Priest: Soldier from front line comes to church to pray for the end of war
"He stood before the icon of the Mother of God for a long time, and then approached me and asked, 'Do you know what I was praying for? - To end the war as soon as possible.'"
A warrior who has been serving on the front lines for two years came to the UOC temple. The rector of the church, Archpriest Vasily Balan, told about the meeting with the defender on the Facebook page of the Vinnytsia parish of the Nativity of the Theotokos in the town of Murovani Kurylivtsi.
Father Vasily met the serviceman in the temple, talked to him, gave him a cross, and led him to the Pochaiv Icon of the Mother of God.
"He stood for a long time. How he sighed, how he breathed, he saw no one around, only looked at the icon of the Mother of God," the priest said. "Then he approached me. I didn't ask him anything, he said himself: 'Do you know what I asked for? - To end the war as soon as possible.'"
The clergyman added: it is important for believers to pray not only for their own needs but also for the end of the war.
"This warrior did not pray for himself. <...> May we all ask the Mother of God so that the Lord will grant the end of the war. We should always have this petition these days, brothers and sisters. Help us all, Lord!" he wished.
As reported, more than 7,000 candles were made in UOC churches of Kyiv for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.