{"id":564630,"date":"2026-03-31T16:18:20","date_gmt":"2026-03-31T13:18:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/?p=564630"},"modified":"2026-03-31T16:18:20","modified_gmt":"2026-03-31T13:18:20","slug":"patriarch-daniel-repentance-prayer-saint-mary-egypt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/patriarch-daniel-repentance-prayer-saint-mary-egypt\/","title":{"rendered":"Patriarch Daniel on St Mary of Egypt: Repentance and prayer transform sinners into Saints"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u201cPrayer united with repentance and fasting helps sinners become saints, as shown in the life of Saint Mary of Egypt,\u201d His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church said.<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Patriarch took part on Sunday in the Divine Liturgy celebrated at the historic Chapel of the Holy Great Martyr George at the Patriarchal Residence.<\/p>\n

Crucifying the Bodily Passions<\/h2>\n

Patriarch Daniel recounted the life of Saint Mary of Egypt, highlighting her repentance and her resolve to turn away from her former sinful life.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe crucified her selfish bodily passions and attained the resurrection of the soul from the death caused by sin, sanctifying both soul and body through the help of divine grace,\u201d he said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

He added that the saint has become a model of repentance for all people: \u201cThe grace of God transforms the sinner who repents sincerely and deeply, making him a partaker of the glory of the Kingdom of Heaven even in this life.\u201d<\/p>\n

Humble Service<\/h2>\n

Reflecting on the Gospel readings of the fifth Sunday of Great Lent, the Patriarch said they show that \u201cthe selfish desire for primacy and domination is healed through humble service\u201d.<\/p>\n

Referring to the request of the sons of Zebedee for precedence, he recalled Christ\u2019s response\u2014\u201cYou do not know what you ask\u201d\u2014and His call to share in suffering: \u201cThe cup that I drink you will drink, and the baptism with which I am baptised you will be baptised\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe too, like the disciples of the Lord Jesus, can be tempted by pride or worldly glory, by the desire to be greater or more appreciated than others,\u201d Patriarch Daniel warned.<\/p>\n

True Honour<\/h2>\n

The Patriarch of Romania emphasised the true measure of greatness, citing the Gospel: \u201cThe Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give His life as a ransom for many\u201d (Mark 10:45).<\/p>\n

\u201cHumble love for God and neighbour, expressed through service to others, is the path that leads to salvation,\u201d he said.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

He concluded that \u201ctrue honour or dignity comes from being a humble servant and a compassionate helper to others, regardless of one\u2019s rank in the community or society\u201d.<\/p>\n

\"\"
His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel attended the Divine Liturgy at the St George chapel of the patriarchal residence on the fifth Sunday of Great Lent, March 29, 2026. Photo: Lumina Newspaper<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Photo: Lumina Newspaper
\n\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cPrayer united with repentance and fasting helps sinners become saints, as shown in the life of Saint Mary of Egypt,\u201d His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel of the Romanian Orthodox Church said. The Patriarch took part on Sunday in the Divine Liturgy celebrated at the historic Chapel of the Holy Great Martyr George at the Patriarchal Residence.…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":564383,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[34585,66,21596,244,5068,18965],"class_list":["post-564630","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-homilies","tag-inner-transformation","tag-patriarch-daniel","tag-patriarchs-homilies","tag-prayer","tag-repentance","tag-saint-mary-of-egypt"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/564630","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=564630"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/564630\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/564383"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=564630"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=564630"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=564630"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}