UOC Primate: "There is no weapon against evil except kindness and meekness"

Primate of the UOC. Photo: news.church.ua

The virtue of humility helps a person to understand God more deeply. His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv and All Ukraine spoke about this in his sermon on the 15th Sunday after Pentecost, according to the UOC's Information and Educational Department.

The Primate emphasized that humility draws a person closer to God, gives them an understanding of the nature of creation, and reminds them that they themselves are God's creation. It also helps one to perceive the Creator correctly.

His Beatitude noted that God created man from the earth, and this knowledge should encourage everyone to practice humility and charity.

"The property of the earth is that it constantly does good for us: we plant a single grain of wheat in the soil, and it grows into an entire ear of wheat; we plant vegetable seeds, and they grow into whole vegetables; we plant tree seeds, and they grow into entire trees that bear much fruit. In other words, the earth constantly multiplies goodness and gives it to us," said Metropolitan Onuphry.

He also stressed that just as the earth bears fruit for everyone, even for those who harm it, people, being of earthly origin, should do good even to those who do not love them: "And so a person should – no matter how others treat them – do good to others, be kind, and gentle. It is through kindness and meekness that all evil in the world is conquered. There is no other weapon to defeat evil but goodness," the Archbishop added.

In conclusion, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry wished the faithful that through good deeds and victory over evil, everyone may inherit eternal life in Christ Jesus, our Lord.

As the UOJ previously reported, the Primate of the UOC officiated the Divine Liturgy at the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.

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