The OCU between faith and power: when the Church loses love
I feel very sorry for the OCU. Yes, I do.
I supported their autocephaly and believed and still believe that Patriarch Bartholomew acted wisely by granting it to Ukraine.
And then, you know, I have always been in favor of parallel jurisdictions, I am for free choice and competition - in our sinful fallen world, they have a healing effect on everything, even on church life.
But the OCU is not acting wisely. That's why I feel sorry for it. Instead of a free, apolitical, non-Moscow politics preaching of Christ among those for whom affiliation with Moscow was a stumbling block, the OCU chose the politics of the Ukrainian state.
Once again. I am against Russia's invasion of Ukraine and I like what Patriarch Bartholomew did by making non-Moscow Orthodox canonical Orthodox. But why jump from one mess into another? And the state for the Church is always a mess.
I have nothing against President Zelensky and his course towards Ukraine's national independence. But why turn the Church into a political tool, why turn the Church - the Bride of Christ into an ideological department of the Central Committee. Yes, the Central Committee, but just of another party. Why take advantage of the political mistakes of people of the same faith as you? Why derive benefits from these mistakes? Why fight for walls, domes, and relics, and not for souls?
How many practicing Orthodox are there in Ukraine? In Russia, it's about 2%, no more. And in Ukraine? They say about 10%.
So you, OCU, go and attract from the remaining 90. Go and build new churches. Increase with new monasteries. Dig new caves, in the end. Enlighten new millions of believers. Baptize Kievan Rus again!
It's very sad, very - what the OCU is doing.
Remember the pathetic story of how a former "FSB agent," the keyholder of the Lavra under the UOC, by simply transitioning to the jurisdiction of the OCU becomes a true Orthodox and ceases to be an "FSB agent."
This is a travesty. This is cheapness.
This transformation of the Church into a mechanism, ready at the first call to serve the political interests of power, even if, in your opinion, the most wonderful, how is this different from what Patriarch Kirill is doing? For whom there is no Christ, but only the same old flattery and service to power. How? This is all just as far from Christianity, forgive me.
There is no Christianity in this because there is no love.
And the disciples of Christ are recognized only by love. Not by who has access to lavras, temples, caves, and relics. Not by who has direct access to those in power. But by whether you have love.
You will say, "war"? What kind of love can there be?
You are the Church, you are the salt of the earth. In war or not in war... You are the salt of the earth. Either you bring love, or you are salt that has lost its flavor.
That's all, there is no other way.
What prevented leaving the Lavra to the UOC? What prevents stopping the seizure of churches?
Those who are now in the field, in the garden, in the basement, in the garage will serve God, but at the same time will not lose love - they will be exalted a hundredfold in the eyes of God, more than those who will fight to the last for walls, domes, and relics, but will lose love.
Whoever yields, whoever extends a hand to his brother from another jurisdiction - that is the true genuine Christian. It is in him that we will see the disciples of Christ. The true disciples of Christ.
You are close to this power. This is your power, so go to the president yourself, he will receive you. Go, say:
- We don't need the Lavra, nor the caves, nor the relics. Don't deprive Onufriy of citizenship. Don't touch our brothers. Let them pray where they have prayed.
And we, the OCU, will go and dig new caves for ourselves. Caves of love and God's goodness. And there will spring the source of living water, the water of faith and love. That will be Christianity.
