Rector of Trebukhiv church: OCU has no grace as created by people, not God

Archpriest Mikhail Pavliuk, the rector of the Intercession Church in Trebukhiv, while addressing the parishioners on the feast day, said that the OCU, which they so persistently invite to join, has no grace, as it is not the Church but a religious organization created by people rather than God. A video of the sermon was published by human rights activist Victoria Kokhanovska on her Telegram channel. 

"The Church of Christ was created by our Lord Jesus Christ Himself, and there is grace in the Holy Spirit! And we draw this grace through the sacraments and church ceremonies. There is no such grace in religious organizations created by people," said Father Mikhail. 

Also, the rector of the temple reminded the faithful that without participation in the sacrament of the Eucharist, Christians cannot lead a spiritual life. 

"Our Lord Jesus Christ teaches us in the words that 'whoever partakes of my Body and Blood will have eternal life,' and we all aspire to this eternal life. And we can receive it only by God's grace, staying in the Holy Orthodox Church. In Ukraine this Church is called the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, whose Primate is Metropolitan Onuphry," said archpriest Mikhail Pavliuk. 

"You and I have made a choice in favour of the Church of Christ. We want to be in this particular Church. We want to pray in the Church Slavonic language, the language in which our pious ancestors have prayed for over a thousand years," the rector of the church in Trebukhiv concluded his sermon. 

In Trebukhiv, hundreds of parishioners gathered for the Intercession feast, protecting their church. 

As reported, church raiders promised several times to seize the temple but did not dare to do so.

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