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On Sunday, March 12, Metropolitan Borys Gudziak visited the parish of St. Paul in Ramsey, New Jersey, with a pastoral visit and celebrated the Divine Liturgy. The parish administrator, Father Volodymyr Kostyuk, and Father Volodymyr Radko co-celebrated during the Liturgy.
In his sermon, focused on God's love and closeness to humankind. " By his incarnation the Lord wants to show His infinite love. Because there is no better way to communicate love than to come closer, sit the Metropolitan next to the person, work together. And the Lord did this for 30 years," the Metropolitan emphasized.
He added that the greatest evidence of love is Christ’s death on the cross. "The Lord loved us so much that he sent his Son to give his life for us on the Cross, accepting wounds, suffering, the entire burden of the sin. That’s not mathematics or philosophy."
The Metropolitan also noted that the same sacrifice in Ukraine mesmerizes the whole world. "There are many wars and conflicts in the world, but this war, this defense, this sacrifice is special. There is a clear difference between good and evil. In the 21st century, when we have dissected and deconstructed almost everything, when there is my opinion and there is your opinion, when there is doubt whether the truth exists at all, our brothers and sisters say: "Oh no, not so fast. There is good and there is evil. There is truth, there are lies. And I am ready to sacrifice my life for the truth."
He emphasized that for Christians the truth is not an abstraction or rules, it is God himself and encounter with Him.
After the liturgy, the metropolitan greeted the parishioners, among whom there were many newly arrived from Ukraine, including children. In a casual conversation, he presented his travels and activities over the past few months.