On Meatfare Sunday, His Grace Bishop Sofronie of Oradea celebrated the Divine Liturgy at Izbuc parish and delivered a sermon on the significance of good actions in determining our eternal destiny at the Final Judgement.
“It is not by chance that the mercy we owe to one another, the brotherly love and the Frightful Judgment are placed before Lent. Because we know that we cannot move towards God if we do not cleanse ourselves of all the ballast and all the dirt in this world, of all the sin that blinds us,” Bishop Sofronie stressed in his homily on March 10.
“Cleansing is done through fasting and prayer, but today’s Sunday teaches us that it is not enough,” His Grace noted.
“Fasting and prayer are not enough; we also need almsgiving, mercy, and compassion. We must preserve our kindness and humanity, especially towards the one who is suffering. Hungry, thirsty, naked, sick, and alienated people are everywhere, but we no longer have eyes to see them,” the hierarch added.
“We are called today to open our eyes and rediscover our humanity, for by this, we will be judged. What use is it that we keep order, fast and pray, but we have no eyes to see the suffering of our neighbour?”
At the same time, Bishop Sofronie urged everyone to stop their inner impulses to criticize their peers: “Doing good means doing it to the end, which means refraining from judging your neighbour. For who knows the heart of man better than God? Even we do not know ourselves as well as God knows us.”
The bishop of Oradea served for the first time on Sunday in the parish church of Izbuc. On Saturday, His Eminence celebrated liturgy at the Izbuc Monastery.
Photography courtesy of the Diocese of Oradea
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