Spiritual Conversations with Fr. Ihor Drapak “How not to Lose the Spirit of Christmas?” at TNMU

“For where two or three are gathered in My Name, there I am in their midst,” says the Holy Gospel of Matthew (18:19-20). “For God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son, so that everyone who believes in him should not perish but have eternal life,” emphasized the evangelist John (3:16-18). It was this spirit of Faith, Hope and Love that filled the meeting of Fr. Ihor Drapak, Assistant Professor of the Department of Physiology, Bioethics and Biosafety, Doctor of Theology, with students and teachers of the Faculty of Pharmacy, which took place on November 15, 2023 in the reading hall of TNMU library as part of the “Spiritual Meetings at TNMU” project.

The initiators of the meeting were the Head of the Centre for Educational and Cultural Development, Associate Professor Marta Rudenko, and the Head of the Institute of Tutors, Associate Professor Halyna Habor. Such activities are a good tradition at our university, because young people should not only sharpen their minds or harden their bodies, but also strengthen their spirit.

At the beginning of the meeting, Fr. Ihor Drapak, feeling the emotional awe of the audience, which embraces a person who touches the sacred, suggested that the audience begin the conversation with the prayer “Our Father”. Joint prayer united those present, filled everyone’s heart with blessed peace and warmed the soul.

Emphasizing the Christmas holidays, the priest very interestingly built a dialogue with the audience. He used rich historical facts (events, dates, persons), generously shared his own life possessions, appealed to the personal experience of each of those present. Thus, reflecting on how to preserve the spirit of Christmas, Fr. Ihor managed to activate the deep feelings and experiences of both students and teachers: waiting for the arrival of St. Nicholas, gifts under the pillow, the joy of communication, the unity of the family at the table, the thrilling feeling of the unknown Mystery, the hope and expectation of a miracle…

And humanity received a Miracle that was realized in time and space, a Mystery that is difficult to understand and comprehend with the mind – the Incarnation. Thanks to this, God did not just get close to man, He Himself became a man, because the Divine power of love prompted Him to do so. Standing in solidarity with people in everything, except sin, as Fr. Ihor, God lived an ordinary earthly bodily life: he was born not in luxury, but in a manger, was in danger, became an exile, worked as a carpenter, taught, preached… And so until suffering, death and Resurrection, to prove that death has no power , and there is life — eternal.

That is why, as the priest emphasized, Christmas is closely and inextricably linked with the Resurrection. It is not only a sacred, but also a historical event that determined the movement of history, a point of reference, because modern chronology is conducted precisely from the birth of Jesus Christ.

The sacred and the profane, the material and the spiritual, the everyday and the festive — all this was understood and voiced not only by Fr. Ihor. Those present listened attentively, empathized and collaborated, reflecting on the meaning of the Christian virtues of Faith, Hope and Love, analyzing the essence of the concept of “holiday”, reflecting aloud or secretly – in their thoughts. But the most important thing was that there were no indifferent people in the hall, on the contrary – the sown seed gave its first sprouts, and everyone present had a desire to continue such conversations.

We would like to thank the teachers and tutors of the academic groups of the Faculty of Pharmacy, Olena Pokotylo, Tetiana Kucher, Lubomyr Kryskiv, Liudmyla Mysula, Natalia Belei, Anastasia Dub, as well as the Director of the Library, Olena Protsiv, for their tireless help in the preparation and holding of university events.

Information provided by Ihor Havryshchak. Photographs by Marta Rudenko and Olena Charodii.