Metropolitan Luke urged the faithful of the UOC to be faithful to Christ in the era of persecution

Metropolitan Luke (Kovalenko) of Zaporizhzhya and Melitopol, the hierarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, addressed the faithful with a pastoral address in which he called for spiritual vigilance and fidelity to Christ in the conditions of the modern «era of simulacra» and increased pressure on the UOC. He emphasized the importance of true, inner faith, contrasting it with external ritualism and information noise, and also called to resist hatred, keeping peace in the soul even in the face of persecution. The bishop wrote about it in his Telegram channel.

In his message, Metropolitan Luke called our time «the era of simulacra», where an external copy often replaces the original, and the mask fuses with the face. He noted that this phenomenon also penetrates into church life, when it is easy to learn the statutes and put on the appropriate clothes, but leave the heart cold and full of poison. True faith, according to the hierarch, is not reduced to «psychological comfort» or a set of rituals, but is called to give «Life Abundant,» which is found only through a «personal Calvary» — the painful crucifixion of one’s own selfishness.

According to the Metropolitan in his Telegram channel, modern gadgets become «incubators of pride», encouraging the search for «likes» and the approval of strangers, instead of showing basic mercy to neighbors. He also warned against an excessive fascination with «sensational prophecies» and «political insights» that distract from personal responsibility before God. «It is impossible to hear God’s voice in the clamor of political talk shows! » the hierarch emphasized, calling for a quiet, genuine faith that does not shout in the squares or on social media, but manifests itself in the ability to look at the enemy and remain silent when everything inside demands condemnation.

Addressing the painful topic, Metropolitan Luke did not ignore the sorrows that the Ukrainian Orthodox Church is experiencing: «Seizures of churches, expulsions of communities, trials… They are trying to make us strangers in our own land». However, the hierarch reminded that it is impossible to take Christ away from a community when buildings are stripped. «A temple without love and truth turns into a ‘stone bag’,» he noted, emphasizing that God abides where two or three are gathered in His Name, whether it is a basement, a garage or a clear field. Metropolitan Luke called this the time of confession, where the devil’s main ploy is to harden hearts. «As soon as hatred for the persecutors enters our souls — the simulacrum has won. You have become like them,» Vladyka warned, calling for prayer for those who persecute, seeing in it the supreme spiritual power that makes the faithful invincible.

With earthly authorities crumbling and news becoming obsolete in an hour, what remains eternal for Christians is the Gospel and the Holy Chalice. «In the Eucharist there are no politics, no lies, and no national boundaries. Only the Living God is there,» the Metropolitan declared. He called faithfulness to the UOC a real feat in the present time and urged not to be afraid of being «different from everyone else,» but to fear only one thing — to lose peace in the soul, because without love even fasts and prayers become «tinkling copper.»

Concluding his message, Metropolitan Luke urged the faithful to use the Gospel as the only filter for perceiving the world and not to spend more time discussing the injustice of the authorities than praying. «Salvation is accomplished in the mystery of the heart, » he reminded, concluding with a quote from the Gospel of St. John: «In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good courage: I have overcome the world» (John 16:33).

Recall, earlier we reported that Archbishop Silvester (Stoychev) commented on the future development of relations of the UOC with the Russian Orthodox Church and the Patriarchate of Constantinople. According to the hierarch, the Ukrainian Church will never again return to the Russian Orthodox Church, however, in his opinion, the UOC needs to develop relations with the Patriarchate of Constantinople.