Feast of Saints Peter and Paul the Apostles at the chapel of the Cathedral for the Nation’s Salvation

June – July 2014

Sunday, 29 June 2014, the Patriarch of Romania celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Chapel of the Cathedral for the Nation’s Salvation, assisted by a group of priests and deacons, in the presence of many faithful. On this day, the Orthodox Christians are on the 3rd Sunday after Pentecost (Matthew 6:22-33 – On the troubles of the world) and celebrate Saints Peter and Paul the Apostles.

The two Gospels were scheduled to be read at the Divine Liturgy, because two feasts are celebrated: the Sunday and the feast of Saints Peter and Paul, the Apostles. The Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church delivered a sermon in which he showed the true sense of the Christian life, and spoke about the life and special activity of the Saints Apostles.

Spiritual food of the soul and its dressing in virtues are priorities of the Christian life

While referring to the Gospel of the Sunday, His Beatitude emphasised the fact the first concern in life must be the way to the Kingdom of Heaven: “Jesus Christ, our Saviour, shows us that we must wish to reach the Kingdom of God first and then His justice and anything else will be given to us.

It means it is badly needed to establish the priorities of life, namely what is more important. The Saviour draws the attention on the fact very often people are very concerned with food and clothing and forget about their soul which must be spiritually fed and dressed in light and virtues. This notice of the Saviour shows us that sometimes we must learn from the field flowers and from the birds which do not work but live by care of God. The Gospel shows us that the concern for food and clothing should not be the first concern in life, but trying to reach eternal life. Both food and clothing are temporary, but man’s immortal soul needs spiritual food and clothing of light, because everything passes in this world but we take with us, in our soul, only what is eternal, namely the grace of God and what the grace worked in the soul, namely repentance, enlightenment of the soul through the encounter with God in prayer and in the Holy Sacrament and the clothing of virtues, of the good deeds done out of devoted merciful love for our fellow beings.

The Church is the mysterious body of Christ and whoever hits the Church hits Christ

Saints Peter and Paul the Apostles celebrated today in the Romanian Orthodox Church are models of repentance and gratitude for all faithful, showed His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel in his sermon: “Both Apostles, Peter and Paul, loved Christ and His Church understanding that the Church is the mysterious body of Christ and whoever hits the Church hits Christ. Saint Paul the Apostle understood this fact on the way to Damascus because he persecuted the Christians, and Jesus told him: Why do you persecute Me?, not why do you persecute them. Thus, the mysterious body of Christ is hit and the Head expresses the sufferance, namely Christ, our Lord. These two great Apostles loved the Church of Christ because they felt the work of God for the salvation of the humans in her”.

The Saints Apostles were great teachers of repentance

The Patriarch of Romania has also shown in his speech that the Saints Apostles are models to be followed, icons of light, great teachers of repentance, as well as prayers for us, in heaven.

“Saints Peter and Paul were great teachers of repentance. Saint Peter the Apostle denied Christ for fear, but he was forgiven through much repentance, having been re-established in the service of an Apostle. But all his life he thought that he denied Christ because of too much fear. Saint Paul the Apostle persecuted the Christians out of too much zeal for the Jewish tradition, he persecuted the Church and changed the guilt of the persecutor of the Church, as compensation, into a missionary work for preaching the Gospel and extending the Church of Christ as nobody else did. The repentance of Saint Paul the Apostle was not a simple regret, but redemption of his hostile attitude by changing it into a missionary zeal never seen before showing that the true repentance is shown not only in the tears of repentance, but also in the improvement man achieves through good deeds. These two great Apostles, teachers of repentance, will always be models for us, because they are icons of light, teachers and prayers for us”, His Beatitude said.

Thanksgiving prayers for the boons received from God

During the Divine Liturgy thanksgiving prayers were said for the boons received from God and for all the workers and donors of the Cathedral for the Nation’s Salvation.

“We have come here, to this church, to the chapel of the Cathedral of the Nation’s Salvation, because two years ago we blessed and finished the foundation of the Cathedral. 25 metres have been built ever since, 16 over the ground and 9 till level 0. We have come to thank God for the boons received from Him and to keep on praying for help to continue the works already begun”, the Primate of the Romanian Orthodox Church explained.

His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of Romania congratulated all those of the names of the Saints Apostles: “We wish good health, joy, help of God in every good deed to all those named Peter and Paul, or Petra, Petronela, Paula and other derived names, having these two great apostles Peter and Paul as models of endeavour, love for Christ and for the Church”.

Ordination as priest

During the Divine Liturgy, the Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church ordained archdeacon Ioan Traian Diaconu as priest and awarded him the rank of iconom stavrofor for the special work unfolded in the service of the Romanian Orthodox Church for keeping and strengthening the right faith as well as for the glory of the Orthodox Church, “One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic”.

“We have offered him the cross of the iconom stavrofor so that he should have continuity in bearing the cross as a symbol of the many tasks he is to accomplish at the parish of Patriarch Miron of Bucharest where a new social-philanthropic and cultural centre must be built, a parochial house repaired and certainly more intense activity with the youth and disabled people unfolded. It is an encouragement for a new, pastoral work at the parish, as well as a sign of appreciation for the activity unfolded at the Patriarchal Cathedral” His Beatitude said.

The Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church has also offered several books of rite for the Chapel of the Cathedral for the Nation’s Salvation. To end with, His Beatitude visited the building yard where the Cathedral for the Nation’s Cathedral is being built.

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