Patriarch Daniel: The purpose of earthly life is to prepare ourselves to enter the communion of all Saints

Patriarch Daniel at the Patronal Feast of St Anthimos Monastery 2017

The Sunday of All Saints is a feast of the Church through the communion of Saints, Patriarch Daniel said on Sunday at St Anthimos Monastery in Bucharest.

His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel presided over the Divine Liturgy celebrated June 11 on the patronal feast of St Anthimos Monastery. Concelebrant for the Divine Liturgy included His Grace Varlaam of Ploiești, Assistant Bishop to the Patriarch.

Addressing the faithful present, the Primate of the Romanian Orthodox Church explained the importance of venerating God’s Saints. The Sunday of All Saints, he said, is a feast of the Church through the communion of Saints. It shows us that, although the unity of the Church has an administrative expression, it is first expressed through the sacredness of Orthodox faith and life.

Saints, His Beatitude said, are the strongest and the brightest communion in the Church. They are gathered by the same Holy Spirit and have Jesus Christ as Saviour and Head of the Church, unto the glory of God the Father.

The Church, he explained, wanted to show that the multitude of Saints commemorated over the year, the multitude of choirs of Saints remembered at each Divine Liturgy, at the Office of Oblation (Proskomedia), at the great thanksgiving prayer for the consecration of the gifts, and the daily Saints are in unity.

The Patriarch pointed out that all Saints from all ages have confessed the same Christ as the only Son of the Heavenly Father. Christ, the Head of the Church, is glorified in the love of the All-Holy Trinity through the Saints of all ages, who represent the fundament of the Church.

On this Sunday, we are called to profess the faith in order to attain to holiness, the Patriarch noted. His Beatitude referred to the fact that the founder of the monastery, Saint Anthimos the Ivirite, dedicated the church to the Synaxis of All Saints in order to recall everyone that the purpose of earthly life is to prepare ourselves to enter the communion of all the Saints in the Kingdom of the Most Holy Trinity.

The main message given by the feast of All Saints, the Patriarch noted, is that we are urged to holiness, to strong faith, to continuous prayer and almsgiving.

During the Divine Liturgy, His Beatitude remembered the members of the Burning Bush Movement from St Anthimos Monastery who have confessed the Orthodox faith during communism.

At the festive Divine Liturgy, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel ordained hierodeacon Antipa Burghelea a hieromonk. Next, the Patriarch performed the blessing service for a memorial cross and the museum built in the honour of the confessors of the Burning Bush Movement.

© Lumina Newspaper

Facebook comments


Latest News