“Strong faith, persistent prayer, and complete fasting drive out demons,” His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church said on Sunday at the historic St George Chapel of the Patriarchal Residence in Bucharest.
The Romanian Patriarch explained that the disciples’ inability to heal the demon-possessed boy described in the Gospel was due to the weakness of their faith.
“They could not heal the child because their faith was still weak. The disciples certainly had faith, but it was not yet strong enough or fervent enough.”
Patriarch Daniel stressed that faith must be cultivated and strengthened through prayer and fasting.
“Faith must be nurtured, reinforced, and deepened through prayer and fasting, so that it does not remain merely an intellectual conviction but becomes the living bond between the human person and the invisible yet merciful God.”
Love that calls to responsibility
Reflecting on the father of the child healed by Christ, the Patriarch highlighted the power of praying for those who suffer.
“We understand, therefore, how beneficial the prayers of parents are for their children, especially when those children can no longer pray or do not know how to pray for themselves.”
Patriarch Daniel explained that Christ’s rebuke of those lacking faith was not a condemnation but a call to spiritual renewal.
“His rebuke is a love that calls people to responsibility—it awakens spiritually those whose faith is weak.”
The Church prays for and cares for the sick
The Primate of the Romanian Orthodox Church emphasised that prayer for those who suffer must be accompanied by practical acts of care.
“Very often, there are people who need the prayers of others. That is why the Church prays for the sick, for those held captive, and for every sorrowful and afflicted soul.”
Patriarch Daniel noted that, alongside the Church’s liturgical prayers and the Sacrament of Holy Unction, the Romanian Orthodox Church has developed an extensive social and charitable ministry over the years by establishing pharmacies, medical clinics, healthcare centres, and hospitals.
These institutions exist, he said, so that “the healing power of the Lord Jesus Christ may be manifested as the work of His merciful love in both the Church and society.”
“May we increasingly become the hands of Christ’s merciful love, bringing comfort to the suffering of the sick, the poor, and the lonely, thus showing that health is a gift from God,” Patriarch Daniel concluded.
Photo: Lumina Newspaper
