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a) Reflection on God’s Word:

“After this, Jesus, knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the Scripture might be fulfilled, said: ‘I thirst!’ A vessel full of sour wine was standing there; and they filled a sponge with sour wine, put it on hyssop, and put it to His mouth.” (Jn 19:28-29)

Jesus is hanging on the cross. He thirsts. Cruel flogging has lacerated His holy body and He has lost a lot of blood. The whip consisted of three braided leather thongs with metal balls. The flogging first caused deep contusions, then the whips cut through the skin, and as the blows continued, they cut deeper and deeper tearing out muscles even to the bones. Two executioners were scourging Jesus with full force. The heavy whip was brought down across the back, arms and legs, first on the back of Jesus’ body but then also on its front. The soldiers spared no part of the body, not even head and face. The skin of the back was hanging in long ribbons, and the entire area was an unrecognizable mass of torn, bleeding tissue. When Jesus was near death, the flogging was finally stopped. The half-dead Jesus was then untied and allowed to slump to the stone pavement, wet with His own blood. Sudden copious loss of blood caused rapid heart rate, fainting and an extremely strong thirst. The immense pain caused by the open wounds and the strong thirst tormented the Lord Jesus even during His way of the cross. He feels an even more burning thirst on the cross now. His lips are dry, chapped, His tongue has stick to jaws.

a) Reflection on God’s Word:

“At the ninth hour Jesus cried out with a loud voice: ‘Eloi, Eloi, lema sabachtha-ni?’ which means, ‘My God, My God, why have You forsaken Me?’” (Mk 15:34)

Jesus is dying on the cross. His body is covered in wounds and bruises, the skin is wet with cold, clammy sweat. He cannot find any position which would allow Him at least some relief. The nails in the wrists are putting pressure on the large median nerve, and the severely damaged nerve causes excruciating pain. As He pushes Himself upward to avoid this stretching torment, He places His full weight on the nail through His feet. Again there is searing agony as the nail tears through the nerves between the bones of his feet. Every movement is followed with new bleeding. As the arms fatigue, great waves of cramps sweep over the muscles, knotting them in deep, relentless, throbbing pain. The cramps squeeze the nerve endings in the muscles. Air can hardly be drawn into the lungs and cannot be exhaled. Jesus fights to raise Himself in order to get even one short breath. Finally, the carbon dioxide level increases in the lungs and in the blood stream, and the cramps partially subside. Spasmodically, He is able to push Himself upward to exhale and bring in life-giving oxygen again. He suffers hours of limitless pain, cycles of twisting, joint-rending cramps. With every movement up and down His lacerated back scrapes against the rough timbers of the cross. The temperature rises; every stroke of His head against the crossbar presses the thorns deeper in His scalp and reopens the wounds.

a) Reflection on God’s Word:

“When Jesus had received the sour wine, He said: ‘It is finished!’” (Jn 19:30)

Jesus’ arms become fatigued, they are losing strength. Great waves of cramps sweep through the muscles, knotting them in deep, relentless, throbbing pain. The muscles of the chest are paralyzed and unable to act –cycles of suffocation and agony begin. Jesus fights to get even one short breath. He feels a deep crushing pain in the chest. The pericardium, the sac surrounding the heart, slowly fills with serum and begins to compress the heart whereby it restricts its movements. The heart beats irregularly. The loss of blood and burning thirst have reached a critical level; the compressed heart is struggling to pump heavy, thick, sluggish blood to the tissues, and the tortured lungs are making a frantic effort to inhale at least small gulps of air. Jesus can feel the chill of death creeping into His limbs. With one last surge of strength, He once again presses His torn feet against the nail, straightens His legs and takes a deeper breath. His word is heard: “It is finished!”

a) Reflection on God’s Word:

“It was now about the sixth hour, and there was darkness over the whole land until the ninth hour, while the sun’s light failed. And the curtain of the temple was torn in two. Then Jesus, calling out with a loud voice, said: ‘Father, into Your hands I commit My spirit!’ And having said this He breathed His last.” (Lk 23:44-46)

“… the earth was shaken, and the rocks were rent… When the centurion and those who were with him, keeping watch over Jesus, saw the earthquake and what took place, they were filled with awe and said: ‘Truly this was the Son of God!’” (Mt 27:51.54)

Streams of blood, which is still darker, are flowing down the deadly pale Jesus’ face. The cheeks covered in wounds elongate. The lips are blue and contracted. His head is sinking onto His breast, the heart stops beating. Jesus knows that He is on the threshold of death.

