Patriarchal Auxiliary Bishop Varlaam of Ploiești said on Friday evening at the Patriarchal Cathedral that true freedom is found through trust in God, the Mother of God and the saints.
“Only with the help of God, of the Mother of God and of the saints can we feel truly free, entrusting our lives into the hands of Almighty God and under the protection of the Mother of God,” the hierarch said during the Akathist Hymn.
He stressed the need for Christians to place their trust in divine protection, describing the Mother of God as a defender against all threats and the trials of history.
“Today’s celebration of the Akathist of the Annunciation calls each of us to place our hope first in Almighty God, in the Mother of God, in the power of the honourable and life-giving Cross of the Lord, and in the help of the holy angels and all the saints of the Church,” he added.
Need for Divine Protection Remains Urgent
The bishop recalled the first siege of Constantinople, when a miracle led to the destruction of the attackers’ fleet, followed by the first chanting of the Akathist Hymn in honour of the Mother of God, protector of the city.
He said the need to seek God’s help remains as relevant today as ever.
“It is of great importance, especially in our times, when humanity is under the siege of wars and even the danger of escalation into a global or nuclear conflict, in a world marked by fear, crises and uncertainty,” he said.
“Even if we are not directly affected, this pressure is felt in our souls and minds.”
Romanian Leaders Honoured Protection of the Saints
Bishop Varlaam also noted that historical leaders of the Romanian principalities placed their trust in the saints during times of danger.
“Romanian chronicles preserve many testimonies of nobles and soldiers who saw saints such as Saint George, Saint Menas or Saint Theodore Stratelates fighting alongside them,” he said.
He also recalled that Saint Stephen the Great built numerous churches dedicated to military saints, the Mother of God and the Holy Cross.
A Defining Moment in National History
Marking the 108th anniversary of the Union of Bessarabia with Romania, Bishop Varlaam described the event as more than a purely human achievement.
“The Union of 1918 was not merely a human work,” he said, noting that historians regard that year as one of divine mercy, when all Romanian-inhabited provinces were united within one state.
On Sunday, the Orthodox Church commemorates Saint Mary of Egypt, to whom the fifth Sunday of Great Lent is dedicated.
Photo: Basilica.ro / Mircea Florescu
