AS THE WORLD SPINS, THE CROSS STANDS FIRM
“Come, you who are blessed by my Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world”.
At this November time, when we Catholics offer prayers and indulgences for our departed ones, and reflect on the mystery of life and death, I personally was struck by the passing of a couple of my friends. One of them was Barbara Maciejny, our Holy Cross parishioner, well known to many of you, a wonderful person, full of faith, joy and goodness, generous, although affected by a heavy cross of her illness over last years of her life. Yet, she was inspiration to us, who knew her and I visited her in her home and in hospital, how she loved the Lord, the Church, her family and friends, how zealous she was in her prayers and reception of the Sacraments and how she offered her sufferings to Jesus. I am sure she offered her prayers and suffering also for our parish and the Polish community, so that we all, especially the younger generations, keep up the faith passed to us by our fathers.
Another friend of mine that passed a couple of weeks ago, was Viktoria Lavrova, 39, who tragically died in Crimea, Ukraine, with her three daughters, Maria, Kataryna and Anastasia (8, 6 and 3 years old) and their 20-year-old teacher, Eugenia. Viktoria was an avid and very active member of our youth group at St. Nicolas’ Parish in Kyiv, Ukraine, when I was working there back in 2009-2015. She was prayerful, energetic, extremely positive, creative and helpful. She was quite an athlete: she was the strongest in our youth ministry running club. She met her future husband, Sergij, on the podium of a half-marathon in Wyshgorod near Kyiv: She won the race in her category; he was best in men’s category. They started to train together, then engaged and in a couple of months I blessed their marriage! Viktoria gave birth to three wonderful daughters, they were as joyful, prayerful and active as their mother; true angels indeed. I was blessed to baptize the older two. Viktoria and Sergij became members of the Home Church movement in our Kyiv parish. After the war in Ukraine broke out, they moved to Crimea, to be close to Viktoria’s parents, hoping it would be safer for the family. Unfortunately, they became victims of this tragic war that has been going on for almost two years now. Victoria and her daughters left us with a lot of grief and pain, but at the same time with such wonderful memories and being a great inspiration for many.
As we celebrate the solemnity of Our Lord Jesus Christ, the King of the Universe, on this last Sunday of the liturgical year, we make reflections on our life, its sense and purpose, on the world we live in, on suffering and death, from the perspective of the Last Judgment. Jesus is instructing us about this final judgment that will be conducted upon the criterion of the deeds of mercy that have been done – or not done - to the least of his brothers. This is the last of Jesus’ parables, conveyed in the Gospel of St. Matthew immediately before the narrative of the Lord’s passion and death. Thus, it is to be considered the most important one and a testament of Jesus to his disciples.
May this beautiful parable of the Final Judgment carried out by the King who is the Good Shepherd, as well as memory and example of such beautiful people as Barbara, Victoria and others who inspire us, help us to serve the Lord, our King, with all our heart, and love our brothers and sisters, so that the Kingdom of God would come and we might inherit it.
Fr. Cyprian Czop, O.M.I.