Resurrection of Christ

Jesus is Risen!

First hour

The Resurrection of Christ

a) Reflection on God’s Word

Turn your eyes towards the sky of stars. Millions of stars. They all move according to laws established by God. And how big they are! The Sun is 1.300.000 times as large as our Earth. Sirius is 8 times larger than the Sun and there are even bigger celestial bodies! The Milky Way is 20.000 light years away. Many other constellations are millions of light years away. One can observe wonderful laws on our little Earth too: conditions for life, the mystery of life and its transmission, the wonders of animal instincts. The mystery of human life: immune system, activity of the brain or heart or lungs, nervous system, sight. Moreover, the mystery of mental and spiritual life, desire for happiness, conscience… A series of wonders! Belief in Darwin’s atheistic ideology is contrary to critical science and reason. By our reason we come to a knowledge of the invisible Creator, the Author of the creation. There are miracles all around us. Let us open our eyes! God works miracles in our lives as well.

Second Hour

Angels appear to the women

a) Reflection on God’s Word

On Sunday, very early in the morning, while it is still dark, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary come to the garden where Jesus was buried. Near the tomb they are suddenly frightened by a great earthquake. Here an angel of the Lord appears to them. They see him descend from heaven, come and roll back the large stone from the door of the tomb and sit on it. Perplexed, the women look at the angel’s face. His countenance is like lightning, and his clothing as white as snow shining in the sun. Even the soldiers guarding Jesus’ tomb are witnesses of this glaring appearance. But now they are lying on the ground like dead men, shaking for fear of the angel’s presence. Likewise the women are frightened, yet they look at the angel with hope.

Now the angel says to them: “Do not be afraid, for I know that you seek Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for He is risen, as He said.” (Mt 28:5-7)

Lvov, 19 June 2011

To Secretary of Lvov City Council

V. M. Pavlyuk

In a letter dated 14^th June 2011, the “Movement of Pure Hearts” addressed themselves to Archbishop Markian (UOGCC). They asked for a definite and responsible statement on the issue of legalization of LGBTs and juvenile justice. Legalization of these two destructive structures endangers not only the moral and spiritual values of the Ukrainian nation but also seriously breaks God’s laws.

At the request of Bishop Markian, the Byzantine Catholic Patriarchate, which also includes the Ukrainian orthodox Greek-Catholic Church (UOGCC), now makes an official statement on the given issues:

Third hour

Jesus appears to Peter by the tomb

a) Reflection on God’s Word

What feelings and thoughts filled Peter’s heart when on Friday, before the rooster crowed, he publicly denied Jesus three times – cursing and swearing that he did not know Him, that he had nothing to do with Him?! Fear and, moreover, remorse for his betrayal of his Lord tormented his soul. The other apostles likewise are in deep sorrow and fear.

And now on Sunday morning Mary Magdalene comes running, hurriedly knocks at the door and cries: “The tomb is empty!” Shortly afterwards the other women, too, come running and announce the same.

Peter and John resolve that they will go themselves and find out what the truth is. They run to the tomb. Peter goes in… “Then the other disciple went in also; and he saw and believed. For as yet they did not know the Scripture, that He must rise again from the dead. Then the disciples went away again to their own homes.” (Jn 20:2-10) But Mary stood outside by the tomb weeping… Soon after, she met Jesus Himself. “Mary Magdalene came and told the disciples: ‘I have seen the Lord.’” (Jn 20:18) Not long after, the other women came who also told the apostles that they had seen the Lord, that they held Him by the feet and worshipped Him (see Mt 28:9-10).

Watch this video on: https://youtu.be/LdTi1vyx0hk   
https://rumble.com/v4qdgsc-celebration-of-sunday-iv.html   
https://cos.tv/videos/play/52167672542303232  

Fourth hour

Baptism with the Holy Spirit

a) Reflection on God’s Word

Jesus said: “You shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me.” (Acts 1:8) The condition for receiving the Holy Spirit is repentance: “Repent… and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is to you … and to all who are afar off…” (Acts 2:38-39)

It is necessary, through continual repentance, to receive the Holy Spirit again and again! It means to get out of the darkness of sin into God’s light, out of lie into the truth, out of death into life! Standing into light always involves self-denial. Every time we repent, i.e. enter God’s presence and here confess our sin and belief in the power of Jesus’ blood, the Holy Spirit comes and gives us the light and strength to know and do the will of God! “The Holy Spirit makes intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.” (Rom 8:26) If we receive the Holy Spirit in fullness, the spirit of the world must retreat from our soul!

