“Selfishness and rapacity – the pathological tendency to accumulate, are what disfigure us and transform us into brutes, into characters who limit themselves only to the biological dimension of our lives, ignoring the spiritual one,” said Bishop Ignatie of Huși on Sunday, reflecting on the Parable of the Rich Man whose land produced abundantly.
The Bishop of Huși celebrated the Divine Liturgy in the Vaslui locality of Giurgești and consecrated the village church.
Speaking about the parable’s central figure, the bishop noted that “he lived as if he had no spiritual dimension.”
“Therefore, Christ tells us, also in the context of this parable, that our life is more than food and clothing. In other words, everything that sums up the spirituality of our life is more than the concern for food, drink, or what we wear. Each of us knows this – no matter how much wealth we have, if we do not have peace of mind, we cannot enjoy it”.
The Bishop explained that people who go through existential turmoil that shakes them from a certain inertia of their own are the ones who realize best that peace is a great gift from God.
“Nothing matters so much – not even health! – as the peace that we must have in our soul”, Bishop Ignatie emphasized.
“Let us remember from this parable that, whenever we become greedy and selfish, we do nothing but disfigure ourselves, tarnish our souls, and reach the point where we ignore the spiritual dimension of our life. If we disregard the spiritual dimension of life, it is as if we were living like animals – they do not have a spiritual dimension, although, most of the time, in certain contexts, animals teach us many lessons in loyalty, attachment, much sensitivity, and gratitude”.
In his closing remarks, he urged believers to focus on spiritual values rather than material possessions: “Let us not cling to material things, for they do not truly fulfill us.”
Photo: Diocese of Husi
Source: basilica.ro
