The Romanian Orthodox Church established, by the Holy Synod decree of 1992, that the second Sunday after the Descent of the Holy Spirit should be the Romanian Saints’ Sunday.
On this occasion, today, 14 June 2015, His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of Romania celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Patriarchal Cathedral, together with Assistant Bishops Varlaam Ploiesteanul and Ieronim Sinaitul.
The Patriarch of Romania delivered a sermon on the occasion in which he explained the teaching of the evangelical pericopes the Church scheduled to be read at the Divine Liturgy today. The Primate of the Romanian Orthodox Church has also spoken about the founding of the Church, showing that the Church understood as gathering of people in the love of the Most Holy Trinity consists of people who believe in Christ and accomplish His will in their lives.
Those called followed Him because He is the Word of live, the Source of Eternal Life
The first disciples whom He calls to believe in Him and go on the mission He entrusts them, called discipleship, are the Saints Apostles, the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church showed. “The Gospel according to Matthew shows us that Jesus Christ, our Saviour, chose His first four disciples from among the fishermen: Peter, Andrew, James and John, sons of Zebedee. Jesus Christ, our Saviour, calls them one day, all of a sudden, and tells them: “Come, follow Me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” He did not explain what to fish for people meant and neither did they ask or put conditions, negotiated their following Him, and neither did Christ promise them anything, great ranks, comfortable or easy life, wealth, or rewards, but He only told them: “Come, follow Me”. And they followed Him right away. James and John, sons of Zebedee, left their father near the ship and left – it was a quite unusual thing. Certainly, one can ask how those called answered so promptly, without asking any question, putting conditions, negotiating, or explaining: Where are we going? What are we doing?, but they only answering the call. Certainly, we would see the mystery of this answer later on in some Gospels, but we can say that the never ending love of God working in Jesus Christ, the Word of eternal life, made this call so imperative and attractive so that those called did not answer for fear or for promises, but because they felt that the One who was calling them had the mystery of eternal life and love. They did not understand this eternal love and life in the call of Christ, but they felt it. (...) The called ones followed Him right away because He is the Word of Life, the Source of Eternal Life who brought the entire universe from nothingness to being, who created man in the image and likeness of God, who heals any disease and helplessness of the people, as today’s Gospel says, and who gives salvation and eternal life to those who believe in Him. The Word of the eternal life has the words of eternal life in Him, and this is why they followed Him promptly, with no doubt and right away, namely those whom He called to become His disciples, Apostles, His missionaries”.
Saint Andrew the Apostle is the apostle of the Romanian nation
His Beatitude has also shown that the Christianisation of the Romanian people was done slowly, but deeply through Saints Andrew and Filip and then through the missionaries who came to the territory of our country.
“Saint Andrew the Apostle is the apostle of the Romanian nation, of the Romanian forerunners. Then, the Christianisation of the Romanian people was done slowly, but deeply, through His disciples and missionaries who spoke Greek and Latin. About the 4th century, for instance, Saint Basil the Great and Saint John Chrysostom sent missionaries into the territory of our country. Saint Emperor Constantine the Great paid great heed to the Christianisation of the Dacians and Romans, almost 40 big churches having been built in the territory of the then Dacia, in his time”, His Beatitude said.
There are lots of Romanian saints not known by us, but known by God
The large number of martyrs on both sides of the River Danube shows the strong faith of the Romanian people, His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church said: “This crowd of saints of the Romanian people is celebrated today, on the Romanian Saints’ Sunday. We have saints known here, so that there is no month in the calendar of our Church without one saint at least. On some months, two, three, or four Romanian saints are celebrated, which fact shows that the Church recognised the sacrificial love of Christ and the work of the Holy Spirit as deifying work of life. But there are still lots of Romanian saints not known by us, but known by God. The crowd of those who sacrificed themselves in battlefields to defend the ancient territory and faith represents lots of martyrs. Not all the many monks who lived in the mountains, caves, forests or secluded places were included in the calendar, but they are known by God and are revealed when He wants and how He wants. Today, both those known and those unknown are celebrated together. The crowd of hierarchs who preached the Gospel of Christ ordained deacons and priests, consecrated churches, deified the Christians’ life; there are lots of priests with pure life who set up Christian families and lots of deacons too, and some of them were included in the calendar, but there are also many others who have not been canonised and solemnly proclaimed saints yet. Then, there are lots of lay faithful, Christian mothers, parents who gave birth to children, grew them up and educated them in the faith of Christ, in the Holy Trinity, and taught them how to pray, love the Church, build churches and monasteries; these heavenly parents with holy life and many children who conveyed, through their way of being Christians, the life in Christ and in the Holy Spirit are also remembered today, on the Romanian Saints’ Sunday. The princes who defended the ancient territory, who founded holy places of worship, are also remembered today, just like the crowd of faithful who died in labour camps and prisons closer to nowadays, during the period of communist persecution; there are also the crowds of those who fought sacrificial fights for keeping the faith and for defending the Church who are Romanian saints unknown, not officially included in the calendar, but remembered today together with those known and canonised”.
We celebrate today a great feast for our vocation as people bearing cross and resurrection, patient in sufferance, but full of hope
“Today, we celebrate a great feast for our mission on the earth, for our vocation as people bearing cross and resurrection, patient in sufferance, but full of hope. Today we pray to all the Romanian saints to help us observe the Orthodox faith, transmit it to children through education, defend it against the sectarian confusions and contribute to the edification of churches and of our souls for the glory of the Most Holy Trinity and for our own salvation”, His Beatitude also said.
During the Divine Liturgy, the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church ordained archdeacon George Alexandru Lepadatu, Eparchial Counsellor, Economical Financial Department of the Archdiocese of Bucharest, priest for the parish of the “Falling Asleep of the Mother of God” and “Saint Martyr Mercurie” – deanery III Bucharest.
