During his Sunday sermon at the historic St. George Chapel of the Patriarchal Residence, Patriarch Daniel of Romania emphasised that the true purpose of Christian social and charitable work is to cultivate merciful love, not to enhance one’s image.
Spiritual Nourishment Comes First
The Patriarch explained that spiritual well-being precedes physical well-being and that before receiving material support, the human soul needs to be nourished.
“Therefore, the Lord first offers food for the soul, healing from illness, and only afterwards food for the body,” said the Patriarch. “Jesus first spoke to the crowds about the mystery of eternal life through faith, healed the sick, and only then instructed His disciples to feed the people, despite them having only five loaves and two fish.”
He stressed that the human soul is nourished by the Word of God, as man is a being “rational, free, and loving, composed of soul and body.” While the body needs material sustenance, the soul is fed through hearing and living the Gospel, which leads to eternal life.
Created for Eternal Life
God sowed inside us a longing for eternity, the Patriarch explained.
“Man was created in the image of the eternal God. This is the mystery of human identity,” Patriarch Daniel added. “Created in the image of the Holy Trinity, man is called to eternal life.”
Social Care Rooted in God’s Love
Referring to Christ’s miracle of feeding the multitude, the Patriarch noted that Jesus distinguished, but did not separate, spiritual nourishment from physical care.
“We learn from the Gospel that Christ gives priority to spiritual needs but also cares for the physical well-being of people,” he said. “His disciples – and thus the whole Church – are called to care for the hungry, thirsty, and those in need.”
He explained that from the early Church, Christian charity developed alongside the Eucharistic Liturgy, with believers bringing not only bread and wine but also food and help for the poor and sick.
“The Church’s charitable work is rooted in the merciful love of God revealed through Jesus Christ,” the Patriarch affirmed.
True Communion, Not Material Security
Finally, Patriarch Daniel warned against seeking false security in material wealth, urging instead spiritual communion with God and generosity toward others.
“Christ’s true miracle aims to foster not selfish accumulation, but loving communion between God and people, and human generosity towards those in need,” he concluded.
“The purpose of Christian philanthropy is not to promote personal image in society, but to become the hands of Christ’s merciful love in serving others.”
Photo: Lumina Newspaper
Source: basilica.ro