“St. Paraskeva has become a living bond within the Orthodox family of the Balkans, a common mother and protector of peoples who speak different languages but pray with the same faith and the same heart,” Metropolitan Dimitrios of France and Exarch of Europe (Ecumenical Patriarchate) said on Wednesday at the Metropolitan Cathedral in Iași.
The metropolitan presented the life of St Paraskeva as an example of self-denial, humility and following Christ.
“The young daughter of Epivates did not merely give up a life filled with earthly comforts; she gave up herself,” he said.
“A person may renounce their possessions, part with wealth and honours, but to renounce one’s own will, one’s desires and the urge to seek recognition and promote oneself — that is a daily cross. St Paraskeva carried this Cross not just once, but every day of her life, until her final breath,” the metropolitan emphasised.
The challenges of contemporary society
Metropolitan Dimitrios contrasted St Paraskeva’s choice with contemporary society’s tendencies, highlighting her example of humility.
“The contemporary world urges us to assert ourselves, promote ourselves and stand out. Our beloved St Paraskeva, however, shows us the path of self-emptying, the path of humility, the very path first walked by the Lord Himself, who emptied Himself, taking the form of a servant (Philippians 2:7–9).”
“There is no other path to true joy and true freedom. Those who have followed it know this; those who fear it should place their trust in the example of the saints,” he urged.
A light for all peoples
The Greek metropolitan serving in France compared the experience of Orthodox Christians in the diaspora with the journey undertaken by St Paraskeva.
“Orthodox peoples in every corner of the world experience the loneliness that St Paraskeva herself experienced. In a foreign and often indifferent environment, the children of immigrants, workers far from their homelands and Orthodox families strive to preserve their language, customs and, above all, their faith.”
Metropolitan Dimitrios said that St Paraskeva “kept the flame of faith burning and, at the same time, became a light for all peoples in the places through which she travelled. This is the true universality of Orthodoxy.”
An expression of unity in faith
The metropolitan thanked Metropolitan Teofan of Moldavia and Bukovina for his invitation and for the opportunity to participate in the celebrations honouring St Paraskeva.
“Our gathering around the holy relics of our common protector is not merely a ceremonial visit. It is an expression of the profound unity of faith that binds us together; it is a continuation of the bonds that the saint herself established through her journey.”
“The Church of Romania and the Orthodox diaspora in France, Iași and Paris, East and West, are united today in glorifying God, the worker of miracles, who is wondrous among His saints,” Metropolitan Dimitrios concluded.
