“Jesus Christ teaches us that at all times we must do good, show merciful love, and offer help to those who are suffering, sick, and alone,” emphasized Daniel of Romania on Sunday of the Paralytic, May 3, 2026.
Patriarch Daniel participated in the Divine Liturgy on Sunday at the Chapel of St. George at the Patriarchal Residence.
The Patriarch of Romania interpreted the Gospel passage of the healing of the paralytic at Bethesda, highlighting the importance of love for one’s neighbor regardless of time.
“Whenever we show mercy and kindness to those in need, we glorify God, who is merciful and good,” the Patriarch said.
He further stressed that “the merciful and humble love of people toward those in difficulty is a sign that God’s merciful love for humanity is at work through those who help others.”
Patience and humility for healing
Patriarch Daniel noted that the Gospel of the day reveals Christ’s compassionate love for a man suffering in loneliness: “Out of merciful love for the sick man who had no one to help him, the Lord Jesus went to the pool of Bethesda to heal him.”
Referring to the man’s long suffering, he underlined that it was marked by patience and humility: “Thirty-eight years of suffering without rebellion, patience without complaint, silence in humility, and affliction due to paralysis and the indifference of others.”
“Although there were many people who could have helped him, their multitude seemed like a spiritual desert, because their selfishness had emptied their souls of humanity,” he added.
The link between sin and suffering
The Patriarch also highlighted the discreet way in which Christ corrects the life of the healed man: “Christ does not rebuke or judge the sick man before healing him, but first raises him from his illness, and then, in the temple, gently advises him: ‘See, you are well; sin no more.’”
He noted that there can sometimes be a connection between suffering and repentance: “Bodily suffering can transform and heal the human soul in its relationship with God.”
“The Church of Christ is the new Bethesda, the space of healing and restoration through the grace of the Holy Mysteries,” Patriarch Daniel underlined.
In conclusion, he urged prayer to the Lord Jesus Christ “to help all those who suffer and to transform the suffering of illness into hope for healing and salvation.”
Source: basilica.ro
Photo credit: Ziarul Lumina
