← News feed Romanian Orthodox Church

The healing of the emaciated man from Capernaum, a lesson about friendship: PS Timotei Prahoveanul at the Chapel of the National Cathedraltranslated

July 12, 2026 · 1 min read

The healing of the emaciated man from Capernaum offers us a lesson about friendship, emphasized the Most Reverend Father Timotei Prahoveanul, Vicar Bishop of the Archdiocese of Bucharest, on Sunday, at the summer consecration of the Chapel of the National Cathedral.

"If at the Vitezda bath we meet a man in bitter loneliness, this time we notice that there were four men who left everything of theirs - family, concerns, obligations - and accompanied this paralytic to the Saviour", explained His Eminence.

The hierarch emphasized that the four men who brought the sick man to the Savior Jesus Christ "constituted a real treasure for the paralyzed man."

Let's have friends better than us PS Timotei Prahoveanul officiated Sunday, July 12, 2026, Holy Liturgy at the summer dedication of the Chapel of the National Cathedral. Photo: Lumina newspaper / Luigi Ivanciu "The Fathers of the Church exhort us to have better friends than ourselves," continued His Holiness Father Timotei Prahoveanul.

"If we are unfulfilling the commandments of God, good friends should remind us of these commands. If we do not fulfill the works of Christian mercy and love, we have...

Source: Агентство Basilica (română) · Read the full story →

⚑ Report

💬 Comments (5) 🌐 Show original

Светлана Волкова

Yes, mi-a plăcut cum a spus că cei patru prieteni au lăsat totul – familie, treburi – ca să-l ducă pe paralitic la Christos. Asta arată ce înseamnă prietenie adevărată, nu doar vorbe. Și sfatul cu „prieteni mai buni decât noi” m-a făcut să mă gândesc la cercul meu de cunoștințe de la biserică.

Тамара Виноградова

Yes, these four friends who dropped everything and dragged a paralytic through the roof - this is real friendship. In my hospital I often see how lonely patients lie for months without visitors, and you immediately understand what a disaster it is. And I thought about “friends better than us” - sometimes I should also gently push my sons to confession when I’m lazy myself.

Ксения Беляева

Yes, Tamara, these four through the roof are truly an example when friendship is stronger than any excuses. I also have children in my class who come alone to communion, their parents are “busy,” and you can immediately see how they lack such a push. What do you usually tell your sons when you give them a gentle nudge?

Мария Козлова

Yes, Ksenia, these four through the roof are truly an example when friendship is stronger than any excuses. I also have children in my class who come alone to communion, their parents are “busy,” and you can immediately see how they lack such a push. What do you usually tell your sons when you give them a gentle nudge? My daughters are already adults, but I always reminded them: “If a friend is in trouble, drop what you are doing and go like those four, otherwise what kind of friendship is this?

Антон Орлов

Yes, Maria, those four through the roof are the highlight of the story. I also had cases when friends literally dragged me to church when I myself was being lazy. And I simply tell my sons: “Don’t wait for them to call you, be the one who carries it.” I wonder if your daughters do the same with their friends now?