Bishop Macarie of Northern Europe spoke about the significance of the Feast of the Entry of the Theotokos into the Temple, addressing themes of hope, salvation, and overcoming contemporary anxieties during a conference held Thursday evening at the Faculty of Theology in Bucharest.
A Feast of Hope and Salvation
“The Feast of the Entry of the Theotokos is a celebration of hope and fulfilment—the assurance that salvation is at hand,” said the bishop, emphasizing that the event marks the Virgin Mary’s consecration to God, symbolizing humanity’s role in the divine plan of salvation.
“We experienced our first hope at the nativity of the Most Holy Theotokos, when all of humanity gave its purest fruit, the Mother of God. In a hymn on the feast of the Nativity of the Saviour Jesus Christ, we are told how the entire creation brought something to the baby Emmanuel: the sky sent down the star, the angels blew the trumpet, the shepherds came with worship, the earth offered the cave, and the animals warmed the baby Jesus by breathing upon him, and we, humans, gave the Most Holy Theotokos.”
“We were full of hope at the nativity of the Most Pure, and now we confirm that this Virgin was truly born for our salvation, for all of us. She is the ladder that unites earth with heaven because the Lord Himself will come to us. The Virgin Mary is devoted, given and dedicated to the Lord. Therefore, we celebrate this feast through the victory over fear, anguish, and anxiety.”
Modern Challenges: Fear and Uncertainty
Bishop Macarie addressed contemporary issues of fear and instability, reflecting on the growing anxiety in the world.
“We should reflect in these times on these fears and anxieties, and we can ask ourselves why there is this feeling of instability and insecurity: because there is a lot of insecurity, there is a lot of instability in this world”, he said.
“We go through many trials, many temptations, many difficulties, but we must take courage and be aware that it could be worse,” His Grace encouraged his audience.
He encouraged individuals to avoid dwelling on the past or fearing the future and to focus instead on God’s continuous presence.
“We must live in the moment. A Christian is not burdened by the past and should not be worried about the future because he lives in the present moment; he lives in the present continuously. In a situation where, of course, we are depressed, sad, and hopeless, we must take courage and look at the target, first of all, at our Saviour Jesus Christ, because He is our courage, and we receive strength from the Lord through those around us,” the hierarch added.
The Online World and Social Pressure
The bishop also discussed the psychological pressures of the digital world, particularly among young people.
“Social media creates immense pressure for validation through likes, shares, and attention, often leading to dependency and depersonalization,” he warned.
He urged a shift from the superficial connections of social media to deeper, spiritual communion through participation in the Divine Liturgy and connection with Christ and the saints.
“For example, you have an account, and you post constantly. And there you have a lot of friends, known and unknown. Most of them are unknown, and you are taken over by those who follow you. Thus, there is extraordinary pressure when you post a photo or a video, especially when you put yourself in the spotlight. There is this pressure, this desire to be followed, to be adored, to be encouraged, but to be in the spotlight,” said His Grace.
“Man is not made to be in the spotlight. The most important thing is to be in the spotlight of God. We connect to these social networks, which create addiction and depersonalization. We really want not to miss any posts, to be constantly on Instagram and TikTok.”
The Call to Real Communion
“The solution lies in gathering together as often as possible at the Divine Liturgy and at the liturgy after the liturgy, at the liturgy of the brothers; let us exit these social networks, let us disconnect from them and connect to the social network, to the network of Christ, to the network of the Mother of God, to the network of the saints.”
“Theotokos cannot be found in the virtual world but in the real one—on the battlefield for our souls’ salvation. Here we find the Most Holy Theotokos and only she, through her care and love for her children, can deliver us from fears, anxiety, anguish and bring us to safety from this world.”
He concluded by emphasizing the need for real, spiritual communion over excessive reliance on technology.
“We don’t need the internet excessively, but we need communion, we need the Holy Spirit. We don’t need a virtual world in which we can ruin ourselves spiritually and become mentally ill. We need this real world to be connected to reality and communion with each other.”
The event titled “The Entry of the Theotokos into the Temple: The Child Who Delivers Us from Fear, Sadness, and Anxiety” was part of the Dumitru Stăniloae Philokalic Evenings, organized by the Association of Christian Orthodox Students of Romania—Bucharest branch.
Photo: Basilica.ro / Mircea Florescu
