A person should love God, surrender themselves to the will of God, and be courageous said His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine in his sermon on July 25, 2021, the 5th Sunday after Pentecost.
The Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church talked about the instructive aspects of the Gospel parable about the healing of the possessed and the casting out of the legion of demons (Matt. 8: 28-9: 1). According to the Archpastor, it reveals the true intentions of the demons in relation to man.
“A demon does not want good for a person, although he is hiding under good reasons, words, and ideas. When the demons fell into the herd of pigs, the pigs did not run into the desert, but ran into the sea and drowned. That is, the demons did not feel sorry for the pigs, the more so do they not feel sorry for man and every creation of God. Therefore, we must know about this,” said His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry.
However, the metropolitan urged believers to not be afraid of demons, because they have no strength.
“They have insolence, cowardice, and this is not strength, this is a lie. Insolence, cowardice, and lies are the product of pride. One should not be afraid of a lie, one should be afraid of the Truth, God, Who really has power and authority. The Lord has power over life and death, over all creation. A person should love God and surrender himself to His will,” said His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry.
The Primate of the UOC urged believers to be courageous, to pray, fast, and honor God above all else.
“And when the question arises: what should we choose between some interest in our life or God and His law – we must choose the second, that is, God and His law. If a person does this, then he is blissful and blessed,” concluded His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry.
During the service, fervent prayers were offered for the end to the spread of coronavirus, and for the health of doctors and patients.
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