What should the Christian response to war be?
In times of hardship, how can we faithfully share the Gospel?
How do we overcome this spiritual battle?
Ukraine has been at war for over three years now. War brings immense suffering — the loss of fathers and sons, the destruction of cities and the countryside. But it also leads to broken relationships, deep wounds, and growing hatred. What is — and what should be — the Christian response to such a situation? Is reconciliation truly possible? In the West, we still live in peace, but the forces of evil threaten our lives in different ways. How can the lived experience of a young bishop from Ukraine awaken our consciences, encourage our faith, and remind us of the spiritual battle we all face?
Teodor Matsapula is a Ukrainian Ruthenian Catholic hierarch, who serves as an Eparchial Bishop of the Greek Catholic Eparchy of Mukachevo since May 2024. After graduation from the school education and discernment period, he joined the Institute of the Incarnate Word in 2001, continuing his studies at the International Seminary of San Vitaliano, in Segni, Italy, and at the San Bruno Vescovo Center for Higher Studies, where completed his philosophical and theological studies in 2008. Upon priest ordination, Fr. Matsapula carried out pastoral service for the Catholic faithful of the Byzantine rite outside Ukraine until 2013. Upon returning to his homeland, he continued his ministry in the Eparchy of Mukachevo, serving as Synkellos until being appointed by Pope Francis as an Eparchial Bishop of the vacant Greek Catholic Eparchy of Mukachevo.
Sister Miriam Shir Ruah Adonai (translated as Mary, Hymn of the Holy Spirit) is a religious sister and missionary who belongs to the Religious Family of the Incarnate Word. This religious family originated in Argentina, and its mission is to evangelize the culture in the spirit of the Incarnation of the Word. This means uplifting everything that is authentically human within a given culture and bringing the Gospel into it.
Sister entered the religious order in Italy, where she completed her formation. As a missionary, she also spent some time living in Switzerland and the Netherlands. Today, she lives in Modra, where her community resides—the only one of its kind currently in Slovakia. They are known as the Servant Sisters, or Servidoras.
