Head of the UGCC: He who relies only on himself will always be disappointed

 “In order to receive eternal life, it is not enough to do good deeds.  We must believe in Jesus Christ as the living God present among us.  That is why Christ says: if you want to be perfect, sell everything, give to the poor and follow Me, then you will have treasure in heaven,” he said.

This means, the Primate explains, that one should not rely on one's wealth, even on the wealth of good deeds.  "Put all your hope not on yourself, not on your abilities, but on God's mercy.  For God's mercy, salvation, eternal life are given to us by the Lord God as a gift.  He gives it to us not for our good deeds, but as a gift of His mercy and His love,” explained His Beatitude.

Therefore, the Apostle Paul says that the greatest wealth of mankind is the gift of Jesus Christ, His suffering, death, and Resurrection.  The biggest treasure is that we were redeemed at a high price.  Mankind has no more precious treasure than the price of our Savior's blood.

 "It is through this treasure that we can receive eternal life,” the spiritual leader of Ukrainians emphasizes.

He who thinks that he can be saved by his own strength, according to the preacher, will always be disappointed.  The question arises: should we do good deeds then?  The Apostle James answers this: faith without works is dead.

“He who believes in God does good works as a manifestation of his faith. It is a confession of faith in our actions, in our daily lives.  The source of our good deeds is God,” said the Head of the UGCC.

His Beatitude Sviatoslav notes that in the modern world a person seeks in religion some magic, some miracle.  Especially in the current circumstances, we are looking for a magic wand, which will be able to solve all the problems of mankind.

“Sometimes we look for a special prayer, some unusual kind of piety that would make God do good for us.  This is completely incompatible with what we call faith or true religiosity.  Whoever approaches Jesus Christ in this way and thus seeks good for himself will leave disappointed,” said the Primate of the UGCC.

“May the merciful Lord help us to follow Him every day” the Head of the Church wished.

The UGCC Department for Information