The Cross is the Only Way Through Which We Can Attain the New Creation

and the Likeness of God

On the Sunday before the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, His Grace Bishop Ioan Casian was present among the faithful of the Nativity of the Theotokos Mission in Airdrie, Alberta, Canada. Concelebrating with the bishop were: Fr. Mircea Panciuk – protopresbyter emeritus, Protopresbyter Călin Dorin Marincaș, Fr. Ioan Cristian Bujor – the parish priest, Fr. Vasile Ioan Moisi, Fr. Ovidiu Moldovan, Fr. Lucian Moldovan, Fr. Ciprian Pavel Roman and Fr. Florin Porumb.

At the end of the Divine Liturgy, the hierarch highlighted some important aspects related to the current liturgical period, as well as to the Feast of the Nativity of the Theotokos, the patronal feast of this mission.

The bishop explained how the Church structures major feasts through Sundays that precede and follow them, giving the faithful time for reflection and spiritual deepening.

“Today is called the Sunday before the Exaltation of the Holy Cross, and the one following the feast is called the Sunday after the Exaltation of the Holy Cross. (…) Why this framing? Because the Church wants to show us that these moments are not just commemorative dates, but decisive landmarks for our salvation. They are anchored both in human history and in God's saving work. Throughout these days, the hymns and liturgical readings return to the same theme, giving us the opportunity to penetrate more deeply into the mystery of the feast.”

In his sermon, special emphasis was placed on the words of Saint Paul:

“Neither circumcision nor uncircumcision means anything; what counts is the new creation. For us, this sign is fulfilled in Baptism, through triple immersion in water in the name of the Holy Trinity – a gesture that means death and resurrection with Christ.

“What matters,” says the Apostle, “is being reborn in Christ, restoring the image that God had given to Adam and Eve before the fall. This is the gift that Christ restored to us through His death and resurrection and by sending the Holy Spirit. Through faith, ascetic effort, and life in the Church, we are called to grow in this restoration of this image, and the way to it is through the Cross:

‘But God forbid that I should boast except in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the world has been crucified to me, and I to the world.’ The Cross is the only path through which we can attain the new creation and the likeness of God.”

“The Cross is the way shown to us by Christ, the Son of God, born of the Virgin through the work of the Holy Spirit, without sin. Unlike our birth, marked by the law of sin, He entered the world without sin so that through His Cross and Resurrection, He could restore our life.”

Referring to the Gospel (John 3), His Grace Bishop Ioan Casian explained that only Christ could bring salvation, since the righteous of the Old Testament, though blessed, “remained marked by sin, unable to rise above it. Their conscience always reminded them of sin’s presence in their lives. King David, for example, repented his entire life, leaving us the Book of Psalms as the fruit of that repentance. His prayer: ‘O Lord, I have cried out to You, hear me, attend to the voice of my prayer’ is the voice of the entire Church asking for God’s mercy.”

“Through its communal prayer, the Church assumes the awareness of sin. That’s why at every Vespers service, the whole community chants the Psalmist’s verses: ‘O Lord, I have cried to You, hear me!’ Through these words, the Church expresses the spiritual condition of the human soul longing for forgiveness and blessing, asking God for the grace to restore our lives. And this is not just a hope, but a real possibility, proven by the lives of the saints.”

The bishop brought to attention the example of recently canonized Romanian saints, including the sixteen holy women officially recognized by the Romanian Church:

“These holy lives clearly show that holiness is not dependent on wealth or social status. A person can be both rich and holy, if one lives in faith and place the possessions and life in the service of others, in the work of charity and Christian love. Thus, holiness becomes a path open to all, through cooperation with God's grace.

All of this teaches us that holiness is possible for us as well, with God's gift, but also with the response of our faith. God gives the grace, but man must receive it and increase it through his life.”

The hierarch emphasized that “divine love surpasses all human understanding and is the foundation of salvation. Faith, like that of Abraham, is the response that man can give to this love: ‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.’ Only Christ, the Son of God and the second Person of the Holy Trinity, the One who was incarnate for us, can grant salvation. The mystery of the Incarnation remains incomprehensible to the human mind. The Fathers of the Church tried to explain it, but they too acknowledge the limits of reason: how can the divine nature, infinite and uncontainable, fully unite with human nature in a single Person? It remains a mystery.”

“Bishops, priests, deacons, and lay faithful alike are called to serve in God's sanctifying work, but none of us can offer salvation ourselves. This is the direct gift of Christ. That is why the saints never speak about themselves but always point to Christ. That is where their authenticity is seen – in the humility of putting God at the center.”

“The descent of the Son of God from heaven and His sinless incarnation make the restoration of our nature possible. ‘Whoever believes in Him has eternal life,’ the Gospel tells us clearly today. God has fulfilled His work: He became incarnate, He sacrificed Himself, He offered Himself out of love for humanity. But our freedom remains – to believe or not.

This is the same freedom that Adam and Eve had in Eden. God gave them everything, with only one commandment: not to eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. When man, tempted by the evil one, chose to break this communion and believe he could be ‘like God’ on his own, he lost grace and experienced the nakedness of sin.”

“The path of the Church is precisely the path back into grace. The Holy Mysteries (Sacraments) offer us this restoration. All of this is not the result of human power, but of God’s work. To receive them means to humbly accept that we cannot save ourselves.

This is where our true crucifixion lies: to renounce self-sufficiency and open ourselves to the work of grace. Through virtue, ascetic effort, and humility, we then grow in Christ, becoming the ‘new creation’ spoken of by Saint Paul.

The foundation of this restoration is God’s love. ‘For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life.’ Such love is difficult to understand. What parent would willingly offer his child to death? And yet, the Father sent His Son to be sacrificed, for our salvation.”

The bishop also reminded those present of the importance of the parish feast: “The Mother of God is the image of perfect obedience and humility. At the Annunciation, her simple and faithful response – ‘Let it be to me according to your word’ – overturned the history of sin, opening to humanity the path to salvation.”

At the end, His Grace Bishop Ioan Casian presented the ROYA organization – Romanian Orthodox Youth of America: “ROYA brings together young people who have grown up in our camps and activities, organizing pilgrimages, gatherings, and events aimed at strengthening their ties with the Church. I urge you to encourage young people, to support their involvement, and to help them enjoy the communion of faith.”

A fraternal agape meal shared by those present concluded the celebration.

(contribution Nun Ana Bulgariu)