The Rich Man and Lazarus | Holy Trinity + Holy Cross Greek Orthodox Cathedral

The Rich Man and Lazarus

- Fr. Gregory Edwards Ph.D - Dean -

We often hear the message to take care of the poor, be merciful, compassionate and open our hearts to The Scriptures. In today’s Gospel lesson taken from Luke 18:19-31 we read the well-known parable of The Rich Man and Lazarus. In this parable Jesus reveals to us an idea of what the afterlife will be like. Father Gregory shares with us as Orthodox Christians our belief that what we do in this life will determine our place in the next. In this parable an irony is developed between a certain nameless rich man, who has all the comforts this world can offer and a beggar named Lazarus, who has nothing and only wants the crumbs that fall from the rich mans table. Both men die. Lazarus experiences paradise, while the rich man finds himself in anguish because he failed to notice Lazarus who laid at his gate daily and show him mercy. Saint Isaac the Syrian says that life is give to us for repentance and that we should not waste it in vain pursuits. As Orthodox Christians we should not count on our formal membership to save us, we should repent in this life, show mercy to others, open our hearts and act on the Word of God.

307 19th Street South, Birmingham, AL 35233 | Fr. Gregory Edwards, Dean | 205.716.3080

Photography Credits: Beth Hontzas - Music: Presbytera Katerina Makiej

The Rev. Fr. Gregory Edwards, Ph.D., was raised in Virginia and eastern Pennsylvania, and became a member of the Orthodox Church while studying for his Bachelor's degree in Religious Studies at Brown University. After completing a Master's Degree in the New Testament and early Christianity at Florida State University, he conducted doctoral studies in Greece at Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, graduating summa cum laude in 2012. Ordained in 2007, he served parishes in Thessaloniki and Volos for 9 years. He and his wife Presvytera Pelagia lived in Greece from 2006-2016, where their four children were born. He has served as Assistant Professor of Missiology at St. Vladimir’s Orthodox Seminary in New York since 2014. Before coming to Birmingham in March 2019, Fr. Gregory served St. George Greek Orthodox Church in New Port Richey, FL from 2016-2019.