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Monks offer Ukrainian soldiers spiritual rehabilitation in UGCC monasteries

30.01.2015, 11:45
Spiritual renewal includes a three-day training, prayer, meditation on the Holy Scriptures. These retreats take place in monasteries near Lviv and in Hoshivskyy monastery of Ivano-Frankivsk. Silence and prayer in the monastery arewhat now fighters need the most, monks believe.

The soldiers of the Ukrainian Army, especially those who sustained wounds or survived throughthe hell of captivity can regain spiritual balance or improve their health condition, staying for a few days in the monasteries of the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church. The monks offer spiritual rehabilitation of soldiers in silence and prayer, Radio Liberty reports.

Spiritual renewal includes a three-day training, prayer, meditation on the Holy Scriptures. These retreats take place in monasteries near Lviv and in Hoshivskyy monastery of Ivano-Frankivsk. Silence and prayer in the monastery arewhat now fighters need the most, monks believe.

Many soldiers find it is difficult to overcome stress, nightmares. They try to explain themselves why they had to take up arms and go through killing enemies,who might have taken away their lives. The vast majority of soldiers were not prepared for war.

“In this war they had to do things they would never do in peacetime. War is always aggression, the methods and ways mankind uses to stop it is killing the aggressor who wanted to kill you. Asthe Church we must help them go throughthis condition, let them know that killing in order to defend is to some extent justifiedas the Church teaches. Unfortunately, aggression is so deeply seated in man that it results in even worse aggression, capable to kill many civilians. We are witnessing aggression that kills more and more people. Our soldiers defend Ukraine in its territory so that the enemy did not kill us all. It’s important for us to pray that we go through this bitter experience in the correct manner,” saysStephen Sus, military chaplain and rector of the garrison church of Saints Peter and Paul in Lviv, who is involved in helping the army.

Last year, the fathers of the church raised huge donations for the ATO soldiers, which is more than five million UAH, more than sixty five thousand EUROS, one hundred and seventeen thousand USD, more than three thousand PLN and even more than thirty three thousand rubles. Things for fighterswere bought for this money.