Today, the Ukrainian Orthodox Church commemorates the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Great Prince Volodymyr, the Baptist of Rus’. He was truly an outstanding man, who had the courage to leave the vicious circle of his own misconceptions, public discord, and infighting, who was able to lead his people to unity, peace, and welfare.
Due to his labours, Kyiv and all the lands under his rule were enlightened with the light of the Christian faith. Our people, who were standing at the crossroads of civilisations, accepted Baptism, became a rightful part of the big Orthodox family. It determined the course of our entire history.
1035 years have passed since that fateful moment. And today, we, descendants of the Great Prince Volodymyr, are grateful to him for the priceless gift of faith and honour. For our Holy, Catholic, Apostolic, Orthodox Church, which today some intend to deprive us of.
In the days of hard trials which have befallen true Orthodoxy in Ukraine, we are experiencing both a bloody war and the consequences of the church schism, and oppression by the authorities, and desecration of shrines, and persecution of hierarchs. It has happened more than once over the more than thousand-year-old history of the Church in our lands. On the eve of the feast, the consideration of a draft law intended to ban the Ukrainian Orthodox Church has once again been initiated at the Parliament of Ukraine. But do people who have temporarily received a mandate for law-making from the hands of the people have the power to decide on the fate of what has been created by the Lord, belongs to the Lord, and is led by the Lord? Once, Prince Volodymyr, having entered an Orthodox church in Chersonesus, realised that he, at whose feet lands and states had fallen, could not oppose the Highest and His will. He accepted Christ and worshiped Christ, bringing the whole Rus’ to the true faith. Every one of us should think from time to time where he is at a given moment of time from the point of view of eternity, conscience, the ultimate truth about himself. Are we standing at least one foot in the light, or are we already both feet in the darkness? And those unto whom much is given and of whom much will be required — people endowed with power — should weigh their every move more than anyone else.
A good ruler is a blessing to his people. An evil, petty and greedy one is a curse to his land.
The Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Volodymyr believed in God and believed in his people. He believed that they, just like himself, would be capable of a wonderful metamorphosis — a transfiguration of the soul, a change in the entire way of life. The people loved their prince, saw his deeds, and reciprocated. The result of it was the appearance of a great and mighty state — Kyivan Rus’ — on the world map.
Unfortunately, there were also a lot of sad examples in our history throughout the last 1035 years. But even on the edge on a precipice, under the threat of total extinction, robbed and tormented, our people always united and made the right and saving choice in the hardest times.
I believe that it will be so this time as well.
I believe that by the grace of God, through the prayers of the Holy Equal-to-the-Apostles Prince Volodymyr and of all the saints of our land, we will find in ourselves the strength to remember that we are descendants of the baptised, great, freedom-loving people.
I know that together we are able to overcome all the wiles of external and internal enemies, return the desired peace to our Ukrainian land, build a fair state and happy life in it, and preserve the faith of our fathers and our Holy Church.
No lies and hatred will be able to tear us away from the eternal Truth, Which is our Lord Jesus Christ Himself.
Happy feast, dear brothers and sisters!