{"id":192798,"date":"2018-04-25T12:41:10","date_gmt":"2018-04-25T09:41:10","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/basilica.ro\/?p=192798"},"modified":"2018-04-25T12:41:46","modified_gmt":"2018-04-25T09:41:46","slug":"metropolitan-teofan-urges-believers-to-attend-romanian-referendum-on-marriage-definition","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/arhiva.basilica.ro\/en\/metropolitan-teofan-urges-believers-to-attend-romanian-referendum-on-marriage-definition\/","title":{"rendered":"Metropolitan Teofan urges believers to attend Romanian referendum on marriage definition"},"content":{"rendered":"

At the end of the Divine Liturgy celebrated Monday at St George Church in Botosani, Metropolitan Teofan of Moldavia and Bukovina urged the believers to attend the Romanian referendum on marriage definition.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u2018If God blesses us and the country\u2019s authorities will listen to the people\u2019s voice to organize the referendum on family protection, may none of those here present miss such an event,\u2019 His Eminence said April 23.<\/p>\n

\u2018May you bring at least fifty other persons together so that the desire of the good willing people in this country be evident,\u2019 the Metropolitan of Moldavia and Bukovina added.<\/p>\n

What does it mean to be victorious?<\/h4>\n

In his sermon delivered at the end of the 23 April Divine Liturgy, Metropolitan Teofan also referred to the life and martyrdom of St George<\/a> and about how we can become victorious \u2018by putting on the garment of love, humility and forgiveness.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018In our Christian world to be victorious means to be stronger than the great dragon of pride.\u2019<\/p>\n

\u2018He who through humility manages to crush the dragon of pride, he who follows the will of God, and not his own will, crushes another head of the dragon within himself, and the one who masters his body becomes a free man, that is, victorious,\u2019 added His Eminence linking the spiritual struggle with the life of St George.<\/p>\n

Family life<\/h4>\n

In his homily, Metropolitan Teofan listed three ways by which a Christian can become victorious in family life:<\/p>\n

    \n
  • The faithfulness of spouses to one another means victory over lust,<\/li>\n
  • Staying together in the family until the end of life means to gain a great victory over so many tendencies of divorce, family tearing apart and separation,<\/li>\n
  • Giving birth to children. There is no greater victory for the father and mother who establish a family than to bring to the world to the power-giving child, without whom family life can be dry, dull and colourless.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n

    The Metropolitan reflected on \u2018one of the most important laws planted by God in people\u2019s mind: that the family be formed by men, women, and their children.\u2019<\/p>\n

    \u2018There is nothing more holy and worthy to be defended in this world,\u2019 Met. Teofan said about marriage as the union of one man and one woman.<\/p>\n

    \u2018May the people of good will show their adherence to the observance of the Lord\u2019s commandment,\u2019 he said stressing his hope that similarly to other countries Romania may affirm marriage as the union of one man and one woman in the Constitution.<\/p>\n