Met. Anthony: The more evil is around us, the more good we must do

UOC Chancellor, Metropolitan Anthony (Pakanych). Photo: pravlife.org

The UOC Chancellor, Metropolitan Anthony of Boryspil and Brovary, warned believers against responding to the persecutors of the Church with evil and called on them to follow the words of Jesus Christ and the saints who endured persecution, reports pravlife.org.

"I would particularly like to protect believers from anger, which, unfortunately, has often been observed lately on the Internet," the archbishop noted. "Humanly speaking, one can always understand the storm of emotions provoked by the actions of persecutors: the seizure of churches, beating of our priests and parishioners, desecration of holy places, slander, and insults. But from a spiritual point of view, we should not mirror our persecutors as then we will become the same."

The Metropolitan recalled the words of the Holy Apostle Peter: “Do not repay evil with evil or insult with insult, but with blessing because to this you were called so that you may inherit a blessing."

"Such words are spoken by all the saints who endured persecution, and they are also said by Christ who was crucified for us. For us today, this should be a direct instruction for action. The more evil is around us, the more good we must bring to this sinful world," the bishop said.

He emphasized that defenders of the Church need to be attentive to their own spiritual life.

"At first glance, it may seem that if a believer is engaged in defending the Church, temptations will not threaten them. This is not the case. The apostle says: ‘Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.' (1 Peter 5:8). And in the days of great external trials for the Church, our internal trials do not leave us alone – everyone has their own. [...] A person cannot be a true defender of the Church from external persecutors if they do not try to protect their own soul from internal persecutors – demons. Such people at some point, perhaps even unexpectedly for themselves, may fall and become traitors," the archpastor explains.

According to him, "If in our private lives we continue to follow God's commandments, He will not abandon us in greater trials, and, on the contrary, our sins, our spiritual impurity, repel the Lord."

"Based on this, it is so important to be attentive to our spiritual life. After all, if we do not keep ourselves in spiritual and moral purity, how can we dare to protect the Church of Christ itself?" Metropolitan Anthony highlights.

As reported, earlier the Primate of the UOC, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry, noted that in the trials that the Church is experiencing today, believers should not become embittered and lose their love for God and their neighbours."

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