Leave-taking of the Ascension; The Holy Priest-Martyr Theodotus of Ancyra (284-305)
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Acts 27:1-44; John 17:18-26
If you go to the Greek Catholic Cathedral of the Holy Cross in Uzhorod, Ukraine, you will find an Icon of Theodore Romzha where he holds a Gospel book containing the inscription of Jesus’ prayer “That all may be one.” Romzha was a Greek Catholic Bishop of the Ruthenian Church, who led the Mukachevo Eparchy before he was run off the road and beaten within inches of his life by communists. He was later poisoned in a hospital in 1947. As one of the New Martyrs by beatified by John Paul II in 2001, he is a testament to the sanctity of the Greek Catholic Church refined in the fires of persecution during the 20th century.
“That all may be one” also seems to be a handy slogan of Christian Unity these days. And anyone who has visited Ukraine recently would realize immediate tensions between Greek Catholics and Orthodox due to the complex history of the 20th century. In many instances, confiscated Churches were not returned to Greek Catholics. To this day, some Greek Catholic communities pray outside their historic Church which the Orthodox refuse to relinquish, even during bitter winters!
For all these reasons, it would seem odd that Romzha’s icon would boast a slogan of Christian unity. Well, I would argue that Romzha is an icon of Christian unity. He is an example that testifies that unity does not entail dissolution by force; it requires the mutual commitment and humble deference of both parties. The troparion for Romzha tells us that “he has been carried beyond the sanctuary veil.” As someone who rests fully in the peace of Christ in heaven, he beckons us to this unity of the Father and the Son that he knows and experiences fully, goading us on down here—in all our complicated divisive mess—to tend toward this goal of unity.