Today, 8 March 2015, the Orthodox Church is on the 2nd Sunday of the Lent (of Saint Gregory Palama). His Eminence Antimos, Metropolitan of Alexandropolis and Samutraki and exarch of Rodopi (Greece) and His Grace Timotei Prahoveanul, Assistant Bishop to the Archdiocese of Bucharest celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Patriarchal Cathedral assisted by a group of priests and deacons.
Saint Gregory Palama loved God better than these sciences of the world
His Grace Timotei Prahoveanul, Assistant Bishop to the Archdiocese of Bucharest delivered a sermon in which he eulogized the personality of Saint Gregory Palama showing that he was an erudite man who loved God better than the teaching of the world.
“Saint Gregory Palama was an educated man who loved God better than he loved the sciences of the world, namely than philosophy, physics, etc. He wished hysia ever since a young man, namely peace and quiet, knowing that while in peace and quiet, in a place where he could think only of creation and hear only the wind and sea – as he happened to him at Mount Athos – he could be closer to God. It was during this peace and quiet that he could come closer to God and tried to get rid of the human passions because hysia, or peace and quiet, brings peacefulness and helps man fight a lot against passions”, His Grace said.
Lord Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me, the sinner!
While referring to the Evangelical Parable on the healing of the paralysed man from Capernaum, His Grace showed that during this period of the Lent we should also pray for the forgiveness of our own sins.
“Because the Saviour told the paralysed man: “Your sins are forgiven”, during this period of the Lent we must also pray for the forgiveness of our own sins. We all have sins and we must pray Christ, our Saviour, to forgive our sins, and if some of us could find excuses saying that they are in a hurry, that they have jobs, daily duties and so they cannot find time for praying, for good deeds, we offer them the example of Saint Gregory Palama, namely a short prayer that we can always say: Lord, Jesus Christ, Son of God, have mercy on me the sinner! Although it is a short prayer, recommended by the fathers of the desert, by those who wished peace and quiet, we can say it too, we, those always in a hurry and lost in this world of sin”, His Grace said.
During the Divine Liturgy, the young theologian Florin Braslasu was ordained deacon for the chapel dedicated to “Saint Hierarch Gregory the Theologian” of the Theological Seminary of “Metropolitan Nifon” of Bucharest.
His Eminence Antimos – a friend of the Romanian Orthodox Church and of the Romanian people
To end with the Divine Liturgy, Assistant Bishop to the Archdiocese of Bucharest, His Grace Timotei Prahoveanul thanked His Eminence Metropolitan Antimos, on behalf of the Patriarch of Romania, for the celebration of the day in the Patriarchal Cathedral and addressed him a short welcome speech.
“His Eminence has visited Romania several times as archimandrite, and in 1990 he was the guest of the Metropolitanate of Moldova and Bucovina, and as hierarch too, as Metropolitan, having been present in Bucharest too, a few years ago, at the feast of the Saints Emperors Constantine and Helen. This year, His Eminence Antimos is once again in Romania and celebrated in this Cathedral today, at the invitation of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel. We can tell you that His Eminence has a great openness to Romanians, and that he very often receives monks, priests, and hierarchs from Romania at Alexandropolis, and that we can consider him a friend of the Romanian Orthodox Church and of the Romanian people. We welcome him, on behalf of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel, and thank him for today’s celebration in the Patriarchal Cathedral.”, His Grace said.
The entire Orthodoxy needs the devotion and faith of all the Romanian people
To end with, His Eminence Antimos, Metropolitan of Alexandropolis and Samutraki thanked His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel for the joy to have celebrated in Bucharest this Sunday. He has also emphasised the importance of the Orthodox faith that the Romanian preserve.
“I am very glad because I succeeded in celebrating the Divine Liturgy in the Patriarchal Cathedral, so that I kindly ask Your Grace to thank His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel for having given me the blessing to be present here today to celebrate the Divine Liturgy. I want to mention first of all the fact that the entire Orthodoxy needs the devotion and faith of all the Romanian people and you must also know that we, those from Greece, notice that there are many faithful and lovers of God in Romania”, His Eminence said.
Today, “Divina Armonia” chorus of “Saint George the New” church of Bucharest gave the liturgical answers at the Patriarchal Cathedral.
