His Beatitude: Fasting and prayer are two staffs towards spiritual grace

His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry. Photo: UOC

In his sermon on the 4th Sunday of Great Lent, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry stated that fasting and prayer are like two staffs that help us ascend the mountain of the Holy Spirit’s grace, according to the UOC press service.

Metropolitan Onuphry reminded the faithful that Great Lent is a time for every Christian to strive for self-restraint, to battle negative emotions and thoughts, and to deepen their prayer life.

In this context, His Beatitude referenced St. John Climacus and his spiritual work The Ladder, which outlines the steps of spiritual ascent.

The Primate also noted that the path of spiritual perfection is revealed in the Gospel by the Savior Himself.

“The Lord explains this to us in His Sermon on the Mount, where He calls blessed those who follow the steps of spiritual growth and work on themselves,” His Beatitude said.

Explaining the Beatitudes, the hierarch paid particular attention to the seventh: “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God” (Matthew 5:9). According to him, when a person becomes pure in heart – which is the previous beatitude (see Matthew 5:8) – they become a vessel for the grace of the Holy Spirit.

“As long as we sin, as long as our hearts are impure, we are in conflict with God – we may not realize or admit it, but it is so. Only a person with a pure heart can become a peacemaker. Such a person reconciles with God and, of course, can also reconcile others with God and with one another. The reward for peacemakers is that they are called sons of God – not servants or slaves, but sons. And that is the highest honor a person can attain,” he explained.

In conclusion, Metropolitan Onuphry called on the faithful to remember the importance of spiritual effort and the pursuit of perfection, emphasizing that fasting and prayer are “two wings” on which a person rises to spiritual heights.

As previously reported by the UOJ, His Beatitude recently led the consecration of the Bishop of Rakhiv.

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