{"id":132835,"date":"2016-05-15T14:05:57","date_gmt":"2016-05-15T11:05:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/basilica.ro\/en\/?p=132835"},"modified":"2016-05-19T14:08:18","modified_gmt":"2016-05-19T11:08:18","slug":"the-patriarch-of-romania-at-saint-mary-monastery-techirghiol78","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arhiva.basilica.ro\/en\/the-patriarch-of-romania-at-saint-mary-monastery-techirghiol78\/","title":{"rendered":"The Patriarch of Romania at \u201eSaint Mary\u201d Monastery \u2013 Techirghiol"},"content":{"rendered":"

On15 May 2016, the Orthodox Church is on the 3rd<\/sup> Sunday after Easter, also called of the Myrrh Bearing Women<\/em>. On this day, His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church, was at Saint Mary patriarchal stavropegial Monastery<\/em> \u2013 Techirghiol.<\/p>\n

At the end of the Divine Liturgy celebrated in the monastic place of worship, the Patriarch of Romania delivered a sermon in which he spoke about the spiritual teaching of the Gospel text read on the day in all the places of worship of the Romanian Patriarchate (Mark <\/em>15:43-47;16:1-8).<\/p>\n

The Patriarch of Romania showed that the myrrh bearing women were very courageous and had great esteem for Jesus Christ, our Lord.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe myrrh bearing women were more courageous than all Jesus\u2019 disciples. While Jesus\u2019 disciples gathered all in a house, afraid of the Judeans, where the Last Supper must have been, the myrrh bearing women went, very courageous, on the first day of the week, at day break, to the tomb, to anoint Jesus\u2019 body as sign of appreciation according to the custom of the Judeans. This gesture of theirs, of great courage, is explained by the fact that they had strong faith, a holy love, and great esteem for Jesus Christ, our Saviour\u201d.<\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The myrrh bearing women are our teachers through their way of expressing their faith and devotion, His Beatitude Patriarch Daniel also underlined.<\/p>\n

\u201cSaint John Chrysostom called the myrrh bearing women – whom the Church praises for their courage, faith and devotion – \u201cthe apostles of the apostles\u201d. \u201cApostle\u201d means \u201cmessenger, envoy\u201d in the Greek language. They were sent by the angel to those whom Christ would send to all nations to preach the Gospel of His Resurrection. These myrrh bearing women are our teachers not through a teaching different from that of the apostles, but through their way of expressing the faith and devotion for Christ, through their way of showing that the religious human being has spiritual strength, spiritual force to confess the faith, so that no more other human opinions are needed\u201d.<\/em><\/p>\n

\u201cWho will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?\u201d This question of the myrrh bearing women is the question often asked by many mothers, wives, by many women who pass through troubles, who are faced with disease, poverty, with the trials and hardships of life. This is why people say, when somebody passed through hardship with the help of God and overcome sufferance of great worry, that: \u201cI feel as if a stone was taken away from my heart\u201d. So, the stone from the entrance to the tomb was rolled away as answer to their question: \u201cWho will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?\u201d When there are no more people to help us, God Himself does it\u201d, His Beatitude also said. <\/em><\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In the end, the Patriarch of Romania offered the community of Saint Mary Monastery<\/em> \u2013 Techirghiol several books published by the Romanian Patriarchate.<\/p>\n

Next Sunday, the Orthodox Church will be on the 4th<\/sup> Sunday after Easter.\u00a0 <\/em><\/p>\n