His Beatitude: The most important thing we must achieve in life is love

Metropolitan Onuphry. Photo: UOC press service

On September 7, 2025, His Beatitude Onuphry celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Agapitus Church of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra and delivered a sermon dedicated to the Gospel parable of the wicked vinedressers. In his homily, the Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church particularly emphasized the importance of love as the main goal of Christian life.

“A person must always bear the fruit of love, because love is the essence of human life. The Lord Himself is love. And love is life. If there is no love, there is no life,” His Beatitude noted, explaining to the faithful the spiritual teaching on the necessity of bearing good fruits.

He explained that the Kingdom of God is the Church, which is protected by divine law like a wall. “In the Church, a person cleanses themselves from sin through repentance, fasting, and prayer. And God’s grace dwells in their heart,” the Primate clarified. The hierarch went on to describe how in the Old Testament the Lord sent prophets to the people, but they “seized, tortured, and killed” God’s messengers, and later rejected and crucified the Only-Begotten Son of God.

“The Lord took away His Kingdom, took the Church from the Jewish people, and entrusted it to another people. In the New Testament, the Church no longer belongs to the Jewish people alone but to all humanity,” emphasized Metropolitan Onuphry. Referring to the Apostle Paul, the Primate listed the spiritual fruits that every believer should bear: love, peace, joy, patience, goodness, mercy, faith, gentleness, and self-control.

Highlighting the significance of love among all spiritual fruits, the hierarch stressed its unique role in the life of a Christian. “A person must always bear the fruit of love, because love is the essence of human life. The Lord Himself is love. And love is life. If there is no love, there is no life,” noted the Primate.

Metropolitan Onuphry explained that, unlike other spiritual fruits, which are to be expressed “in their proper time” – that is, in certain circumstance – love must be a constant state of the believer’s soul. “I am not speaking of mere carnal love. I am speaking of spiritual love, love for God and for one’s neighbor, sacrificial love,” he emphasized, clarifying the difference between worldly emotions and spiritual virtue.

In conclusion, the Beatified Metropolitan called on the believers, while remaining “in the bosom of the holy Church of Christ”, to bear good fruits so that “upon entering eternal life, they may be counted among the eternal heavenly Church”.

Earlier, the UOJ wrote that on the feast of the Dormition, Metropolitan Onuphry highlighted that the prayers of the Theotokos are the strongest in the spiritual world.

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