UOC Primate: The one who speaks truth is stronger than those telling lies
His Beatitude, Metropolitan Onuphry. Photo: news.church.ua
On January 14, 2021, the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv and All Ukraine, said that those who profess the Truth are stronger than those who profess lies, according to the Information and Education Department of the UOC.
During a sermon on the day of memory of St. Basil the Great, the Primate recalled that the Bishop of Caesarea of Cappadocia was a confessor of the purity of the Orthodox faith and always defended the truth.
"Truth does not cease to be truth even if it is professed by one person professes. The power of truth lies not in the number of people who stand for it – truth itself has power. When a person professes the truth and everyone else tells a lie, that person is stronger than anyone else. St. Basil was a courageous confessor of the purity of the Orthodox faith,” His Beatitude Onuphry explained.
Metropolitan Onuphry also spoke of the high education and prayerful zeal of St. Basil.
"Old books mention that when he started praying in the evening, the sun was shining on the back of his head, and when he ended his prayer, the sun was shining in his face," the Archpriest gave an example from the life of St. Basil the Great. “It means St. Basil kept praying all night long. Such a zeal, such a prayerful feat was performed by St. Basil.
According to the Primate of the UOC, St. Basil was not only a great theologian, but also a true monk, who gave all his strength to serve God. "St. Basil the Great is a model of spiritual perfection for us," Vladyka added.
Metropolitan Onuphry noted that "God's blessing will be with us, and we will complete our earthly wanderings and be honored to be saved in heaven in Christ Jesus our Lord" if we "live in such a way that we cut off our carnal passions, which prevent man from seeing God, unite with God and live in peace, according to the commandments of God."
Earlier the UOJ wrote that according to His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry, earthly religions seek the wordly, while the real religion seeks the heavenly.
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