Primate of UOC: You must fight against sin not to die spiritually

The Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv and All Ukraine, in a sermon on the second Sunday of Great Lent, said that sin is an illness. If it is not fought against, spiritual death will come, reports the UOC Synodal Information and Education Department.

The Primate of the UOC explained that every person must fight sin because sin poisons the whole life. “Sin is a spiritual disease, it is an ulcer, a purulent wound that strikes a person and poisons his life,” said His Beatitude Onuphry. “If we do not resist sin, then we are spiritually dead, we do not see the Divine Light, which is always with us.”

As an example of the fight against sin, the Primate pointed to the venerable Fathers of the Kyiv Caves, who fasted, prayed and did good deeds. “To fight sin, the Lord gave us fasting and prayer. Fasting is when a person keeps himself from meat and milk food, evil thoughts, evil deeds, evil actions, prayer is when a person asks God for forgiveness and prays that the Lord will forgive the sins of other people living on earth,” concluded His Beatitude.

As reported, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry led a prayer service for peace in Ukraine at Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.

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