His Eminence Metropolitan Teofan of Moldavia and Bukovina pointed to the role played by Saint George the Pilgrim in the Romanian society of his time during his homily delivered on the feast of the Saint last Saturday at Varatec Monastery.
‘Saint George the Pilgrim appeared in a context in which balance needed to be maintained in the depths of Romanian society. In a world that was increasingly encompassed by convenience, comfort, consumerism, Saint George the Pilgrim appears as an ascetic figure, a sober, categorical and vertical man,’ His Eminence said August 17.
Varatec Monastery had a three-day celebration beginning with the feast of the Dormition of the Theotokos, continuing with the commemoration of Saint Joseph of Varatec and concluding with the feast of St George the Pilgrim.
Thousands of believers go to the monastery on this occasion especially to venerate the holy relics of the two local saints.
In his sermon, Metropolitan Teofan stressed that Grandpa Gheorghe Lazăr, canonized under the name of Saint George the Pilgrim, appeared ‘in a world with more and more compromises’ as ‘the pilgrim who takes things to the end and calls them by their name, fulfilling the demands of the Gospel to its last consequences.’
“In a world that was trying to get familiarized more and more with the demands of some, not to upset anyone, to give justice to all, to not see a certain and clear direction in life, St. George Pilgrim comes out, a prophetic voice, having an unmerciful word for those who were not on the true direction, and a strengthening, encouraging and gentle thought for those who were settling themselves on the way.”
“In a churchly world where everyone is trying to get accustomed with the spirit of the world, St. George the Pilgrim shows up inside this world, leaving everything behind, climbing on the Cross and not descending from it until the end of his life,” added the Metropolitan according to Doxologia.
“All have been fulfilled by the care of God, in order to balance things in the life of society and the Church,” His Eminence concluded.
Photography courtesy of Doxologia.ro / Bogdan Bulgariu
