His Beatitude: Give up wealth if it hinders spiritual growth
His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry. Photo: UOC
On the 12th Sunday after Pentecost, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Church of St. Agapitus of the Caves of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra and addressed the faithful with a homily on the Gospel account of the rich young man, reports the UOC Information and Educational Department.
His Beatitude called on the faithful to abandon attachment to earthly goods for the sake of the salvation of the soul, because a believer must possess wealth and not serve it. The Archpastor explained that at certain stages of spiritual perfection, earthly possessions turn a person into their slave and pull him downward.
"There are such stages of spiritual perfection when wealth hinders the believer," said the Primate. "It brings a person nothing but a burden. “It becomes nothing but a burden. If a Christian does not cast off this burden, they lose the ability to continue moving upward."
A Christian must rule over their possessions rather than become their slave. According to the hierarch, attachment to material goods turns a person into a worshipper of the perishable world and blocks the path to spiritual perfection. Even a small amount of property can be harmful to the spirit when accompanied by a sinful attachment to it.
As an example, the Primate cited the venerable fathers of the Kyiv-Pechersk Lavra. Many saints came from wealthy families but consciously renounced earthly possessions for the sake of asceticism in the caves and a virtuous way of life. The hierarch emphasized the importance of properly distributing one’s wealth, with the rich giving their surplus to those in need.
“God, I thank You for these gifts,” the Primate quoted a prayer of one of the venerable fathers. “But grant me salvation as well. If You do not grant me salvation, I do not need these gifts. They will bring me no benefit.”
The UOC Primate also reminded the faithful that keeping the commandments does not make God indebted to a person, and that salvation is a separate gift. Christians must continually ask for this great gift in their prayers.
As the UOJ reported, His Beatitude explained how to attain spiritual steadfastness.
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