In his New Year message, Bishop Ioan Casian of Canada wrote about the idea of renewal and about the family as a place of spiritual and communal renewal.
His message opens with a quotation from St Paul the Apostle: “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old things have passed away; behold, all things have become new” (2 Corinthians 5:17).
“The beginning of the year is not merely a change on the calendar, but a call addressed to us all to root our lives more deeply in Christ, so that what is old may be left behind and what is new may come to life through faith, repentance and love,” the bishop said.
The Family as a Place of Faith and Life
This renewal, Bishop Ioan Casian said, is first and foremost meant to take shape within the Christian family, which remains the blessed space for growth and for the transmission of the faith.
“At the same time, the family is the natural environment of life for those newly come into the world, who constitute our richness, fruitfulness and future as humanity,” he said, referring to the place where children are born and raised.
“The family is the church at home, the place where prayer is interwoven with daily sacrifice, and where love becomes a living witness to the presence of God. Where Christ is the foundation of family life, all things are made new: relationships are healed, children grow in light, and the community is strengthened.”
Marriage in the Thought of St Dumitru Stăniloae
Bishop Ioan Casian quoted Saint Dumitru Stăniloae, who wrote that marriage is the means by which the bond between man and woman becomes truly complete—a total communion of persons, in which each is fulfilled as a person by helping the other towards that same fulfilment, as God intended when He created humanity as male and female, in mutual complementarity.
“In the light of this teaching,” the bishop explained, “marriage, as understood by Orthodox theology, is not merely an external or legal bond, but a blessed calling to full communion of life and love.”
“In this profound personal union, each person is fulfilled through self-giving to the other, learning to love, to sacrifice and to grow together according to the will of God, who ordained the complementarity of man and woman as a path towards human perfection,” he added.
Holy Women as Models of Christian Life
“In this work of preserving and renewing Christian life, the holy women of the Church stand before us as models of living faith and hidden service,” the bishop said.
“The Most Holy Mother of God, through her humility and obedience; the holy myrrh-bearing women, through their courage and steadfastness; and the holy mothers, martyrs and venerable women of the Church show us that faithfulness to Christ can transform personal life, the family and the entire community.”
“Through prayer, patience and sacrificial love, the Christian woman has been and remains an invaluable support for both the family and the Church, a guardian of faith and hope within the community,” Bishop Ioan Casian said.
Towards the end of his message, the Bishop of Canada urged believers, inspired by these holy examples, to strengthen their family life, cultivate mutual respect, responsibility and faith, support mothers and children, and offer young people authentic models of Christian living.
Photo: episcopia.ca
