Feast of the Transfiguration at the Romanian Patriarchate
6/8/2012
On the feast of the Transfiguration, His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church celebrated the Divine Liturgy at the Patriarchal Cathedral assisted by a group of priests and deacons of the Cathedral.
After reading the Evangelical Pericope (Matthew 14:22-34), His Beatitude delivered a sermon in which he emphasised the symbolism of today’s feast.
The new Adam, through obedience till death, even death on the Cross, showed the world the glory to which the man created in the image of God glorified and eternal is called.
“The Transfiguration of Jesus Christ, our Saviour, according to the understanding of the Holy Fathers of the Church shows us not only the glory of His Resurrection from the dead on the third day, but also the glory with which He would come to judge the living and the dead at the end of time. This is why the feast is scheduled for the last month of the church year, because the church year ends on 31 August and begins on 1 September, because this last month of the church year speaks about the ultimate things before the coming of the Lord at the end of the world. This feast was scheduled for the sixth day, not on the seventh, because man was made on the sixth day. If while in Paradise Adam had obeyed God and had not sinned he would have reached the glory of the Kingdom of God. The new Adam, through obedience till death, even death on the Cross, showed the world the glory to which the man created in the image of God glorified and eternal is called.
The Transfiguration is a prophetic moment itself
The Patriarch of Romania has also shown that “The Transfiguration is a prophetic moment itself. It shows us now the glory of the Kingdom of Heaven when those who believed in Christ and loved Him would reach the glory of the Most Holy Trinity. That is the target of the Church. The Transfiguration of the Lord shows us the ultimate future of those who believe in Christ: it is the glory and joy of the Kingdom of Heaven. This is why the Orthodox icon shows us the saints with a halo of light or on a golden backdrop, to show us that they are already in the Kingdom of Heaven where they are waiting for us, praying for us to reach the glory of the Kingdom of Heaven.
The Primate of the Romanian Orthodox Church also explained why the churches are built on a high place
“Having learned from this holy Transfiguration of Jesus Christ, our Saviour that the Law and the Prophets meet in Jesus Christ and the Apostles see in Jesus Christ the future of those who believe in God and love Him it was decided that the churches should be always built on a high place because Christ was crucified on the Golgotha Mountain, He was transfigured on a mountain and He rose to heaven from the Olives Mountain. So, one should climb to the church not go down. The church is a Tabor, a mountain of Golgotha, as well as the mountain of the change of our life from a sinful life into the holy bright life”, said His Beatitude.
The Transfiguration of Jesus Christ, our Saviour, shows us His Eternal face who calls us to Him
His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel has also shown in his speech that matter is transfigured in the Kingdom of God, while the earthly life of the humans will be changed in heaven, so that the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ, our Saviour, shows us His eternal face who calls us to Him.
“Why the four Gospels never tell us anything about the colour of the skin and hair of Jesus Christ, our Saviour; no Gospel tells us what Jesus Christ’s face looked like, as a human, or what the colour of his hair was. Why? Because the man’s face living on the earth will be changed, because it is temporary, so that it will be changed in the Kingdom of Heaven. The only time when the Gospels tell what Christ’s face looked like is the moment of the Transfiguration, because this is how we shall see Him in eternity, in glory, namely the matter becomes interior to the spirit, so that now the spirit is hidden into the matter. Matter is transfigured in the Kingdom of God, is changed, diminished, spiritualised, when the spirit or the bright soul overwhelms the body. So, the Transfiguration of Jesus Christ, our Saviour, shows us His eternal face who calls us to Him”, said the Patriarch of Romania.
During the Divine Liturgy, the Patriarch of Romania ordained young deacon Eloi Siluan a priest and raised monk Ioachim Bejenariu to the rank of protosinghel, for the Patriarchal Cathedral.
