iniquities, open the door to Your bounty, Lord! May peace times come to us, and by Your bounties graciously accept our prayer, because repentant, Lord, You open the door.
Russia already saw this terrible scenario in 1937. For the mass extermination of clergy, the destruction of temples and monasteries, for the desecration of shrines, the Nazis came to us. In this war, we have become less than 27 million people. According to official figures, losses among military personnel amounted to almost 12 million, civilians - more than 13. Death came from starvation, disease, deliberate extermination, captivity, shelling and lack of medical care.
By the end of the war, the Soviet Union was impoverished by 30% of its national wealth. Those who survived had even worse: the country was rebuilding cities and villages at an accelerated pace. Women, children and adolescents, veterans helped to rise from the ashes, like a phoenix bird.
Similar events are developing today in a fraternal state. First, the revolution, the Maidan with the familiar slogan: "Power to the people, land to the peasants." Now the extermination of the Orthodox clergy and parishioners. Already, nationalist sentiments prevail in the country, rallies and torchlight processions are gathering. What's next? Another Great Patriotic War, only now with the Slav brothers? Let us pray for peace in Ukraine and on the entire planet, following the advice of the Patriarch. Help us, Lord!