Divine Liturgy at the Patriarchal Cathedral

His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the feast of the “Ascension of the Lord”, in the Patriarchal Cathedral of Bucharest

The Orthodox Christians, on 13 May, celebrate the Ascension of the Lord, the day when Christ, our Lord, rose to heaven from the Olive Mountain, in the presence of the Saint Apostles. The wonder took place 40 days after his Resurrection from the dead.

His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Patriarchal Cathedral of Bucharest – informs Trinitas Radio Station. His Beatitude underlined, in his sermon addressed to the faithful, the fact that the Ascension of the Lord to heaven shows us that man is made for eternal life: “The feast of the Ascension of the Lord to heaven is the feast of the ascension of man, of the human nature, in the heavenly eternal glory. The feast of the Ascension of the Lord shows us that man is not made for grave, for rotting in the grave but for eternal life, so that we think that the physic death is a result of the sin, it is an accident, not our final destination; the final destination of man, body and soul, is the heaven, not the grave, it is the heavenly eternal life”.

“We cannot be raised in glory unless we pass through the cross, we cannot get the heavenly joy unless we fast, unless we repent, unless we put our life in front of God as an offering, as a humble dedication. So, nobody can rise to heaven in pride, conceit, but in humbleness, with his selfishness crucified. This is why, after crucifying our selfish will and fulfil the will of God in our life, we feel the joy of the soul risen from sin and of our rising in the love of the Holy Trinity”, also said the Patriarch of Romania.

This day is dedicated to the remembrance of the heroes of the nation. They are those who chose to walk in the footsteps of Christ, our Saviour, sacrificing everything for the other ones. They are in relation with God through Christ, our Saviour: “These heroes who sacrificed themselves have a special relation with the Crucified Christ, Risen from the dead and ascended to heaven, because it is only through sacrifice that we rise, only through pure sacrificial love that we are pleasant to God and loved by people. That is because the pure love, with no selfishness, resembles the love of God, the love of Christ, or is the sign of the blessing of Christ in our life. This truth is also listed on the arms of Romania, where the golden eagle flying in the sky carries a cross in its beak. The stavrofor eagle in the arms of Romania shows us that we can rise only after we have passed through sacrifice, effort, humbleness, and faith verified in sufferance. So, the faith verified through sufferance is the faith that takes us to victory, to rising to heaven”, also said His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel.

To end with the Divine Liturgy, the remembrance service was celebrated for the heroes who died in battlefields for defending their Homeland and ancient faith. On this day, prayers were said for all the heroes of the nation in all the churches of the country.

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