“The purpose of my life is to know the Lord,” Bishop Siluan of Italy told students at the Rome Extension of the “Patriarch Justinian” Faculty of Orthodox Theology in Bucharest. Earlier this week, the hierarch held a spiritual discussion with them.
His Grace stressed that the meaning of life cannot be reduced to diplomas and achievements, however legitimate these may be in an institutional context. “The purpose of my life is to know the Lord,” the bishop told the students.
Theological study—with all its rigour—remains a good instrument when kept in the right order: as a means of supporting the knowledge of God, not replacing it, the bishop explained.
He warned that one may complete years of training with academic success, yet without gaining what is decisive: a deeper faith, the habit of prayer and church life, and steadfastness of heart. Without liturgical practice, theology is not alive, he said.
For the students of the Rome Extension, whose average age is higher, his message also came as encouragement. Bishop Siluan described this “later” beginning as something good, insofar as maturity brings a more grounded sense of commitment.
On prayer and reading the Holy Fathers
A particularly theologically charged moment came when he spoke about prayer for one’s neighbour and the real bond between persons.
The bond between people is not accidental, he said, but is called to be fulfilled according to the image of Trinitarian communion.
Bishop Siluan urged students to begin reading the Fathers early, as an aid to understanding more difficult passages of Scripture—starting with the commentaries of Saint John Chrysostom and Theophylact of Bulgaria, and then, with discernment and patience, moving to denser authors such as Saint Cyril of Alexandria.
In this way, theology remains an expression of the Church’s mind, rather than merely our personal opinion about God.
His final exhortation—spoken without solemnity, but with the weight of long pastoral experience—was clear: do not lose sight of the goal. The study is good, necessary, and beneficial, but it becomes true theology only when it remains in service to knowing the Lord and living within the Church, the bishop concluded.
The Rome Extension of the “Patriarch Justinian” Faculty of Orthodox Theology of the University of Bucharest was established in 2017 at the request of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolis of Western and Southern Europe, with the blessing of the Holy Synod of the Romanian Orthodox Church and Patriarch Daniel, and with the support of the Romanian government and the University of Bucharest.
Photo: Diocese of Italy
