“All nations are called to salvation in Jesus Christ,” declared His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel on Sunday during the Vespers of the first day of Pascha, commonly known as the Second Resurrection.
He was joined in the divine service at the Patriarchal Cathedral by His Grace Bishop Qais of Erzurum (Patriarchate of Antioch); Their Graces the Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishops Varlaam of Ploiești and Paisie of Sinaia; His Grace Assistant Bishop Timotei of Prahova from the Archdiocese of Bucharest; Archimandrite Joachim Bejenariu, Eparchial Counselor and Director of the Colportage Service of the Archdiocese of Bucharest; Archimandrite Clement Haralam, Great Ecclesiarch of the Patriarchal Cathedral; and other clergy of the patriarchal cathedral.
During the service, the Gospel passage from John 20:19-25 was proclaimed in Romanian, as well as in Greek, Latin, Arabic, Slavonic, French, English, German, and Italian.
“The Church, understanding that Jesus would send His disciples to preach and proclaim the Gospel of the Cross and Resurrection to all nations—not only to the chosen people or the Jewish nation—desired to emphasize this truth by reading this Gospel passage, which bears witness to the truth of Christ’s Resurrection, the sending of the disciples on their mission, and the divine power granted to them to forgive sins, in multiple languages during the Vespers of Holy Pascha,” explained the Patriarch of Romania.
His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel further elaborated on the Gospel passage itself and its profound significance.
The Risen Body Transcends Spatial and Temporal Limitations
The fact that the Savior Jesus Christ passed through locked doors after His Resurrection demonstrates that “His risen body is not merely a body restored to earthly life, but a real body that is, at the same time, transfigured.”
“He passes through locked doors without breaking them, thereby revealing that Christ, risen from the dead, is free from any determinism of nature, any opacity of nature, and any resistance of nature. He is completely free in terms of space and time. Nothing can hinder Him, and nothing can restrain or dominate Him.”
Moreover, the Saviour Jesus Christ showed His wounds to His disciples to confirm that the body that was crucified on the Cross is the same body that has risen.
“Thus, on the one hand, we see that His body passes through locked doors, demonstrating that this body has been transformed, spiritualized, and changed. On the other hand, we see that this is the body of Christ who was crucified, and that He, who healed the blind from birth and cured grave illnesses, nevertheless chose to retain in His body the marks of His crucifixion,” His Beatitude emphasized.
“Why did the Lord Jesus Christ choose to preserve, rather than erase, the marks of the nails and the wound from the lance that pierced His side? To demonstrate precisely this truth: that the risen Christ is the same as the crucified Christ.”
“And to show that He does not separate the mystery of the Cross from the mystery of the Resurrection, that the power of the Resurrection was hidden in the Cross, and that His Resurrection reveals the glory of His humble love, obedient unto death, even death on a cross,” added His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel.
The Power to Forgive Sins, Bestowed by the Risen Christ
The Patriarch of Romania also spoke of the power to forgive sins, granted by the risen Christ to His disciples.
“This power is divine. God alone can forgive sins. Yet Christ bestows this power upon His disciples, for no one can enter the Kingdom of Heaven without the forgiveness of sins, as nothing impure can enter the Kingdom of Heaven,” His Beatitude clarified.
“The forgiveness of sins is preparation for eternal life.”
His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel further explained the meaning of retaining sins, as taught by Saint Cyril, Patriarch of Alexandria.
“He states that forgiving sins is more easily understood, but retaining sins does not mean refusing forgiveness; rather, it signifies a delay for the sake of better preparation.”
Similarly, the reception of Baptism may be postponed for more thorough catechesis, or the reception of Holy Communion may be deferred for more profound repentance.
“This mystery of repentance is a saving mystery,” emphasized His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel.
“No one can be saved without repentance. Through Baptism, sins are forgiven—from the ancestral sin to all sins committed before Baptism. However, since man often sins even after Baptism, repentance, also called the baptism of tears, has been given as a sign of God’s mercy for the salvation of mankind,” concluded His Beatitude.
Photo: Lumina Newspaper / Mihnea Păduraru
