Time and Eternity Intertwined in the Feasts of the Church

On the Friday of Bright Week, when the Church celebrates the Feast of the Life-Giving Fountain, the Episcopal Cathedral of St. Great Martyr George and Sts. Epictetus and Astion in St. Hubert, Québec, became a place hosting another liturgical gathering marked by the light and joy of the Lord’s Resurrection. The Holy and Divine Liturgy was celebrated by His Grace Bishop Ioan Casian, joined by Protosyncellus Maxim Morariu, Fr. Marius Constantin Popa, and Deacon Valentin Boțu.

In the Paschal atmosphere of this blessed week, the faithful present relived—through hymn and prayer—the joy of encountering the Risen Christ, uniquely united with the veneration of the Mother of God and the feast of the Life-Giving Fountain. The entire order of the service bore the imprint of Pascha, as happens each day during Bright Week, when the Church lives and extends the same light and joy of the Resurrection.

At the end of the Divine Liturgy, His Grace Bishop Ioan Casian delivered a homily in which he spoke about the meaning of Bright Week and how the Church makes present, through grace, the mystery of the Resurrection in the life of every generation: “During this bright week, the Church calls us to live each day as the very day of the Resurrection,” the bishop noted, emphasizing that the Resurrection of the Lord is not merely the remembrance of an event that took place two thousand years ago, but a living reality that is continually extended in the life of the Church. “First, there is God’s work in history, and then the Church keeps it alive and extends it through grace. Through His grace, God carries across time what the disciples experienced then and makes the event present for every faithful person in every generation,” the hierarch said.

The bishop then explained the meaning of the Feast of the Life-Giving Fountain, which has its origin in a miracle that took place in the 5th century. He recalled the miracle worked through the intercession of the Mother of God, when the future Emperor Leo the Great received divine guidance and discovered a spring whose waters restored the sight of a blind man: “All the feasts of the Church are grounded in an event. First, there is God’s work in history, and then the Church preserves it and extends it through grace,” the Romanian bishop emphasized.

Referring to the reading from the Acts of the Apostles, the bishop spoke about the healing of the lame man by the Holy Apostles Peter and John, and about the power of God’s grace that continues to work in the Church to this day. Recalling the words of the Apostle Peter addressed to the sick man—“Silver and gold I do not have, but what I have I give you”—the bishop pointed out that the true wealth of the Church is the grace received from Christ: “Peter does not offer him material riches, but the healing grace received from Christ. God’s power works through the Apostles, and the sick man immediately rises and begins to walk.”

In the second part of his homily, His Grace Bishop Ioan Casian spoke about the Gospel of the day, in which the Savior drives out those who were trading in the temple. Starting from this passage, the bishop highlighted the true purpose of the Church and of Christian life: “We do not come to the Church for the things of this world, but to encounter God and to partake of His grace.”

At the same time, the Bishop of Canada explained the Savior’s words, “Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up,” showing that Christ was not speaking about a temple made of stone, but about the temple of His body, and thus about His victory over death: “For Christ, the true temple is not a building of stone, but the human person,” he said, reminding the faithful that the Church is made up of the community of those who believe in the Risen Christ and live by His grace.

In conclusion, the bishop spoke about the profound connection between the Feast of the Life-Giving Fountain and the Mother of God, through whom the world received Christ, the Source of life: “If Christ is the One who conquers death and heals all creation, the Mother of God is the one who, by giving birth, reveals Him to the world, and through her closeness to the Son of God, intercedes for us and leads us to Him.”

The bishop concluded with an exhortation to preserve and share the joy of the Resurrection with everyone, calling all those present to live this joy every day of their lives.

(contribution by Nun Ana Bulgariu)