Metropolitan Onuphry explains the spiritual meaning of Three-Handed Icon

Photo: The Primate of the UOC celebrates the Divine Liturgy on the feast of the Three-Handed Icon. Source: uoc-news.church

On the feast of the Three-Handed Icon of the Mother of God, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry presided over the Divine Liturgy at the Archangel Michael Zverynets Monastery in Kyiv and delivered a sermon to the faithful. This was reported by the UOC Information and Education Department.

The Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church recalled the history of the icon. In the eighth century, St. John of Damascus, falsely accused through the slander of the iconoclasts, had his hand cut off by order of the ruler of Damascus. Placing the severed hand before an icon of the Mother of God, the saint prayed tearfully for healing so that he might prove the truth of the faith he defended.

As the Primate noted, through the saint’s prayers, the Mother of God healed him. In gratitude, St. John attached a silver image of a hand to the icon. From that time onward, the image became known as the Three-Handed Icon.

Metropolitan Onuphry recalled that the wonderworking icon is now kept at the Serbian Hilandar Monastery on the Holy Mountain of Athos, where it is regarded as the abbess of the monastery and of the entire Holy Mountain.

The Primate emphasized that believers venerate the icon as a symbol of the special protection of the Most Holy Theotokos. In his words, with two hands the Mother of God holds the Christ Child, while with the “third,” as it were, She extends Her help to all who turn to Her amid sorrow, illness, and the trials of life.

The archpastor called on Christians to imitate the Most Holy Theotokos, who spent Her entire life in humility, meekness, and unceasing prayer.

His Beatitude devoted particular attention to the subject of repentance.

“Above all, we should ask the Most Pure Lady to obtain forgiveness from God for our sins, because the troubles that befall us are rooted in our sins – in our pride, deceit, and malice,” the Primate emphasized.

Concluding his sermon, Metropolitan Onuphry wished everyone the help and protection of the Most Holy Theotokos, asking that She strengthen believers on the path to salvation and help them pass worthily through their earthly lives.

As the UOJ previously reported, the Primate of the UOC earlier called on believers to fulfill the will of the Lord rather than their own desires.

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