Orthodox Romanians and Serbs observed Holy Saturday night by traditionally proclaiming the Resurrection of the Lord in the heart of Vršac, where the administrative centres of the Diocese of Dacia Felix and the Diocese of Banat of the Serbian Patriarchate are situated.
After offering the Holy Fire at the cathedral, Bishop Ieronim of Dacia Felix went in procession with the Romanian faithful to “Saint Theodore” Square in the centre of Vršac.
His Grace Bishop Nikanor, Bishop of the Serbian Banat, greeted the procession at the stone cross. After reciting the Paschal hymns in Serbian and Romanian, the two hierarchs bestowed blessings upon the congregation.
The Resurrection service continued with the Divine Liturgy inside the Diocesan Cathedral.
Resurrection of the Lord, an occasion for healing
The significance of Holy Pascha was emphasised by His Grace Bishop Ieronim, who further stated that the Light of the Resurrection represents both life and healing.
“The Feast of the Resurrection begins with Light and always keeps Light in the foreground. Resurrection is unmistakably a Celebration of Light. For all believers, Christ Himself is the Light!”
“Often, in church hymns, light is associated with life and healing. The evangelist John testifies to the fact that ‹in Him›, the Word of God, ‹was life and the life was the light of men› (John 1:4). The Troparion of the Resurrection reveals to us that ‹Christ is risen from the dead, trampling down death by death and upon those in the tombs bestowing life›”.
“Therefore, the risen Saviour gives light, and partaking of the Light of Christ symbolizes, from a spiritual point of view, the partaking or foretaste of the gift of eternal life, the healing of man from the suffering and death caused by sin.”
His Grace’s speech concluded that “for Orthodox Christians, the Feast of the Resurrection has a special importance, a salvific or healing one, because Christ, trampling down death, reopened the gates of Heaven and offered us His Holy grace to face the danger of sin and inherit eternal life.”
“Our spiritual and physical healing lies in how we will manage to make the Resurrection of the Lord an occasion for our healing and resurrection,” Bishop Ieronim said.
Photography courtesy of the Diocese of Dacia Felix
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