Patriarchal blessing for the participants in Philokalia Evenings

22/11/13

At the end of the first conference of “Philokalia Evenings” Symposium, held today, 17 November 2013, in Aula Magna “Patriarch Teoctist” of the Patriarchal Palace, participants received the blessing of His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel.

In “Europa Christiana” Hall, His Beatitude spoke to the youth and faithful presentabout the meanings and importance of these meetings: “These philokalic evenings refer to a theology of communion, of holiness, of human encounter with God and there is no philokalia without theology. The theology in philokalia is the theology of the experience of communion of human being with God. It is therefore very important the name given to these conferences, namely Philokalia Evenings, in which reason aims at searching and understanding the communion with God of divine love as the source of creation and its purpose. Therefore, God created man as an intelligent and loving being in order to share His love to other loving beings. Thus, the man created in the image of God is eager to eternal life and eternal love and only in God there is eternal life and love”.

His Beatitude offered to all present the book “The pastoral and missionary implications of Father Dumitru Stăniloae’s mystical theology”, recently published by “The Word of Life” Publishing House.

The theme of the lecture presented by Rev. Prof. Dr. Ștefan Buchiu was “Reverend Professor Dumitru Stăniloae – The theologian of divine love”.

“Evenings Philokalia” Symposiumreached its eighteenth edition. The next meeting will be held on Monday, 18 November 2013, in the Aula Magna of the Faculty of Law at 18:00 hours. The guest of the evening, His Eminence Seraphim, Romanian Orthodox Metropolitan of Germany, Central and Northern Europe, will present a conference on Freedom and rule in our everyday life.

The first meeting took place on Sunday, 17 November 2013, at 18:00 hours, in Aula Magna of the Patriarchal Palace.

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