“Martyrdom is a constant reality in the Church, because it is the sign under which the life of Christ’s Church unfolds in the world,” Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Varlaam of Ploiești emphasised on Sunday evening.
His Grace celebrated the all-night Vigil service in honour of St Demetrius the Myrrh-Gusher at the Patriarchal Cathedral’s outdoor altar in Bucharest.
Drawing on the Saviour’s words, “If the world hates you, know that it hated Me before it hated you,” the bishop explained the history of martyrdom in the Church.
“This prophecy of the Saviour referred not only to the generation of the Apostles but to the entire history of the Christian Church on earth. For the world hates what does not belong to it, and the true children of the Church have been chosen by God out of the world.”
In this context, Bishop Varlaam recalled the martyrdom of St Stephen, the Church’s first martyr, St James the son of Zebedee, and other Christians who suffered at the hands of Jewish authorities and Roman emperors.
“Many edicts were issued, and a great many Christians fell victim to them,” he said.
Persecution has not ceased today
The Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop explained that although persecutions in the early centuries ended, persecution has taken new forms that continue to manifest in the contemporary world.
He also explained why opposition to the Church persists.
“The Church causes discomfort because it preaches truth, justice, love for one’s neighbour regardless of skin colour, social status and so on; because it advocates fair pay for workers, social equity and justice for those who are disregarded and marginalised,” His Grace said.
“These are signs of hostility towards the Gospel of Christ and the truth He brought into the world, which has borne such wonderful fruit.”
The bishop also recalled two twentieth-century Romanian martyrs: Professor Teodor M. Popescu and St Constantine Sârbu the Priest-Martyr, whose local proclamation of canonisation took place on Friday at Mihai Vodă Monastery in Bucharest.
Remembering the martyrs in the life of the Church
Referring to the commemoration of St Demetrius the Myrrh-Gusher, Bishop Varlaam emphasised that it “is not an occasion to reflect on events as though they belonged to a distant and completed chapter of history. Rather, this celebration calls us to take courage ourselves.”
“Let us conduct ourselves with the same dignity shown by the martyrs throughout the centuries,” the Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop urged.
His Grace stressed that the Church’s martyrs have become “holy and radiant icons” that every person should carry in their heart, inspiring them to bear witness to the faith “in a world that sometimes proves hostile to truth, justice and the Gospel”.
“May God bless us, through the prayers of the Holy Great Martyr Demetrius the Myrrh-Gusher and all the holy men and women martyrs, so that we too may have the same courage and the same dignity to bear witness to the saving truth at every moment of our lives,” the bishop concluded.
The Vigil service honouring St Demetrius the Myrrh-Gusher formed part of the celebrations surrounding the patronal feast of the Patriarchal Cathedral, dedicated to St Demetrius the New, the Patron Saint of Bucharest.
Photo credit: BASILICA / Mircea Florescu
