In the sacred stillness of the Great Fast - when the Church journeys through the desert of repentance and toward the light of Pascha - the faithful of Sts. Peter and Paul Ukrainian Orthodox Parish in Carnegie, Pennsylvania, were blessed with a grace-filled visitation. His Eminence Archbishop Daniel, spiritual father of the Western Eparchy and President of the Consistory of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA, arrived to lead the community in prayer during the Sunday of the Veneration of the Holy and Precious Cross - the midpoint of Great Lent, where the Cross is lifted in the heart of the Lenten journey as a sign of strength, victory, and hope.

Prior to the beginning of the Divine Liturgy a moment of pure spiritual beauty unfolded as the youth of the parish community lovingly welcomed His Eminence Archbishop Daniel. With innocence and joy shining in their eyes, the children showered flower petals at the entrance of the holy temple, greeting their spiritual father with the simple yet profound language of love. Their tender gesture reflected the purity of hearts shaped by faith and reminded all in attendance that the Church is ever alive through its youngest members. Archbishop Daniel embraced the children with spiritual, fatherly warmth, blessing them as Christ Himself blessed the little ones, and offering a living icon of divine compassion and joy.

As the procession reached the narthex, Mr. John Stasko, president of the parish board of administration, stepped forward to offer the traditional gift of bread and salt (baked by his family), a sacred symbol of hospitality and unity. The bread, the fruit of human labor and God’s bounty, and the salt, a sign of covenant and preservation, spoke silently yet powerfully: the doors of the parish home stood wide open, ready to receive their archpastor as a father into the midst of his family. 

With heartfelt reverence, Fr. John Charest, pastor of the parish, welcomed Archbishop Daniel at the threshold of the church. With words of prayer and humility, he asked the Archbishop to pray for the faithful of the parish - newcomers and long-standing parishioners, youth and elders, visitors and seekers. But above all, he asked for prayer for our ancestral homeland of Ukraine, still wounded by the agony of war and division.

As Archbishop Daniel entered the holy temple, he was joined in prayerful concelebration by Fr. John Charest, Fr. David Chidzhokie, and Deacon Evan O’Neil, along with seminarians from St. Sophia Ukrainian Orthodox Theological Seminary, who traveled from the spiritual center of the Church in South Bound Brook, NJ, to Carnegie for this deeply meaningful occasion.

As the Divine Liturgy continued, the air was filled with sacred melodies offered by the parish choir, whose voices, under the direction of Dobrodiyka Laryssa Charest, rose like incense before the throne of God. Each note carried not just harmony, but faith, devotion, and the soul of a praying community, uniting the hearts of all present in one sacred voice of worship. During the Liturgy, the catechumens of the parish received the blessing of the Archbishop, a powerful sign of the ever-renewing life of the Church - where new seekers continue to be drawn into the embrace of Christ through the living witness of His Body, the Church.

Following the proclamation of the Gospel, Archbishop Daniel offered a deeply spiritual and pastoral reflection titled “The Cross We Carry: Walking the Path of Christ.”

Quoting the Lord’s words from the Gospel of Matthew - “If anyone desires to come after Me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow Me” - he reminded the faithful that these words are “not merely a call to suffering but a call to transformation—a path toward the Kingdom of God.”

He continued: “Each of us carries a personal cross, a burden shaped by our desires, passions, sins, and the challenges life presents. Yet, when we surrender these struggles to Christ, our cross becomes not a weight that crushes us, but a bridge that leads us to eternal life.”

Reflecting on the cross of our desires and passions, he likened our spiritual journey to a man climbing a mountain, burdened by unnecessary treasures - comforts and distractions that weigh him down.

“To reach the summit, he must let go of what holds him back. So it is with us. We must crucify the passions that separate us from Christ. It is not easy - it requires prayer, fasting, and repentance - but with each step, we draw closer to God.”

He then turned to the cross of our sins and struggles, speaking of the pain many carry in secret, the temptations and mistakes that feel too great to overcome.

“Yet, our Lord does not call the perfect - He calls the broken. Like St. Mary of Egypt, who bore the weight of sin but was transformed by grace, we too can be renewed. For as Isaiah says: ‘Though your sins are like scarlet, they shall be as white as snow.’”

