On the 27th Sunday after Pentecost, with the blessing of His Eminence Vladimir, Metropolitan of Chisinau and all Moldova, Bishop Siluan of Orhei, Vicar of the Metropolis, officiated the Divine Liturgy in the Nativity of the Lord Metropolitan Cathedral in Chisinau. His Grace was assisted at the service by the Cathedral clergy.
The Gospel reading of the rich ruler brings back into focus one of the most sensitive themes of the spiritual life: a person’s relationship with wealth and the place of God in the human heart. It is not wealth in itself that is condemned, but the power it can come to exercise over a person, becoming an obstacle to a living and authentic relationship with God.
At the same time, this Gospel episode speaks about the commandments of the Lord and the way they are lived. Knowing or merely reciting them is not enough; they must be fulfilled with responsibility and commitment. The Gospel shows, however, that there are degrees of Christian living. The first is the fulfilment of the commandments, open to all believers. The second, higher one, is the call to total self-giving, to a life wholly placed in the service of God: “Sell all that you have… and come, follow Me.”
Renunciation of wealth is not merely an outward act or a form of social justice. At a deeper level, it expresses a heart open to one’s neighbour, a living attentiveness to the suffering and needs of others. This openness itself becomes a form of prayer for the world. Human life is not isolated, but bound to the existence of those around us, and every gesture, every personal choice, acquires a universal value. Through prayer and compassion, our life becomes concrete, active and responsible before God.
In the sermon delivered during the Holy Liturgy, it was emphasised that fulfilling God’s commandments is a continuous ascetic struggle, meant to lead a person towards the experience and vision of God. This work does not rely solely on human effort, but on the grace received through prayer and through opening the heart to Christ, Who must be placed at the centre of life, loved and served with one’s whole being, in a state of sacrifice, self-giving and love.
The episode of the rich ruler is deeply challenging precisely because it overturns the criteria by which people measure success. To have much does not necessarily mean to be fulfilled, nor is lack automatically a virtue. True change is an inner one: the moment when a person is no longer defined by what they possess, but by their living relationship with God. Wealth or poverty become secondary when the heart is anchored in Christ.
Source: https://manastireacurchi.md/