On the 3rd Sunday of Lent, dedicated to the Holy Cross, the Divine Liturgy was celebrated at the Patriarchal Cathedral IN Bucharest by His Grace Macarie, Romanian Orthodox Bishop of Northern Europe, assisted by a group of priests and deacons.
After the reading of the Holy Gospel, His Grace spoke about following Christ, assuming the cross, and about its spiritual meanings.
“The Cross does not mean only sufferance. It is the sign of love and victory over death. It is only through the cross that we can attain the joy of Resurrection. Christ stretched out His hands on the cross embracing the entire world. The path of the cross is always achieved in the joy and victory of the Resurrection”, His Grace said.
His Grace Macarie has also emphasised the fact that fasting has no value unless we purify our heart and fully unite with Jesus Christ, our Saviour, the Groom of the Church.
At the end, His Grace Bishop Macarie thanked His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, for the blessing given to him to celebrate in the Patriarchal Cathedral of Bucharest, as well as for participation in the meetings of the young members of the Christian Orthodox Students Association of Romania in Ploiesti and Bucharest. The Bishop of the Orthodox Romanians from Northern Europe urged the faithful to keep on helping their fellow human beings in need by participating in the fund raising of the Central Missionary Fund, and helping them carry their cross.
