His Grace Bishop Ioan Casian: "We must not forget that in order to reach the eternal life, to enter the kingdom of heaven, we need the cross of Christ"

On Saturday, September 16, the HG Bishop Ioan Casian participated at feast day of the monastery Exaltation of the Holy Cross and Saint Ephrem the New in Mono, Ontario.

Several members of clergy participated in the celebration: Dean Viorel Ţencaliuc, Fr. Lucian Pușcariu, Hieromonk Polycarp - igumen, Fr. Nicolae Codrea - eparchial secretary, Protos. Corneliu Andrasco, Fr. Călin Toderiță, Fr. Dragoș Giulea, Fr. Eugen Revencu, Fr. Emanuel Ionuț Țencaliuc, Fr. Lavrentie Costel Gheorghe, Fr. Marian Iacobuț and Deacon Valentin Boțu. The answers at strana were given by the protopsalt Andrei Cătălin Ghebaru.

HG Bishop Ioan Casian brought with him the relics of St. Constantin Brâncoveanu, St. Gregory Dascălu, St. Andrei Șaguna and St. Irodion from Lainici.

In the sermon at the end of the Holy Liturgy, the hierarch said: “We rejoice in this day blessed by God with His divine light, to be present at the feast day of the monastery of the Exaltation of the Holy Cross and St. Ephrem the New and to partake in the communion of the mysterious and central ordinance of the Orthodox Church, which is the Holy Liturgy, the mystery of the Mysteries, the one that constitutes the Church.

We are also pleased to be in the presence and some saints represented here by their relics: St. Andrei Șaguna Metropolitan of Transylvania, St. Gregory Dascălu Metropolitan of the Wallachia, St. Irodion from Lainici, St. Constantin Brâncoveanul and St. Ana Mother of the Virgin. We are in the presence of these saints and of all the saints who are mentioned at the service of Proscomidia - Hierarchs, Pious and simple people - who made askesis in the Church to fulfill the will of God.

According to the image of these saints we try and from generation to generation to assume the cross of Christ. He tells the Jews: ' am going away, and you will seek Me, and will die in your sin. Where I go you cannot come. (…) You are from beneath; I am from above. You are of this world; I am not of this world. Therefore, I said to you that you will die in your sins; for if you do not believe that I am He, you will die in your sins' (John 8, 21; 23-24). We understand from here that where Christ goes, we cannot go in this condition of sin. God created us without sin, for eternity. With the sin of Adam and Eve it began to be transmitted from generation to generation. It is sin that separates us from eternal life.”

The hierarch spoke further about the way the Church recognizes the presence of sin in the world and how it works for the renewal of creation through the grace and power of God: “The consciousness of the presence of sin in each generation is manifested by the Church in practicing baptism for every new member of it. In this way, it has the consciousness that every person is cleaned and restored by the grace of God in the pure earth of the divine paradise to become a new creature. As a result of this, every new baptized can receive the new eternal life - that is, the body and blood of Christ - which is offered to us every time in the Holy Liturgy.

Regardless of how great our sins would be, let us dare to speak to the spiritual fathers because they can forgive by the grace of God our sins and in this way the great gift of fellowship to the Body and Blood of Christ can be received on earth."

The hierarch spoke further about the unseen, the spiritual part of the Church and the way we can reach eternal life through Christ: “Even if we see during the Holy Liturgy that the reality around us remains unchanged in its immediate material, observable situation, at the moment in which is pronounced the great blessing: 'Blessed is the kingdom of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit now and forever and unto ages of ages. Amen' as a Christian believer we understand that another spiritual reality, seen only by saints by a divine iconomic way, opens in our midst mysteriously - is the kingdom of God. God then descends among us and we are sure that the gifts brought by the believers - the bread and the wine - will be changed into the body and blood of the Lord at the prayer of the community through the direct work of the Holy Spirit dont we will share in the hope of acquiring the eternal life.

We must not forget that in order to reach eternal life, to enter the kingdom of heaven, we need the cross of Christ. We need to enter the mysteriously but truly in the experience of the death and resurrection of Christ. The cross reminds us of the death of the Savior Jesus Christ. He died and was buried as a man, but He raised the third day from the dead as a God to give us eternal life. "

“We enjoy seeing so many member of the clergy present at this religious feast day of the monastery that shows us the importance and meaning of communion in the Church. Let us dare to come in the presence of God beyond our difficulties, restraints or problems in order to be transformed by widening our mind and heart and removing our limits, powerlessness and weaknesses that affect personal relationships. "

Next, the hierarch thanked Mrs. Consul General Oana Raluca Gheorghe, Mr. Consul Florentin Titov Gheorghe and the entire team of the Romanian Consulate in Toronto for presence and for the special work it carries out in favor of the Romanian community in Ontario and Manitoba.

The hierarch also thanked the clergy, the board of the monastery and the believers present in large numbers as well as to all those who have been involved with much dedication and effort under the guidance of Hegumen Polycarp while organizing the monastery feast day.

The day ended with a brotherly agape prepared by those close to the monastery.

(notes by Nun Ana)