“May the Holy Spirit comfort your hearts,” Metropolitan Ioan of Banat told the faithful on Sunday during the Feast of Pentecost.
“Beloved mothers, who always have tears in your eyes, may God comfort the sorrowful—and all of you, allow yourselves to be comforted by the Spirit of God… Let the Holy Spirit comfort you all.”
His Eminence celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Metropolitan Cathedral in Timișoara with clergy from the Archdiocese of Timișoara.
The Founding of Christ’s Church
In his homily, Metropolitan Ioan emphasized that although the Holy Spirit was present and active from the time of creation, His work was limited by ancestral sin, which was overcome through the sacrifice of Christ.
“The Descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost marked a new era, in which divine grace is poured out upon all believers, establishes the Church—the Bride of Christ—and transforms the faithful into a living assembly united through faith and grace,” His Eminence explained.
A Glory Even Angels Do Not Share
The Metropolitan also reflected on the Church as the Bride of Christ, a privilege to which even angels have no access.
“Not the angels—although they are heavenly beings, sinless and in constant service to God—but human beings, redeemed by Christ’s sacrifice and clothed in the white garment of Baptism, are called to be the Bride of the Lamb,” said the hierarch.
“At the wedding of the Lamb, the angels will look with wonder and joy at the faithful, who will be clothed in the radiant garments of Baptism and divine grace.”
Following the Divine Liturgy, the Kneeling Vespers was celebrated, during which the seven prayers invoking the grace of the Holy Spirit were read aloud. At the end of the service, the faithful received green linden branches, a symbol of the tongues of fire and the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Photo: Metropolis of Banat
