The Holy Fire reached the Patriarchate Hill on Saturday, at 19:30 and it was handed to Patriarch Daniel. His Beatitude said the Holy Fire is the Joyful light from one of the oldest hymns of the Church. “Christ the Lord is the Joyful Light,” he said.
“God, Who is Himself inaccessible light, made Himself Joyful light by taking flesh, which meant making Himself into what He loved: becoming man,” said the patriarch.
“This joyful light, which miraculously comes every year, is comfort, joy and peace from Christ Himself, by which He shows His love and appreciation for those who look for Him, who believe in Him and who love Him and want to feel His presence in their life.”
The Patriarch of Romania explained that the Holy Fire emerges from the rock on the Saviour’s Sepulchre after the Patriarch of Jerusalem says a special prayer.
“In Jerusalem, this Joyful light reveals itself indeed as comforting since, in the first moments, it does not burn and people touch it and even caress their faces with it,” mentioned Patriarch Daniel.
“Since 2009, we have considered that the Joyful light from the Holy Sepulchre needed to be brought to Romania in order to increase the Romanians’ devoutness and love for Christ after they would be able to feel that God loved them,” he added.
“We consider this blessing to be encouraging, even more so today, when the world is under the heavy trial of the pandemic,” said the Patriarch of Romania.
Photo credit: Basilica.ro / Mircea Florescu
