Met Onuphry: To have the right faith is what matters most for a Christian

Metropolitan Onuphry. Photo: UOC Press Service

On May 18, 2025, during his homily for the Sunday of the Samaritan Woman at the Agapitus Church of the Kyiv Pechersk Lavra, Metropolitan Onuphry addressed the faithful, reflecting on the Gospel account of Christ’s encounter with the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well and its spiritual significance for contemporary Christians.

The Primate emphasized that in His conversation with the Samaritan woman, the Savior revealed a most profound truth about worshipping God: “God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and in truth.”

“In order for such spiritual worship to be pleasing and acceptable to God, we must worship in truth – that is, to know who God is, who our Creator and Maker is,” said His Beatitude.

Metropolitan Onuphry noted that throughout the Church’s history, the Holy Fathers at Ecumenical and Local Councils, along with many ascetics of piety, labored to preserve the purity of the faith.

“This is the most important thing for a Christian – to have the right faith in God. Then all their actions become righteous, including their reverence before the Creator and Maker, which becomes proper and God-pleasing,” the Primate of the UOC stressed.

He also reminded that after her encounter with the Savior, the Samaritan woman was baptized with the name Photini (Svetlana) and, together with her sons, later suffered for Christ, becoming a holy martyr.

“May the Lord help us, dear brothers and sisters, to live on this earth in such a way as to preserve the purity of the holy faith. This pure faith is called the Orthodox faith – the faith that teaches a person to glorify God rightly. We must cherish this faith, for it is the foundation and essence of our salvation,” Metropolitan Onuphry concluded.

Previously, the UOJ reported that Metropolitan Onuphry, in another sermon, said that the humble are protected by God Himself.

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