The Christmas fast is a spiritual time of preparation for the joyous celebration of the birth of Jesus Christ. Every year, our parish prepares in a special way: we organize pre-Christmas retreats. This year, they were conducted for us by the rector of the Lviv Theological Seminary, Fr. Ihor Boiko.
The retreat lasted 3 days: from Friday, December 13 to Sunday, December 15. Every day Fr. Ihor Boiko, together with the pastor of our church, Fr. Andrii Oliinyk, celebrated the Divine Liturgy, and afterwards the retreat father gave his teaching. In addition, the priests heard confessions and gave Communion to parishioners.
On the first day, we reflected together on what retreats are and why they are needed.
"Retreats exist so that we allow God to lead us by the hand in life. This is the time to look at yourself through God's eyes. It is important to look at things in the right light. And that light for us is the Holy Spirit."
- Fr. Ihor Boiko
During each teaching, everyone also reflected on a story from the Gospel. On the first day, it was the story of Joseph and the fact that, despite all troubles, the Lord was with him all the time.
In addition, Fr. Ihor emphasized the importance of reading Holy Scripture and repeating short quotations from the Bible during the day as prayer. At the end of the first day, the retreat father wished participants to hear God's voice through the retreat, to look at the circumstances of their lives differently, and to prepare well for Christmas.
On the second day, they sought an answer to the question: "What must we do to inherit eternal life?" In particular, they reflected on the Gospel passage where the rich young man asked Jesus this same question.
"Whoever has the life of Christ in himself has eternal life. We know this through love for our neighbor. If we have the life of God, we love and pass this love on."
- Fr. Ihor Boiko
At the end of the second day, the priest called on parishioners to reflect on these questions: what is my love for God and for the neighbors He gives me, and do I truly trust Him in everything?
On Sunday, the third day of the retreat, Fr. Ihor focused on the parable of the prodigal son.
"A simple parable that touched the hearts of many people more than numerous sermons. It has an incredible power that influences our mind, our heart, our imagination, and our memory. It causes in us shame when we move away from God in life, and a certain nostalgia, desire, and cry to return home."
- Fr. Ihor Boiko
The priest explained that this father from the parable is God for us. Finally, Fr. Ihor wished that, in this preparation for Christmas, the awareness of what our God is like - merciful, patient, loving - would accompany us this Christmas and all feasts.
At the conclusion, the pastor of our church, Fr. Andrii Oliinyk, shared his impressions of the retreat and thanked Fr. Ihor for his care and words that moved parishioners to tears and joy. On that same day, Fr. Andrii celebrated his birthday, and parishioners congratulated him.
Also after the Liturgy, in the parish hall, Fr. Ihor gave a presentation about the Lviv Theological Seminary and spoke about their activities during wartime. Afterwards, all who wished had the opportunity to speak with the guest and ask questions.
We wish everyone who participated in this year's pre-Christmas retreat to truly experience spiritual renewal and to welcome and celebrate Christmas with joy.
