Bishop Iachint urges Christians to show compassion for those who suffer

“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…