On the first day of the civil New Year, the Orthodox Church celebrates the Circumcision of our Lord Jesus Christ. On the same day, the Church also remembers St Basil the Great, Archbishop of Caesarea in Cappadocia.
At the Patriarchal Cathedral in Bucharest, His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of Romania, concelebrated the Divine Liturgy together with Their Graces Varlaam of Ploieşti, Assistant Bishop to the Patriarch, and Timotei of Prahova, Assistant Bishop to the Archdiocese of Bucharest.
In accordance with the Jewish tradition, on the eighth day after their birth, male infants underwent circumcision and received their names. In his homily, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel referred to the fact that Christian baptism substituted circumcision.
“Circumcision was something specific to Jews of those times. St Paul tells us that for those who believe in Christ circumcision has importance no more, because He brings another type of circumcision, namely a spiritual one. This is what Holy Baptism means. Through baptism, we become a new creature, a new man living in communion with God and not apart from Him, a man who fights the sin, cleanses his sinfulness by repentance, and grows spiritually. Christian Baptism substituted circumcision, that is why St Paul the Apostle calls baptism a spiritual circumcision, while St Maximos the Confessor explains even more thoroughly what does this spiritual circumcision mean, and that is to remove the passionate thoughts and impulses of the senses from the rational man who believes in Christ and worships Him. Thus, it represents a spiritual becoming, driving away from every tendency to sin; and this cannot be achieved by using a scalpel, but rather by prayer, by fasting, by doing good deeds, by reading the Holy Scriptures, by the work of God’s grace in our life”, His Beatitude said.
The Romanian Patriarch also emphasized that the key meaning of the Gospel reading was related to our spiritual progress in wisdom and grace. We are all invited to acquire this spiritual progress, His Beatitude said noting that one of the saints who have shown this particular spiritual progress in their life was St Basil the Great.
“St Basil the Great lived an ascetic life, he became a monk, founded a monastery close to Iris River, and we inherit his monastic rules: the Shorter and the Longer Rules. St Basil the Great was firstly a teacher and a shepherd, a great interpreter of the Holy Scriptures. His writings related to the six days of creation, entitled Hexaimeron, are well known. St Basil was also a defender of true faith against the heresies of Arius, Macedonius and Eunomius. He defended the deity of Christ and the deity of the Holy Spirit”, His Beatitude noted.
Nevertheless, the Primate of the Romanian Orthodox Church also referred to the civil New Year and our calling to sanctify our time, and use it properly in order to come closer to God Who is above time, but Who, from love towards humankind, became a man and lived within time, on Earth: our Saviour Jesus Christ, the King of the Ages.
In accordance with the typicon of our Church, after the Divine Liturgy, a Thanksgiving service (Te Deum) was also officiated for the benefactions received from God during the past year.
Galerie foto:
