Today, 27 April 2013, thousands of faithful and over 700 priests participated in the traditional Palm Sunday pilgrimage held in Bucharest. This year, the pilgrimage of Bucharest organised on the occasion of the feast of the Entrance of the Lord in Jerusalem began with the Vesper service united with the Litany celebrated on the platform of the Cathedral for the Nation’s Salvation by the Patriarch of Romania. Besides His Beatitude, the Assistant Bishop to the Archdiocese of Bucharest, His Grace Varsanufie Prahoveanul, celebrated, assisted by a group of priests and deacons, in the presence of hundreds of faithful. <\/p>\n
After the celebration His Beatitude said the thanksgiving prayer for the works done so far to the infra-structure of the future Cathedral and then the prayer for consecrating the willow branches. The servant priests shared them to the pilgrims and then the pilgrimage set off to the Patriarchal Cathedral. <\/p>\n
The pilgrimage was opened by the wooden board beaten by priests, followed by the banners and the Holy Cross, by deacons carrying censers. Then, the group of priests followed divided on deaneries, as follows: Deanery I Capital, Deanery II Capital, Deanery III Capital, Deanery Ilfov South, Deanery Ilfov North, charity and military priests of Bucharest, as well as the eparchial and patriarchal counsellors and vicars. Then, the icon of the Feast of the Entrance of the Lord in Jerusalem was carried on shoulders by the clergymen within the Deanery Ilfov South. There followed His Grace Varsanufie Prahoveanul, Assistant Bishop to the Archdiocese of Bucharest, the chorus of the Orthodox Theological Seminary of Bucharest, the seminary students and thousands of faithful fig and willow branches in their hands, who ended the procession. <\/p>\n
During the pilgrimage the religious singers and faithful sang together the Palm Sunday Troparion (O Christ God, when Thou didst raise Lazarus from the dead, before Thy Passion, Thou didst confirm the universal resurrection. Wherefore, we, like babes, carry the insignia of triumph and victory, and cry to Thee, O Vanquisher of death, Hosanna in the highest. Blessed is He that cometh in the Name of the Lord), and other religious chants. <\/p>\n
The first stop was at the Chapel of the Cathedral for the Nation’s Salvation, dedicated to the Resurrection of the Lord, Icon of the Mother of the Lord – Prodormita, Saint John Chrysostom, Archbishop of Constantinople. <\/p>\n
Then the Pilgrimage continued on: Calea 13 Septembrie – Bd. Libert\u0103\u021bii – Bd. Regina Maria. The following stop was at “Saint Nicholas” – Vladica church, where the litany was celebrated, and then the hierarch said the kondac II of the Acathistos of the Entrance of the Lord in Jerusalem.<\/p>\n
Hence, the procession made for “Saint Ecaterina” church, chapel of the “Patriarch Justinian” Faculty of Orthodox Theology of Bucharest, taking the following route: 11 Iunie St. – Principatele Unite St – Ienachita Vacarescu St – Sfanta Ecaterina St. After the Litany and kondac II of the Akathistos of the Entrance of the Lord in Jerusalem they made for the Patriarchal Cathedral taking Bibescu Voda St, and then made for the Joy Hill. <\/p>\n
After the Litany, the Patriarch of Romania consecrated the icon of the Entrance of the Lord in Jerusalem and said the Blessing prayer of the pilgrims. <\/p>\n
The pilgrimage ended with the sermon of the Primate of the Romanian Orthodox Church addressed to the pilgrims present at the Joy Hill. <\/p>\n
First of all the Patriarch of Romania presented a part of the meanings of the pilgrimage: “This day is special because we see that God blessed us with fine weather and sunshine so that we have no reason to stay at home, but participate in the Palm Sunday feast which began with the Vesper service. The Palm Sunday Pilgrimage has lots of meanings but we shall remember only a few. First of all, the Palm Sunday pilgrimage is a remembrance, a memorial reminding the Entrance of the Lord in Jerusalem and then His sufferance till death, His burial and resurrection after three days, giving us through His Resurrection the basis of our resurrection and eternal life. This memorial of the Entrance of the Lord in Jerusalem or this liturgical remembrance is done not only through singing, but also in visible form through the icon and procession with the Icon of the Entrance of the Lord in Jerusalem, with the participation of the clergy and people. In general, visible memory is the deepest and most faithful one. This is why it is said “you’d better see once than hear ten times”. So, especially the Orthodox Church remembers that in the New Testament Christ, our Lord, is named not only the Word of God, but also the Icon or image of God. This is why all our services unite the word with the icon, the word heard and the icon seen. <\/p>\n
The churches too are an icon of the heavenly Jerusalem, a foretaste of the heavenly Jerusalem. This is why we sing at the consecration of a church just like during the Easter night: “Shine, shine New Jerusalem because the glory of the Lord shone over you”. <\/p>\n
His Beatitude has also shown that the Palm Sunday pilgrimage starts from a church, passes churches and arrives at another church, because the church is the icon of the heavenly Jerusalem: “We are all travellers in this world, pilgrims, but the final city is the Kingdom of Heaven about which the Revelation book, chapter 21 says: “I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband.” And in this city of the never setting and uncreated eternal light the nations will bring their glory, namely the beauty of the good that they did in the history. So, the Palm Sunday Pilgrimage relates us directly to Jesus Christ, our Lord, who entered Jerusalem to suffer, die and be resurrected. Thus, the second meaning of this Palm Sunday Pilgrimage prepares us for the Week of the Holy Passion of Christ, so that if suffering together with Him we should resurrect together with Him too. We have fasted 40 days so far. The Week of the Holy Passions is not only a week of fasting, ascetics, efforts, but also a week of mystics, mysterious and spiritual, of accompanying Christ who suffered for us, died for us, was buried for us, went down to hell with his soul as God for us and rose from the dead to give us a new eternal life, as well as much mercy, pious love, and kindness. This means much mercy”. <\/p>\n
“The Palm Sunday Pilgrimage is not a circle movement, but a forward movement – as the word procession says, namely to go forward – to the Holy Easter, as we advance to the Heavenly city” Hid Beatitude emphasized: “This advance to Resurrection begins with the moment of baptism, because we were baptized in water and Holy Spirit, and when we were baptized in the name of the Most Holy Trinity we were united with the crucified and risen Christ; this Palm Sunday Pilgrimage is a deeper intensification and awareness of suffering together with Christ, of fighting against sin, against the wickedness in us and around us and replacing sin with virtues, with good deeds, with the deeds of faith. This is why the willow branches show that we carry in our hands the flowers of faith, effort, and of the spiritual love that we got through the crucifixion of selfishness and of the passions during the Lent. Therefore, the flowers of faith are the candle as well as the flowers that we bring to the church as a sign of joy and appreciation. The small crosses that we consecrated just now show us that we must strengthen our thought and feelings with the love for Christ, of obedience to Him when we hear His word and see His image”, His Beatitude said. <\/p>\n
In 1948, the communist regime forbade the Palm Sunday pilgrimage in Bucharest but it was resumed in 2008 with the blessing of His Beatitude Daniel, Patriarch of the Romanian Orthodox Church. <\/p>\n\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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