On April 22, the Holy Metropolis of Sofia welcomed an icon accompanied by a fragment of the holy relics of the martyr Saint Lazarus the Bulgarian, which originate from the Holy Monastery of Saint Nicholas the Myrobletes in Andros.
The sacred relics arrived in the afternoon and were placed in the chapel of the Holy Great Martyr Marina, within the courtyard of the Holy Metropolis of Sofia. At 6:00 p.m., they were transferred in a procession, accompanied by the chanting of the apolytikion of the holy martyr, to the metropolitan cathedral of the Holy Great Martyr Kyriaki, where a festive Vespers service with a blessing of loaves was celebrated, presided over by Metropolitan Seraphim of Nevrokopion.
At the conclusion of the sacred service, Metropolitan Seraphim delivered a sermon in which he reminded the large congregation of the life of the holy martyr Lazarus the Bulgarian.
“By celebrating the memory of the local holy martyrs and reading their lives, delving carefully into the details, we come to realize the magnitude of the struggle of those who sacrificed their lives for our freedom; for this freedom had to be won, even at the cost of great sacrifices, and above all for the freedom of faith, so that we may live our faith as Orthodox Christians. Knowing all this, let us honour their struggle, preserve it, and keep it alive in our memory, and pass it on through the Tradition of the Church to future generations, so that God may be glorified in all those who glorified Him with their lives throughout the ages,” the Metropolitan concluded.
“The struggle of Saint Lazarus compels us to seek the Truth and remain in it; for it gives life to our souls and bodies—the Truth, which is none other than our Lord Jesus Christ.
If today our life seems difficult, how shall we give account when we stand before Saint Lazarus, knowing what he endured? Not before God, who sees all things, but before this martyr, a simple man from a village, young in age, unknown to all, yet glorious and great before God. What will we answer if we are negligent and indifferent toward the faith for which he suffered, and toward the spiritual riches and grace which the Lord granted us, by which he overcame all afflictions and inherited eternal life? For this reason, our hearts today have been filled with gratitude and glorification toward God,” the Metropolitan said in his address.
