On 8 May 2016, the second Sunday after Easter, His Grace Macarie, Romanian Orthodox Bishop of Northern Europe celebrated the Divine Liturgy in Bucharest Patriarchal Cathedral, assisted by a group of priests and deacons. The liturgical answers were given by Nicolae Lungu choir of the Romanian Patriarchate.
His Grace Macarie delivered a warm and impressive speech in which he spoke to the faithful present about the two Saint Apostles celebrated today, John the Evangelist “Lover of purity” and Thomas Didymus “Lover of witnessing”. The hierarch has also shown that we can heal our spiritual wounds through the wounds of His crucifixion just like the Apostles did, in the upper room of the Last Supper, where Christ entered through the locked doors of history, sharing us His peace and joy.
“Apostle Thomas wanted, just like Apostle John, to include Jesus Christ, our Saviour, in his heart. He did not want to have only an external truth, but wanted to include it in his heart, the same as the Apostle of love included Him, leaning against His chest. Both Thomas the Apostle and John the Evangelist were very courageous. This is why Thomas is also called Thomas the courageous. While the disciples were locked in the upper room afraid of the Judeans, Thomas was looking for Christ on the first day of the Resurrection, not afraid of those who wanted to take his life”, the Bishop of the Romanians in Northern Europe also said.
During the Liturgy, the hierarch and all those present at the religious service raised prayers for the repose of the young militaries killed in Afghanistan, Iulian Dumitrescu and Adrian Vizireanu, as well as for the recovery of the wounded Romanian military. The late Cameroonian soccer player Patrick Ekeng was also remembered.
At the end of the celebration, His Grace Macarie thanked His Beatitude Daniel for the approval given to celebrate in the Patriarchal Cathedral and congratulated the faithful who celebrated the protector Saints of the day: Apostles John the Evangelist and Thomas, and Pious Arsenius the Great.
