Metropolitan Anthony (Pakanich) spoke about the meaning of suffering and human heroism

Metropolitan Anthony (Pakanich), a hierarch of the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, spoke about the profound meaning of human suffering and its role in a person’s spiritual development. The bishop’s main point is that life’s trials are not random—they are a kind of call to active love and a tool for maintaining the “balance of love” in the world. The hierarch’s commentary was published on the website Pravlife – Orthodox Life.

According to His Eminence, God allows suffering so that people may have the opportunity to demonstrate their best qualities: compassion, helping one’s neighbor, and standing up for the weak. The metropolitan emphasizes that social or physical inequality should not become a cause for pride or condemnation; on the contrary, it serves as “an opportunity for mutual support”—when the strong help the weak, and those with knowledge share their experience with those in need of support.

Life, according to Metropolitan Anthony, is a daily struggle for love, which requires a constant, moment-by-moment victory over oneself, one’s selfishness, and one’s fear. The author notes that it is precisely these moments—when a person strives to create and make up for what is lacking—that acquire true value and endure for eternity. The struggle for love becomes a person’s protection against destruction and a way to attain true life.

In conclusion, Metropolitan Anthony called on everyone to recognize their personal responsibility for maintaining this balance. True life is measured not by external successes, but by the extent to which our love has been able to overcome sin and injustice, transforming emptiness and darkness into days filled with light.