Primate of the UOC tells how to find salvation in today’s world (VIDEO)

A contemporary man cannot repeat the great deeds of Saints from the old times; still he can do acts of faith commensurate with the time he is living in. It was said in sermon by the UOC Primate, Metropolitan of Kiev and all Ukraine His Beatitude Onuphry, reports the Information and Education Department of the UOC.

Having told about the life of Venerable Onuphry, the Primate underscored that this Saint is a fascinating example of how “the grace of God strengthens man to pursue such great explloits and acts of faith.” However, according to the Primate, “he definitely cannot be a role model for us to follow him directly.”

"The Lord took away this grace today so we are no longer able to accomplish such great deeds," said His Beatitude. “He gave a man these days grace to endure sickness and sorrow. The Venerable Fathers say that those people who will live in the last times and will tolerate with gratitude everything that will happen in the world – sorrows, diseases, and misfortunes, thanking God and praying for the whole world – those people will be in their own way Dignity before God equal to hermits and monks who lived in ancient times."

His Eminence said that the modern man needs to find a desert in his soul: "The desert of the soul is when there are no beasts of pride, envy, debauchery, that is, those passions and vices that prevent us from entering this place to pray to God quietly and in peace".

A person can get rid of these passions only by making efforts.

"In order to make our soul such a fertile desert, we must work and struggle with ourselves, fight with our infirmities, sins, vices. A man who enforces himself, compels to go against sin, sometimes falls, sometimes rises, but in the end his efforts are crowned with success. For any sin is conquered by effort. The Lord, seeing our intentions, gives us grace and strength that helps to overcome our sins."

"May our soul be such a fertile desert, where we will go and where we will do prayers that are necessary for our salvation, necessary for the whole world. Then we will at least be a bit like Monk Onufry, whose memory is revered by the Church today, and who, being in heaven along with all other Saints before the Throne of God, prays that the Lord will grant us eternal life in our Lord Jesus Christ," the Primate wished.