“Let us not become accustomed to the suffering of those around us. Let us bear our cross with patience, like Lazarus, listen to God’s word while we still have time, and joyfully share what we have received as a gift, following the example of the Holy Unmercenary Physicians Cosmas and Damian,” Assistant Bishop Iachint of the Pacific of the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Australia and New Zealand urged the faithful on Sunday.
The hierarch celebrated the Divine Liturgy at Radu Vodă Monastery in Bucharest, where he spoke about the Parable of the Rich Man and Poor Lazarus.
The rich man was guilty precisely of indifference to his neighbour’s suffering.
“Sin begins when wealth closes our eyes and hearts,” Bishop Iachint said.
By contrast, poor Lazarus “was saved by the poverty he endured with humility and hope in God. In the same way, our illness, loneliness and the infirmities of old age, when borne with prayer and without complaint, become for us a path towards the Kingdom of God.”
We do not need miracles to know how to live
The assistant bishop also reflected on Abraham’s words in the parable told by our Saviour Jesus Christ, including the patriarch’s final warning: “If they do not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be convinced even if someone rises from the dead.”
“Abraham’s words were fulfilled exactly. Christ rose from the dead, yet many still do not believe. He also raised another Lazarus, His friend from Bethany, and the chief priests, instead of believing, plotted to put Lazarus to death as well,” Bishop Iachint of the Pacific said.
The bishop explained that this is also a warning for Christians today.
“We, too, have Moses and the prophets. We have the Holy Gospel, the Holy Apostles and the Holy Fathers. We have the Divine Liturgy every Sunday. We do not need miracles to know how to live,” he said.
“How many people wait for a sign, a vision or some extraordinary event before they begin to pray and put their lives right, while the Gospel remains unread on a shelf at home! Let us open it, dear faithful, and read at least a few lines every day, because through it Christ speaks to each of us.”
The gift of the two Holy Unmercenary Physicians
In his homily, Bishop Iachint also commemorated Sts Cosmas and Damian of Asia Minor, two brothers raised in faith and love for God by their mother, Theodota.
“They received from God the gift of healing and cured people without accepting payment from anyone, fulfilling the commandment of the One who said: Freely you have received; freely give. That is why the faithful called them the Unmercenary Physicians,” the assistant bishop explained.
“Here we see the opposite of the rich man in the Gospel. The rich man had everything and gave nothing; they possessed a great gift, through which they could have become wealthy, yet they shared it with everyone. Today we think with gratitude of doctors, nurses and all those who care for the sick with love, especially those who do more than their duties require.”
We have received everything as a gift
The hierarch further emphasised that the exhortation “Freely you have received; freely give” applies to everyone.
“Everything we have has been received as a gift: life, health, intelligence, our profession, our home and our children. We are merely stewards of these gifts, entrusted with them for a time and called to give an account of them. And whoever gives does not lose, because whoever is generous to the poor lends to the Lord, and He will repay him for his good deed” (Proverbs 19:17).
In conclusion, Bishop Iachint urged the faithful not to seek the rich man’s table, laden with pleasures, “where there was no place for Lazarus”.
“Today Christ calls us to another table, the Holy Table in the sanctuary, where He gives Himself equally to all: rich and poor, young and old, healthy and sick. Whoever receives Christ in Holy Communion can no longer remain indifferent to his brother, because the Lord has told us that whatever we do for the least of His brothers, we do for Him,” Bishop Iachint of the Pacific emphasised.
“That is why we leave the Divine Liturgy and return home with our eyes open, so that we may see the Lazarus at our own gate.”
