“Let us flee from a formal and superficial faith,” urged His Grace Bishop Teofil of Iberia, Assistant Bishop to the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Spain and Portugal, on the Fourth Sunday after Pentecost.
In his homily delivered at the Parish of Saint Athanasius the Athonite in Leganés, Spain, the bishop underscored the living faith of the centurion highlighted in the Gospel reading for the day.
He pointed out the centurion’s noble virtues—unshakable faith, sacrificial love, and deep humility—which moved him to pray not for himself, but for a mere servant, while also deeming himself unworthy to receive the Saviour in his home.
“Faith, love, and humility are the gifts praised by the Lord in the centurion, yet sadly, these are not always present in the lives of today’s Christians,” Bishop Teofil noted.
The hierarch also connected the Gospel message with the life of Saint Athanasius the Athonite, the parish’s patron saint, and Saint Dometius the Merciful of Râmeț, whose canonisation was solemnly proclaimed on the same day at Râmeț Monastery.
Both saints, said the bishop, lived authentic Christian lives, adorned with humility and acts of mercy, becoming a “source of eternal joy for our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Photo: Diocese of Spain and Portugal
