His Grace Bishop Veniamin of Southern Bessarabia on Saturday officiated the Great Blessing of Waters at St Panteleimon Church in Cahul, Moldova, celebrating the Theophany of the Lord according to the old calendar.
The believers of the Autonomous Metropolis of Bessarabia under the jurisdiction of the Romanian Patriarchate observe the church feasts according to the non-revised Julian calendar.
Thus, winter holiday season concluded on January 19 with the Epiphany, a celebration remembering the baptism of Jesus Christ in the Jordan River.
In his homily, Bishop Veniamin spoke about St John the Forerunner who ‘was made worthy to see the Word, to hear the voice of the Father, and see the Holy Spirit.’
‘The dove that appeared above Christ’s head and the hearing of the voice of the Father indicate that the Three Persons of the Holy Trinity are of one substance,’ the Bishop of Southern Bessarabia said Jan. 19.
His Grace urged the believers to attend the church service on the Theophany Day because ‘the church is the House of God. Here is the Jordan and the living water which cleanses, quenches, gives life and renews the world. Here are the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit together with all the Saints.’
Photography courtesy of Facebook /Metropolis of Bessarabia
