On Thursday, November 8, 2018, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel attended the Divine Liturgy celebrated at St Elijah Church in Bucharest’s Rahova neighbourhood where he spoke about the role played by the holy angels in the economy of salvation.
‘The Holy Angels announce within time the will of the eternal God for the salvation of humans,’ His Beatitude said.
The Patriarch explained why the bodiless powers are celebrated by the Church on November 8, noting that ‘number 8 means eternity, and these angels are the heralds and the fulfillers of the will of the eternal God.’
The Romanian Patriarch reminded that the angelic choirs are organized in nine orders and ‘are present in the life of the Church.’
‘That is why we have the Cherubic hymn at the Divine Liturgy.’
‘We have the presence of all the angels who pray with us, and in the altar of the Orthodox Church there is an iconography of the Angelic Divine Liturgy, showing that the angels in heaven are permanently serving God, and that the Church’s Divine Liturgy is connected to the unceasing Liturgy served by the Holy Angels in Heavens.’
When do we receive the guardian angel?
The Patriarch also referred to the fact that according to Christian doctrine every believer has the protection of the bodiless powers since at Baptism he receives ‘a guardian angel who stands always before God and prays for us.’
‘The guardian angel urges us to do good deeds, to have good thoughts and words, and protects us from the influence of the evil spirits,’ His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel said.
Particularities of Archangels Michael and Gabriel
The Patriarch went on speaking about the Archangels Michael and Gabriel stressing that they have ‘a complementary work.’
‘Saint Michael the Archangel is the Archangel of justice, of the fight against evil, while St Gabriel is the Archangel of kindness, blessing and joy.’
Congratulations for Romanians celebrating their name day
At the end of his homily, Patriarch Daniel congratulated the over 1,300,000 Romanians named after the Archangels Michael and Gabriel, wishing them ‘good health and salvation’.
His Beatitude prayed to God that all believers may ‘feel the joy of the presence and the work of the holy angels in their lives.’
St Elijah Church in Bucharest is one of the eight churches translated (moved) in 1984 during the communist regime.
Photography courtesy of Mircea Florescu / Basilica.ro
