Prayer from Captivity (Patriarch Josyf Slipyj)
Grant them, above all, to understand the importance of the holy faith in unity with the Apostolic See; strengthen in their hearts the attachment to it which they have had from the very beginning of Christianity in Ukraine. And though they were later drawn into discord, they returned to unity, yet today they are again threatened in this.
That they may be able to render Thee honor and glory forever in holy unity, even if it should require bearing a martyr’s death; grant strength to those who constantly hold to it, strengthen the faint-hearted and those who doubt. Speak to the hearts of those who have fallen away, soften their hardened consciences, bring them to their senses, and return them to the bosom of the Catholic Universal Church as heralds of Thy wrath and forgiveness. Enlighten the disunited, that without prejudice they may recognize her true teaching and be united with her forever.
Be the educator of Ukrainian youth, that they may grow in the spirit of the Christian Catholic faith and cherish Thy heavenly treasures. Penetrate with Thy Divine Spirit and turn the eyes from earth to heaven of those who work in the fields, in factories and mines, in administrations, schools, and scientific institutions, those who guard order and peace, and bless their toil and labor with abundant fruits. Holy Spirit, Thou who art the purest Divine love, bestow it all-generously upon the Ukrainian people, unite all by it, and above all the suffering, for mutual help.
Burn away with the fire of love their sins, voluntary and involuntary, remove from their souls evil inclinations, cultivate in them heroic virtues and adorn them with Thy gifts, and defend them against human injustice. Return bishops and priests to their flock; fathers and mothers, children and kin to their families; bring back friends and neighbors, all who have found themselves far beyond mountains and waters, to their cozy homes.
Divine Spirit, Thou who at the beginning of ages hovered over the barren earth and created life upon it, adorned it with groves and filled it with animals, water also the Ukrainian land with a gracious rain, that its fields may turn green and bring forth a hundredfold fruit and its inhabitants may not hunger; fill the seas and rivers with fish, the forests and groves, mountains and valleys with animals and birds, which would praise Thee and sing of Thy glory; adorn the meadows and pastures with grass and flowers, that herds of cows and flocks of sheep may graze upon them, herds of horses may gallop, and bees may buzz in the apiaries—as an image of Ukrainian industriousness, diligence, and zeal.
Call the whole nation to the perfection of its life, to developed communication networks of railways, automobiles, ships, and airplanes; point out happy inventions and discoveries and incline the nation to the raising, for Thy glory, of monuments worthy of admiration of the high culture which has flourished on its lands for more than five thousand years.
And now and for the future, wipe away, O All-Good One, the burning tears from their eyes and the hot sweat from their brows, and protect them from the sorrow of want, from bodily pains and spiritual sufferings, that they may live righteously and happily already here on earth, and at the end of their life become Thy blameless servant. Amen.
(from the Encyclical on the Descent of the Holy Spirit, 1947)
Source: kyrios.org.ua