His Beatitude Onuphry addresses flock before Great Lent

His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry. Photo: UOC

His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv and All Ukraine blessed the flock for Great Lent, which this year begins on February 23. The Primate's message on the eve of Great Lent was sent to eparchial bishops to be read on February 22 in all churches and monasteries of the UOC.

In his blessing, His Beatitude noted that in the conditions of severe trials for the Ukrainian people, Great Lent acquires special depth and meaning. The Primate of the UOC called on the faithful to combine abstinence with mercy and intensified prayer for warriors, the suffering, and all who experience the pain of loss.

The UOJ presents the full text of the message published on the website of the Information and Educational Department.

"Beloved brothers and sisters in the Lord, dear children of the Holy Church!

By God's mercy we enter the days of еhe Holy Quadregesima – a time when the Church, like a caring Mother, calls us to the quiet joy of repentance. Great Lent opens for us the path of heart purification and mind enlightenment, so that we, having overcome the burden of worldly vanity and anxiety, may learn to live before the face of God, in the light of the Gospel, with memory of eternity and with living responsibility for each day granted to us for salvation.

Fasting is not reduced to bodily abstinence, although it too is needed as a school of will. Its main work, says Saint John Chrysostom, is to make a person whole through repentance, to restore spiritual sobriety, to teach one to remain silent where a word wounds, and to speak where a word heals.

The Holy Church teaches us to observe the fast inseparably from divine services, in the breath of prayer, in listening to the Word of God, and in sincere repentance and reconciliation with neighbors. Where a person stands before the Lord without excuses and self-deception, true renewal begins: sin ceases to be a habit and becomes a pain that we patiently strive to heal. Now, in circumstances of severe trials for our Ukrainian people, fasting acquires an even deeper meaning – the Lord calls us to mercy and compassion. May our Lenten abstinence become almsgiving for those in need; may our prayer be a support for those on the front lines, for the wounded, for prisoners, for those who have lost their loved ones and their homes. Let us not allow sorrow to make us hardened: a Christian overcomes darkness not only through endurance, but also through love that does not humiliate, does not seek revenge, does not inflame passions but does good even when it is difficult.

Let us not postpone our encounters with God, nor confine ourselves to mere formalities, but to the extent of our ability, let us fill these days with prayerful presence, so that each day of Great Lent becomes a true step toward the Lord’s Pascha – the Bright Resurrection of Christ.

For the period of Great Lent, our faithful are blessed to undertake a small prayerful effort for peace in Ukraine: to read Psalm 90 daily and make seven bows with the Our Father prayer."

As the UOJ wrote, His Beatitude congratulated Ukrainians on the Day of Unity of Ukraine.

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