Metropolitan Theodosiy: We did not educate Ukrainian people for 30 years
The head of the Cherkasy Eparchy compared the Ukrainian Orthodox Church to an elderly mother who is being beaten and driven out of her home by ungrateful children.
Metropolitan Theodosiy of Cherkasy and Kaniv of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, in his sermon dedicated to the holy righteous ancestors Joachim and Anna, touched on the important topic of the Church’s responsibility to society and the state of the Ukrainian people, reports the Cherkasy Eparchy.
The bishop urged believers to reflect on why the Church is now facing pressure and persecution, emphasizing that the cause is the Church's own failure in spiritually nurturing civil society.
Metropolitan Theodosiy noted that unlike the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which does not have educational institutions for the laity, the Ukrainian Greek Catholic Church has actively engaged in youth education. Graduates of the Ukrainian Catholic University have achieved significant success in journalism, business, and public service, and now influence the worldview of the Ukrainian people. "This is our great shortcoming. And we cannot blame anyone for the fact that we are being beaten, driven out, and banned. We did not foster civil society. We were building and celebrating – and it was necessary to build and celebrate – but we should not have forgotten about our enlightment mission either," said the Metropolitan.
He drew an analogy between the Church and a mother who is driven out of her own home by her children, even though she dedicated her entire life to raising them. "Now we are being driven out of our own home, just like a disrespectful son or daughter drives their elderly mother out of the house she built her entire life. Similarly, the historic Church of our people, which shaped them, is now being pushed out like an old mother. But this is our fault," said Metropolitan Theodosiy, adding that the Church must recognize its responsibility.
He called on the clergy and laity to repentance, stressing that only through acknowledging their mistakes can the Church find a way to restore what has been lost. "What should we do now? What should a mother do when her children behave like this – beating her and driving her out of the house? First of all, she must acknowledge her guilt and repent. Such a mother must repent for how she raised her children. And we, the members of the Church, must repent for our failures," said the Metropolitan. He emphasized that the Church had relied too long on its spiritual authority and historical influence, assuming that no one would touch it: "We thought it would somehow pass... But it happened. And we must repent for that."
However, according to Metropolitan Theodosiy, the Church should not shout or curse those who persecute it. "It's too late. That should have been done earlier," he said. Instead, the bishop called for prayer, comparing it to a mother’s prayer for her wayward children. "A mother will not justify her children's mistakes, but neither will she berate them. After repentance, she will pray. If a mother prays for her child with love, she will surely save them through her prayers," he stressed.
Metropolitan Theodosiy is convinced that if the Church prays for its people with the same love as a mother prays for her children, the Lord will surely hear these prayers. "Let them persecute us, drive us out, beat us, but this is our people, and we are responsible for them before God. After all, God is the Father in our house. And 'to whom the Church is not a mother, God is not a father.' So for the sake of salvation, for the sake of love for our people, we must pray," said the Metropolitan.
According to him, the Lord will save the people through suffering, sorrow, and trials, and it is through the Church’s prayers that people will be able to return to their spiritual roots. "If we pray like this, you understand, they may drive us out of all the churches and monasteries, but nothing will happen to the Church. You can drive an old mother out of her home, but she will not die from it. If we pray, the people will come to their senses and return to their mother – the historic Church," concluded Metropolitan Theodosiy, expressing confidence that the Church will always accept its lost children and help them find their way to God.
As the UOJ previously reported, a Greek publication released a speech by Metropolitan Theodosiy of Cherkasy and Kaniv in the Kyiv-Sviatoshyn District Court, calling it "remarkable".
