“The mountain is also an image of the spiritual ascent. No one reaches the mountain’s summit without effort,” Assistant Bishop Nectarie of Bogdania said last Thursday at the patronal feast of Ceahlău Monastery, situated at an altitude of 1,800 metres (5,900 feet).
Pilgrims from across Romania attended the celebration, some walking hundreds of kilometres to reach the monastery for its feast day.
The Divine Liturgy was celebrated at the outdoor altar by Assistant Bishop Nectarie of Bogdania of the Archdiocese of Chișinău.
An image of the spiritual ascent
The bishop reflected on the spiritual meaning of climbing a mountain, explaining that it symbolises every Christian’s journey toward an encounter with God.
“No one can attain the vision of God without prayer, without repentance, without struggle, without effort, and without sacrificing one’s passions.”
“Saint John Climacus tells us that the ladder leading to God is climbed one step at a time, just as we climbed this mountain, step by step. At times, the slope was steeper; at other times, the path was gentler. So it is with our lives. The journey of life is not always filled with hardship. There are trials and difficulties, but there are also moments of joy, peace, and the fulfilment of the soul,” the bishop added.
The Assistant Bishop of the Archdiocese of Chișinău stressed that human beings were not created for darkness, sin, or death, but for light.
“We celebrate the Transfiguration of the Lord not merely to admire Christ’s glory, but to understand that we too are called to become children of the Light.”
Ceahlău Monastery was founded in 1992 by the current Patriarch Daniel, then Metropolitan of Moldavia and Bukovina. Dedicated to the Transfiguration of the Lord and Saint Stephen the Great, the monastery was built on a mountain plateau surrounded by cliffs, near the Dochia mountain lodge and the Toaca meteorological station.
Photo: Doxologia / Mihail Vrăjitoru