But the sermon did not end in struggle. Archbishop Daniel led the congregation to the joy that springs forth from bearing the Cross:

“Once we surrender our burdens to God, something miraculous happens. The Holy Spirit begins to transform us from within. ‘The fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.’”

“Where there was once selfishness, love begins to grow. Where there was once despair, joy springs forth. Our suffering becomes a path to holiness. This is the mystery of the Cross - it is both suffering and salvation, death and resurrection.”

In the Gospel of Matthew 16:24, Jesus tells us plainly: “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.”

This isn’t a poetic metaphor. This is a literal command - a daily call to live, suffer, sacrifice, and love as Christ did. In our modern world of science, speed, and self, we’re tempted to think this is outdated. But the Cross is not a symbol stuck in history - it is a presence, a force, a way of life that is still more powerful than death itself.

In science, we now speak of the quantum realm - particles unseen, energy fields that connect all things, a universe in motion where the invisible governs the visible. And yet, Jesus was already showing us this mystery in His Cross: that unseen love conquers seen hatred, that invisible humility can transform reality more powerfully than any force.

The Cross is real. It is not simply a wooden beam from history—it is the burden of truth in a world of lies, the weight of mercy in a culture of judgment, the force of sacrificial love in an age of selfish gain.

So what does it mean to "take up your cross" in the 21st century?

It means choosing compassion over comfort. It means forgiving when your pride tells you not to. It means standing for truth when falsehood is easier. It means being present with the suffering, the poor, the lonely - just as Christ was. It means letting Christ carry His Cross in you.

Science tells us energy cannot be destroyed - only transformed. So too, the Cross transforms death into life, pain into purpose, and suffering into glory. This is not theory. This is the daily experience of every Christian who dares to live it.

So pick up your cross - not as a burden to crush you, but as the mark of Christ alive in you. In a world desperate for meaning, your Cross is not a weight - it is a witness.

Pick it up. Live. And let the power of the Resurrection flow through your sacrifice.

With hearts uplifted and souls renewed, the faithful approached the holy chalice to receive the Body and Blood of Christ, uniting themselves with the One who turned the Cross into the gateway to eternal life.

During the Liturgy, Archbishop Daniel lifted prayers for Ukraine, for the United States of America, and for all those who serve in defense of life and liberty. In a moment of particular poignancy, he offered special prayers for soldiers missing in action, including Michael, the father of Subdeacon Andrii Akulenko, a seminarian of St. Sophia Seminary.

“Let us embrace him and all those lost in the fog of war in our prayers,” Archbishop Daniel urged. “No one is ever forgotten in the eyes of God.”

At the conclusion of the Divine Liturgy, Fr. John Charest expressed the gratitude of the entire parish community for the Archbishop’s pastoral presence, thanking the visiting clergy and seminarians who shared in the day’s celebration. He invited all in attendance to a parish luncheon, where Archbishop Daniel had the opportunity to engage with parishioners, hear their stories, and reflect upon the sacred journey of Great Lent.

As a final gesture of love and encouragement, Archbishop Daniel presented the parish with a copy of the Icon of the Protection of the Mother of God over the Men and Women in the Ukrainian Armed Forces, prayerfully written by iconographer Yurii Nikitin in Ukraine. This icon, now recognized as the official sacred image of the Ukrainian Chaplain Corps, was given in gratitude for the parish’s continued support of the humanitarian work of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church of the USA.

“This icon,” the Archbishop said, “is a prayer in color - a witness to the love and protection of the Theotokos over her children, especially those who defend truth and freedom.”

As the day drew to a close, the faithful of Sts. Peter and Paul carried in their hearts a renewed vision of Lent - not merely as a season of sorrow, but as a sacred path to resurrection.

In the words of Vladyka Daniel: “Each of us has a cross to bear. Some are heavier than others, but none are meaningless. Christ carried His Cross for our salvation, and He calls us to carry ours for our transformation. Let us not fear the struggles. Let us walk the path of Christ, trusting that even in the shadow of the Cross, there is light, and beyond death, there is life everlasting.”

And so, with thanksgiving and joy, the parish community gave glory to God for the spiritual gifts of the day and for the presence of their archpastor.