Ukrainian Faith in the Face of Tyranny

  

In you, O Lord, I seek refuge; do not let me ever be put to shame;
    in your righteousness deliver me.
 Incline your ear to me; rescue me speedily.
Be a rock of refuge for me, a strong fortress to save me.

 You are indeed my rock and my fortress;
    for your name’s sake lead me and guide me,
 take me out of the net that is hidden for me, or you are my refuge.
 Into your hand I commit my spirit; 

you have redeemed me, O Lord, faithful God.

Psalm 31:1-5

We are watching the terrible events of Russia's unprovoked and unwarranted military invasion of Ukraine, horrified by the deaths of innocent children, women and men, as well as those involved in combat on both sides. The courage of the Ukrainian people is remarkable and stands as a reminder that we can't take freedom for granted, nor invoke it as am excuse for selfish behaviour. 

As images emerge from different regions and cities of the country we see people sheltering in church basements praying, and a choir singing Christian hymns of praise in a subway station. The chief rabbi of Ukraine has invited Christians to repeat the words of Psalm 31 which includes the words "into your hand I commit my spirit", Jesus' cry from the cross. 

The dark side of religion in this invasion is the suggestion that it is supported by elements of the Russian Orthodox church as a perverse holy war, but this doesn't appear to reflect the views of the majority of Orthodox Russian Christians. 

Yesterday Pope Francis of the Roman Catholic communion took the unprecedented step of visiting the Russian embassy in Rome where he spent 40 minutes expressing humanitarian concerns.Later in the day Francis  telephoned Archbishop Sviatoslav Shevchuk, leader of Ukraine's Eastern-rite Catholics who has vowed not to leave Kyiv and who has opened up his cathedral's basement as a bomb shelter.This solidarity and willingness to break from protocol are admirable. 

Once again, we must pray for the people of Ukraine, in their faith and resolve to remain independent. What is transpiring is evil and we can hope that God will be their rock and fortress.  

I should note that pastors and priests of different traditions are choosing to stay in the midst of danger to provide solace and shelter to their communities.Here is an excerpt from a prayer letter from Ukrainian seminary leader, Taras  Dyatlik: 

Please pray about Russian Christians that they would raise their prayers and voice toward Russian government to stop the aggression; [that they] would not keep silent; please pray for the Western governments, of the US and European Union.

Finally, please pray about Ukrainian Christians, that we will serve and live as the community of hope in a full sense of this term; that during these terrible times we would invite more and more people to the relationships with God and His children, to the relationships of love, hope, encouragement, support; that our minds and characters would continue to transform into the character of Jesus Christ.