His Beatitude: Self-interest and calculation cannot replace God's love

His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry. Photo: UOC

On December 1, 2024, the 23rd Sunday after Pentecost, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kyiv and All Ukraine officiated the Divine Liturgy at the Church of St. Agapitus of the Kyiv Caves in the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra, as reported by the Synodal Information and Education Department of the UOC.

In his sermon following the Gospel reading, he explained the meaning of the parable of the foolish rich man and urged the faithful to strive for true spiritual wealth – the acquisition of the grace of the Holy Spirit.

Metropolitan Onuphry emphasized that the greatest wealth for a Christian is God.
"What does it mean to become rich in God? For some, wealth is money, gold, or jewels, but for others, it is God – they seek God, and He is their greatest treasure," said the Metropolitan, adding that the Kingdom of God is within a person if God reigns in their heart.

He noted that, according to the Holy Fathers, the purpose of human life is to acquire the grace of the Holy Spirit and the virtue of humility. The Metropolitan explained that humility is submitting oneself to the will of God.
"The grace of the Holy Spirit cannot be obtained in any other way except through humility," he stressed.

Metropolitan Onuphry also highlighted the necessity of following God's laws, which, while they may seem inconvenient, are truly beneficial for people:
"Anything that contradicts God's Law cannot be beneficial. Only what God tells us is beneficial because God is love and desires only good for us." He pointed out that human laws are often created out of self-interest and calculation, but where there is calculation, there is no love – only bargaining.

According to him, God's laws, though they may appear simple, possess great spiritual power when a person begins to follow them.

As previously reported by the UOJ, on November 30, during the 23rd week after Pentecost, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry led the All-Night Vigil at the Holy Dormition Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra.

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