Fifth hour

Emmaus

a) Reflection on God’s Word

What feelings and thoughts filled the hearts of the disciples when they left Jerusalem and on the road to Emmaus were joined by Jesus, whom, however, they did not recognize? Jesus first asked them: “What kind of conversation is this that you have with one another as you walk and are sad?” Then the one whose name was Cleopas answered and said to Him: “Are You the only stranger in Jerusalem, and have You not known the things which happened there in these days?” And He asked: “What things?” So they said to Him: “The things concerning Jesus of Nazareth, who was a Prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people, and how the chief priests and our rulers delivered Him to be condemned to death… But we were hoping that it was He who was going to redeem Israel.” Then the disciples told Him about the women having seen a vision of angels who said that He was alive. And Jesus said to them: “Ofoolishones,andslowof heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken! Ought not the Christ to have suffered these things and to enter into His glory?” And beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, He expounded to them in all the Scriptures the things concerning Himself. Their hearts burnt within them while He opened the Scriptures to them. Short after, their eyes were opened and they recognized Him in the breaking of bread, but He vanished from their sight.

a) Reflection on God’s Word

“Now the eleven disciples went to Galilee, to the mountain to which Jesus had directed them. And when they saw Him, they worshipped Him, but some doubted. And Jesus came and said to them: ‘All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to Me. Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.’” (Mt 28:16-19)

“He who believes and is baptized will be saved; but he who does not believe will be condemned. And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover.” (Mk 16:16-18)

And Jesus said: “And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Mt 28:20) Jesus was with the apostles, and He is with us too, but we also must be with Him. Jesus is the same yesterday, today, and forever (Heb 13:8). His promise is true today as well but the condition is to preach the Gospel in power and to be ready even to lay down one’s life for its sake and for the sake of Christ.

Lvov (Ukraine), 15 June 2011

On the Day of Pentecost, 60 Anglican clergymen were ordained Catholic priests. The Byzantine Catholic Patriarchate announces both to them and to the believers who are joining the Catholic Church with them:

The Holy Orders are invalid. By this so-called conversion they come under the power of an apostatical structure which has betrayed Christ and cast the Holy Spirit out of its heart. On 1 May 2011, beatifying the apostate Pope John Paul II, Benedict XVI placed the spirit of Assisi – the spirit of antichrist – on the altar of the Church. He thus automatically fell under God’s anathema and the Church was left in a sedes vacantis state. The ex-Pope now occupies the office unlawfully. All bishops and priests who are in unity with him are under an anathema too. They make it manifest by mentioning his name in the liturgy. These apostates celebrate the liturgy and administer the sacraments invalidly.

Lvov (Ukraine), 15 June 2011

On 1 May 2011, by beatification of John Paul II, Benedict XVI officially accepted the spirit of Assisi – the spirit of antichrist – into the Church whereby he cast the Holy Spirit out of her heart. As a consequence, God took away the continual sacrifice from the apostatical Church (cf. Dan 12:11; Mt 24:15). All bishops and priests who are in unity with apostasy by mentioning the name of Benedict XVI in the liturgy celebrate the liturgy invalidly!

What should a priest do in this situation?

Lviv, Ukraine, 5^th June 2011

To Catholic priests and believers of Belgium

Dear priests and Catholic believers of Belgium,

Byzantine Catholic Patriarchate turns to You with a particularly important appeal. It concerns every Catholic of Belgium. In this time of mass apostasy from the true, saving faith it is necessary that one should separate oneself radically and concretely from the spirit of apostasy which the Church hierarchy has received. Thus it committed a betrayal of Christ and the Gospel. In 2009, bishops of the Ukrainian orthodox Greek Catholic Church (UOGCC) appealed to the bishops of Belgium and of other states to renounce the spirit of apostasy associated with the so-called historical-critical theology (HCT) and with the spirit of Assisi. HCT in essence denies the inspiration of the Scripture, the Divinity of Christ and all the miracles.