November 01
Priest Message
11/01/2026
Sermon on the Fifth Sunday of Saint Luke
In The Name Of The Father and Of The Son and Of The Holy Spirit, Amen
My Dear Church Family,
One of the very important teachings of our Church, tell us to practice almsgiving. Let us see few examples of almsgiving, what almsgiving really means. The word ἐλεημοσύνη, is an ancient Greek word meaning mercy, pity, or charitable giving (alms).
In the Orthodox Christian faith, almsgiving (ἐλεημοσύνη) is an essential spiritual discipline paired with prayer and fasting, rooted in active mercy, love for God, and recognition of Christ in the poor. The Greek word ἐλεημοσύνη translates directly to actions of mercy and compassion.
The Threefold Discipline: Along with prayer and fasting, almsgiving is a foundational pillar of Christian life. St. John Chrysostom described fasting without almsgiving as “a lamp without oil”.
Healing the Soul: While fasting cures gluttony and prayer overcomes pride, almsgiving cures greed and hard-heartedness.
In Today’s Gospel Lesson, we learn what all the opposites of almsgiving, pride, selflessness, gluttony, greed and mercilessness can do to us.
All these, transform us into insensitive people, without compassion, without mercy and with no consideration or respect for other human beings. Some sort of:” me, myself and I” slogan, that I quoted numerous times in the past and I am sure that you all remember that!
The “main character” of our Story today, is a rich man, whose name we don’t even know, because it is not revealed in The Holy Scripture, who was clothed in expensive purple and fine linen, who feasted sumptuously every day, who probably lived “large” so to speak and resided in a big palace or mansion being totally “disconnected “ from the outside world and only cares were to take good care of himself and that servants will do everything they are told, to accomplish that and to make him happy, every day!
At the same time, there was a poor man, named Lazaros, who lived at the rich man’s gate and who suffered, who was ill and did not have anybody to take care of him and he would probably be enjoying to receive what the rich man’s servants, throw to him, the leftovers from the wealthy person’s table.
That was the daily life of two people, who lived practically in the same place, but in two different worlds!
One, the rich man, enjoying all the good things and pleasures of this life, while the other, living in poverty and misery, accepting his status in the society, without complaining or asking for help.
They both died, to some point and Lazaros went to Heaven, while the rich man went to Hades being in torment. Now it is explained in this Gospel very clearly, the difference between the two worlds, Heaven and Hades, because the rich man, who didn’t make into God’s Kingdom, having to suffer forever in that place of torment, he, all of the sudden, remember Lazaros, now he knew exactly who Lazaros was, the same Lazaros who lived at his gate and whom he, the rich man, never wanted to help, never invited him inside into his house to share a meal with him, all his life!
The rich man remembered Lazaros, only when he realized that Lazaros is now in Heaven and he, is now in the place of torment! When he “woke up”, to that reality it was already too late, because everything that he was saying to Father Abraham, was not enough to rescue him from there!
My Dear Sisters and Brothers in The Lord,
The Lord tells us: “I must work the works of Him who sent Me while it is day; the night is coming when no one can work.” (John 9:4), that means that we need to do His work, while we are still here on the Earth, and when we have Him with us, because after we depart this life, we cannot do anything, we have to fight the good fight here and to accomplish everything that we can and to “finish successfully the race” of salvation, here on the Earth, to multiply the talents that we received from The Lord to be invited into His Kingdom, AMEN!
+Fr. Catalin
