The faithful of the Romanian Orthodox Parish of St. Paraskeva and Prophet Elijah in Newmarket, Ontario, celebrated their principal patronal feast early last Sunday, with Bishop Ioan Casian of Canada in attendance.
“Holiness is attained through patience. First and foremost, through God’s gift, through the ascetic struggle we undertake, and through receiving faith and the grace of His work, but all this requires patience,” His Grace said on 11 October.
Communion with God
Bishop Ioan Casian also spoke about the importance of communion with God and of receiving and preserving His word.
“We cannot achieve genuine amendment of our lives outside communion with God, because God Himself, one in essence and three in Persons, knows the right path and the ultimate purpose of His plan for the world and for humanity. He is the One who knows the meaning of our existence and the fundamental calling of each one of us,” the Bishop of Canada said.
“Therefore, we cannot truly understand the fundamental calling of our lives without remaining in communion with God.”
The Epistle reading for Sunday shows that the Holy Apostle Paul’s mind was enlightened through his encounter with God, enabling him to discover the true path.
“Thus, everything he does from that moment onwards springs from faith in the Son of God, because Christ lives in him,” Bishop Ioan Casian emphasised.
The Parable of the Sower
Interpreting the Parable of the Sower, the bishop spoke of the four types of soil where the seed falls as images of the different ways people receive the word of God.
“A person needs purity and goodness of soul in order to receive God’s good news, the word of God, the teaching of Holy Scripture. But this alone is not enough,” the bishop said.
“For the seed of the divine word to bear fruit, three essential things are necessary: hearing, preserving and patience. Receiving the word marks the beginning of spiritual life, but it must be kept in the heart and cultivated with perseverance so that it is not lost amid trials and everyday concerns.”
The example of St Paraskeva
In this context, the bishop recalled the life of St Paraskeva, the parish’s patron saint, as an example of responding to God’s call and persevering in ascetic struggle.
From the age of fifteen, when she received the call to follow Christ, until her repose, the saint undertook a journey of approximately ten years of spiritual growth, pilgrimage and ascetic struggle, the bishop explained.
The liturgical celebrations began with the Mystery of Holy Unction, celebrated on the eve of the feast, and continued with a procession carrying a vestment that had once covered the holy relics of St Paraskeva.
