Today, when many people are in a difficult situation due to the coronavirus pandemic, every Christian should ask themselves about their own participation in helping those in need said His Holiness Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia.
During an online meeting with priests visiting the “red zones” of hospitals, on Tuesday, November 2, the Primate of the Russian Orthodox Church emphasized that in the face of trials it is especially important to show mercy and love for others, reports the press service of the Synodal Department for Charity.
“There is so much suffering and sorrow around us now. Where are we in this difficult picture of the world? What are we doing to make our Christian vocation obvious to ourselves in the first place? Today, each of us who call ourselves an Orthodox Christian should ask ourselves a question: what am I doing to help these people?” His Holiness Patriarch Kirill said.
He recalled the words from the epistle of the Apostle James “Faith without works is dead” (James 2:20) and urged all Christians to ask themselves a question: “What am I doing so that my faith is not dead?”
“Faith without works is dead, and deeds without love are also dead when we do good deeds mechanically, under compulsion, following instructions. But in order for these deeds to go from the heart, you need to put yourself in the place of another person,” concluded Patriarch Kirill.
The meeting with the Primate of the Russian Church was attended by clergymen from Moscow, Yekaterinburg, Yaroslavl, Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky and other cities, as well as coordinators of volunteers of the Orthodox service “Mercy” caring for patients in hospitals. The participants discussed the help of the Church during the pandemic, the ministry of priests in the “red zones”, and the help of Orthodox volunteers.
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