Archbishop Casian of Lower Danube spoke on Tuesday at the historic patronal feast of the Patriarchal Cathedral about Saint Constantine the Great’s decision to cease persecutions and establish “Christian freedom.”
“Not just any kind of freedom,” His Eminence said, “but a freedom based on love, sacrifice, and the help of God, both for the earthly leader and for the one ordained to lead us to the Kingdom of Heaven, the servant of the Church.”
Speaking about the early centuries and the persecutions to which Christians were subjected, the hierarch explained that “after the Resurrection, the power of the honourable and life-giving Cross did not bring only joy,” thus, the liberation of Christians after 300 years of persecutions can be understood as “a new resurrection.”
Furthermore, the Archbishop of Lower Danube outlined some of Saint Emperor Constantine’s efforts for the benefit of Christians, including the discovery of the Holy Sepulcher and the construction of the Church of the Resurrection of the Lord, the organization of the First Ecumenical Council, the collection and transcription of the texts of the New Testament manuscripts, and the bringing of the relics of the Holy Apostles to Constantinople.
To all these, an administrative and legislative activity “following the example of his Christian family” was added, which is why His Eminence Archbishop Casian called him “the first profoundly humane Christian legislator.”
“He stopped the killing of the child in the womb by imperial law, proclaimed the dignity of the Christian family, and promoted the law of human dignity by abolishing slavery, thus becoming the first profoundly humane Christian legislator.”
“Today’s Gospel is the Gospel of the Good Shepherd, who establishes His cathedra in the souls of men and opens our doors, often being closed within ourselves. Just as Christ entered through the closed doors at Pascha among the disciples, the gatekeeper shows us the door to living Christianity; this is Saint Constantine,” His Eminence added.
In conclusion, Archbishop Casian spoke about Saint Constantine the Great’s connections with the historical territories of Dacia and about the efforts for peace in the context of threats from the Goths.
The patriarchal cathedral in Bucharest is dedicated to the Holy Emperor Constantine and his mother, Helen. Saint Demetrius the New, whose relics are kept inside the cathedral, is an additional protector.
Photo: Basilica.ro / Mircea Florescu
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