Resurrection Night in Romania: believers defied the weather to receive the Holy Light: “It helps us to overcome all obstacles”
Orthodox believers from all over the country attended the Resurrection services in large numbers, despite the capricious weather. People took the Holy Light, prayed for peace, health and tranquility and passed on the news: Christ is risen!
In Iasi, almost 4,000 people were present on the esplanade of the Metropolitanate of Moldavia and Bucovina, according to a report by ProTV News.
Many came to the Resurrection service for the first time, attracted by the festive atmosphere and the desire to receive light. “It's the first year we've come…we're leaving with a sense of peace,” said one young participant.
At the Voronet Monastery, the inner courtyard became too large, and the faithful attended the service despite the rain. “May we all be healthy and be able to raise our grandchildren in peace and quiet“, a woman testified.
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In Constanța, the Holy Light was brought by sea, according to tradition, by the Archbishop of Tomis, ÎPS Teodosie.
“This immaterial holy light is our Orthodox connection with God that no wave or wind or any danger can stop”said the hierarch.
From the Casino embankment, the faithful set off in procession to the Cathedral “Saints Peter and Paul”.
In Cluj-Napoca, the service at the Metropolitan Cathedral gathered many believers, some of whom came especially from abroad to spend Easter at home. A couple from Switzerland came straight from the airport to work: “We were able to resolve with the service to be able to come”said the woman.
And in Timișoara, the Metropolitan Cathedral was full, and in Arad, the service was officiated by a council of priests led by His Holiness Timotei. “Nwe pray for our family, for our friends”said one participant.
In Poiana Brașov, tourists on vacation came to the church to take light. “I think that definitely helps us get through all the obstacles,” one woman said. After the service, those staying at the resort were greeted with red eggs, scones, Easter and wine.
And in the Capital, believers came in large numbers to take light.
Patriarch Daniel: “This Feast of Feasts illuminates and directs the whole life of the Church towards the common Resurrection”
Patriarch Daniel conveyed, in the message delivered at the Resurrection Service at the Patriarchal Cathedral, that “Resurrection is not a natural phenomenon. It is Christ's gift to all humanity,” RIGHT Basilica.ro.
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His Beatitude emphasized that the Resurrection does not represent a simple return to earthly life, but the beginning of a new existence: “The Resurrection of Christ is not a return to transient biological life, but the abolition of death and the inauguration of eternal heavenly life.”
The Patriarch of Romania highlighted the unique character of the Christian faith in the context of the era in which it appeared. “The belief of Christians in the resurrection of Christ and the resurrection of all men at the end of the ages was the most new and unusual belief that appeared in the ancient world,” he said.
He explained that, contrary to the philosophical views of the time, Christianity affirms the resurrection of the body, not just the immortality of the soul. “The immortality of the soul was admitted, but the belief in the resurrection of the body was not admitted, because the matter of the body was considered as something bad, as a prison for the spirit”the Patriarch specified.
Patriarch Daniel recalled that the Savior performed other resurrections from the dead, but they were not definitive: “The resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ is totally different from these three resurrections from the dead, because, through His resurrection, He inaugurated another life: eternal heavenly life”
The Patriarch also quoted the words of the Savior, which show that Christ is the source of eternal life: “I am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in me, though he die, yet shall he live” (John 11, 25) and invoked the testimony of the Holy Apostle Paul: “Christ, risen from the dead, dies no more. Death no longer has dominion over Him” (Romans 6, 9), emphasizing that the Resurrection concerns the whole human being, including the body, which will be transfigured: “The bodies of the resurrected will be spiritual, incorruptible or incorruptible and immortal”.
Patriarch Daniel also spoke about the role of the Holy Fathers in defending the belief in the Resurrection, showing that it had been contested since the first centuries, but remained the foundation of Christian theology. He emphasized that the whole life of the Church is oriented towards this reality and that the preparation for Easter – through fasting, prayer and communion – leads to the full experience of Easter joy.
“This Feast of Feasts illuminates and directs the whole life of the Church towards the common Resurrection and towards the eternal happiness of angels and people in the kingdom of eternal love of the Most Holy Trinity. We pray to Him to give us all joy and peace, health and salvation!“the Patriarch transmitted.
