{"id":187743,"date":"2018-02-07T13:11:24","date_gmt":"2018-02-07T11:11:24","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/basilica.ro\/?p=187743"},"modified":"2018-02-07T13:11:24","modified_gmt":"2018-02-07T11:11:24","slug":"patriarch-daniel-when-human-freedom-becomes-self-destructive-gods-wisdom-calls-every-one-to-repentance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arhiva.basilica.ro\/en\/patriarch-daniel-when-human-freedom-becomes-self-destructive-gods-wisdom-calls-every-one-to-repentance\/","title":{"rendered":"Patriarch Daniel: \u2018When human freedom becomes self-destructive, God\u2019s wisdom calls every one to repentance\u2019"},"content":{"rendered":"

During his Sunday homily Patriarch Daniel of Romania reflected on the parable of the prodigal son stressing the inestimable value of the human soul and spoke about man\u2019s freedom, the mystery of repentance and God\u2019s infinite forgiving love for every repenting sinner. <\/span><\/h4>\n

The Romanian Patriarch noted that the Heavenly Father refers to us with a merciful love and that \u2018when human freedom becomes self-destructive, God\u2019s wisdom calls every one to repentance.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018The father of the prodigal son,\u2019 the patriarch said, \u2018makes no reproach to his son who returned home, nor does he ask for an inventory of the scattered goods, because a saved soul, gained for eternity, is more precious than any fortune.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

His Beatitude noted that \u2018God\u2019s merciful love, that surpasses any material calculus, overwhelms the justice according to which the prodigal son could have been punished.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

The Patriarch explained that the parable of the prodigal son is closely linked to the Mystery of Confession or \u2018the Mystery of man\u2019s reconciliation with God,\u2019 pointing to \u2018the steps of the spiritual ascent from sin, the essential steps of repentance,\u2019 experienced by the younger son in the gospel.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018The Gospel reading of the second Sunday of Triodion teaches us the way to repent and the greatness of the gift and joy of forgiveness. It teaches us how wonderful is the finding of the lost or the rising of the one spiritually dead, and how beauteous is the state of the human soul after it receives remission of sins,\u2019 Patriarch Daniel added.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Primate of the Romanian Orthodox Church offered his Sunday reflections during the Divine Liturgy celebrated at the St Gregory the Enlightener Chapel of his patriarchal residence highlighting the gift of freedom granted by God to humankind. Referring to the prodigal son, His Beatitude said that \u2018God respects man\u2019s freedom to follow his own way in life.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018Man is free to use all the energy of his life, his natural gifts or those acquired from others as he wishes, and God respects this freedom, even though He knows that man can use it contrariwise to the divine will,\u2019 the Patriarch stressed Feb. 4.<\/span><\/p>\n

His Beatitude went on saying that the day\u2019s gospel shows us the \u2018drama or the failure of man\u2019s freedom as estrangement from God.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

The Heavenly Father relates to us with merciful love, the patriarch said, therefore \u2018when man\u2019s freedom becomes self-destructive or foolish, God\u2019s wisdom calls man to repent.\u2019 The moment \u2018a sinner returns to God and makes the first steps to repentance, God welcomes him or her in haste.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

\u2018The hands of God the Father stretched to embrace those repenting are actually the sacred works of Christ\u2019s Church: the calling to repentance and the remission of sins. These are the fatherly arms shown to people. They are the keys to enter the Heavenly Kingdom according to Saint Cyril of Alexandria. Through these works, all those fallen and alienated from God and their neighbour receive salvation provided they sincerely repent from the depth of their heart.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

