Lubomyr (Husar) about himself, the Church and the world. Selected quotes
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“We all need love”: His Beatitude Lubomyr blessed memory, who lived with 60 years on earth was a priest, becoming the nation's moral authority
About himself, his ministry:
“I was looking at the Metropolitan ... He might have already seen such a small guy with big ears. But had he ever thought with some prophetic spirit that this little boy would succeed him?” - Lubomyr (Husar) shares his child experience of seeing Metropolitan Andriy Sheptytskyy: “The most expensive gift is all the people who prayed for me, and the rest is tatters.”
“Telling the truth, I never wanted to lead the Church, but I the Synod of Bishops has elected me. On this occasion, I have experienced no particular elevation or oppression. I had a job that I had to fulfill ...”
"... I’m no longer rushing to offer anything. When the time for change came, Patriarch Sviatoslav was elected, I presented to him some major cases, in my opinion, in order to directly draw his attention to them, because he came in the new global situation. But beyond that I do not do something in order to dictate or offer. However, I am open: if you want to ask ... if someone wants to consult, then please come, or call or write. I'm not far away, I have not forgotten my Church.”
“I came to the conclusion that now I am to devote more time to prayer for our Church. I think this is my most important task today. The Church needs prayer ... Nor do I dictate to the Lord, neither I am trying to advise him what he has to do now. I pray, and the Lord knows who needs what, and will do everything.” Lubomyr (Husar): “There is a problem: from Monday to Saturday to live the things the people get filled with in the church on Sunday”
On youth:
“Until 40 try to be with the senior people, and after 40 - with the young people to stay young,” jokingly said Patriarch in the welcoming appeal to young people at an evening event in the occasion of his 80th birthday. Lubomyr (Husar): “The most expensive gift are all the people who prayed for me, and the rest are all tatters.”
“I do not know how many years of life the Lord God will grant me, but I would like to use the occasion to meet with the young. Patriarch Lubomyr (Husar): “We are people who are just awakening for freedom ...”
“I would like to introduce them to a wider horizon, is not limited to a certain political philosophy or something else, where the spiritual values get better manifested. For now, they are students, tomorrow they hold responsible posts. But I do not want to impose. I only wish that they saw more opportunities to those they know about.” Lubomyr (Husar): “There is a problem: from Monday to Saturday to live the things the people get filled with in the church on Sunday”
"I came to the city for the first time in 1990, and then - in 91st, 92nd, 93rd. At that time, our associations, Ukrainian Youth for Christ and others, already came into existence, they invited to their meetings. So I am very happy to leave. But there, the young people were afraid to speak. They were sitting, listening very carefully, but did not speak. It was so annoying. With kids it was the same. The children were so incredibly polite it was sickening. They were sitting quiet and straight without a move, unwilling to break silence. It is an unnatural situation for children and youth. Young people are usually mobile, restless; older people are different. But the young people - there were even disturbing meetings. The people had to be even pushed. It was a problem to put a question to communicate. Thank God, now it is different. When I meet the young people, students in some schools or anything, I already hear some interesting questions. The youth has revived, thank God. I believe that this is a big step forward.”
“Young people are grown in a different, I would say, attitude – they are not afraid to laugh ... This is good sign for me that the past, which really was a burden on the shoulders of poor people living in the communist “paradise” somehow passes away.”
"... young people get interested in something. And not only how to make money and become rich, to gain profit, but something inside them is functioning... So I almost never refuse when I am invited to speak to youths, even if I am not very good at that, but I am very happy doing it. In some way I fell that I am sowing something in good ground, that there is something worth as they listen and ask questions, which make me think.”
“God grant we kept the young good, pure and idealistic. If we want to think about the future, let’s think about young people.” Patriarch Lubomyr (Husar): “We have people who are just awakening to freedom ...”
About priests:
“... You cannot lead others to the One you do not know. Also, it is important that the priest is not a but father for the parish community, because we all need love. Formality of the approach to spiritual vocation is one of the causes of secularization,” Lubomyr (Husar): “There is a problem: from Monday to Saturday to live the things the people get filled with in the church on Sunday "
Spirituality:
“... There is a problem: from Monday to Saturday to live the things the people get filled with in the church on Sunday.”
“... we need religious re-education ... it means - to make faith in the Lord active in our lives”
"Today, once again, there is a call to live according to God in every aspect of our lives: personal, familial, community, state. In order thta our faith (I mean believers) really became the way which we want to follow to approach the Lord. Being close to God has never been easy, easy. It requires effort and desire to be with Him. But the circumstances are just circumstances.” - Lubomyr (Husar): “There is a problem: from Monday to Saturday to live the things the people get filled with in the church on Sunday”
“It is not enough going to church and knowing the catechism. We must know their faith and to live it. Sometimes being a Christian – is a very complicated matter, which can lead to martyrdom ... In a warm room after breakfast it is easy to say that we, of course, choose what is God’s. In a circle of like-minded people, it is easy to be a hero ....”
“One must seriously prepare to an important choice... I do not want martyrdom for anyone, but when there is a difficult situation when you have to make a choice, to be hardened ... We need to deepen their understanding of Christianity, practice prayer, fasting and charity.”- “We must be able to tell the truth,”- Lubomyr (Husar) said to Catholic journalists
Homeland, state, politics:
"... let us pray for Ukraine. Let us pray a lot"
"Today Ukraine does not only face the problem of earnings, but the problem of law and order – inner peace ... To change the situation, let everyone starts on their own the quality work in their place to share the Kingdom of God in their own way – with a kind word, a smile, love and support.” - Lubomyr (Husar): “There is a problem: from Monday to Saturday to live the things the people get filled with in the church on Sunday”
“What will our native Ukraine be like – depends on us, on all of us. What do I have in mind? Everything depends on how much good we wish to all citizens of our country and how much we are willing to make efforts that popular benefit came true. Not some good-sounding words, but particular positive actions are the basis of answers to this question. In other words, Ukraine will be what we make it. I want to emphasize – we, all of us are at the service of truth, goodness and beauty.” - Archbishop Lubomyr (Husar) shared his view of future Ukraine.
“One of the biggest obstacles for normal public life in Ukraine is considered to be a lack of confidence. Whom we are to believe? Many citizens, without hesitation, answer – to no one. This is a terrible allegation which, if it was true, unconditional and absolute, makes public communication completely impossible, it is a real ruin of public order.” - The need to talk
“Freedom is being able to do good, in order to be free ... freedom - is responsibility. ... We are people who are just awakening to freedom, who are beginning to learn to be free in the full sense of the word, freely internally, externally, the people conscious of their dignity, conscious of the dignity of others.”
“The State and the Church also do not know how to deal with each other. Ukraine was under different kinds of occupations. Thus, the attitude of the Church towards the state remains the same as before the occupying power.”
“Our current, so to say, ruling elite educated in Soviet times that is afraid of the Church, because the Church is the basis of independence, freedom, the basis for people who think they understand what human dignity is, who are seeking that this freedom was honored seeking truth and justice.”
“For me … separation of church and state is quite natural ... they complement each other. And it is good they are separated.”
"... if the state starts to govern the Church or the Church to govern the country, woe to us. There will be no profit to anyone.” - Patriarch Lubomyr (Husar): “We have people who are just awakening to freedom ...”
“People who are in politics and who should serve their people, think of themselves instead, and not about the people. They are still living the Soviet categories. They do not think how we could better build Ukraine, organize our lives. They think to themselves how to secure a better income, have more influence, to be able to prosper and not to that to be able to better serve people. Looking at different aspects of our social life, we see that the process is still at a very low level. We need to tell the truth to ourselves: enough, now I will work on my own, I will try, I will not wait that somebody gives me something. I had to work, I seek allies so that we can work together,” “Our government is very weak, these are not the ones who build,” Lubomyr (Husar) comments on Ukraine’s slow pace.
About MPs: “Probably my answer would represent a dreamed and idealized figure, but as they say, one cannot live without dreams. Parliamentary candidates must enter their mature life as a decent people. No matter where they grew up, in a luxurious city apartment or a simple village hut – from their parents and relatives had to get a solid moral and cultural education ... This means that an MP should behave fairly and be able to properly communicate with others.”
“... every person who undertakes to write laws, apart from the previously acquired professional knowledge, must take care to expand their outlook, acquire the ability to see inner needs of people, situations, and circumstances of life, to be able to provide vital guidance in the form of laws that serve the common good.”
“Laws written “on the knee” or in response to a current short-term need, not only fail to provide the desired effect but, even worse, reduce public confidence in the quality of their representatives. Not to mention the so-called populist laws that resemble cheap commercial advertising, insult serious people and certainly do not bring fame to their authors or customers.”
“An MP has to be very sensitive to the reactions of citizens. Sooner or later he will meet with them and should be prepared to look them in the eyes.”
