Church's view: the most powerful weapon

Different resonant crimes have been frequently reported in the news chronicles lately.

They stir the public, making people think how to protect themselves from potential trouble.

Someone calculates how much it will cost him to install a more modern and reliable signaling system; another one urgently collects documents for the purchase of legally permitted weapons, and the third one has already planned out his year to undergo training in the sections of martial arts, or is aimed at paying for private security service .

However, this is not a panacea for possible troubles. Man-made mechanisms and systems are far from perfect. Their protection can be circumvented, hacked or completely destroyed. Practice shows that even the strongest walls and most reliable locks are not always able to prevent the robbery, and the ability to shoot – to protect from wounds from bullets fired from a stranger’s gun.

How can you protect yourself and your family in such difficult times? The answer is simple – you need to always and in all trust in God. It is in His hands our fate is. And only He can really save us from all evil. It should be remembered that one should deal with the causes of certain negative phenomena, not with their consequences. The thief commits a theft, and the bandit – a murder, following the lead of his passions and vices. They are incited by forces of darkness which use every opportunity to seduce a man on the unjust act. Fortunately, the Lord gave the people a powerful weapon to protect against the wiles of the devil. This is the sign of the cross. Anyone who makes it with faith in God will be better protected than if he were in an impregnable fortress under heavy guard.

This is evidenced by many examples from the lives of saints. For example, Abba Dorotheus, making the sign of the cross, fearlessly drank water from the well with a poisonous snake. The elder said to the disciple who was watching the scene with a fear of a possible poisoning, "Where there is the cross, Satan’s malice is helpless." A case from the life of St. Benedict of Nursia also proves these words. Foes put some poison in his drink. The holy made the sign of the cross over the cup and by its power the vessel immediately crashed, as if from a stone blow. According to St. Anthony the Great, demons especially fear the sign of the cross of the Lord, because it deprives them of all power. With this in mind, we should cross ourselves in all life circumstances. And it does not only save us from external evil, but also enables us as often as possible to express our love and gratitude to God who is the source of all our blessings.

Metropolitan Anthony, Chancellor of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church

AIF