Blessing of the Painting of the Episcopal Cathedral of Slobozia

Church of Romania – September 2014

Over two thousand faithful attended the blessing of the painting of the Episcopal Cathedral of the Ascension of the Lord of Slobozia.

The Divine Liturgy and the blessing service were celebrated by His Beatitude assisted by a group of 14 hierarchs as follows: His Eminence Andrei, Metropolitan of Cluj, Maramures and Salaj, His Eminence Varsanufie, Archbishop of Ramnic, His Eminence Calinic, Archbishop of Arges and Muscel, His Eminence Casian, Archbishop of Lower Danube, His Grace Corneliu, Bishop of Husi, His Grace Nicodim, Bishop of Severin and Strehaia, His Grace Vincentiu, Bishop of Slobozia and Calarasi, His Grace Galaction, Bishop of Alexandria and Teleorman, His Grace Sebastian, Bishop of Slatina and Romanati, His Grace Visarion, Bishop of Tulcea, His Grace Gurie, Bishop of Deva and Hunedoara, His Grace Andrei Fagarasanul, Assistant Bishop to the Archdiocese of Sibiu, His Grace Paisie Lugojanul, Assistant Bishop to the Archdiocese of Timisoara, His Grace Ioachim Bacauanul, Assistant Bishop to the Archdiocese of Roman and Bacau.

After the blessing of the Cathedral painting there followed the launching of two monographs: of the Diocese of Slobozia and Calarasi, entitled 1994 – 2014. Service and dedication. Two decades of hierarchic service, and the monograph entitled Monastic Settlements in the Diocese of Slobozia and Calarasi.

The Patriarch of Romania spoke about the assuming of the cross.

“The cross in the human life is seen especially when he or she lives a long sufferance: parentless childhood, lifetime widowhood, incurable disease, or overwhelming sufferance. All this can be a heavy cross to bear in one’s life. But Jesus Christ, our Lord, does not let us fall in despair, in despondency, but says that everybody must assume his or her cross and follow Him. Why should man assume his cross and follow Christ? It is because only Christ can change the cross of sufferance into Resurrection stairs, into hope. He fills the life of the human in distress with His mysterious presence, with His merciful love and changes the sufferance felt inside into hope. If the disease is not cured, it becomes a means of cleansing the sins, of preparation to get salvation and everlasting life”, His Beatitude said.

His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel has also spoken about self denial.

“Self denial means changing the selfish way of living into a generous one. It means passing from a life focused on one’s own self to the needs of those around. It is passing from the selfish state to the altruist one, as usually said. But self denial means especially no more focus on our own life, but on discovering Christ as the nucleus of our life. That is because only the infinite everlasting love of Christ can meet man’s desire of never ending love and eternal life. If we focus our life on temporary limited things we limit our spiritual freedom. But if we unite ourselves with the everlasting unlimited love of God we reach the freedom to love forever because we are loved forever. Thus, self denial means living in God’s love which must be shown into merciful love, into devoted love, generous to the family, to our fellow beings, especially to the people who need our love and help.”

At the same time, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel spoke about the importance of church consecration.

“On this day, one week after the feast of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross we blessed a wonderful painting, the iconostasis, and the icons of this Episcopal Cathedral of Slobozia. Everything is blessed through the cross because the cross is, in fact, not only the symbol of sufferance, but also the symbol of victory over sufferance, the symbol of the Resurrection of Christ. This is why Saint Maxim the Confessor considered the consecrated church to be a laboratory of Resurrection because it is here that we prepare for Resurrection. It is, first of all, the resurrection of the soul from the death caused by sin and then the universal resurrection when we meet all those who believed in God, loved Him, and did His will in their life. In the 4th century, Saint Nicholas Cabasila named this laboratory of the Resurrection the Anteroom of the Kingdom of God. And Saint Gherman of Constantinople said that a painted church is the heaven come down on earth. We could also add that it is designed to raise the humans to the heavenly life. The church painting is not only an aesthetic decoration. In the Orthodox Church painting is executed according to the precise rules mentioned in the book named The Byzantine Painting, a painting of the visual language, namely the church painting should be a permanent confession of the Orthodox faith. Painting, as a vestment of the church must be in accordance with the Gospel, with the Creed and with the entire Orthodox Liturgy. Painting is the vestment of the liturgical space where the Divine Liturgy is celebrated. This is why we see here the icon of the Holy Trinity, the Cross of Christ, icons of the Mother of God, of the archangels, angels, prophets, apostles, martyrs, hierarchs, of all the categories of saints from all times and places. All of them together with us and we together with them confess the never ending love of the Most Holy Trinity shown in the Christ crucified and resurrected.”

“Secondly, painting, and especially the icons on the iconostasis, calls us to prayer. Thus, besides the fact that painting is a confession of the visible faith, the Orthodox faith, the painting calls us to prayer. The angels in Heaven and all the saints of God are praying and call us to pray too, to make a communion of prayer and of spiritual love in front of the Most Holy Trinity. Only thirdly the icon is an ornament, a beauty because God is not only good, but also most glorified, most wonderful, and most beautiful. Thus, the Orthodox Church, through her painting, relates to the beauty higher than the beauty of this world, to the eternal beauty in the Kingdom of God. This is why we have this chant which says In the Church of Your glory staying in heaven, the Birth Giver of God seems to stay. Thus, today, when blessing the painting, we feel that Heaven has come down on earth to guide us to the everlasting heavenly beauty”, the Primate of the Romanian Orthodox Church explained.

To end with, His Grace Vincentiu, Bishop of Slobozia and Calarasi thanked all those involved in the construction of the Episcopal Cathedral.

“Today, a 22 years old sacrifice is crowned, begun by the servant of God Alexandru, by the leaders of Slobozia city and of Ialomita county, through the efforts of the late Patriarch Teoctist, through the diligent work of the first Bishop Nifon Mihaita, at present His Eminence Metropolitan Bifon, Archbishop of Targoviste, of my blessed predecessor who sleeps his big sleep here, in this cathedral and through my own efforts, because during the last 5 years I tried to finish the work of my blessed predecessors. I express my thanks to His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel because he has fulfilled our joy for this moment of liturgical communion, for the love he manifests coming here, to the faithful from all over the Diocese, from the two counties Ialomita and Calarasi. We also thank those who made much effort and sacrifice for this beautiful work”, His Grace said.