Maria Ivaniv is a doctoral student at the University of St. Michael’s College’s Faculty of Theology, with a particular interest in the Metropolitan Sheptytsky Institute of Eastern Christian Studies. Her research focuses on the participation of the Ukrainian Greco-Catholic Church at Vatican II and its reception of the council in North America. She holds ReMA, MA, and STL degrees in theology and religious studies from the Catholic University of Leuven, Belgium, and MA and STB degrees in theology from the Ukrainian Catholic University. Maria was a lecturer at Three Holy Hierarchs Kyiv Theological Seminary (Kyiv, Ukraine), a teaching assistant in the Theology Department at the Ukrainian Catholic University (Lviv, Ukraine), and served as Secretary of the Patriarchal Commission for the Laity of the Ukrainian Greco-Catholic Church (Lviv, Ukraine).
God is With My People
No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. (John 15:13)
It is very difficult—even painful—for me to write these lines. It took me almost three weeks to put on paper thoughts that were on my heart during this time. Therefore, this text is rather a self-reassurance that God is with my people in this horrible time of war.
As I write, the third week of the war in Ukraine is coming to an end. During these days, I constantly follow the news, cry, and pray for my family, friends, and all the Ukrainians trying to survive the bombing and shelling of peaceful cities. As of today, thousands of civilians have been killed, including more than 90 children, and more than two million refugees (mostly women, children, and elderly people) have had to leave their homes/country to save their lives. Hundreds of schools, hospitals, private and historical buildings, and a dozen churches have been destroyed. This is a catastrophe, both humanitarian and of values.
War is a very difficult time. We see a lot of evil, anger, lies, and destruction—and it is so easy to be consumed by all that is going on and forget that God can transfigure these events into something good. We can be active participants in that. During these three weeks, I have been thinking and praying about these things, and I distinguished three moments that are vividly visible now.
Truth. When evil shows its face so brazenly, we can clearly see where the truth is and where there are lies. The Russian government and aggressors use lies everywhere: news, social media, official speeches, church preaching. They call war a “special operation,” invasion and shelling “support and protection” of Russian-speaking Ukrainians, and killing of innocent civilians humanitarian help. We have a popular saying in Ukraine, which derives from John 8:44, and that is that the devil is the father of lies. I agree with this because I am convinced that this war also has a spiritual character. Ukrainians clearly see that they are standing on the side of the Truth. They know they are protecting their homeland, their families, and all that is so dear to their hearts, and that this is the right and truthful thing to do. I am sure that this standing in Truth will help us to win this war.
Unity. Since the first days of the war and the Russian invasion, I have been able to see clearly how united Ukrainians are. This unity is present on many levels. During these days, volunteers in Ukraine and around the globe are organizing humanitarian aid, financial support, psychological help, and many other things. People are united in defending their homeland, in receiving those who left their homes to save their children’s lives, in prayers for peace and victory of the Truth. This unity is not only about Ukrainians—people from different countries around the world are gathering food, clothing, medical supplies, and hosting Ukrainian refugees. This global human unity reminds me of the unity of God in the Holy Trinity.
Love. “No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” (John 15:13) This verse is the best way to describe the service and dedication of Ukrainian soldiers, volunteers, and all the people who are protecting their homeland. In the first days of the war, a young soldier died in the act of blowing up a bridge to stop the Russian army. A few Ukrainian pilots took enemy fire on themselves to save other pilots. Under the shelling of Russian occupants, volunteers are evacuating civilians and bringing food and water. Love and not anger is the force which is behind all these actions. I cannot deny that there is anger too, but it is rather a reaction to all the atrocities and destruction. Love opens borders and doors for the Ukrainian refugees, saves the lives of POWs, and helps in multiple ways. Love also manifests itself in prayers for those who blindly or consciously came to kill Ukrainians, so that their hearts and eyes would open and that they realize that they are doing terrible things, and return safely home to their families.
Truth, unity, and love are direct signs of God’s presence and are part of his revelation among his people. When I see their presence amid all the suffering, pain, and destruction, I see God’s presence within his people. I do not know how long this war will go on, but I am sure that evil will not prevail because God “is a shield for all who take refuge in him.” (Ps. 18:30)
The University of St. Michael’s College invites members of our community to support one of the many charitable aid agencies engaged in assisting refugees and victims of the conflict, including the Red Cross and Development and Peace/Caritas International.
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