Met. Onufriy: Live with Christ and so nothing will be able to beat you
Primate of the UOC, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufriy of Kiev and All Ukraine
The Resurrection of Christ is a celebration of life, but life is achieved through suffering and torment, said Metropolitan Onufriy of Kiev and All Ukraine on 112 Ukraine TV channel.
His Beatitude told a story he always recalls on this great day about one well-known priest.
“Once, before Easter, he walked out of the church, thinking about the beauty of the Savior’s passions, about the greatness of the feat that the Lord took upon himself, accepting our sins and bearing our infirmities. And the following thought came to him: the Lord served everyone, and I will serve at least one person, it will be nice and good,” the Archpastor said.
According to Vladyka, an elderly woman in a wheelchair crossed his path and the priest decided to help her. It turned out that the woman had a bad temper, she quarreled with everyone, demanded that the priest take her to the military enlistment office, then to the bank, then to the post office. He drove her everywhere, helped her in every way, but when she demanded that he take her to the cemetery, he refused – then she sprang to her feet, jumped into the trolleybus and went to the cemetery herself.
“The priest then said to himself, “I could not bear the weakness of one person, while Christ bore the billions of other people’s infirmities and did not break,” His Beatitude continued. “The Savior bore everything, endured everything, suffered for all, rose from the dead and we enjoy eternal life. We can have it thanks to the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Metropolitan Onufriy urged believers to always be with the Risen Christ.
“Christ is the conqueror and he who lives with Christ can never be defeated by anyone. No earthly trials, no sorrows, no diseases – nothing can crush a person if he is with Christ. If we are without Christ, even most insignificant trials, smallest grief will make us fall down. Live with Christ – and you will be the victors, you will rejoice yourself both in this life and in eternity,” the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church wished.
As the UOJ reported, earlier His Beatitude Metropolitan Onufriy addressed with his Paschal Epistle archpastors, pastors, monastics and all faithful children of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church.
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