Distinguished Professor of the Moscow Theological Academy and Seminary, Doctor of Theology Alexei Osipov, spoke about the spiritual origins of the coronavirus in a short interview to the Spas television channel.
According to the professor, the prime reason for the coronavirus pandemic that engulfed the civilized world is the disappearance of love for each other and other nations.
“When a crisis sets in or we are affected by some kind of illness, we usually ask: what are the reasons? It is clear that for the Chinese the reason may be purely external: the residents are mainly not Christians. But what about us? What do we think? It would be extremely useful for all of us to think about this,” said the theologian.
He noted that the world is organized naturally “not only at the physical level, at the biological, or mental, but first and foremost, at the spiritual one.”
“The main point that Christianity speaks of is that God is love and there is no greater commandment than love for Him and love for one’s neighbor,” continued Osipov. “And it seems to me that the prime reason for this disastrous phenomenon, which has hit the civilized world, is that people are no longer able to have love for each other, and for other nations. However, the Lord Himself commands the sun to rise above the evil and the good and sends rain to the righteous and unrighteous.”
According to him, what is happening now appeals to the conscience and minds of modern people.
“Remember the sense of life, remember the existence of the Lord, remember eternity. Then answer this question: don’t we need to give up this way of life, which is shameful, to put it bluntly, that we see now everywhere in the civilized world? We would have to give it up and to repent at least a little, and to think it over. A person, who does not perceive himself as a sinner, will never have his prayers answered. But if we think about it and repent at least a little, maybe, God will answer to us. He will approach humanity and fulfill what many people are longing for and looking forward to: defeating this sinister coronavirus,” the professor explained.
