It
was part of the American president’s speech delivered at the 61st
National Prayer Breakfast, attended by 3,500 international guests and
traditionally held in Washington D.C in early February.
The
National Prayer Breakfast was designed to be a forum for political,
social and business elite to assemble and build relationships. Since
its inception in 1953,
it’s
been an event during which participants had a chance to acknowledge
the importance of prayer and faith and project such experience on
their everyday activities.
I
have been granted a chance to participate in the National Prayer
Breakfast this year. Among my biggest gain was an exchange on
policy-making experiences, cross-cultural communication on issues of
the day with parliamentarians from different states, and search for
solutions to emerging issues on the international political agenda.
Both
domestic and international welfare highly depends on actions,
policies, and strategies of parliamentarians. However, the future of
a country such as Ukraine is even more dependable on the politicians’
morals, ideas, and values. In this part, Jesus’ teachings
contribute greatly to empowering politicians when improving the lives
of others.
While
flying back to Kyiv I pondered why reasons why the discussion of
Christian values is almost never heard among politicians here in
Ukraine. On one hand, Christian tradition has shaped Ukrainian
culture enormously; on the other hand, we, the politicians, pay so
little attention when it comes to incorporating Christian principles
into the real politics.
I
am a regular attendee of the Sunday mass and quite often see my
colleagues from
parliament
there as well. Therefore, there is a big potential for creating a
discussion platform based on the ground of Christian values in
Ukraine. People from politics, business, civil society and culture
can participate and speak on a range of issues – from education to
personal responsibility – emphasizing Christianity as a common
denominator.
At
the 61st National Prayer Breakfast, President Obama prayed to God
for humility in Washington D.C. I would like to suggest to myself and
my colleagues, Ukrainian politicians from different political
parties, to retain humility in Kyiv and serve voters with the help of
Christian teachings. And do it so on a daily basis.
Yuriy Miroshnychenko is a parliament deputy from the Party of Regions and the president’s representative in Verkhovna Rada.
