Kiev, October 22, 2020
Photo: news.church.ua
On October 20, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry of Kiev and All Ukraine, the primate of the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church, addressed the faithful regarding the recently increasing spread of the coronavirus, calling on them to observe all health and sanitary recommendations while maintaining a spiritual view of everything that is happening.
While sicknesses may harm the body, they are also given to us for the purification of the soul, His Beatitude teaches in his new address, published by the Information-Education Department of the UOC.
While we cannot always know the providence of God in our lives, “our blessed duty is to change our sinful lives for the better and spiritually grow in Christian virtues,” he writes. Thus, we must offer fervent prayers and bring forth worthy fruits of repentance.
His Beatitude’s address reads in full:
We are sad to say today that Ukraine has been going through difficult times in the fight with the acute respiratory disease COVID-19 for more than six months now. The coronavirus has changed the lives of many people. The epidemic danger has made us especially value our God-given life and the wellbeing of our family and friends, and carefully monitor our health.
Following the Holy Scriptures, we place our lives in the hands of the Lord Jesus Christ Who is our Savior and Healer. And we believe that everything in our lives happens according to the will of God, Who desires not that His children should perish, but to grant then eternal life in the mansions of the Kingdom of Heaven (Jn. 3:16). Therefore, let not the current situation that we are going through be a cause for despair or despondency, but be received as a test of our love, humility, and patience. However, you should not neglect your personal safety or health either.
I call on everyone to be attentive to the recommendations of the Ministry of Health, to comply with quarantine regulations, to not ignore personal protective equipment, and to observe social distance and the disinfection regime. There should be sanitary control at the entrances to churches and church premises.
The elderly are particularly vulnerable to diseases. They need our help and support. Therefore, I especially entreat our elderly parishioners not to put themselves in danger, to avoid places with larges crowds, and not leave your homes unless absolutely necessary.
According to the Holy Fathers, diseases are given for spiritual purification and the salvation of the soul. It is often through a disease that a man finds his way to God. We may not always know the providence of God in our lives, why a this or that trial was sent to us. But our blessed duty is to change our sinful lives for the better and spiritually grow in Christian virtues.
I call upon all of you, brothers and sisters, together with care for your bodily health, to take care for your spiritual health as well, to strengthen our church and home prayers, including for doctors who continue to fight the pandemic at the cost of their own lives and health, to bring forth sincere fruits of repentance and to bear witness by deeds of love that we are truly children of God. And the power of the Lord will be made manifest in the healing of the sick (cf. Lk. 5:17).
+ONUPHRY
METROPOLITAN OF KIEV AND ALL UKRAINE
PRIMATE OF THE UKRAINIAN ORTHODOX CHURCH
His Beatitude made similar statements in March.
“If we pray, entreat God, and repent of our sins, then we will destroy this sickness,” His Beatitude affirmed at the time. “Therefore, the most important thing in this is not so much sanitary standards as it is prayer and repentance.”
“God allows us to be tested not for our virtues, but for our sins,” Met. Onuphry preached. “And to get rid of this ordeal, to bear it with dignity, we must say: ‘Lord, forgive me, I am a sinner. I have sinned and am guilty and worthy of punishment, but I ask you, Lord, have mercy on me according to Thy mercy.’ This is something that can help us all overcome this temptation, the trial that has reached us today.”
