On Friday, November 8, His Grace Bishop Siluan of Italy led the assembly of hierarchs in a service celebrating the patronal feast of the Romanian Orthodox Cathedral of “Archangels Michael, Gabriel, and Raphael” in Paris. During the sermon, he emphasized the importance of our relationship with God’s unseen creation.
“Today we celebrate God’s unseen servants, who are very present with us, especially during the Divine Liturgy,” Bishop Siluan noted.
The Bishop spoke about the diversity of God’s creation, referencing the four-faced creature from the vision of the prophet Ezekiel—depicted as a human (or angel), a lion, an ox, and an eagle, symbolizing the four Evangelists.
He remarked that representing this creature would be an inspiring challenge for today’s Christian filmmakers.
“This is the universe God offers to our world, which constantly strives to imagine all kinds of things.”
Opening Up to the Unseen Creation
“If we possess such an immense capacity to imagine and convey things through technology, then we should understand that the human mind is created in the image of God, who made a world of incredible beauty and diversity. All the heavenly powers and angelic hosts are included within this diversity,” he continued.
“It is good for our hearts and consciences to be nurtured with openness and fellowship toward all we cannot see in God’s creation. This could prevent our minds from functioning solely in fantasy, from dwelling too long on imagination, and from being unduly influenced by the constant visual bombardment facing even young children today,” Bishop Siluan added.
He also emphasized the importance of maintaining a close relationship and concrete dialogue with one’s guardian angel.
“It’s good that children continue to recite ‘My dear little angel’ prayers, but as adults, we should re-evaluate our relationship with our guardian angel, especially if we bear an angelic name. Let us keep our hearts open to the guidance and inspiration our holy guardian angel brings from God.”
All hierarchs of the Romanian Orthodox Metropolis of Western and Southern Europe participated in the event. While not presiding over the service, Metropolitan Iosif honoured the guests and addressed the congregation at the end.
75th Anniversary of the Metropolis
His Eminence highlighted the presence of Saint Nicholas’s right hand, brought to Paris on Thursday evening from the “St. George-New” Church in Bucharest, and expressed gratitude to those who made the pilgrimage possible.
He noted that the pilgrimage takes place during the 75th anniversary of Metropolis. Metropolitan Visarion Puiu founded the Romanian Orthodox Diocese of Western Europe in September 1949.
The Diocesan Assembly of the Archdiocese of Western Europe convened on Friday afternoon to mark this anniversary.
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