The patriarch also explained the symbols in the parable of the prodigal son:<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>The Father symbolises \u2018the fatherly love of God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ and our Heavenly Father.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>The younger son symbolises \u2018the disordered freedom of the passionate man as a manifestation of his sinful life.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>The elder brother represents \u2018some believers who love God and the Church, who are diligent and honest, with a pure life and much devotedness, but who are often uncompassionate and unforgiving with the sinners in their community, whom they judge morally more than help them to correct spiritually.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>\u00a0The far country symbolises \u2018man\u2019s alienation from God and from the healthy state of freedom.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>The famine reflects \u2018the trials permitted by God to men, not as punishment, but as pedagogy, so that man understand that every material possession is limited, including his earthly life.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>The new robe of the paternal forgiveness means \u2018the cleansing of the soul of its dark states imprinted with sins.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>The golden ring put on the hand of the returning prodigal son symbolises \u2018the re-adoption by grace of the person alienated by sin; it is the sign of the re-admission of the repenting man to God\u2019s continuous, undiminished, unchanging love.\u2019<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>The new sandals suggest the grace or help received from God to tread on the thorns of sinful temptations and to walk on the path of salvation, that is, the path of humble love for God and for others.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00b7\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/span>The fatted calf killed for the feast of joy symbolises the Mystery of the Holy Eucharist.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ending his homily, Patriarch Daniel noted that the parable of the prodigal son urges us to repent more and to receive Holy Communion more often to enjoy forgiveness, the renewal of life and the work of the Risen Christ in our life.<\/span><\/p>\n

Photo courtesy of the Basilica.ro Archive<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

During his Sunday homily Patriarch Daniel of Romania reflected on the parable of the prodigal son stressing the inestimable value of the human soul and spoke about man\u2019s freedom, the mystery of repentance and God\u2019s infinite forgiving love for every repenting sinner. The Romanian Patriarch noted that the Heavenly Father refers to us with a…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":187577,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[26],"tags":[9241,3701,14153,66,2367,5379,5068],"class_list":["post-187743","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-homilies","tag-freedom","tag-homily","tag-paternal-love","tag-patriarch-daniel","tag-patriarhul-daniel-en","tag-prodigal-son","tag-repentance"],"better_featured_image":{"id":187577,"alt_text":"","caption":"","description":"","media_type":"image","media_details":{"width":3652,"height":2417,"file":"2018\/02\/PF-Predic\u0103-Fiul-Risipitor.jpg","sizes":{"thumbnail":{"file":"PF-Predic\u0103-Fiul-Risipitor-360x360.jpg","width":360,"height":360,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/arhiva.basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/PF-Predic\u0103-Fiul-Risipitor-360x360.jpg"},"medium":{"file":"PF-Predic\u0103-Fiul-Risipitor-890x589.jpg","width":890,"height":589,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/arhiva.basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/PF-Predic\u0103-Fiul-Risipitor-890x589.jpg"},"large":{"file":"PF-Predic\u0103-Fiul-Risipitor-1280x847.jpg","width":1280,"height":847,"mime-type":"image\/jpeg","source_url":"https:\/\/arhiva.basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/PF-Predic\u0103-Fiul-Risipitor-1280x847.jpg"}},"image_meta":{"aperture":"5","credit":"Ziarul Lumina al Patriarhiei Rom","camera":"NIKON D4S","caption":"","created_timestamp":"1453137303","copyright":"Ziarul Lumina, 2015. Toate drepturile rezervate.","focal_length":"170","iso":"2500","shutter_speed":"0.01","title":"","orientation":"1","keywords":[]}},"post":187576,"source_url":"https:\/\/arhiva.basilica.ro\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/02\/PF-Predic\u0103-Fiul-Risipitor.jpg"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/arhiva.basilica.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187743\/"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/arhiva.basilica.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/arhiva.basilica.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post\/"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arhiva.basilica.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3\/"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arhiva.basilica.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments\/?post=187743"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/arhiva.basilica.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/187743\/revisions\/"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arhiva.basilica.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/187577\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/arhiva.basilica.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/?parent=187743"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arhiva.basilica.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories\/?post=187743"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/arhiva.basilica.ro\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags\/?post=187743"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}