The Patriarch of Romania offered Tuesday a set of recommendations to the faithful who want but cannot have children. First of all, His Beatitude urged them to pray, like the parents of the Virgin Mary. Then, if they do not receive this gift, to adopt children or help large families.
‘Today, on the feast of the Nativity of the Mother of God, we first learn that the Mother of God is the fruit of the prayers of her parents and that those who do not have children should pray more. And if they do not acquire this quality of being physical parents, they can become parents through adoption by showing love for the children they adopt, but also by helping families with many children.’
“There are many poor families,” the patriarch continued. “Their only wealth is many children. Whoever helps these parents and these children from poor multi-child families does a work of parental love. Those who adopt children become parents through love, affection and thus they show themselves to be workers of the love of Christ and the love of the Mother of God.”
Let’s help children discover their vocation
The Mother of God was not born by chance, but was part of a plan of God, Patriarch Daniel said Sept. 8 at the Chapel of Saint George of the Patriarchal Residence.
‘Therefore, we must think that every child who is born has a calling, a vocation and we must help children to discover their talent, vocation, calling.’
‘There is a big difference between a parent who gives birth only biologically to children and one who not only gave birth physically to a child, but also educates, shapes, forms, makes them grow not only physically, biologically, but also to grow spiritually.”
During his sermon on the Nativity of the Theotokos, the Patriarch of Romania prayed to God “to bless all students, all their parents, educators, teachers, professors who contribute to the education, intellectual, spiritual and cultural formation of children and young people.”
“We pray to God to protect everyone, to give the joy of producing light in the souls of children and of an integral education, that is not only intellectual, but also spiritual and moral for the glory of God and for the benefit of the Romanian people.”
In a message sent at the beginning of the new school year, Patriarch Daniel urged the “very careful” observance of the sanitary rules for the protection of the health of students and teachers.
Veneration of the Mother of God
His Beatitude also stressed the special devotion the Orthodox Church has to the Mother of God setting aside ten feast days in the church calendar.
“The veneration of the Mother of God, willed by God, begun by the angels and continued by the Church, shows that She is the purest human being whom God has prepared by His grace to become the Mother of our Lord Jesus Christ,” Patriarch Daniel said.
“The veneration of the Mother of God is a work of glorification of God’s love for people. When we honour the Mother of God and the saints, we do not compete with God, but we show His work in people, for the salvation of humankind,” the Patriarch explained.
At the end of the sermon, His Beatitude sent good wishes to all those who bear the name of Mary or derivatives.
Photography courtesy of the Basilica.ro Archive
