On the last Sunday of the civilian year 2018, His Grace Bishop Ioan Casian celebrated the Divine Liturgy at St. George's Cathedral in Saint-Hubert, Quebec. Alongside His Grace was Rev. Fr. Daniel Sandu.

The Sunday after Christ's birth was a moment of prayer and meditation on the evangelical text about the refuge into Egypt as well as on the lives of the saints mentioned on this occasion.

In his homily His Grace said:

The text of today’s Gospel talk about the light God casts on our social reality in relation to Him. Jesus Christ is born as the king of heaven and earth in the humbleness of a Bethlehem cave among the silent creatures. He does not have place in the homes of those who were chosen to receive Him primarily because of the prophets whom God had given to the people as guides in order to be prepared to receive the incarnate Son of God. Herod's reaction in receiving the news from the magi from the Orient was more of fear and envy; fearing that a new king might usurp his power and envy that someone might be brighter than he. The consequence of these thoughts was the killing of the male children of two years old and less in Bethlehem, so that there would be no one to claim the throne. Can we think how many of today's world powers are reacting in the same way in terms of novelty? The health of the society and through it of the heart of man can also be seen through this reaction. We see in totalitarian societies violent reactions and in the democratic ones most often a misleading or deceiving attitude in the name of the power that those systems want to preserve. It is a good moment, when approaching the end of the civilian year 2018 and the beginning of a new year 2019, to meditate on what we can keep as authentic, improve as insufficient or change because of the evil it contains in order to live in a just and honest society promoting peace, harmony and love - the normal values of human life.

Recalling the saints mentioned on this occasion, the hierarch said:

Today we mention three important saints of the Christian tradition. The holy and right Joseph, the fiancé of the Virgin Mary and the adoptive father according to the body of Christ the Savior. He is the one who will take care of Jesus under divine inspiration in the fragile moments of the beginning of His earthly life. We also mention King David, who through the words of the Psalms and his deeds kept alive the faith in God and the hope in the coming of the Messiah. St. James the kinsman of our Lord and first bishop of Jerusalem who will have the responsibility of the Christian community in the city. All of them in various ways are special examples of life and testimony in the favor of God in difficult and dangerous times. As Christians, we need these testimonies in order at our turn to preserve the flame of the life in Christ. The saints are examples and remedies to the passionate tendencies of man not transfigured in Christ.

In the conclusion of the sermon wishes of health and blessings were addressed to believers present.