Metropolitan Onuphry explains how God's image manifests in man
The Primate of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church in his sermon on the Feast of the Holy Trinity noted that a righteous life helps a person preserve the image of God within themselves.
On May 31, 2026, during the divine service at the St. Agapitus Church of the Lavra on the Feast of the Holy Trinity, His Beatitude Metropolitan Onuphry delivered a sermon in which he revealed the mystery of the Triune Godhead and called upon the faithful to preserve purity of thoughts. A video recording of the sermon is published on the UOC YouTube channel.
The Primate hghlighted that the mystery of the Holy Trinity is revealed already on the first pages of the Bible. In the first verse of the Book of Genesis, God the Father, who created heaven and earth, is mentioned; and then – the Spirit of God, who moved over the abyss. The creative Word of God – "let there be light", "let the earth bring forth" – is the second Person of the Holy Trinity, God the Son, eternally begotten of the Father.
"When the Lord created man, there was a council of the Holy Life-giving Trinity: 'Let us make man in Our image and after Our likeness.' This was spoken not from one Person, but in the plural – the Father, Son and Holy Spirit participated in this council," noted the archpastor.
Metropolitan Onuphry recounted that Adam, living in Paradise, understood the mystery of the Holy Trinity, but after the fall, human reason became clouded and spiritual delusions began. The Lord reminded people of the essence of the Godhead, and the brightest Old Testament testimony to this was the appearance to Abraham of three angels, when God went to execute judgment upon Sodom and Gomorrah.
"Abraham meets three angels and says: 'Lord, if You favor me, do not pass by me.' He addresses the Three as One," emphasized the Primate.
Speaking of the New Testament revelation, His Beatitude called the Baptism of the Lord in the Jordan the brightest manifestation of the Holy Trinity, when God the Son was baptized by John the Baptist, the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in the form of a dove, and God the Father testified from heaven: "This is My beloved Son, in whom is My good pleasure."
The Primate of the UOC also drew attention to the fact that the seal of the Triune Godhead lies upon all creation. According to him, just as a craftsman leaves the seal of his handwriting on his work, so the Creator placed the image of the Trinity in the world He created.
"A bright seal of the Holy Trinity is in the sun. The solar disk is an image of God the Father. The ray proceeding from it is God the Son, eternally begotten of the Father. And the warmth that this ray carries with it is God the Holy Spirit, proceeding from the Father and through the Son descending upon creation," explained Metropolitan Onuphrius.
But the Primate called the human mind the brightest seal of the Triune Godhead. Every person is endowed with reason, which continuously begets thoughts, and thoughts carry with them a certain spiritual energy.
"We must live so that our reason begets good thoughts, so that they carry good energy. When a person lives sinfully, his thoughts and energy are dark and carry death. But when a person lives righteously, his thoughts carry with them life, joy, peace and tranquility," said His Beatitude.
Metropolitan Onuphrius concluded the sermon with a call to live according to the word of God, so that the image of the Triune Godhead, placed in man by the Creator, would always shine in him and lead to eternal salvation.
Earlier, the UOJ wrote that Metropolitan Onuphrius told how Saint Nicholas helps bring people to faith.
