Holy Thursday in Philadelphia: A Homily on God’s Love

On Holy Thursday, during Vespers with the Divine Liturgy of St. Basil the Great at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception in Philadelphia, Metropolitan Borys Gudziak addressed the clergy and faithful with a homily focused on the theme of God’s love, which is revealed in a particular way during these days of the Lord’s Passion.

At the beginning of his homily, the Metropolitan emphasized that everything taking place in the liturgy — the prayers, the hymns, and the Eucharist itself, instituted on Holy Thursday — is a sign of God’s love. He noted that every gesture and every word of Christ expresses the love of the Most Holy Trinity, which God desires to share with every human person.

“Everything that Jesus does and says is an expression of God’s love... Every gesture, every word is meant to help us feel, understand, and accept that love,” the Metropolitan said.

He observed that people often doubt their own worthiness to receive God’s love. Yet in His Passion and Resurrection, Christ reveals that love as a gift that cannot be earned:
“It is a gift. It cannot be earned. It is not a transaction. The Lord simply gives.”

The Metropolitan also addressed the priests in a special way, underscoring the greatness and responsibility of their vocation. He thanked them for their service, sacrifice, and fidelity, calling the priesthood a great gift and a privilege — to accompany people at the most important moments of their lives, in joy and in suffering, at the beginning of new life and at the hour of passing into eternity.

He also called on the clergy to go beyond the boundaries of the familiar, so as to bear witness to Christ to those who do not yet know Him, recalling the words of the Gospel that call the Church to go forth and teach all nations.

Reflecting on the mystery of the Lord’s Passion, he stressed that God is not distant from human suffering, but enters into it:
“When the world asks, ‘Where is God?’ — He is here. He cannot be any closer than in His Passion and suffering.”

In the concluding part of his homily, the Metropolitan urged the faithful to receive God’s love so that they might have the strength to love others:
“We will be able to love when we receive His love and understand that we are His beloved children.”